Experience: Helsinki surroundings

Alvar Aalto Route: Curated Journeys Through Timeless Architecture

Welcome to the Alvar Aalto Route – a journey where the magic of architecture and design comes alive, inviting you to see the world through a redesigned lens. Alvar Aalto (1898–1976), the visionary of modern architecture, shaped spaces with a profoundly human approach. His creations are more than buildings; they are experiences that resonate with the soul. Scattered across Finland and beyond, they serve as gateways to a reimagined world.

In 2021, this extraordinary route was honoured with the prestigious certification as a Cultural Route of the Council of Europe, affirming its role in the rich tapestry of European heritage. The Alvar Aalto Route offers more than a journey through architectural masterpieces—it extends a warm invitation to immerse yourself in a space where design, nature, and the human spirit converge in harmony.

This catalogue is your guide to a curated collection of Aalto experiences. Each package is a thoughtfully designed adventure into Alvar Aalto’s world, seamlessly blending his iconic architecture with the unique flavours of local life. From serene Finnish landscapes to vibrant European Aalto destinations, these journeys offer something for everyone. Whether you’re a first-time visitor or a devoted admirer of Aalto’s work, we warmly welcome you—and continually seek new partners to enrich the experience.

Step into spaces that defy the ordinary, where every curve, every material, and every detail tells a story that redefines how you perceive the world around you. This is the essence of the Alvar Aalto Route: an invitation to rediscover beauty, functionality, and the interconnectedness of life through the lens of one of modern architecture’s greatest minds.

Let us help you navigate this adventure and uncover how Aalto’s vision can transform not just physical spaces but also the way you view the world itself.

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Alvar Aalto Route

Finland’s Modernist Tapestry Tour

Embark on a journey that weaves through Alvar Aalto’s architectural imagination, stretching across Finland to the cultural heart of Rovaniemi and the historic charm of Turku.

This tour unveils a world where concrete, glass, and nature blend into a seamless, beautiful continuum. Marvel at the bold modernism of Helsinki’s Finlandia Hall, and experience the tranquillity of Säynätsalo Town Hall, a gem nestled in Lakeland. In Rovaniemi, bear witness to the administrative and cultural prowess of the Aalto Centre, including Rovaniemi City Hall, the City Library, and Lappia House. Further south, explore Turku to discover Alvar and Aino Aalto’s early modern buildings, pioneering a new architectural era.

As you drift from the urban vibrancy of the capital to serene lakesides and historic cityscapes, let Aalto’s vision inspire a new understanding of harmony between built environments and nature.

Tour in brief: A nine-day journey encompassing the architectural marvels of Alvar Aalto in Finland’s key cities. This package offers a comprehensive experience including accommodations, select meals,
entrance fees to notable attractions, and insightful guided tours. Free time is allocated for personal exploration and shopping, promising a full immersion into Aalto’s world.

Alvar Aalto Grand Tour 2025

Alvar Aalto Grand Tour – the tour name tells it all as this is the most comprehensive Alvar Aalto tour available, offering an unparalleled opportunity to explore the architectural masterpieces of Finland’s most renowned modernist. Over the course of this journey, you’ll experience the full breadth of Aalto’s visionary work — from his early classicism to his groundbreaking functionalist designs and organic modernism.

The tour takes you from the vibrant capital of Helsinki to the historic city of Turku, through the picturesque Finnish Lakeland in Jyväskylä, and into the heart of the countryside, where Aalto’s architecture blends seamlessly with the surrounding nature. Each stop immerses you in Aalto’s world, revealing how he shaped Finland’s built environment and left a lasting impact on global architecture.

Tour dates: 4th – 11th August 2025
Price: from €2445 per person
Contact:

Seaside museums – Architecture, art and home museums by the sea!

A self-guided museum tour around the Laajalahti bay, outside the usual tourist routes, reveals seven unique museum sites that can be experienced together or separately. In addition to the scenic surroundings, the sites are united under interesting architecture and the fact that they have originally been homes and / or workspaces. The Didrichsen Art Museum, Villa Gyllenberg and Gallen-Kallela museums also feature significant art collections and changing exhibitions.

In Alvar Aalto’s home and office building in Munkkiniemi you can take part in guided tours all year round. Aficionados of architecture and design will get an insight into the interesting life of the Aalto family and everyday life of architects’ office. During the visit, you can also explore the beautiful gardens surrounding the buildings.

