The Finland guide for Berlin

Have you ever visited Finland - in Berlin?

Whether you are afraid of flying, have no budget for a new trip or are looking for a special date idea for your culturally interested or Finland loving partner, country-hopping within a city can be an exciting activity. Of course, nothing beats the real experience of visiting the country, but discovering Finnish influences can also help alleviate wanderlust and it's a nice, fun and creative way to explore new, perhaps unknown parts of a city.

Whether you are planning a holiday in Finland or a daycation in Berlin, both require preparation. For the latter, I would recommend checking out the website of the Finnish Embassy in Germany as well as their Instagram page "finbotschaftde". In particular, the events section of the website, as well as checking out the Instagram accounts that finbotschaftde follows, were great sources for finding Finnish-inspired places in Berlin. My sister and I found so many activities, shops and events to visit or attend during our trip to Berlin last September that it was impossible to do them all.

Felleshus

A good starting point for our trip were the Nordic embassies in Berlin, housed in the beautiful Felleshus, designed by the Austrian-Finnish architects Berger+Parkkinen. The Felleshus is a cultural centre and event venue for the five Nordic embassies of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.

It is open to the public and hosts exhibitions, readings, concerts, lectures and conferences. You can learn more about the Nordic countries and get inspiration for upcoming Nordic events - we spotted an invitation to a Moomin party at Pankebuch (a place where you can usually buy Nordic and Baltic literature such as novels, thrillers, classics, travel and children's books in Berlin) or movie tips. If you get hungry, you can get a Nordic-inspired lunch in the canteen or a coffee at the coffee bar.

We visited the exhibition "Der harte Norden" about Nordic metal music, which was presented through art, backdrops, fanzines, stage props, clothes, interviews and music. It was really interesting to see and read about the exhibits and the history of the stage props mostly created by the artists themselves. We also got an essential listening list for each country on Spotify with Finnish songs from Children of Bodom, Stratovarius, Sentenced and Nightwish.

At the “Kaffebar” we had coffee, hot chocolate and cinnamon rolls. They offered a few nice desserts such as Nordic biscotti, chocolate balls or kokostopp. It was also possible to buy small Nordic-inspired (design) items such as tea towels or food such as liquorice, coffee and sweets.

Felleshus
Rauchstrasse 1, 108787 Berlin 
Kaffebar / Blue Nordic Coffee Bar Instagram
Der Harte Norden Instagram
Pankebuch Instagram

Kioski Berlin

Kioski is a lovely mini restaurant in the middle of a creative courtyard in Berlin-Kreuzberg. The beautiful, bright yellow kiosk was designed by Slovenian architect Saša J. Mächtig. To be honest, I would love to own one too and use it as a pop-up restaurant in our garden or as an office somewhere in the woods - it just looks amazing and has the perfect size.

The name "kioski" comes from Finland, as does the owner's mother of Ann-Marie von Löw. Inspired by her mother's cookbook, she serves Karelian pasties, cinnamon buns, pulla and other Finnish treats. Unfortunately, the owner was on holiday when we visited, so there was no opportunity to order any of the Finnish treats, as she makes them all by herself. It was nevertheless a nice visit, but we hope to have better luck next time.

kioski im Hof des Mykita Haus
Ritterstrasse 9, 10969 Berlin
Kioski Instagram

New address / reopening April 2025
Köpenickerstraße 19, 10997 Berlin

Alvar Aalto House

If you're near the Hansa district, don't miss to visit the Alvar Aalto House. Alvar Aalto, one of the biggest names in modern architecture and design, probably best known in Austria and Germany for his Savoy Vase, also spent time in Germany and took part in an international architecture exhibition in 1955, where he designed this house. It was built in 1957.

At the time, the architectural design of the building was truly innovative. It connects two houses with an open and covered ground floor with white columns. The ceiling also has the undulating structures we know from his famous vase. The house can only be seen from the outside as it is a residential complex, but you can read more about it online.

