Iittala & Arabia Design Centre

The basics

In an airy 8th-floor space on the site of the old Arabia ceramics factory, the museum and gallery are free to enter, as is the store in the mall below. Guided tours, which are ticketed and must be booked at least a week in advance, gain you entrance to the Arabia Art Department Society, a group of ceramics studios that houses working artists.

The out-of-the-way location means design tours rarely stop here, so most travelers visit independently. The store is a great spot to shop for Moomin ceramics, including the coveted alphabet mugs, and Iittala design classics such as their Alvar Aalto vases.

Things to know before you go

• The Iittala & Arabia Design Centre is a good choice for design buffs, Moomin fans, and anyone looking for a classy Helsinki souvenir.

• Allow 30 minutes to 2 hours for your visit, depending on how much shopping you’ll be doing.

• The store, museum, and gallery are wheelchair and stroller accessible.

How to get there

The Iittala & Arabia Design Centre sits on the eighth floor of the Arabia135 mall and creative space in Toukola, an eastern suburb of Helsinki; the store is on the second floor. Arabia135 is about a 3.5-mile (6-kilometer) drive northeast of Helsinki Central Station. The #71 bus stops at the door, and the #6 tram stops a little further away.

When to get there

The museum and gallery are open late morning through late afternoon Tuesday through Sunday, but the store is open seven days a week, with slightly expanded hours. Both the design center and store close or operate reduced hours on many public holidays, so it’s always best to check the website before visiting.

Discovering Finnish design in Helsinki

You could spend days on the trail of Finnish design in Helsinki, and many people do, but a walking tour of the Design District is a great place to start discovering what’s happening in the city now. Wrap up the tour with the Design Museum, which roots Finnish design in the nation’s nature and culture, and the nearby Museum of Finnish Architecture, housed in a decidedly not modern 19th-century building.