Ateneum Art Museum

The Ateneum Art Museum at Kaivokatu 2 in central Helsinki, Finland, is the country's national gallery of classical art and part of the Finnish National Gallery. It occupies a Neo-Renaissance building completed in 1887, directly opposite Helsinki Central Station on Rautatientori square, which makes it one of the easiest major museums to reach by train, tram or metro. Inside, the collection traces Finnish art from the 18th century through the Golden Age of the 1880s-1900s and into early modernism. The best-known names are Akseli Gallen-Kallela, whose Kalevala-inspired paintings are among the most reproduced images in Finland, Helene Schjerfbeck, famous for her spare, haunting portraits, Albert Edelfelt, and Hugo Simberg, whose 'The Wounded Angel' is regularly voted a national favourite. The museum also shows international works, including pieces by Van Gogh, Cezanne, Gauguin and Chagall, mostly in the upper floors and in rotating special exhibitions. The grand staircase and the decorated hall are worth a look in themselves. A typical visit takes 1.5 to 2 hours, with more time needed for a large temporary exhibition. Tickets cost about €23 at the desk and €21 online, with reduced prices around €13 and free entry for visitors under 18. The museum is closed on Mondays, opens late on Wednesday and Thursday evenings, and weekends tend to be busier, especially during popular exhibitions. Mid-morning on a weekday or a late-opening evening is calmer. The museum cafe on the ground floor is a convenient break point, and the station-side plaza outside gives a good photo angle of the facade with the clock tower of the station beyond. Photography rules vary by exhibition, so signs at the entrance to each gallery are worth checking.