Jääherne

Few tourists find their way here, but this is a very popular summer spot for Helsinkians, with sandy beaches (including a mixed nude beach) and a restaurant dishing out cold beer and ciders. Ferries run from Merisatama pier at the southern end of Kaivopuisto Park (tram 3) hourly from 09:30 to 20:30, 10-15 min, €5.50 return.

Motorboat rental in Merisatama.

A prime example of 1930s functionalism at the border of districts of Eira and Punavuori. Slightly unusually for this architectural style it's constructed in red bricks. The spire of the church can be lowered into the church tower, a feature that was used during WWII to make it less visible for Soviet bombers.

Also known as "Koffin puisto", it's in Punavuori district next to the Sinebrychoff art museum. Popular with young people, in the summer it is full of people having picnics or just drinking pussikalja (literally: "beer in a bag", means buying beer from a supermarket and drinking it outdoors), while in the winter kids ride sleds down the snowy slope.

Promotes itself as the only museum in Finland specialising in old European art. Located in a stately house commissioned in 1842 by Nikolai Sinebrychoff, the founder of the Sinebrychoff brewery. Nikolai Sinebrychoff never lived in the house, preferring instead to live in Viapori (now known as Suomenlinna), but his brother's family lived there for several years. The upper floor of the building hosts the Sinebrychoff house museum with plenty of 19th-century paintings on display.

One of the better kept secrets of Helsinki is the beach on Uunisaari, an island a short ride away from the south coast.