In Noormarkku, Pori, you’ll experience a comprehensive journey into architecture and design through guided tours of the worldrenowned Villa Mairea and Ahlström’s unique historical industrial area with its museums.
This experience is a feast for the senses, combining culinary delights at Noormarkku Works area with a
journey through history, design, and architecture. Villa Mairea’s aesthetic brilliance is a tribute to Aalto’s
genius as well as the relationship between modern design and natural beauty. In Ahlström’s Noormarkku
works, come and meld culture, architecture, and gastronomy, and ask yourself how architecture can
elevate and redefine the cultural landscape.
Villa Mairea and the Ahlström Ironworks are a harmonious marriage of art, design, and industry. Designed by Alvar and Aino Aalto, Villa Mairea is an architectural gem amidst a pine forest, while the Ironworks area invites you to stroll through a living museum of industrial heritage. Together, they offer a rich cultural experience highlighting the creative synergy of Aalto’s design and Ahlström’s industrial legacy.
Paimio Sanatorium, Alvar and Aino Aalto’s international breakthrough design, is one of the most renowned buildings in Finland. Completed in 1933, it is a masterpiece of humane modernism and a true gesamtkunstwerk. Designed as a tuberculosis sanatorium and having served as a general hospital, Paimio Sanatorium has now entered a new era of the philosophy of well-being.
Enclosed by a vast forest of tall pine trees, the iconic site invites you to unwind in its tranquil ambiance. Explore the corridors, sense the luminous light and colors of the Sanatorium as you take a guided tour, discovering the stories of the past. A hike through nature trails or outdoor meditation, Paimio Sanatorium offers the perfect retreat to rejuvenate senses. Lenghten the stay by accommodating on-site, enjoy the local cuisine and various spaces of the Sanatorium.
Explore this architectural gem where Aalto’s vision of form and function is realised in each minute detail.
This tour offers more than a simple walkthrough—it invites you to stay and soak in the community spirit that the building embodies. As you explore this space, you have the unique opportunity to extend your
visit with an overnight stay, allowing you to fully immerse yourself in the unflustered landscape that inspired Aalto’s design and experience the communal essence of the thinking behind his designs.
Tour in brief: Join us at the Säynätsalo Town Hall, a cherished historical gem reflecting Alvar Aalto’s brilliance. Uncover the stories and facts of Alvar and Elissa Aalto during our guided tour, which is
suitable for all ages and backgrounds.
Why not extend the experience with an overnight stay? That way, you can create an even deeper connection with this iconic masterpiece and live like a local in our warm, inviting atmosphere.
During this day tour you will learn about the history of Finnish aviation and get to admire a special Aalto destination in Vantaa. The Aviation Museum offers a lot to see and experience for both aviation enthusiasts and novices, and is ideal for a family trip. The museum displays approximately 70 aircrafts from different eras, as well as many other aviation-related artefacts such as engines and scale models. Visitors can get acquainted with travel, hobby and military Finnish aviation by touring the two large permanent exhibition halls and a third hall for changing exhibitions.
The architecturally significant terraced house complex Aerola, designed by Alvar Aalto, is also located in Vantaa, within the Veromies neighbourhood, and it is strongly linked to the history of the Helsinki-Vantaa Airport. The terraced houses were designed as apartments for the employees of Finnair’s predecessor Aero Oy, and they were built on Pyhtäänkorventie street during 1953–1955. Aerola’s terraced houses are also the only buildings designed by Aalto that are situated in Vantaa, and they are a valuable part of the city’s cultural heritage.
Get to discover the collaboration between Ahlström Ironworks and Alvar Aalto, which resulted in these architectural masterpieces surrounded by pine forests. These buildings receive visitors from every corner of the world!
Get to learn about architecture and lifestyle in the Ahlström’s Works sites designed by Alvar Aalto. In Noormarkku you will get acquainted with the sophisticated Villa Mairea, while in Kauttua you will explore the Terraced House and the Riverside sauna.
