Every respectful city has a natural history museum. After visiting natural history museums in London and New York, the one in Helsinki may feel a bit small and shabby – but the compactness and coziness are the things in Helsinki Natural History Museum, Luomus.
Naturally, there’s a couple of must-have dinosaur bones in the exhibition. And some whale bones and a couple of stuffed lions. But mostly Luomus focuses on the animals of the Nordics, such as elks, bears, wolves, seals, arctic foxes and birds and mosquitos. It’s not only stuffed animals, but also animal poo, pellets and food leftovers.
My favourite section in the museum is the Ice Age exhibition with mammoths and other big and hairy mammals. Another cute must-see is the history of natural history museum (quite meta level stuff I must admit!), where they have really old animals stuffed with straws, and some curiosity donations like the two-heads calf from the 1950’s.
Finnish Museum of Natural History
Pohjoinen Rautatiekatu 13, 00100 Helsinki
Closest metro stations: Kamppi or Central Railway Station
Closest city bike station: Eläinmuseo (right on the Museum doorstep)
Staycation in Helsinki 