On a guided tour in Tamminiemi you will learn about the house’s most famous and longest-lived inhabitant: president Urho Kekkonen (1900–1986), and discover the original interiors and design from the 1970s. Tamminiemi’s legendary tar-smelling, seaside sauna can also be visited during the summer season.

The nearby Seurasaari open-air museum comes alive in the summer. The beautiful and fascinating traditional Finnish buildings, immersed into the magnificent natural setting of the island, constitute a favourite destination for both Helsinki locals and travellers around.

There are as many as two high-quality art museums on the small Kuusisaari island. The Didrichsen Art Museum has 2-3 changing exhibitions each year. The neighbouring Villa Gyllenberg features museum’s permanent collection which includes, amongst other masterpieces, 38 works by Helene Schjerfbeck. In addition, the museum also organises changing exhibitions. On Saturdays during the summer, Kuusisaari can be reached also by water bus running between Market Square in the city centre and Kuusisaari.

The northern shore of Laajalahti bay also offers exciting museum experiences, as well as a pleasant museum café where visitors can spend a relaxing moment. The Gallen-Kallela Museum, located in a castle-like villa designed by artist Akseli Gallen-Kallela, presents the art and life of Gallen-Kallela and his contemporaries with changing exhibitions, as well as exhibitions of contemporary art. From April you can also cycle to the museum on a city bike.

Espoo and Otaniemi Campus Area

Espoo, located west of Helsinki, is part of the Finnish capital region. Alvar Aalto’s most famous work in Espoo is the Otaniemi campus, now known as Aalto University. Originally known as Helsinki University of Technology, the campus was inspired by American college campuses and realised as their Finnish counterpart by Aalto. The region is under constant expansion, being close to Helsinki, but Aalto’s works remain in their original use.

The center of Otaniemi, Espoo holds a park campus constructed originally in the 1950s, with layout by Alvar Aalto and several buildings designed by him and other famous finnish architects, including Reima & Raili Pietilä and Heikki & Kaija Sirén. Otaniemi Campus is part of Aalto University, named in honor of the architect.

Otaniemi and nearby Harjuviita contain several types of buildings designed by Aalto’s office: from power plant to water tower, and mall to residences. Aalto also made unrealised plans for Espoo residential areas’ layouts.

Helsinki University of Technology main building 1949/1953-65

Alvar Aalto won the design competition for the Helsinki University of Technology in Otaniemi, Espoo, in 1949. In addition to the main campus building Aalto’s office designed several others. The main building was designed in 1953–55. The University of Technology is now part of Aalto University and the building is known as Undergraduate Centre.

Building work was begun in 1964 and the main building was inaugurated in 1966. It was built on the site of the old Otnäs manor. The main building’s stepped auditorium rising above the campus became its main focal point. The amphitheatre is a recurrent theme in Aalto’s architecture.

The main building is divided into several building units, with sheltered courtyards in between. The façade is clad in specially made dark-red brick, black granite and copper.

The design of the Otaniemi campus was intended to separate pedestrians from motorized traffic. Footpaths connect the various department buildings in a park-like setting. The entrance to the main building is easily reached via both the motorized and pedestrian routes.

The main building was later extended and substantial supplemental building still goes on in the Otaniemi area.

Campus area is open to visitors.

Helsinki University of Technology Library 1964-70

Helsinki University of Technology Library, together with the main building, forms the centre of the Otaniemi campus. The library nowadays goes by the name of the Harald Herlin Learning Centre.

The entrance to the redbrick-clad building is from the park and Otaniementie Road side. The reading room and loan library are on the second floor. The focal point of the space is the large loans counter, from beside which stairs lead down to the entrance floor.

The library interior was designed to make it pleasant to work in. The loan library and reading room get natural light indirectly from the skylights and clerestory windows. Aalto’s design also sought to keep out the noise of traffic on Otaniementie Road.

Open for library use. Campus area is open to visitors.

Otahalli Sports Hall 1949-52

The design of Otaniemi sports hall was begun in 1950 and it was first used for the summer Olympics in Helsinki in 1952. The building is known as the Otahalli.

The building originally had two parts, a small hall clad in white brick and a larger one in wood with an earth floor. The roof truss in the wooden hall spans 45 metres. Aalto planned a spectator stand to go between the halls.

