Laskiainen is Finland's sledding day: on the Sunday and Tuesday before Lent, families take sleds to the nearest hill, then warm up with cream-filled laskiaispulla buns. Later in February, winter break (week 8) closes the schools for a week. Here's what we checked for both, from lit sledding hills and ski slopes to ice rinks, a science center and a water park for the coldest days.
Korkeasaari is Helsinki's zoo, set on its own island. It is open all year, but during the capital region's winter break week it runs more guided program than on a normal weekday.
The zoo says winter gives the island an atmosphere of its own. It suits families happy to spend a few hours outside in the Helsinki cold.
Paloheinä is the northern end of Central Park (Keskuspuisto): forest paths, four lit fitness trails covered in mulch, and a hiking lodge with toilets, changing rooms and lockers.
Winter brings dozens of kilometers of lit ski trails and a large sledding hill. A kota campfire hut is open every day, and the Niskala arboretum has a tree trail with illustrated boards made for kids.
Kontulan kelkkapuisto is a public park shaped from earth mounds, with pine woods on the slopes and leafy trees around the edges. In winter the main hill is a busy sledding run.
The rest of the year, kids head to the skate park, the basketball court and the open lawns, or climb to the sculpture at the top of the hill.
Kaivopuisto covers 16 hectares on the southern tip of the peninsula, with winding paths, old trees, rocky outcrops and sea views. The playground has a large wooden dragon, with an owl, cormorant and kingfisher on poles, and a giant chess set next to it.
Kids can climb narrow steps cut into the cliff, look for four sculptures carved from dead trees, and spot the Ursa Observatory at the highest point.
Serena Ski is a compact downhill area with nine slopes and seven lifts over a 60 m drop; the five main runs are floodlit. Beginners start on three children's slopes with a platter lift, magic carpet and rope tow, while older kids head for the snowpark, moguls and the 4b jump line.
A free sledding hill sits alongside, and a ski school and rental office work on site.
Talma Ski has ski slopes, a snow park and a chairlift. Werneri Park, a snow play area of almost a hectare, has a tube chute, sleds and sliders to borrow, a magic carpet lift and carousels, plus a gentle slope parents can walk in boots.
In summer the hill runs an adventure park: a rope course with two 200m zip lines, minigolf and a kids' ATV track.
An indoor ice rink inside Pirkkola Sports Park, run by the City of Helsinki. Clubs book most of the ice, but public skating sessions let anyone come in and skate, with separate sessions for skaters with hockey sticks and for plain skating.
The entrance, rink and dressing rooms are all on one floor, and a heated room by the door holds strollers and wheelchairs.
A city-run outdoor rink on the Brahenkenttä sports field, with cooling pipes under the ice that keep it skateable through the winter once the season opens.
During public skating, one half of the rink is kept for skaters and the other for kids and adults playing with hockey sticks. Café Braku, in the main building by the entrance, sharpens skates and rents skates, sticks and helmets during its opening hours.
Heureka is a hands-on science center. Kids build dams and a flood-proof city in the water exhibition, try tightrope cycling, watch Foucault's pendulum swing, and play at being archaeologists among more than 20 life-size dinosaurs. The ticket covers planetarium films and public shows, and the Play and Explore exhibition suits the youngest visitors.
Serena is a water park in Lahnus, northern Espoo, with an indoor hall and an outdoor park that opens June to August. Slides include the Tornado, Black Hole, Hurricane, an 80-meter slide and a free fall, plus tube rivers and a wave pool.
Younger kids get their own kids' land with small slides, indoors and out, and adults have jacuzzies and saunas.
Haltia is the Finnish Nature Centre, a gateway to the lakes and forests of Nuuksio National Park. Inside, the Game Over? exhibition turns biodiversity loss into a game: visitors make choices and leave with one thing to try at home. Nature photography and art shows rotate through the year.
Three marked trails start from the courtyard, including a 200 m rhyme trail made for the youngest kids.
A fenced forest park of about 2 hectares inside Nuuksio National Park, home to a herd of 11 reindeer, including Helmi, a rare white reindeer, and two calves born in spring 2026.
Kids feed the reindeer lichen from a terrace while a guide talks about their lives, then warm up with campfire coffee, tea or juice and a cinnamon bun in a traditional Lappish kota hut.
Two hangar halls hold about 70 aircraft, from Finland's oldest surviving plane, a 1922 Hansa seaplane, to a Saab Draken jet fighter and a Douglas DC-3. Kids can sit in the vintage seats of a walk-in Convair Metropolitan cabin and try a free Draken fighter simulator sized for children.
A middle hall runs changing exhibitions and workshops. Older kids can book instructor-led flights in Boeing and Airbus simulators.
A big activity park split into three zones. The Freestyle Hall has a skate and scooter park, the AirTrack tumble track, a foam pit and trampolines. The Game Arena covers a hockey slapshot radar, street basketball and disc golf. The Adventure Area has a climbing wall, slides and a pedal car track, and the youngest get the Toddler's Track and Tumble and Kids' Adventure City. A restaurant is inside.
