As a golfer visiting from the U.S., I wanted to see and play golf at a local course. Located in an…read moreeven larger park, this one is beautiful, and the amenities are great. There is a sauna in the locker room, which for me is so unusual and such a perk. You can tell that they kept a lot of the original features of the clubhouse (supposedly Helsinki's oldest course), old wood stoves, beautiful parquet floors, and the outside of the building is beautiful with a picturesque patio where you can enjoy a view of the course. Food and drink options are limited but there is something if you need it. The pro shop is nice and the staff is super helpful. However, you can only purchase green fees for 18 holes, there is no 9 hole option. It's a walking course, I found out you must have proof from a doctor if you need a drive cart (I don't think they require an official letter, they said an email would work). These last two are the reasons for four stars instead of five. I totally get the walking thing, but I think at least for senior citizens you shouldn't require a doctor's note, you should just have to show proof of age (if anything at all). And I get that they are not catering to tourists, so take that into account as well... Call ahead because they seem to be very busy! They had two events in the couple days I was interested in playing. Also, very easy to get to from city center by bus. I used the public transpo trip planner website, it worked great.

I have been to a handful of amusement parks in my time, and to be honest, Linnanmäki (aka…read moreBorgbacken) is not the best of the best. But what it does have going for it is that visitors can enter without having to pay an entrance fee. Then, they can choose to purchase a full-day wristband, or buy rides individually. I ended up visiting Linnanmäki after hanging out in the adjoining Alppipuisto Park. My companions and I had the idea to go up in the Panorama Tower, which is free to visit. As the name suggests, it gives riders a 360-degree view of the city from above. We also then opted to try out the Vuoristorata rollercoaster, which is the most iconic ride in the park. Although it wasn't the best wooden rollercoaster I have been on (the Giant Dipper is perhaps my favorite), it still is quite cool. Fun fact: it was the last rollercoaster in the world to be built with side friction technology. All in all, I think Linnanmäki knows what it's doing with allowing anyone to enter, because that means people will buy one-off ride tickets, food, etc. If you are in Helsinki for a few days and nearby, consider checking it out and, at the very least, taking a ride up in the tower.

Fun little amusement park in Helsinki which has rides, games, shops, a theater and places to eat…read moreand play. The park itself isn't that big but it actually has a lot going on. It's free to enter the park but the rides are insanely expensive. €8 for a single ride! You can get a wrist band for €36 which is still high seeing as there aren't that many rides. A couple of the rides are free such as the Ferris wheel, observation tower, carousel and the tea cups. I went on the wooden rollercoaster called Vuoristorata and it was fun. It's a good place to visit if you're visiting Helsinki even if you're not planning on going on any rides.

A bit of the beaten track but more than wort a visit. Especialy if you are on a bike or motorcycle…read more Good burgers. Friendly staff. Good selection of bewerages.

The forest This is one of our favorite forests near…read moreHelsinki. Lovely evergreen forest by the Kaitalampi lake. You can smell the moss and the woods in the air. There are several paths and one takes you around the lake / pond and it's about 1 h walk. The lake The lake is lovely clean water and there's several places to go for a swim and to change clothes. Hhh. Amenities There's several places for setting up a fire, the wood is provided and ready for use free of charge. Changing rooms and forest toilets are also available if needed. Location Easy to reach by bus, car or bike (for avid bikers) from Helsinki. Several parking spots also at Luukki direction. Remember to respect every man's rights and leave no trace. Enjoy this beautiful forest and let it enhance your heart!

Very easy to get to from the City Center. You take #16 bus from central station and the last stop…read morebefore it heads back is the zoo. You can pay on the bus and it does not take very long. In the summer, you can take a boat but this was not an option in April when I visited. The main gate has a little cafeteria and bathroom. The zoo is located on an island and you walk across a bridge to get to the zoo. It is not a large zoo. It has a good number of animals to see. I really enjoyed the seeing the lions. I spent about 2 hours here and pretty much saw everything. It was not very crowded at all. Check what time of the year you are visiting. The weather was still chilly in April and only 1 restaurant was open. The gift shop was open but did not offer to much. The only item I found that said Helsinki Zoo was a postcard. Most of the items on sale are pretty generic non-branded animal related items. Overall, it was a nice visit.

Lions and tigers and bears, oh my…read more As far as zoos go, this one is pretty good. While parking is not precisely convenient, you do get a nice little walk through the woods to arrive there a gigantic bear statue greets you. Unlike say, Berlin, you get the sense that these animals have plenty of space and are generally weather appropriate. I really enjoyed the information (in three languages, Finnish, Swedish, and English) about what level of threatened / endangered a particular animal is in the wild and what efforts this zoo is taking to help the natural environment. The cafes are well located throughout the zoo and the organization makes sense as well. Some odd (to me) bits. The jungle house (tropical house) has a weird insect area that looks like it was built a very long time ago and the insects have just been left to themselves. Creepy crawly indeed. The other odd bit if there are at least a dozen peacocks roaming free around the zoo. I don't know why. They are loud and not afraid of people and sometimes block entire paths with strutting. It's just weird to have so many peacocks in a relatively small space. As an added bonus we visited during hatching season so if you happened across a goose who was still sitting on her nest then her mate would hiss at you and sometimes try to chase you off the path. A bit silly but you know, nice that they all have somewhere to nest (I guess?!?) Definitely a nice half day for families with small children.