The best museums Espoo

Recently opened in a magnificent space (a former printing house), this museum, which is mainly dedicated to contemporary Finnish and Nordic art, is well worth a visit. More accessible than its cousin Kiasma, Emma gives you a diversified picture of Finnish art through 500 works representing different currents of art from the ^20th century to the present day, notably from the November Group. The permanent collection was developed by the Saastamoinen Foundation, which continues its policy of acquiring contemporary art.

After a stopover in the museum's café-restaurant, you can take advantage of your time at WeeGee to visit the other rooms: the interesting collection of the Helinä Rautavaara ethnographic museum, an adventurer who brought back ritual objects, masks, paintings and photos from her many travels around the world...

Also on the first floor are the Clock Museum and the Espoo City Museum, which traces the city's (rapid!) evolution, as well as temporary exhibitions. The yellow Futuro in the adjoining park (a 50 m² habitat designed by Finnish architect Matti Suuronen in the late 1960s in a series of around a hundred units, and which bears a striking resemblance to a flying saucer) has recently been revived, taking visitors back in time to the futuristic architecture and design of the late 1960s. A must-see if you're an enthusiast or in the industry. One of Finland's finest museums, not to be missed!

The painter's house-workshop, which he designed himself and which dates from 1913, is set in a park plunging towards the sea. An old red pine with tortured branches leans protectively over the roof of the sloping, wood-tiled house, backed by a white turret. A few steps across the road, on this little knoll in the forest, a charming white house with an openwork veranda houses a café and summer restaurant. The only false note is the freeway below, hidden by the forest but audible in the background. Regular temporary exhibitions.

The new Musée du Jouet (formerly located on the Emma premises) is an absolute paradise for children... and for those who want to play! Here, in addition to an impressive collection of toys from all ages and eras, it's all about having fun, manipulating and playing "as if". Many local families come to spend an afternoon at the museum to let their offspring play freely: a very good sign!