Miles and miles to play
To begin with, simply city size , more than affordable, it will be pleasant for boys and girls, who will find in its streets hardly any cars a small paradise in which to walk at your leisure.
And speaking of walking: do it for Katajanokka, a neighborhood near the center whose buildings in the style National Romantic (an art nouveau with an extra dose of fantasy typical of the country) will make them feel as if they were inside a fairy tale And stop at each swing park you see, there are several! But that's just the appetizer... Here's our selection of must-see attractions for those tiny geniuses!
TIME TRAVEL
Reserve a good time for this visit, because you are going to love it -yes, both to you and to the little ones-. The Museum of the City , completely interactive, is for all audiences, but has an entire wing designed especially for boys and girls to soak up the helsinki past . Since those times when the only way to get to the capital was Sailing the seas in a viking ship -in one where you can ride- until the typical 70's house -with the presence of grandparents volunteers over the weekend - passing through a wardrobe full of 18th century costumes with which to get into the role or the recreation of a early 20th century school ... Everything is reconstructed, in this kind of doll's House, on a smaller scale, and promises a travel in the time unforgettable.
On the other hand, if your stay is planned between spring and fall , you can also enjoy the Seurasaari Open Air Museum , on the island of the same name. There is preserved the essence of traditional finnish way of life thanks to cabins, farms and mansions of ages past. These buildings, 87 in total, have been brought from all over the country to form a landscape of another time whose ways of life are recreated by actors and actresses.
Everything is made to be touched and squeezed at the City Museum
PLAY PIRATES IN THE FORTRESSES IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SEA
two are the island fortresses that you can visit in Helsinki, by ferry. The first and most famous is Suomenlinna , a historical site protected by the unesco that has been inhabited since 1747. There you can meet one of the shipyards longest running in the world, dedicated to the restoration of old ships ; you can see the cannons that protected the place at the end of the 19th century and you will walk both among epic builds such as the Puerta del Rey or the Patio de Armas as around typical Finnish houses, those that have the roof covered with grass.
The place also has infinite restaurants and cafes and six museums of different themes. a couple portray Suomenlinna's story another will let you enter a 1930s submarine who participated in World War II, and there is even one dedicated only to toys built from the 19th century to the 1960s.
You can also go to Vallisaari , another island-fortress with similar characteristics, but this especially wooded and very little traveled, ideal for excursions in full nature.
Suomenlinna, a piece of history
CAMPING ON AN ISLAND
Did you know that Helsinki has around 330 islands ? They are all little Edens in which to disconnect from the world and live your own adventure . Choose the peaceful sandy beaches of Kaunissaari and surround them in a rented boat, or go upstairs to sleep Viking's Hill (the highest point in the area) in Pihlajasaari , the summer island par excellence, while you watch the sheep and goats graze.
Both places have camper shelters to cook in , and besides, any area is good for pitch the tent or make a bonfire , because there are no restrictions in this regard -beyond those dictated by common sense- throughout the country.
a true adventure
DISCOVER SCIENCE HAVING FUN
The little scientists of the house will hallucinate in ** Heureka ,** the Finnish Science Center, an interactive and pleasant space in which to learn while playing. The place is very famous -almost 300,000 visitors come to it each year-, above all, for its magnificent temporary exhibitions , known for the impact they have on the public. Thus, for example, right now it is possible to enter ** a city of the future,** understand what function it fulfills electricity on a day-to-day basis, ** learning how the intestinal tract works **... and, above all, having fun with ** hundreds of experiments ** designed to bring science closer to all audiences. Don't leave without visiting his planetarium !
PLAY, PLAY AND PLAY
It's amazing the amount of Parkland that is in Helsinki itself. And when we say green areas we literally mean woods in the middle of the city. In them you can run around, pick mushrooms, taste fruits of the forest, do sport and, of course, invent stories in which you are the only protagonists.
If it is winter, you will also find several ice rinks scattered around the city, and you can even practice snow sports in Talma Ski . However, if the cold is too much for you, you also have the opportunity to expend energy in the endless activities of one of the many covered parks of the area, such as super park , the dream of any cool human of zero to 17 years (at least).