Hansa Viertel
Klopstockstraße 65
10179 Berlin
Aalvar Alto in Germany

Hartog

If you're looking for a Finnish design shopping experience, Hartog it is the place to be in Berlin. Since 1936, this charming little shop has been stocking Nordic treasures from Finland, Denmark, Sweden and Iceland, as well as Germany. Finland lovers will find beautiful pieces by Marimekko, Iittala, Lovi, Globe Hope and many other known brands. The colourful design items simply spark joy and it is a lovely experience to have a look at the products in the shop. I couldn't resist buying another pair of Moomin socks with Sniff on them.

If you cannot visit the store, Hartog also has a nice online shop and a great blog with really interesting information about Finnish design novelties, recipes and decorations.

Hartog
Knesebeckstraße 68
10623 Berlin
Hartog Instagram

Studio183

By chance we stumbled across Finnish design at Studio183 in the concept shopping centre BIKINI Berlin. Studio183 is a pop-up store with a great selection of international and Berlin-based artists and designers. If you like extravagant clothes and jewellery, it's a wonderful place to pick up a fashionable piece for yourself.

When we visited Studio183, they had beautiful wooden earrings by a Finnish designer as well as amazing pieces by the FNRM - the Finnish National Romance Museum - a fashion design collective that includes three Aalto University fashion graduates called Julia Montin, Amina Saada and Mo Ziwei. There were a lot of pieces I would love to own - Finland and romance are just my kind of thing!
My sister decided to buy one of the amazing giant tote bags with ruffles. I hope I can visit the Liike shop in Helsinki - where you can mainly buy their clothes - one day too.

Studio183 in BIKINI Berlin
Budapester Strasse 38-50
10787 Berlin
Studio183 Instagram
The Finnish Romance National Museum Instagram

More tips for Finnish places in Berlin

Unfortunately, we didn't have time to visit Galerie Pleiku (Eugen-Schönhaar-Straße 6A, 10407 Berlin) - an independent art space for contemporary Finnish art.

If you are more interested in architecture, check out Futuro 13 (Flußbadeanstalt 1, 10317 Berlin), a 50 square metre round house designed by Finnish architect Matti Suuronen. The house is made of glass-fibre reinforced plastic and looks fantastic, like a UFO.

For those with a sweet tooth, the Naschhaus (Wühlichstrasse 25, 10245 Berlin) is a great place to visit. It is a Scandinavian candy shop that sells mainly Swedish sweets, but also Finnish chocolates such as Fazer bars, Geisha chocolate and Moomin cookies.

Populus Coffee is run by a Finnish couple (Maybachufer 20, 12045 Berlin) and is definitely worth a visit if you like coffee.

The Finland Centre Berlin (Schleichermacherstrasse 24a, 10961 Berlin) organises concerts, saunas, literature evenings and Finnish breakfasts.

And one last tip: Don't forget to check the cinema and concert announcements!

Galerie Pleiku Instagram
Futuro 13 Instagram
Naschhaus Berlin Instagram
Populus Coffee | Speciality Roastery & Shop Instagram

A large multicultural city like Berlin offers many opportunities, but it is also worth exploring smaller towns - you might be surprised to find Finnish influences everywhere.

Do you have any other tips to add? Feel free to comment below.

Pictures taken with our iPhone or Leica Q2.

The Finland guide for Vienna – a travelogue for the Scandi & Nordic heart

I wish is was in Finland. That’s a thought that regularly pops up in my mind. Diving into another world or country can be so easy if you have a little bit of imagination. Especially if you can’t travel due to a pandemic or due to time, health or money issues, a little bit of creativity can lead to a great exploration and discovery too.
One week ago I took some days off to discover the most Finnish places in Vienna. To prepare, I did a lot of research using Google and asking friends for recommendations to find the right places for my intended mission. So this was the first time travelling to “Finland” without using a Finnair plane to get there – just a few hours bus ride within my home country was necessary to find what I was looking for: a little bit of Finland in the middle of Vienna.
So here are my favourite spots in town that you should definitely check out too.

