Things to do with kids in Helsinki

Things to do with kids in Helsinki

1. SeeKamppi and Southwest

   Amos Rex

   A modern arts museum that tends towards immersive, often audiovisual installations and has rapidly gained in acknowledgement since its opening in 2018. While entrance and shop are in Lasipalatsi, the actual museum is a piece architecture playing with organic forms located below the square located behind the visible building; sculptural forms extend into the square, portholes on their top allow a glimpse into the museum.

   Mon 11–20; Wed–Fri 11–20; Sat/Sun 11–17, closed on Tue·General admission €20, reduced €15, students and youth under 30 years €5, children under 18 years free

2. DoKamppi and Southwest

   Annantalo

   Feel creative? Annantalo, a multimodal "house of art" arranges art workshops and courses for both kids and grownups, as well as performances and exhibitions.

   Mon-Fri 08:00–20:00, Sat Sun 10:00–16:00

3. DoEastern suburbs

   Aurinkolahti Beach

   Aurinkolahden uimaranta

   Spacier and calmer than Hietsu in Western Helsinki, the Aurinkolahti Beach is frequented by everyone from youth to families.

4. EatWest

   Benjam's Bistro

   You want home made Italian cooking in Helsinki? Here it is. Benjam's is run by an Italian family. Atmosphere is cosy, but some of the food comes directly from the supermarket, tortellini and many desserts, for example.

   Main dishes €10–15

5. SeeSouth

   Ehrensvärd Museum

   Ehrensvärd-museo

   The first occupant of the current museum building was Augustin Ehrensvärd (1710-1772), the founder of the Suomenlinna fortress. The museum's collection includes paintings, furniture, weapons and ship models.

   Adults €5, children €2

6. SeeWest

   Eläintarha

   Despite its name, which translates to "Animal Garden", there is no zoo in this park. Instead many of Helsinki's sport venues like the Olympic stadium, Swimming stadium, Sonera stadium, Töölön Kisahalli and Helsinki Ice Hall are either in the park or close to it.

7. SeeWest

   Finnish Museum of Natural History

   Luonnontieteen museo

   The museum of natural history is operated by Helsinki University and shows Finnish wildlife, dinosaur skeletons and everything in-between.

   Daily 10:00–17:00 (Sun –16:00)·adults €21, children aged 5–18 €7

8. DoNorthern suburbs

   Haltiala Farm

   Haltialan kotieläintila

   A kind of a zoo with farm animals in a real countryside environment. The Haltiala farm has many domestic animals such as cows, sheep, pigs and chickens. They are outdoors from summer to autumn, allowing them to be seen in the courtyard from morning to night. For the rest of the year, the animals are indoors. Occasionally country music concerts are held at Haltiala.

   free

9. BuyEastern suburbs

   Itis

   formerly Itäkeskus (Eastern Center)

   One of the largest shopping malls in the Nordic countries with some 240 shops. If that's not enough, there is a separate Prisma hypermarket right across Kehä I, a Citymarket across Itäväylä and the "grandfather" Puhos (opened in 1965) behind Itis itself, all with small stores. Comes with an unexpected African and Middle Eastern vibe due to the high number of immigrants residing in the nearby neighbourhoods, who spend free time there with friends and family.

10. DoKamppi and Southwest

    Kasinonranta Beach, Lauttasaari

    A popular place in summer with a large playground for children and a pleasant café Kasinonranta (in summer season open M-F 15:00-19:00, Sa Su 10:00-19:00). At the beach and the park around you can picnic, kick a ball, play a beach volleyball, swim, canoe or skatefurf. In winter it is possible to snowkite here or hike, skate or cross country ski on frozen sea around Lauttasaari island and even reach some nearby islands.

11. SeeEastern suburbs

    Korkeasaari

    Helsinki's zoo, with approximately 150 different animal species. The zoos signature animals are the bears, the free-roaming peafowls and the cats (from tigers and lions to European wildcats). Another highlight is Amazonia, a partly underground house featuring tropical plants and smaller animals such as fish and frogs. Opened in 1889, Korkeasaari is reportedly one of the world's oldest operating zoos. Korkeasaari is connected to the mainland by bridges via Kulosaari and Mustikkamaa islands, and since spring 2016 pedestrians and bikers can take a shortcut from Kalasatama; the Isoisänsilta (lit. Grandfather bridge). From downtown, bus 16 takes you to the gates of the zoo, and if you're driving, you can park for free on Mustikkamaa. During summer you can also opt for a 15-min ferry ride (ferry ticket: €6.95 return, under 18 yr old travel for free) from Hakaniemi and Market Square.

    Every day except Christmas Eve: 10:00-20:00, may operate shorter hours on holidays·€14 adults, €10 children and students

12. Do

    Lautapelaamaan

    Finland's biggest board game event, hosted by the Finnish Board Game Society. Held on a weekend in early November. A whole hall at the Helsinki Cable Factory is available to play board games for the entire weekend, from Friday evening to Sunday evening (the event closes for the nights though). Hundreds of board games available provided by the organisers (to borrow a game to play, you must leave something valuable as a pawn token, such as your phone or wallet). You can also bring your own board games to play. Suitable for people of all ages, both adults and children.

