Five brilliant community-run venues to visit in Scandinavia

Stockholm, Sweden
This beautiful garden is run by a not-for-profit organisation. For locals, it hosts day centres for the elderly and those with disabilities, while visitors can fuel up in the garden café, browse the regular food market and see live music on one of its two outdoor stages.

Copenhagen, Denmark
This dainty bookshop, run by literature-loving volunteers, sells works from all around the globe. Profits from the shop go towards hosting events, which bring the city together over classic books. Most copies stocked here are in English, so if you finish your holiday reading early, this is the place to come.

Helsinki, Finland
In Finland, visiting the sauna is basically religion. Fitting then that Helsinki is home to Sompasauna, touted as ‘The World’s Most Public Sauna’. Built by volunteers from scrap material and donations, Sompasauna is a unique place for everyone to experience this most Nordic of traditions.

Oslo, Norway
Run by a dedicated community of volunteers, this garden in the heart of Oslo is home to a colony of bees, a public baking house, as well as fields of vegetables and flowers. Events take place here all year round, which include food festivals, art exhibitions and weekly donation-based dinners, which anyone is welcome to join.

Stockholm, Sweden
Run by the charity Stockholms Stadsmission, this chic café in the Old Town is the spot for a morning latté or some fresh pastries at lunch. Behind the counter, the venue offers residents work experience, training them from scratch or helping them return to work. A coffee here goes to a good cause.