Walk through Christmassy Helsinki

Christmas Eve is only one day away. Most of you hopefully started their Christmas vacation already. A great way to get into the Christmas mood and leave all the work and present buying stress from the last days and weeks behind is a walk through the streets of the city. Now everything is enlightened with thousands of small Christmas lights.

Especially Esplanadi and Aleksanterintie are worth a stroll. Have a nice walk!

Walk to Uunisaari

The bridge to Uunisaari is back for the cold time of the year. Now you can easily get there by foot and enjoy the beautiful view over the sea from the small island.

Also it is a great place for a short coffee or lunch stop on your Sunday walk.

Have a nice day!

The bridge to Uunisaari

As soon as the boats are out of the water at Kaivopuisto the bridge to Uunisaari is put in place again. Till spring it is now possible again to access the small island at the coast of Helsinki by foot.

Why not go for a nice Sunday walk there today? You can also warm up in between at the Uunisaari Café and maybe continue your walk until Liuskaluoto.

Have a nice Sunday!

A walk through Nuuksio

It has gotten colder but it’s still sunny and the fall shows its best side. So how about a walk through Nuuksio Nationalpark this weekend?

Sure lots of people will have that idea. But even though parking might be a challenge as soon as you get a few hundred meters away from the parking area it is easy to find a path that is completely empty. Check out what kind of route suits you best online or on the signs first.

You can also visit Nuuksio's brand new visitors’center Haltia with information on the park, an exhibition about Finnish National parks and a restaurant.

The home of Gallen-Kallela

Akseli Gallen-Kallela was one of the most famous Finnish painters and is well-known for his illustrations of the Finnish national epic Kalevala.

In 1961 his house and studio in Tarvaspää, Espoo was turned into a museum and opened for the public. Here you can find out more about the painter whose work was extremely important for the Finnish national identity. For an entrance fee of 8 € you can visit the museum that shows not only where Gallen-Kallela lived and worked but also has changing exhibitions. Most of Gallen-Kalela’s famous paintings aren’t on display here though but at Ateneum in the city center. If you take your smart phone with you, you can have a free audio tour through and around the museum.

Also the surrounding area is worth the visit. Stop for a short break at the small café next to the museum and go for a walk around the small island the museum is build on. Tarvaspää is perfect for a nice weekend walk.

The Rhododendron Park

The blooming time of the rhododendron is long over. Their beautiful red flowers are at their best in June. But even during this time of the year the Rhododendron Park (Alppiruusupuisto) in Haaga is a perfect destination for a nice Sunday walk.

The park was founded and still functions as a plant breeding experimental site of the University of Helsinki. Simultaneously the eight-hectare area is a park open to the public. The first rhododendrons have been planted here in 1975. Meanwhile several different species grow some of which were created on this site and are internationally well known to handle temperatures of up to -40 degrees.

Many paths and duckboards as well as some look-outs make it possible to explore most parts of the park in a comfortable way and are also accessible for wheelchair-users without problems.

Have a wonderful walk and a nice Sunday!

Along the waterfront of Espoo

What could be better at this time of the year than enjoying this marvelous weather close to the sea? A perfect opportunity for a walk or a cycling tour along the shore offers Espoo. The Espoo Waterfront Walkway stretches over 40 kilometers from Laajalahti till Saunalahti. The whole way is signposted to always keep you on track. Along the way you pass parks, boat harbors and swimming beaches. And several cafés and restaurants invite cyclists and walkers for a break in between.

Explore new beautiful bays and beaches and breath in the fresh sea air at the waterfront of Espoo.

Along the shore of Munkkiniemi

The sunny weather is supposed to stay for the upcoming days. And luckily now the days are long enough to still have time for a walk after work.

The great thing about Helsinki is that you don’t even have to leave the city if you want to go for a walk. Take for example the tram to Munkkiniemi and head to Munkkiniemenranta. At the moment the ice is still thick enough that you can walk around the whole bay.

And don’t miss out on Café Torpanranta afterwards. Here you can enjoy a beautiful view while sitting in the sun having a cup of hot coffee.

Wilderness at the gates of Helsinki

From time to time Finns love to be in the middle of the woods far away from all other living souls. Then they leave the city and go for long walks somewhere through the wilderness. 

This sounds tempting for you as well? Well, it’s again a beautiful sunny fall day. Why don’t you visit Nuuksio National Park today? It is located in Espoo and just a few kilometers away from the city center of Helsinki. You can easily get there by car or bus.

Nuuksio National Park covers an area of 45 sq.km. You can hike here for hours or even days. They have several marked routes that vary between 2 and 8 kilometers and are perfect for a weekend walk. If you are searching for something more exciting you can also get a map or ask the guides at the information point at the beginning of the park to help you make your own route.

Enjoy the nature!

Fall in Lauttasaari

The Finnish fall shows its most beautiful colors at the moment. And this weekend there should be no rain. So put on your warm coat and your boots and go outside.

What about a walk around the southern shore of Lauttasaari? Breath in a fresh sea breeze while walking through the woods and stop to watch the ferries passing by on their way to Tallinn and Stockholm. 

 

At the moment there is also an art path with several small installations along the way.

A walk around Katajanokka

It’s basically right in the center but is still so different from the rest of Helsinki. Katajanokka, the peninsula in the south west of the city is a great place for a Sunday walk. Especially the northern part is worth a visit.

You might know the area if you ever left to Stockholm with Viking Line. At the most western tip of Katajanokka there is also a ferry leaving to Suomenlinna. From here you have a great view over the small islands in front of Helsinki.

If you continue along the seaside further north east you can see the impressive ice breakers of the Finnish marine. Now they are not in use but in the winter they are important to keep the ship passages in the Gulf of Finland open. Since not many countries have such powerful boats they also help out other countries during the cold time of the year.

After you pass the first sailing boats you get to Katajanokan Casino. These days you can’t gamble there anymore but enjoy good food at the fine dining restaurant.

Next to the casino you find the memorial for the ones that lost their lives clearing the sea from mines after the Second World war.

Head back east now and you will get to the marina where you can see nice sailing boats and also some of the most expensive and biggest yachts in Helsinki.

Now you got a first impression of Katajanokka. But there is still so much more to discover here. You should also visit the Orthodox Church on top of the hill. It’s the biggest in the Nordic countries. Also lots of good cafés and restaurants are just waiting to be discovered.

So take your time to explore. Have a nice Sunday!

Walk and Feel Helsinki

That is the name of a cell phone supported route through Helsinki. From the harbor in Hernesaari to Errotaja at the beginning of Esplanadi Park you can now get a free guided tour along some of Helsinki’s sights. Everything you need for that is a smart phone with internet access. If you arrive to Helsinki by ferry from Tallinn this is the perfect way to get to know the city. But also if you are just interested in getting to know the western part of Helsinki like Hernesaari, Munkisaari, Eira and Punavouri you should consider taking a bus to the harbor and walking back this route.

On the path you find 10 check-points marked with signs where you should stop and check your phone. You will get information about the area (in texts and videos), get recommendations about places to visit (sights, shops, restaurants and events) and find out about your exact location.

You can of course start the tour at any of the stops. If your phone supports NFC just tap the butterfly on the sign. Otherwise scan the QR code or just visit http://www.walkandfeelhelsinki.fi/ with your phone. Information is available in English and Finnish.

Have fun exploring!