Numerous changes have been made to the building over the years and it is still in its original use.

Open for use as a sports hall.

Power Plant 1960-64

The central-heating power plant on the Otaniemi university campus was built in two stages in 1960–64. The power plant in the middle the university campus is just one example of Aalto’s power-plant architecture.

The building’s façade is clad in red brick. The large windows reduce the building mass of the power station. The interior is visible through the rectangular windows. This is a manifestation of modern architecture’s romanticizing attitude to technology.

Aalto designed several power-station buildings, often in conjunction with industrial plants. The power station at Otaniemi is in a central position and prominently on display. The building has been extended and alterations have been made over the years.

Power Plant is viewable from the outside.

Finlandia Hall

Step Iinto an experience

Finlandia Hall is one the most important architectural attractions in Helsinki. Alvar Aalto’s design was finished in 1971 in its beautiful central location by the Töölö Bay.

As the name indicates, Finlandia Hall was designed to be a symbol for Finland. Aalto originally made plans for the whole Töölö Bay area in 1962. Aalto designed Finlandia Hall, like many of his buildings, as a complete work of art including the interior. The lights, door handles, chairs and other furniture were designed by Aalto and his architect bureau. They constitute an essential part of the full masterpiece known as Finlandia Hall and definitely make the inside of the building worth a visit as well.

The newly renovated Finlandia Hall opened its doors in January 2025, offering a unique blend of Finnish architecture, design, and culinary delights. This iconic building has been transformed into an inspiring event venue where history meets modern innovation in a truly captivating way.

The refreshed Finlandia Hall features a variety of new services and experiences for visitors to enjoy:

Finlandia Cafe & Wine
Relax and indulge in unforgettable flavors at the cozy wine café, set against the stunning backdrop of Töölönlahti Bay. Enjoy a fresh perspective on these beloved views while savoring exquisite wines and coffee. While the wine café at Pikku-Finlandia is closed during January, both cafés will be ready to welcome you soon, offering even more opportunities to enjoy this unique atmosphere.

Finlandia Shop
Design enthusiasts will love the newly opened shop, inspired by the architecture and unique details of Finlandia Hall. Discover beautiful design pieces and take home a touch of Finlandia Hall’s timeless charm.

Finlandia Homes
Experience something truly extraordinary – now you can stay overnight at Finlandia Hall! The beautifully restored apartments combine functional aesthetics with the warmth of a Finnish home, offering a one-of-a-kind accommodation experience in a historic setting. Book your stay today and make your visit unforgettable!

Finlandia Bistro
For the first time, Finlandia Hall features a bistro-style à la carte restaurant that celebrates Finnish ingredients and craftsmanship with a modern twist. Finlandia Bistro is open for dinner from Thursday to Saturday and is available for private events at other times. The Bistro officially opens on January 17, 2025 – book your table now and treat yourself to an unforgettable dining experience!

A Year Full of Events
Finlandia Hall’s calendar is packed with diverse cultural events, including concerts, musicals, theater, and dance performances. The legendary venue provides a stunning setting for both grand and intimate events alike.

In summer 2025, a captivating new exhibition will debut, inviting visitors on a journey through the creative legacy and architectural brilliance of Alvar, Aino, and Elissa Aalto. The exhibition will showcase the diversity of their work and offer fresh perspectives on their enduring impact.

Guided tours of Finlandia Hall provide a deeper look into the history and architectural significance of this legendary building. Details and schedules for the tours will be announced soon.

Step into architecturally fascinating experiences where only imagination is the limit. Experience unique event venues in Helsinki, near the beautiful scenery of Töölönlahti Bay. Welcome to the most memorable experiences of Finlandia Hall and Little Finlandia.

Interior and Furnishing of the Savoy Restaurant

Aino and Alvar Aalto designed the interior of Savoy Restaurant, which occupies a commercial building in the centre of Helsinki. The restaurant’s furniture was commissioned from Artek. The Savoy has mostly kept its original appearance and is still a restaurant.

A. Ahlström Osakeyhtiö commissioned the commercial and office building called the Industrial Palace on the South Esplanade in 1937. Aino and Alvar designed the top-floor restaurant and the furnishings for the function rooms on the floor beneath it.

