June 2012. It's too…read morebeautiful to spend the day inside, so we visit Seurasaari. A century ago, an ethnographer named Axel Olai Heikel began collecting traditional Finnish structures out on this island. Sweden already had an open-air museum like that (Swedes!), so Heikel decided that Finland should have one, too. The number 24 bus drops us off at the entrance an hour before the island closes, so we rush to the ticket booth and grab a map, hoping to squeeze as much of Finland's glorious architectural heritage as we can into sixty minutes. We read that there are historical re-enactors in the buildings, so we're expecting a Finnish version of Colonial Williamsburg, with artisanal baking demonstrations and maybe some farriery or blacksmithing. Coopering. That kind of thing. But the re-enactors we encounter are mostly high school kids with attitude whose summer job is to hang out on the island wearing period costumes and make sure no one tags the traditional structures or steals stuff. We hustle through a series of smoke cabins, crofter's dwellings, granaries, and farmyards. We glimpse a wooden church. We spot a parsonage. We read that many of these buildings are the last surviving examples of early 19th-century Finnish architecture. They're lovely, these rustic wooden structures with elegant joinery and stripped down minimalism that look like something Alvar Aalto might have built if he'd been a crofter.

Wonderful nature and peace in Helsinki. Lovely place for walking and picnics. Trees, forests,…read morewater, nature. Nice open air museum and cafe, lots of happenings around the year.

Try the smoke sauna or savusauna - you won't be disappointed. The intense heat also has an aroma…read morefrom the smoke, and the frozen water actually feels good to the point where you really want to dip BACK in it again. I wish we had these smoke saunas back home in the States - it's a very memorable experience!

The beach is nice, the water is warm and there's a small playground for kids too. Other activities…read moreare also possible, but we've always focused on the swimming :) A fairly popular spot and thus often quite packed and finding a parking spot can be difficult. There's a nice sauna too. The only minus is that the cafe is your standard fare Finnish "grilli" which isn't a compliment.

Some may say this is a ghost town, I'm not very sure you could call it that way but this is…read morecertainly a very interesting experience. After a small hike you will find within the woods, abandoned houses that look almost intact. Some of them can be as old as the late 1800's but they are now part of this "ghost town" with chaos, old furniture and a lot of graffiti. Walk around, get into some houses and check the inside (be careful when going up the stairs). The view is stunning, from both the houses and the bay area. Perhaps if you live in Helsinki this can be the place to have a barbecue, it's quite interesting.

I love exploring nature reserves in urban environments and Kruunuvuori fits that bill perfectly…read more It's a forest area in East Helsinki which in the old days was used for the Helsinki population as a weekend retreat. In fact, you can still see various country houses, most of which are in a derelict state and it seems it will only take only one more winter storm for them to fold into pieces like a house built from cards. Nevertheless, Kruunuvuori, which translates as Crown Hill, is well worth a visit if you want to escape from the hectic city life and go for a stroll in the woods. The trails will lead you around in a circle and so you cannot really get lost and it all takes only 30-45 minutes to do one round. While you're walking, you will be able to enjoy nice views over Helsinki Bay and you will spot Helsinki Downtown somewhere in the distance. Now, how to get there: take the metro to "Herttoniemi" and from there catch the bus #88 and get off at the last stop. From there, I suggest you use the map of your smartphone to locate the entrance, which is marked by a barrier...beyond which is all fair game!

Mountain Man Gardens This place is named after the mountain…read moreman- get grizzly and rugged out here. This small park is rather urban- right off of the #1 and #2 streetcar lines. There is a playground on this place, but the gate seems to have been frozen shut when I went, but some kids managed to smash through the ice and open it up. There's lots and snow and ice here when it's cold. I'd recommend crampons, since the sidewalks aren't salted or anything. It's an average park- not too special. It has some trees to it, and some lackluster landscaping. There's plenty of places to grab a bite around here for a good picnic. Don't go out of your way for this park, but it's okay to go check out if you happen to be in the neighborhood.

Fast and pleasant service, very affordable. I've been in…read morefor annual fix-ups and the guy fixed what was actually broken and mentioned which parts I need to fix next but not yet. I liked the approach of not fixing things until really needed and me getting the max use out of the different parts. This way he was also not overcharging me and actually guaranteed my return :) I think he does rentals of used bikes as well, but I don't have experience of that. Would imagine it being easy to arrange it with him though.

Especially for families there is a lot to do there. The water park has in and outdoor attractions…read morelike a big wave pool, Jacuzzis, a wild stream, playgrounds, a Tarzan rope and lots and lots of fun slides. If you prefer something a bit quieter you might enjoy the sauna area. Day tickets are 24.50€. If you book online you save 1 €. If you want to spend the whole weekend you can also book a hotel room or a cottage next to the park.

Great place for kids and adults! Love their cave saunas! The only trouble is to find 2 euro coin…read morefor lockers:)

Absolutely fantastic climbing gym. Large, spacious place and super many routes for climbers of…read moredifferent levels. All types of climbing, including bouldering. Safe environment. Harnesses and shoes are included in the affordable prices. Great place for the whole family! Dogs are allowed!

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.