Human scale and a healthy lifestyle are an integral part of the architecture of the Kauttua Works area. Here, the visitor is presented with a diverse selection of architectural designs by Aalto. You can start your tour at the famous Terraced House, where you can explore an apartment furnished with Artek interiors. On a guided walking tour, you will also visit the Riverside sauna: the location of the public sauna and laundry for the Ahlström workers, designed jointly by Aino and Alvar Aalto. All around, you will spot several other architectures by Aalto, including the civil servants’ residence and standard housing on the Varkaudenmäki hill.
The visit to the Terraced House also offers the possibility to purchase the vintage Artek pieces on display, while the Riverside sauna also hosts a design shop that features secondhand items as well as new Finnish and Scandinavian design models!
From Kauttua, the tour continues towards Noormarkku Works. The world-famous Villa Mairea is located in Noormarkku, where it stands surrounded by a pine forest. Aino and Alvar Aalto designed Villa Mairea as a home for their friends Maire and Harry Gullichsen; the villa is still partly in private use by the Gullichsen family. On the inside, the beautiful original interiors designed by Aino Aalto are further enrichened by a significant international art collection.
While on the guided tour of the Works, you will also get to explore the Ahlström Voyage -exhibition, and the Makkarakoski sawmill museum.
The day starts with a visit to Euran Pirtti, the building of the local youth association in Eura, designed by Jalmari Karhula. At Euran Pirtti, we have morning coffee with the delicious Euran rinkilä doughnuts, which have been selected for the list of living Finnish heritage.
The tour continues to “Naurava lohikäärme”, or Laughing Dragon, which is a guidance centre in prehistory, housed in an old stone cowhouse. A guide presents the prehistory of Eura, especially the region’s rich Viking era. You can try prehistoric handicrafts and guess the weight of a copy of a Viking sword. In the shop of Laughing Dragon, you can buy products that are based on the abundant ancient prehistoric finds made in Eura.
We continue by bus with the guide towards the Luistari Ancient Park, which is one of the most important areas for prehistoric relics in Finland. More than 1300 Iron Age graves have been studied at Luistari. In the summer, there is a photography exhibition of the excavations in the area.
After the guided tour, we continue with the guide to Kauttua Ruukinpuisto Works and have lunch at Kauttua Manor, which is the main building of the ironworks from 1802.
The day continues after lunch with a guided walking tour or bus tour in Kauttua Ruukinpuisto Works. Here we get to know the buildings in the industrial environment: the old residential buildings from the times of the ironworks and the Visitor Centre. After this, we will learn about the influence of Alvar Aalto at Ruukinpuisto. We will visit the Terraced House and its apartment exhibition where architecture, interior decoration and art meet each other. At the end of the day, the tour includes visits to the other Aalto attractions such as the Riverside Sauna, which was originally built for the workers. The building now houses a cafeteria and a design shop. Afternoon coffee is served at the Riverside Sauna.
You can also stay overnight in Villa Aalto, designed by Alvar Aalto, located in the Kauttua Ironworks area. Originally, it served as a dormitory for female clerks.
Alvar Aalto spent many summers in Alajärvi in his childhood and later had a summer house of his own. For Aalto, Alajärvi represented leisure time with family and relatives in contrast to the hectic work at the office. Aalto called this small rural town his spiritual home.
In the scenic Alajärvi one can see buildings from the long span of Aalto’s career, from the earliest assignments to the last of his office. At the Alajärvi Aalto Centre there are 11 locations, including the recently renovated Villa Väinölä, a home Aalto designed for his brother.
The countryside was his retreat during the busy creative years with the assignments and architectural competitions. Alajärvi is located near to Aalto’s childhood home Kuortane, so the region played an important role in his life.
Welcome to experience Alvar Aalto in the lake district of Finland, beside Lake Saimaa!