The Savoy Vase

In 1936, Alvar Aalto took part in an invited exhibition held by the Karhula-Iittala glass factory. His series of glass works “Eskimoerindens skinnbuxa” (The Eskimo Woman’s Leather Breeches) won the competition. These winning vases were first displayed to the public at the Paris World Exposition in 1937. One of the models was also chosen to be part of the new Restaurant Savoy’s furnishings. This design of vase came to be known by the name of the restaurant – Savoy.

Book House

The Academic Bookstore, or ‘Book Palace’, is in Helsinki’s city centre, in the same block as the Aalto-designed office building, the Rautatalo. The building was finished in 1969 and it is still in its original use. The Academic Bookstore moved in to the building in October 1969.

The plot’s owner, Stockmann, held an architectural competition for the design of the building in 1961–62. Aalto won this with a proposal using the same ideas as in the nearby Rautatalo.

The design of the copper-clad façade on Keskuskatu takes into account the adjacent building’s façade. The building’s main interior space, the central hall, corresponds in its ideas to the marble interior courtyard of the Rautatalo. The central hall gets natural light from the prism-shaped skylights. The floor and closed balustrades of the balconies running round the central hall are of Carrara marble.

Alterations have been made to the interiors. Some of the rooms on the upper floors originally used for offices have been taken over for the bookshop. Nowadays, there are two cafes. The one in the second floor is partly furnished with original Aalto furniture from the Rautatalo cafe. Open for public as a bookstore and cafe.

Aalto House

In 1934, Aino and Alvar Aalto acquired a site in almost completely untouched surroundings at Riihitie in Helsinki’s Munkkiniemi. Aino and Alvar Aalto designed the building, whose simple, natural materials soften the form language of modern architecture. Designing their own home gave them an opportunity to make various structural and material experiments. The Aalto House was completed in August 1936. Aalto’s architect’s office was in this building in Munkkiniemi until 1955.

Alvar Aalto lived in the house on Riihitie up until his death on 1976, and the building was used by the family long afterwards.The house, protected by the Act on the Protection of Buildings, is now part of the Alvar Aalto Foundation. Nowadays, the building is a home museum open to the public.

The house was designed as both a family home and an office and these two functions can clearly be seen from the outside. The studio and the family’s living areas have been discreetly separated from each other through choices of material. This can be seen in both the façades and the interiors.The slender mass of the office wing is in white-painted, lightly rendered brickwork. There are still clear references to Functionalism in the location of the windows. The cladding material of the residential part is slender, dark-stained timber battens. The building has a flat roof and a large south-facing terrace. The way that the rooms in this building with its closed street façade face in different directions has been carefully considered.

Although the street side elevation of the house is severe and closed-off, it is softened by climbing plants and a slate path leading up to the front door. There are already signs of the ‘new’ Aalto in the Aalto House, of the Romantic Functionalist. The plentiful use of wood as a finishing material and four open hearts built in brick also point to this. The Aalto House is a cosy, intimate building for living and working, designed by two architects for themselves, using simple uncluttered materials.

Studio Aalto

Alvar Aalto designed the building at Tiilimäki 20 in Munkkiniemi as his own office in 1955. Because of a number of large commissions, the office needed more space to work in. The building is only a short walk from Aalto’s own house, where the office had previously been located. Studio Aalto is one of the best of Alvar Aalto’s 1950s buildings.

“You can’t create architecture in an office environment,” is how Aalto described working in an architect’s office. Aalto designed a free-form studio section for the building, and a drawing room using natural light. The building curves around a stepped, amphitheatre-style courtyard sheltered from the wind. On the upper floor there is a drawing office on a narrow plan, beautifully encircled by natural light from a band of high-level windows. In 1962-1963 the building was extended by building a dining room for the staff, the ‘Taverna’, in the courtyard behind the high brick wall, with an office above it.

Many of Aalto’s best-known works were designed here at the Studio. Alvar Aalto ran the office until his death in 1976. After that, the office continued under the leadership of Elissa Aalto until 1994. The building came into the custodianship of the Alvar Aalto Foundation in 1984 and today it houses the Alvar Aalto Foundation staff. You can visit the Studio Aalto in guided tours for groups. There are public guided tours of the Studio throughout the year.

