Helsinki summers are short, so on a warm day we head straight for the water. Pick sandy beaches right in town, island beaches a short ferry ride out, forest lakes just past the city edge with playgrounds on the shore, or outdoor pools with diving towers. Several pair the swim with a fire pit, a picnic lawn or a nature trail. Here's what we checked, from Hietaranta to Kumpula.
Hietaranta, known locally as Hietsu, is a long sand beach next to Hietaniemi Cemetery and the most popular beach in the city center. Lifeguards watch the swimming area.
Beyond swimming there are beach volleyball courts, a basketball court and an outdoor gym, plus a café and an ice cream kiosk. Changing shelters and outdoor showers stay open round the clock.
Aurinkolahti is a large public beach of soft sand, with lifeguards on duty during the summer beach season and accessible swimming in supervised hours.
Behind the sand there is a playground, an outdoor gym, a small basketball and football court, a padel court and a slackline. A marked fairway lets canoes, kayaks and SUP boards launch from the beach, and SUP boards can be rented on site.
Two islands in the southern archipelago, joined by a footbridge. The main beach has sand, a playground, changing rooms and showers, with no lifeguard.
Sand roads and a marked nature trail of about 2.8 km loop past cliffs, a rock gorge, herb-rich woods and old wooden villas. Three cooking shelters come stocked with firewood and drinking water, so families can grill lunch.
Uunisaari is a small island just off Kaivopuisto, made of two islets joined by a wooden bridge. Its sandy-bottomed public beach has a playground, changing room, toilets and showers, with a fire pit and picnic table nearby.
Sand roads loop the island, and a walking path leads across to neighboring Liuskasaari. A restaurant, a seasonal café and two seaside saunas sit by the shore.
Kuusijärvi is a lakeside recreation area owned by the City of Vantaa. Summer brings a large sandy beach, a fenced playground by the shore, basketball and volleyball courts, and a campfire spot at the far end of the lake. In winter the lit trails turn into cross-country ski tracks and swimmers take ice dips from the shore. A footbridge leads straight into Sipoonkorpi National Park for longer walks.
Oittaa sits on the southern shore of Lake Bodom, with one of Espoo's most popular summer beaches, an Angry Birds playground, adventure minigolf, outdoor gyms and a disc golf park with a children's area.
Marked trails loop through spruce forest, including an easy nature trail with information boards. In winter, part of the running route becomes a cross-country ski track.
A soft-sand city beach on Mustikkamaa, a wooded recreation island reached by bridge from Kalasatama or Kulosaari. The beach has a changing shelter, showers, toilets, a container kiosk and an outdoor gym, with lifeguards on duty in the swimming season.
The rest of the island has forest paths, the Korkee rope adventure park, and the pedestrian bridge to Helsinki Zoo on Korkeasaari.
Built for the 1952 Olympics, the Swimming Stadium (Uimastadion) is the oldest outdoor pool in Finland. Alongside the 50-meter pool there is a children's pool, a paddling pool, a 4.5-meter diving pool under a tower with platforms up to 10 meters, and a water slide for kids who can swim.
Lawns, trees, a playground, table tennis, beach volleyball and basketball courts, a kiosk and a café surround the pools.
Built as a training pool for the 1952 Olympic Games, Kumpula is the third oldest public outdoor pool in Finland. It has a 25 m pool, a children's pool, a paddling pool and a diving pool under a 10 m tower, with the water at 27 °C.
Lawns, trees and deckchairs surround the pools, with a playground, basketball and beach volleyball courts, table tennis and a café on the grounds.
Helsinki summers are short, so on a warm day we head straight for the water. Pick sandy beaches right in town, island beaches a short ferry ride out, forest lakes just past the city edge with playgrounds on the shore, or outdoor pools with diving towers. Several pair the swim with a fire pit, a picnic lawn or a nature trail. Here's what we checked, from Hietaranta to Kumpula.
Hietaranta, known locally as Hietsu, is a long sand beach next to Hietaniemi Cemetery and the most popular beach in the city center. Lifeguards watch the swimming area.
Beyond swimming there are beach volleyball courts, a basketball court and an outdoor gym, plus a café and an ice cream kiosk. Changing shelters and outdoor showers stay open round the clock.
Aurinkolahti is a large public beach of soft sand, with lifeguards on duty during the summer beach season and accessible swimming in supervised hours.
Behind the sand there is a playground, an outdoor gym, a small basketball and football court, a padel court and a slackline. A marked fairway lets canoes, kayaks and SUP boards launch from the beach, and SUP boards can be rented on site.
Two islands in the southern archipelago, joined by a footbridge. The main beach has sand, a playground, changing rooms and showers, with no lifeguard.
Sand roads and a marked nature trail of about 2.8 km loop past cliffs, a rock gorge, herb-rich woods and old wooden villas. Three cooking shelters come stocked with firewood and drinking water, so families can grill lunch.
Uunisaari is a small island just off Kaivopuisto, made of two islets joined by a wooden bridge. Its sandy-bottomed public beach has a playground, changing room, toilets and showers, with a fire pit and picnic table nearby.
Sand roads loop the island, and a walking path leads across to neighboring Liuskasaari. A restaurant, a seasonal café and two seaside saunas sit by the shore.
Kuusijärvi is a lakeside recreation area owned by the City of Vantaa. Summer brings a large sandy beach, a fenced playground by the shore, basketball and volleyball courts, and a campfire spot at the far end of the lake. In winter the lit trails turn into cross-country ski tracks and swimmers take ice dips from the shore. A footbridge leads straight into Sipoonkorpi National Park for longer walks.
Oittaa sits on the southern shore of Lake Bodom, with one of Espoo's most popular summer beaches, an Angry Birds playground, adventure minigolf, outdoor gyms and a disc golf park with a children's area.
Marked trails loop through spruce forest, including an easy nature trail with information boards. In winter, part of the running route becomes a cross-country ski track.
A soft-sand city beach on Mustikkamaa, a wooded recreation island reached by bridge from Kalasatama or Kulosaari. The beach has a changing shelter, showers, toilets, a container kiosk and an outdoor gym, with lifeguards on duty in the swimming season.
The rest of the island has forest paths, the Korkee rope adventure park, and the pedestrian bridge to Helsinki Zoo on Korkeasaari.
Built for the 1952 Olympics, the Swimming Stadium (Uimastadion) is the oldest outdoor pool in Finland. Alongside the 50-meter pool there is a children's pool, a paddling pool, a 4.5-meter diving pool under a tower with platforms up to 10 meters, and a water slide for kids who can swim.
Lawns, trees, a playground, table tennis, beach volleyball and basketball courts, a kiosk and a café surround the pools.
Built as a training pool for the 1952 Olympic Games, Kumpula is the third oldest public outdoor pool in Finland. It has a 25 m pool, a children's pool, a paddling pool and a diving pool under a 10 m tower, with the water at 27 °C.
Lawns, trees and deckchairs surround the pools, with a playground, basketball and beach volleyball courts, table tennis and a café on the grounds.