Hotel Rathaus Wein & Design Wien

Finding a Finnish themed accommodation was the most difficult part of the whole journey. Now you might think that Hotel Rathaus Wein & Design doesn’t sound too Finnish, but they are offering a hotel room in cooperation with the Scandinavian Design House and the Hästens Store Vienna. The junior suite is located on the fourth floor and offers a wonderful view over the city. But not the view, the interior was the main reason why we chose to stay there: The room was filled with beautiful furniture and decorations from prestigious Scandinavian designers like Swedese, &tradition, Montana, Design Letters, Skagerak or Hay. When you get it down right, Finland is not part of Scandinavia, but we were really happy to find some Finnish design items from Iittala and Marimekko in the room too. The highlight of the stay was without doubt the wonderful Hästens bed, a handcrafted luxury bed from Sweden, which I would love to own in silver beige too. The hotel room felt more like a small apartment and reminded me of the beautiful Airbnb accommodations in Finland.
It would also like to mention the friendly hotel staff and the great location of the hotel close to the Finnshop which leads me to our second spot.

Lange Gasse 13
1080 Wien

Update: The cooperation with the Scandinavian Design House has unfortunately ended. The junior suite no longer has Scandinavian-style furnishings.

Finnshop

Finnshop is the main address if you want to own a piece of Finland and make your home a little bit more beautiful. It’s definitely a paradise not only for Finland-, but also for design lovers. In three rooms you can find the newest collections of well-known design brands like Marimekko, Aarikka or Iittala in addition to design classics like the Alvar Aalto vase or the Marimekko unikko series.
If you have ever been to Finland, you might have noticed that you can find design everywhere –  even in the most isolated Mökki somewhere in the deep forest. Design is so much more than just a pretty object in Finland, it’s an important essence and a way of living. Since many Finnish designers are inspired by nature, especially by the forest and the archipelago, you can recognize a lot of forms and shapes from nature in their designs – and I feel a little bit more connected to my favourite country through these pieces, even at home in Austria. I will never get tired of the joyful and colorful Marimekko designs or the timeless Iittala Kastehelmi collection. It’s always a pleasure to visit the Finnshop and get a bit carried away by the beautiful items you can find there. Also if you are a Moomin lover and a fan of the Moomin themed Arabia mugs you can find a lovely variety to add to your collection. For those with a sweet tooth you can also buy some Finnish sweets like Fazer chocolate or my favourite Geisha bar there.
I can also highly recommend checking out their online shop where you can find even more clothing, jewelry and home items etc. If you are looking for inspiration or just want to learn some Finnish words, check out their Instagram account which is one of my personal favourite accounts from Austria.

Siebensterngasse 17
1070 Wien

Café Ihana

After spending countless time in the Finnshop we got a little bit hungry and there is definitely no better place for a Finland-inspired trip than visting Café Ihana. “Ihana” already says it all – the Finnish word means “wonderful” and there is no better way to describe this place.
If you want to feel Scandi vibes and get the feeling of being in a “kahvila” in Finland while smelling freshly brewed coffee and warm korvapuustit (cinnamon rolls) you are at the right spot. The coffee place is a small and very cozy gem with a wonderful selection of coffee, wine and bites. The different versions of “smörrebröds“ with ham, cheese, salmon, roast beef or shrimps are beautifully decorated and taste delicious. If you would like to try something really traditional you have to order a “Karjalanpiirakka”, a Karelian pasty – if you wish with “munavoi” (egg butter). After a few smörrebröds it’s time to eat something sweet: We ordered cinnamon rolls and a blueberry cake while getting a little bit sentimental as we could listen to some Finnish conversations.
If I would live in Vienna, Café Ihana would definitely be my go-to-place and I can’t wait to go there again.

Kleine Pfarrgasse 3/1
1020 Wien

My top 3 shops:
1. Finnshop
2. Scandinavian Design House
3. & Other Stories (for Scandinavian-inspired clothing)

My top 3 food locations:
1. Café Ihana
2. Das Tortenstudio (for vegan korvapuustit)
3. Julius Meindl am Graben (for buying some Fazer sweets)

My top 3 Finnish activities in Vienna:
1. Go for a walk e.g. in the Augarten park to get some forest vibes
2. Look out for some cool thrift shops and try to find some design classics
3. Eat some fresh berries or peas as a tasty Finnish summer snack

If you still have some other Finnish tips for me – e.g. for the whole Austrian area, I would be happy if you could write them in the comments.