The white-rendered, wall-like, closed-in mass of the building conceals a garden shaped like an amphitheatre in its inner courtyard. The office staff could sit on the slate steps of the amphitheatre, listen to lectures or watch slide shows projected on the white wall.

The principal space in the building is the curving studio which has a view opening onto the courtyard. Horizontal battens fixed to the high walls of the studio allowed drawings to be displayed there. The rear wall is covered with climbing plants reaching up to the high-level windows and prototypes of light fittings designed by Alvar Aalto are hung in front of the wall.

The slanting bay window of the conference room with its roof light creates the perfect conditions for examining models and drawings.

Artist community at Lake Tuusula and Villa Kokkonen in Järvenpää

The museums near the lake Tuusula display the history and the rich cultural heritage of Finland. A unique community of artists formed on the shores of Lake Tuusula in early 1900’s. Notable artists settled in the rural landscape and their works play an important role in the story of the Finnish identity. In artists’ studios of National Romantic style you can sense the historical atmosphere that generated the inspiring national spirit and the strive towards independence from Russia. Finland gained independence in 1917. Visitors can enjoy art and experience the past through artists, writers and composers of the Golden age of Finnish art. The artists’ studios takes you back in time to the National Romantic era and the other museums in the area exhibit the history of Finland in the 20th century.

Villa Kokkonen (1967—1969) is a real rarity among the private homes designed by Alvar Aalto, because Aalto designed the building as an artist’s home. The composer Joonas Kokkonen lived in Villa Kokkonen for 27 years. The architectural heart of the building is the unique combination of a grand piano and concert room.

Lake Tuusula is a perfect travel destination for it offers you plenty of interesting places to visit within easy reach. Lake Tuusula also offers great possibilities for outdoor activities in summer and in winter. A good bike route of 24 kilometres leads you around the lake in the beautiful landscape. There are lots of places for recreation close by, for example the Sarvikallio viewing point. It offers a spectacular view over the lake Tuusula, a view that inspired artists to portray this distinctively Finnish landscape in their work.

Lake Tuusula Road and the artist community

The road by the Lake Tuusula, Tuusulan Rantatie in Finnish, was part of a historical road connected to
Helsinki. It goes through the beautiful lakeside scenery all the way until the nearby city of Järvenpää. The
Lake Tuusula artist community had a major influence on the cultural history of Finland in the era of
National Romantic movement. Several artists of the golden age of Finnish art settled on the eastern bank of the lake in the late 19th and early 20th century.

The first ones to settle on the shores of Lake Tuusula were the author Juhani Aho and his artist wife Venny
Soldan-Brofeldt. In spring 1897 they rented a villa, which is now called Ahola and open as a museum. Their example inspired other artists to move there, to live and work in the peaceful surroundings close to nature.

The studio residence of painter Eero Järnefelt was built in 1901. Next year were finished the atelier of
painter Pekka Halonen, Halosenniemi, and the home of poet J.H. Erkko, Erkkola. The master composer Jean Sibelius moved with his family in 1904. Their villa is called Ainola after his wife, Aino Sibelius.

Today these five homes are open for visitors. They are located by the Lake Tuusula within a span of 5 kilometres. The Tuusulanjärvi artists’ community would have come to an end by the death of Jean Sibelius in 1957, but the community gained new momentum when Joonas Kokkonen cancelled his plans to move to Helsinki. Instead, he acquired a lakeside plot from the Town of Järvenpää at an affordable price and was able to hire the most famous architect in Finland to design his home. Villa Kokkonen is located nearby, on the other side of lake Tuusulanjärvi.

Mill Manager’s Residence Kantola and Seaside Sauna in Sunila

Former mill manager’s house Kantola was built in 1937, and it’s located in the residential area of Sunila, in the city of Kotka. Kantola has its own park-like yard with pine trees and a unique view towards the sea and the Sunila pulp mill. Sunila mill was once told to be the most beautiful mill in the world.

Kantola is available for groups to visit all the year round, but the visit must be booked in advance. Events held in Kantola may affect the availability. Kantola’s spaces are also available for meetings and get-togethers, and there is plenty of beautiful and unique space to set up an exhibition or some other event in the main building or the yard. You can use Kantola for small private meetings or bigger events up to 80 people. There is a seaside sauna which is made from logs, with room for 10 people. The view from the sauna’s terrace is wonderful, when looking at the mill’s silhouette and lights against the night sky.