We explore the design capital of Helsinki, Finland, to see just what the city has to offer.

This city is a design paradise. There are the design hits like the Aalto house and the flagship Marimekko store, but you don’t have to look hard, you’ll soak in design from the moment you step off the plane. Everything is just so well-considered. I was fourteen when I first visited Helsinki and only remember my teenage brain being blown by how neat and tidy everything seemed to be. I managed to make it just a few years ago for a good friend’s documentary film premier of Aatsinki: The Story of Arctic Cowboys. This time, it wasn’t the neatness (although that is pretty impressive), but the design culture and history that’s so much a part of Finnish life that impressed me. For a country of only 5 million (we’re basically talking the population of Minnesota), design is so much the fabric of life it feels like everyone has a perspective. If I’ve left your Helsinki design favorites off the list, be sure to add it in the comments! The team from Visit Helsinki was instrumental in pointing out some great design spots, and a big thank you to filmmaker Jessica Oreck for her contributions to the guide.

WHERE TO STAY

Helsinki’s Design District (map) boasts 200 spots on 25 centrally located streets, and both these hotels are smack in the middle of all the action, making them the perfect base to explore the Design Museum, shop at Ma...