Gallen-Kallela Museum

A visit to the Gallen-Kallela Museum allows travelers to learn about the life of Akseli Gallen-Kallela, his work illustrating the Finnish national epic, the Kalevala, and see the museum’s extensive collection, which includes approximately 250 of his oil paintings and over 500 of his drawings. Exhibits also help visitors appreciate the unique architecture of the museum’s building, built upon the land of his wife’s family, which went from being a private atelier to a family home.

• Visitors can get food or something to drink at the Tarvaspää Cafe Zoceria in the building across from the museum.

• Free guided tours are run on Saturdays in English and Sundays in Finnish, but you can also book a group guided tour for a fee.

• An audio guide and activity path can be downloaded from the museum’s official website.

• The toilets are located at the Tarvaspää Cafe Zoceria.

Tarvaspää sits on the fringe between the cities of Espoo and Helsinki. Driving is the best way to reach the museum from either city. The journey takes around 20 minutes from the center of Espoo or Helsinki, and the museum is found just off the Route 1 highway that connects the two cities. The nearest bus stop is the Tarvaspääntie stop on the 202 and 502 bus lines, roughly 1 mile (1.5 kilometers) away.

The Gallen-Kallela Museum operates on a schedule of summer and winter hours; you’ll find it easier to visit during summer as the museum is open daily and for longer hours. There is a period around the start of March each year when the museum is closed for an extended period for the changeover of the exhibitions.

The city of Espoo is home to a broad selection of museums and cultural institutions that extend beyond the Gallen-Kallela Museum. Also located well outside the city center is the EMMA–Espoo Museum of Modern Art, with its collection of modern and contemporary graphic art, sculptures, and paintings. Then there’s the Glims Farmstead Museum and Espoo Car Museum, which continue to highlight the variety of Espoo’s museums.