5 Best Sights in Side Trips from Helsinki, Finland

Set at the edge of the sea and surrounded by towering, wind-bent pines, the turreted brick-and-stucco Gallen-Kallela Estate on the Tarvaspää promontory was the self-designed studio and home of the Finnish Romantic painter Akseli Gallen-Kallela. Gallen-Kallela (1865–1931) lived in the mansion on and off from its completion in 1913 until his death. Inside, the open rooms of the painter's former work spaces make the perfect exhibition hall for his paintings. Also displayed are some of his posters and sketches of the ceiling murals he made for the Paris Art Exhibition at the turn of the 20th century. There is a very good and popular café selling pastries, ice cream, and lunches in the villa opposite the museum.

In an idyllic position at the top of a wooded slope is Hvitträsk, the studio home of architects Herman Gesellius, Armas Lindgren, and Eliel Saarinen, a wonderful day or half-day excursion destination from Helsinki. The property dates back to the turn of the 20th century and is now a charming museum. The whimsical main house reveals the national art nouveau style, with its rustic detail and paintings by Akseli Gallen-Kallela; Saarinen lived here, and his grave is nearby in the woods that slope down to the lakeside. A café and restaurant are set up in one of the architects' houses.

The former home of Finland's most famous son, composer Jean Sibelius, was designed by Lars Sonck in 1904 and takes its name from his wife, Aino. From late spring through summer, the intimate wooden house set in secluded woodland is open to the public as a museum. Cafe Aulis, in an adjacent modern building, serves refreshments, pastries, and cakes. A guided tour is included in the ticket price if booked in advance.

Near Porvoo in Haikko stands the studio of the painter Albert Edelfelt in a quaint wooden cottage tucked away in the woods. Edelfelt was born into a well-to-do Swedish-speaking family in 1854 and was one of the first Finnish painters to find international fame. He introduced the realist movement to his native country and was active in encouraging young aspiring artists to find success in Paris. In this studio he completed some 220 of his works, and it's here where he died in 1905, surrounded by the beautiful landscape that inspired so many of his works.

The home of Finland's national poet is a fantastically authentic museum displaying the poet and his wife's original furnishings and paintings exactly as they were when he died in 1877. The Runeberg story is told by museum staff, and there's an exhibit related to Finnish history.