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!

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.

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.

Suomenlinna is a must-see for any visitor to Helsinki. The ferry to this island fortress is simple…read moreto locate at the main pier, and it runs reliably on its 20-minute schedule, late into the night, so returning is easy as well. There's something for everyone to enjoy along Suomenlinna's scenic walkways, whether you're a history buff or casual tourist, with many vista walks and building sites to explore. Take your camera, enjoy a meal there, and check out the shops too (I particularly loved the gorgeous photo/narrative book by local Tim Bird, available in the main gift shop). Suomenlinna is simply an exceptional UNESCO heritage site!

Beautiful island that you can get to in about 20 minutes on the ferry from Helsinki. Great walking…read morespot with cafes and restaurants as well. There are people that actually live on the island so there are residential areas. Beautiful views and a great half day spot to visit from Helsinki. Also you can take the ferry to other islands but the schedule is pretty spaced out.

No idea what the other reviews say, so thank goodness for the stars! This lovely little park sits…read morejust down the way from a friend's place and right next to a lovely little lake. There's tons of room to run around, some work out equipment and a huge pirate ship play set that gets even the coolest kid excited about playing! The couple times we came down there were plenty of people around, but never felt crowded. There was also a lovely little basketball court with both 8 and 10 foot rims so you could always find a rim that made you feel tall! A great spot to take the kids and adults for some hang time and to run some energy off!