In Varkaus, Aalto drew up designs ranging from industrial buildings and town plans to the homes of ordinary people. He started as the designer of the Varkaus Mills in the mid-1930s and continued in this role for about 10 years. There were also a number of plans that never materialised. You will also see other old building history of Varkaus, enjoy the natural environment in the Lake Saimaa area and savour food indigenous of the Savo region.
Alvar Aalto, a trailblazer in functionalism, used his design to achieve a more progressive and equal society. In the 1940s, he assumed post-war reconstruction and its sensible implementation as his other key objectives. In Varkaus, Aalto drew up designs ranging from industrial buildings and town plans to the homes of ordinary people. The Varkaus house factory manufactured hundreds of standardised houses designed by him. These were erected in all parts of Finland.
The bicentennial industrial history of Varkaus is evident in the appearance of the town. Over the years, Varkaus has been the host of successful iron and engineering works, shipyards, sawmills, wood-processing plants and paper mills. The Varkaus of today is also renowned for its expertise in energy technology.
Part of the former industrial area has been converted into a modern fishery centre. Varkaus is able to offer rainbow trout, sturgeon and caviar grown in an environmentally benign manner in the waters of Lake Saimaa.
Industrial history is supplemented by the Museum of Mechanical Music, which presents the international history of mechanical music from the 19th century to the present day.
The tour takes you to the buildings by the renowned Finnish architects Alvar Aalto and Eliel Saarinen, and to see some contemporary wooden architecture.
Transfer to Lahti from Helsinki. After arrival, guided wooden architecture tour in the Lahti harbour area. The wood architecture park is constructed in the vicinity of the Sibelius Hall in Lahti and it consists of buildings and structures designed by the winners of the international Spirit of Nature Wood Architecture Award. The tour also includes visits at the Sibelius Hall and Pro Puu “Pro Wood” Gallery, which promotes the collaboration of wood professionals. The premises include a gallery and shop.
Later on, transfer and lunch at Restaurant Roux, which was chosen Restaurant of the Year in 2016. After lunch it is time to explore the designs of Alvar Aalto and Eliel Saarinen in Lahti with a guide. During this guided walking tour, you will admire the work of Alvar Aalto and Eliel Saarinen. The tour starts from the Lahti City Hall designed by Eliel Saarinen (please note: short indoor tour is possible only during working hours). The Lahti City Hall was completed in 1912 and represents the art nouveau style. From the city hall the tour continues to the Church of the Cross designed by Alvar Aalto and completed in 1978. The acoustics of the church were designed by Alvar Aalto’s son, Hamilkar Aalto.
After the tour, transfer back to Helsinki.
Travel back in time to medieval Turku and follow the footsteps of the modernist architects Alvar Aalto and Erik Bryggman.
The guided walking tour in Turku introduces you to the masterpieces of modern architecture and other interesting historical sites. After the tour we shall have a delicious lunch. After that the tour continues with medieval history of Turku, by the charter bus of the group. You can learn a lot about the history of Finland along the way.
Architect Alvar Aalto resided in Turku between 1927 and 1933. Turku played a significant role in the emergence of new architecture and furniture design. On this tour a guide will introduce you to the exterior of three transitional works of Aalto’s functionalism: Southwestern Finland Cooperative Building,Office building for Turun Sanomat newspaper and the Standard Apartment House.
Having established his own office here in Turku at the beginning of the 1920’s, Erik Bryggman was one of the earliest representatives of functionalism in Finnish architecture. Among others, the tour presents his Hotel Hospits, Atrium and Student Union buildings.
The attractions on the Medieval bus tour are Turku Cathedral, Turku Castle and the Aboa Vetus Museum. As the National Sanctuary of Finland since the 1300’s, Turku Cathedral is steeped in history. In addition to the cathedral you will discover much about old Turku at Aboa Vetus, where the excavated foundations reveal the medieval lanes of the old quarter and are left exposed for the fascination of visitors. The third destination – 700 year-old Turku Castle – offers much to experience. From the top floor, renaissance banquet halls and the round tower prisoner cells, to the scale models of the castle detailing its historical development through to the present day.