    10:00-18:00 mostly·Free of charge

13. DoInner East

    Linnanmäki

    The oldest amusement park in Finland, famous for its wooden roller coaster. Entrance to the park is free of charge, all-day passes €42. Open only during the summer, however the adjacent Sea Life aquarium and the Peacock theatre (not a traditional theatre but rather a venue for musicals and slightly Las Vegas-like shows) at Tivolikuja 1 is open throughout the year. In middle October, the amusement park holds a week-long closing ceremony where just about everything, particularly the rides, is illuminated with colourful lighting. The ceremony holds live music events in late evening and there is a fireworks show at the very end just before the park closes down for the winter.

14. DoWest

    National Opera

    Kansallisooppera

    Lavishly subsidized, but it's still easy to get good seats. Tickets €14-84. Students can buy discount tickets for performances on the same day for €10 if there are still seats left, but these tickets have to be bought in person. An international student card is valid. Pensioners get €5 off, and children get their tickets at half regular price. Also runs the National Ballet (Kansallisbaletti).

15. EatInner East

    Old Sophie

    Casual neighbourhood restaurant. Ordinary Finnish food, meat and pasta dishes, pizzas, burgers, Indian food, desserts. Own menu for children, toys available.

    Lunch €10, mains mostly €12-20

16. SeeWest

    Olympic Tower

    The stadium features 72-m-high tower (14 storeys) that offers a great view over the city. After the reopening in 2020 you can only get up and down the tower using the elevator; the stairs on the outside are closed to the public.

    €5 for adults, €2 for children

17. BuyKamppi and Southwest

    Paloni

    Paloni is a creative design concept store. It sells items that are designed and made by over 70 independent designers. Paloni's product range covers women's clothing, accessories, jewellery, home decor, gift items and children's clothing.

    Open Mon-Fri 11:00-19:00, Sat 11:00-16:00

18. SeeCentral

    Paradox Museum Helsinki

    An international museum for the whole family that plays with optical illusions, with over 40 different exhibitions.

    Tue–Thu & Sun 11:00–19.00, Fri–Sat 19:00–20:00, closed on Mondays·€23 for adults, €17 for children

19. SeeSouth

    Sinebrychoff Museum

    Promotes itself as the only museum in Finland specializing in old European art. Located in a stately house commissioned in 1842 by Nikolai Sinebrychoff, the founder of the Sinebrychoff brewery. Nikolai Sinebrychoff never lived in the house, preferring instead to live in Viapori (now known as Suomenlinna), but his brother's family lived there for several years. The upper floor of the building hosts the Sinebrychoff house museum with plenty of 19th-century paintings on display.

    Tue, Fri 10:00–18:00, Wed, Thu 10:00–20:00, Sat-Sun 10:00–17:00·€20 for the whole collection, free entry for house museum and permanent exhibition only

20. SeeSouth

    Sinebrychoffin puisto

    Also known as "Koffin puisto", it's in Punavuori district next to the Sinebrychoff art museum. Popular with young people, in the summer it is full of people having picnics or just drinking pussikalja (literally: "beer in a bag", means buying beer from a supermarket and drinking it outdoors), while in the winter kids ride sleds down the snowy slope.

21. DoEastern suburbs

    Skata Pks4H Petting Zoo

    In Skata you will find several different domestic animals such as sheep. Children can hug animals.

22. DoKruununhaka and Katajanokka

    Tervasaari

    Popular recreation area next to the city centre. Includes restaurant Savu, a kid's playground, a dogpark with a designated swimming beach for dogs, a summer theatre and a rug washing pier.

23. SeeInner East

    Worker Housing Museum

    Työväenasuntomuseo

    Built for the city's employees and their families in the early 20th century, nowadays the house is a museum where every room is a snapshot of the inhabitants' everyday life during different decades from the 1920s to the 1980s. Visits by guided tours which are free, start about every 15-20 minutes depending on how many visitors have arrived, and are conducted in Finnish, English (whenever foreign travellers show up) and possibly other languages too.

    June to late October: Wed-Sun 11:00-17:00·Free

24. EatKruununhaka and Katajanokka

    Zinnkeller

    An authentic German restaurant in the middle of Helsinki, owned by a German immigrant family. Claims to be "the only German restaurant in Finland". Spacious with German-style decor. The menu is full of traditional German food with copious amounts of steaks, sausages, potatoes and sauerkraut. A wide variety of German beers and wines available. The staff are fluent in Finnish, German and English.

    11:00-23:00 mostly·Main courses €12–22.

25. Do Not mapped

    Joulu

    Christmas

    In the weeks before Christmas, Aleksanterinkatu is festively lit up, the Christmas lights of the street are ceremonially lit on the last Sunday in November. The open-air Christmas market formerly held in the Esplanadi Park is nowadays held at the Senaatintori (Senate Square). The Stockmann department store sets up a Christmas themed exhibition with mechanic dolls and animals in their windows at the corner of Keskuskatu and Aleksanterinkatu. Christmas is a family event, so on the 24th, everything shuts down and stays closed until December 26.

26. Do Not mapped

    Söderskär Lighthouse

    An old secluded lighthouse island out at sea, in the middle of a bird reserve. The lighthouse may have inspired Tove Jansson's Moominpappa at Sea. Day trips with an hour on the skerry. Cancelled in high seas.

    May–Sep daily with start 09:00, back 16:00·Day cruise €65, children 6–12 €33

27. DoEastern suburbs

    Hoplop activity hall for kids

    8-meter-tall adventure maze, slides, cafe.

28. EatWest

    White Lady

    The cozy family restaurant with the classical dishes.

    Wed-Fri 15:00-21:00, Sat 14:00-21:00, Sun 14:00-19:00·Main dishes €20-35

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Helsinki (CC BY-SA 4.0).