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Mannerheimintie - named after the Finnish soldier and statesman C.G.E. Mannerheim - spears north from the city centre. One of the most striking buildings along Mannerheimintie is Kiasma , the museum of contemporary art (Tues 9am-5pm, Wed-Sun 10am-10pm; ?5). Its gleaming steel-clad exterior and high-tech interior make it well worth a visit, and its collection includes installations in which sound, moving images and smell add a sensory dimension to the experience. Opposite is the Lasipalatsi , a multimedia complex situated in a recently renovated 1930s classic Functionalist building, inside which are trendy shops and cafes and the excellent Cable Book Library (Mon-Thurs 10am-midnight, Sat & Sun noon-6pm), offering free Internet access . Further along on the left, the Parliament Building (guided tours Sat 11am & noon, Sun noon & 1pm; July & Aug also Mon-Fri 2pm, when in session access to public galleries only; free), with its pompous columns and choking air of solemnity, was the work of J.S. Siren, completed in 1931. North of here, the National Museum (Tues & Wed 11am-8pm, Thurs-Sun 11am-6pm; ?4.20) is a joint effort by the three giants of Finnish architecture, Armas Lindgren, Herman Gesellius and Eliel Saarinen. Its design is steeped in Finnish history, drawing on the country's medieval churches and granite castles. The exhibits, from prehistory to the present, are exhaustive; it's best to concentrate on a few specific sections, such as the marvellously restored seventeenth-century manor house interior and the ethnographic displays from the nation's varied regions. Directly opposite, Finlandia Hall (guided tours by appointment, call 09/40241; free) was designed in the 1970s by the country's premier architect, Alvar Aalto. It was envisaged as part of a grand plan, begun by Eliel Saarinen and still under discussion, to rearrange the city centre. Inside, Aalto's characteristic asymmetry and hallmark wave pattern (the architect's surname means "wave") are everywhere, from the walls and ceilings through to the lamps and vases. A little further up Mannerheimintie is Finland's new Opera House (Mon-Fri 9am-6pm, Sat 3-6pm); like so much contemporary Finnish architecture, it's a white, Lego-like expanse, but the interior is enlivened by displays of colourful costume. A little way north, the Olympic Stadium is clearly visible; originally intended for the 1940 Olympics, it hosted the second postwar games in 1952. Its tower (Mon-Fri 9am-8pm, Sat & Sun 9am-6pm; ?17) gives an unsurpassed view over the city and a chunk of the southern coast. Back towards the city centre, the Hietaniemi Cemetery houses the graves of some of the big names of Finnish history - Mannerheim, Engel and Alvar Aalto, whose witty little tombstone, with its chopped Neoclassical column, stands beside the main entrance. East of here, at Lutherinkatu 3, is the late-1960s Temppeliaukio kirkko (Rock Church; Mon-Fri 10am-8pm, Sat 10am-6pm, Sun noon-1.45pm & 3.15-5.45pm; closed Tues 1-2pm and during services; tram #3B). Blasted from a single lump of granite beneath a domed copper roof, it's a thrill to be inside.
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