Child-friendly Archives - Page 2 of 3

The Rantaraitti seaside promenade in Espoo shows you the best of the capital area

November 15th, 2018Tarja0 Comments

Rantaraitti seaside promenade and waterfront walkway in Espoo, in Finland's capital area

Whether you prefer a slow, gentle stroll along the seaside or a more strenuous trail running experience, the Rantaraitti (seaside promenade or the waterfront walkway) in Espoo, Finland's second biggest city is the thing to do. It literally has it all: possibilities for berry and mushroom picking, cycling, running and walking, the sea and forests, gentle paved and accessible paths as well as demanding trails in the adjoining forests, fishing and bird watching opportunities, benches...

The Finnish sauna experience

November 10th, 2018Jenni0 Comments

Did you know that sauna is a Finnish innovation? The earliest versions are believed to be from 7000 BC, but one of the first written mentions of what is believed to be the sauna customs of the forefathers of the Finns was written by the Nestor the Chronicler in 1112:

“In the country of Slavs I saw wooden spas, very much warmed up, where people took their clothes off, poured leaven on themselves, took some brooms or some sticks, and were whipping themselves” K.J. Erben...

Kyynäränharju is a scenic ridge in Liesjärvi National Park

October 31st, 2018Jenni0 Comments

Kyynäränharju ridge is one of the top attractions in Liesjärvi national park, which is located in Tammela, approximately 95 km from Helsinki. Kyynäränharju is a low sandy shored ridge, which separates Lake Kyynärä and Lake Liesjärvi from one another. There are several hiking trails in Liesjärvi National Park and they depart from multiple locations. I recommend for example Pirttilahti parking area, from where you can reach Kyynäränharju easily.

A large part of the Liesjärvi...

Mustavuori caves, fortress, and WWI trenches in Vuosaari, Helsinki

October 27th, 2018Tarja0 Comments

Mustavuori (Black Mountain) is a place where history and natural wonders have been forever mixed together. It is one of the most exciting places outdoors Helsinki has, and it is perfectly suited for adventurers of all ages. It has to be said at this stage that children must not run around in the area because the super-exciting caves and trenches do appear out of nowhere.

We stepped onto the well-covered hiking trail just next to Itäväylä (road 170) in Vuosaari. There...

Leafy-green Ekudden nature trail in Porvoo

October 25th, 2018Tarja0 Comments

In one of the most beautiful towns in Finland, Porvoo, you can also find the Ekudden (oak cape or peninsula) nature trail that showcases many of the various vistas Finland has to offer. The nature trail is located 3km (1,9mi) from the centre of Porvoo, and it is about 1,5km long. You would think that this is a short trail but it has so many wonderful distractions on its route that you should definitely give yourself 1-2h to go around it. Combining Ekudden with a visit to old Porvoo with...

Gallträsk – a gentle nature stroll in Kauniainen, Finland’s smallest municipality

October 23rd, 2018Tarja0 Comments

Kauniainen is Finland's smallest municipality, only 6km2 (2,3mi2) in diameter, located in the middle of another municipality, Espoo. It has a lovely small lake area that is perfectly suitable for a lazy stroll to enjoy the absolutely huge spruce trees and leafy green oak trees. The area is only about 15km from the centre of Helsinki and easily accessible by car or by public transport, so a perfect place for a quick relaxing visit.

My friend and I were in the area when we, quite literally,...

Pakasaivo, the Hell of Lapland

October 21st, 2018Jenni & Tarja0 Comments

Lake Pakasaivo located in Muonio, Lapland, is also known as the Hell of Lapland. When we saw a little star on the map with a text "Hell of Lapland", we knew we have to go and check it out! The last 10km before reaching the area really challenged us because the tiny dirt road is not necessarily the most comfortable to drive on. But on the positive side: we did see reindeer in the forests while driving slowly towards the area! Pakasaivo is approximately 60 metres deep, second...

Hepoköngäs – largest free waterfalls of Finland in Puolanka

October 9th, 2018Jenni & Tarja0 Comments

We were on a roadtrip from Jyväskylä all the way to Enontekiö in north western Lapland, and we wanted to visit Hepoköngäs along the way. We knew the largest free-falling waterfalls in Finland were somewhere in the Kainuu region just above the midriff of Finland so we took out an old-fashioned map and checked out that it was located in Puolanka, about 100km above the town of Kajaani. Yes, it was sort of along our route (it wasn't really… the detour added several hours to our travel...

Autumn colours and ruska in Lapland, Finland

September 17th, 2018Tarja0 Comments

Having four distinctive seasons is definitely a huge benefit for those living in Finland. Every year in the autumn we enjoy our third colour explosion of the year when autumn colours arrive. Lapland, the area above the Arctic circle, is one of the best places to see autumn colours because of its unique nature which means autumn colours arrive in one area in a whoosh.

I was visiting Finnish Lapland happily in this exact moment but there with me in Lapland were thousands of tourists who had...

The Devil’s Loop and Neitvuori mountain at Anttola, Finland

September 13th, 2018Tarja0 Comments

We were driving around through the scenic wonderland of Lakeland Finland and decided we wanted to see the views from a higher vantage point. We scoured the maps and saw that Neitvuori (means Maid Mountain in Finnish) is one of the highest peaks in the area, a good 184m (600ft) above sea level so it would provide us with great views over Saimaa lakes. We drove from Savonlinna towards Neitvuori along road 62 because it also offered us great views while we were driving through small villages,...