Laskiainen is Finland's sledding day: on the Sunday and Tuesday before Lent, families take sleds to the nearest hill, then warm up with cream-filled laskiaispulla buns. Later in February, winter break (week 8) closes the schools for a week. Here's what we checked for both, from lit sledding hills and ski slopes to ice rinks, a science center and a water park for the coldest days.
Korkeasaari is Helsinki's zoo, set on its own island. It is open all year, but during the capital region's winter break week it runs more guided program than on a normal weekday.
The zoo says winter gives the island an atmosphere of its own. It suits families happy to spend a few hours outside in the Helsinki cold.
Paloheinä is the northern end of Central Park (Keskuspuisto): forest paths, four lit fitness trails covered in mulch, and a hiking lodge with toilets, changing rooms and lockers.
Winter brings dozens of kilometers of lit ski trails and a large sledding hill. A kota campfire hut is open every day, and the Niskala arboretum has a tree trail with illustrated boards made for kids.
Kontulan kelkkapuisto is a public park shaped from earth mounds, with pine woods on the slopes and leafy trees around the edges. In winter the main hill is a busy sledding run.
The rest of the year, kids head to the skate park, the basketball court and the open lawns, or climb to the sculpture at the top of the hill.
Kaivopuisto covers 16 hectares on the southern tip of the peninsula, with winding paths, old trees, rocky outcrops and sea views. The playground has a large wooden dragon, with an owl, cormorant and kingfisher on poles, and a giant chess set next to it.
Kids can climb narrow steps cut into the cliff, look for four sculptures carved from dead trees, and spot the Ursa Observatory at the highest point.
Serena Ski is a compact downhill area with nine slopes and seven lifts over a 60 m drop; the five main runs are floodlit. Beginners start on three children's slopes with a platter lift, magic carpet and rope tow, while older kids head for the snowpark, moguls and the 4b jump line.
A free sledding hill sits alongside, and a ski school and rental office work on site.
Talma Ski has ski slopes, a snow park and a chairlift. Werneri Park, a snow play area of almost a hectare, has a tube chute, sleds and sliders to borrow, a magic carpet lift and carousels, plus a gentle slope parents can walk in boots.
In summer the hill runs an adventure park: a rope course with two 200m zip lines, minigolf and a kids' ATV track.
An indoor ice rink inside Pirkkola Sports Park, run by the City of Helsinki. Clubs book most of the ice, but public skating sessions let anyone come in and skate, with separate sessions for skaters with hockey sticks and for plain skating.
The entrance, rink and dressing rooms are all on one floor, and a heated room by the door holds strollers and wheelchairs.
A city-run outdoor rink on the Brahenkenttä sports field, with cooling pipes under the ice that keep it skateable through the winter once the season opens.
During public skating, one half of the rink is kept for skaters and the other for kids and adults playing with hockey sticks. Café Braku, in the main building by the entrance, sharpens skates and rents skates, sticks and helmets during its opening hours.
Heureka is a hands-on science center. Kids build dams and a flood-proof city in the water exhibition, try tightrope cycling, watch Foucault's pendulum swing, and play at being archaeologists among more than 20 life-size dinosaurs. The ticket covers planetarium films and public shows, and the Play and Explore exhibition suits the youngest visitors.
Serena is a water park in Lahnus, northern Espoo, with an indoor hall and an outdoor park that opens June to August. Slides include the Tornado, Black Hole, Hurricane, an 80-meter slide and a free fall, plus tube rivers and a wave pool.
Younger kids get their own kids' land with small slides, indoors and out, and adults have jacuzzies and saunas.
Haltia is the Finnish Nature Centre, a gateway to the lakes and forests of Nuuksio National Park. Inside, the Game Over? exhibition turns biodiversity loss into a game: visitors make choices and leave with one thing to try at home. Nature photography and art shows rotate through the year.
Three marked trails start from the courtyard, including a 200 m rhyme trail made for the youngest kids.
A fenced forest park of about 2 hectares inside Nuuksio National Park, home to a herd of 11 reindeer, including Helmi, a rare white reindeer, and two calves born in spring 2026.
Kids feed the reindeer lichen from a terrace while a guide talks about their lives, then warm up with campfire coffee, tea or juice and a cinnamon bun in a traditional Lappish kota hut.
Two hangar halls hold about 70 aircraft, from Finland's oldest surviving plane, a 1922 Hansa seaplane, to a Saab Draken jet fighter and a Douglas DC-3. Kids can sit in the vintage seats of a walk-in Convair Metropolitan cabin and try a free Draken fighter simulator sized for children.
A middle hall runs changing exhibitions and workshops. Older kids can book instructor-led flights in Boeing and Airbus simulators.
A big activity park split into three zones. The Freestyle Hall has a skate and scooter park, the AirTrack tumble track, a foam pit and trampolines. The Game Arena covers a hockey slapshot radar, street basketball and disc golf. The Adventure Area has a climbing wall, slides and a pedal car track, and the youngest get the Toddler's Track and Tumble and Kids' Adventure City. A restaurant is inside.
