Summer activity tips for the third week of July in Helsinki with children

Updated July 20, 2017

What activities can be found in summer Helsinki in July? Where to go with small children on a city vacation or weekend? And what to do on a rainy day? Pienten Helsingin’s weekly series finds activity tips and recommends child-friendly places in Helsinki and the surrounding area.

Summer Helsinki is at its best now, although fewer official children’s events are organized during July’s vacation weeks than usual. Fortunately, there’s plenty to do on your own on good weather days and excellent excursion destinations can be found throughout the city. Suomenlinna and Korkeasaari should be experienced at least once during the summer, as should one of Helsinki’s swimming beaches. This week’s activity tips again lean toward more leisurely activities as is typical for July, and Also remember these tips take you to Espoo this week to celebrate the holiday season.

In August, there’s again an excellent selection of children’s events, and a list of upcoming events can be found here.

Summer at the playgrounds

Some of Helsinki's municipal playgrounds are still on vacation, while others are returning to regular activities. Open playgrounds can be found throughout the city, and on warm days most playgrounds have a swimming pool or other water play opportunities. It's a good idea to check your local playground's opening hours on the playground activities pages. Free park meals for under 16-year-olds continue into August, and this week's menu can be found here.

The coming week brings varied programming to the playgrounds. For example, at Ruoholahti playground, Bambi’s wildlife week is celebrated and on Monday crafts related to the theme start at 10:30. On Tuesday, Jakomäki playground offers live music when the Army Band performs in the playground at 10:30. At Lahnalahti playground in Lauttasaari, traditional games are played on Tuesday. On Wednesday, at Kivikonlahti’s Kipinä playground, children can build birdhouses together with Art Friends. At Arabia playground, on Thursday there’s a rhythm session at 10:30 and baby meetings for baby families starting at 1 p.m. At Punavuori’s Seppä playground, all week Princesses and Superheroes week is celebrated. The week culminates in a yard party with princesses and superheroes on Friday starting at 10:30.

It’s worth actively following the playgrounds’ Facebook and website pages, as lots of open, guided activities are organized.

A dedicated section about Helsinki’s playgrounds and play areas will soon appear on Pienten Helsingin’s pages, where the city’s play facilities are presented with photos.

[caption id=“attachment_294” align=“aligncenter” width=“1334”] Helsinki has over 200 play areas. Photo from a play area in Alppila’s Loviisan Park.[/caption]

Things to do in Helsinki

Monday, July 17 is expected to be partly rainy according to the forecast, so Children's City at Helsinki's City Museum is always a good place for young children. Children's City is also open on Mondays, unlike many other museums. Read more about Children's City in Pienten Helsingin museum series first installment. It's worth stopping by Torikorttelit's summer courtyard to play after the museum if the rain stops in the afternoon.

[caption id=“attachment_254” align=“aligncenter” width=“931”] Children’s City can be found on the side of Senate Square.[/caption]

On Tuesday, July 18, Puppet Theater Sytkyt’s summer tale Finland 100 – Through a Child’s Eyes at Winter Garden at 11 and 1 p.m. Admission to the performance and Winter Garden is free. It’s difficult to move around with strollers in the Winter Garden, so a carrying sling is a good option for smallest visitors. More information at Puppet Theater Sytkyt.

On Wednesday, July 19, magician Jari Reponen performs at Linnanmäki amusement park this week. Wednesday magic performances are on stage at 1, 3, and 4 p.m. At a sing-along session at 6 p.m., everyone sings together with Diandra and the Janne Virtanen Trio. More information about Linnanmäki amusement park here. Free admission.

[caption id=“attachment_366” align=“aligncenter” width=“1334”] At Linnanmäki.[/caption]

Thursday, July 20 seems to be a quiet day in terms of organized children’s events. Summer activities at their best include a market trip to Hakaniemi Market or Market Square. It’s also worth stopping by Hakaniemi Hall and the Old Market Hall. You can also access both halls with strollers; in Hakaniemi, an elevator to the second floor is found in connection with the loading dock.

On Friday, July 21, Korkeasaari celebrates international Monkey Day. The program includes monkey feeding times, a Ferris wheel, and crafts. You can also visit the zoo otherwise. More information about Korkeasaari here. Paid admission.

The Children’s Traffic Town celebrates family day every Friday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., when with an adult’s guidance you can drive around in Traffic Town and learn about traffic rules. Free admission.

On summer Fridays, the Guard Parade is seen in downtown Helsinki at 12:30 p.m. and a MIL-Espa concert at 2 p.m. on the Espa stage. The Guard Parade departs from Senate Square, marches through Market Square to the main guard, and from there along the Esplanade to Barracks Square. Worth seeing and amusing. This week, you’ll hear the Finnish Armed Forces recruit band on the Espa stage at 2 p.m. More information about the Guard Parade and MIL-Espa can be found here.

On Saturday, July 22, the Teurastamo Jazz event is held, which is suitable for the whole family. At the Wholesale Market, in the Teurastamo courtyard area, you’ll hear top artists and enjoy a relaxed atmosphere from 3-10 p.m. Free admission. More information about the event can be found here.

On Saturday, July 22, Restaurant Stansvik in Laajasalo celebrates Hay Party. In the afternoon from 4-6 p.m. there’s programming for the whole family, such as Children’s Disco, Onnipelle and Magic Balls, hats, and burgers and snacks. More information on Restaurant Stansvik’s pages. Evening program for adults only. Free admission. The Stansvik Manor’s surroundings are an open park for everyone, where you can spend a summer day in the scenery of Risto Räppääjä and Viileän Venla films.

On Saturday and Sunday, July 22-23, Seurasaari hosts Craft Days and markets. Craft Day demonstrations are in the Seurasaari buildings (outdoor museum entrance fee), but the Antti Square craft market has free admission. Traditional crafts are for sale. More information about Seurasaari’s craft event can be found here. There are also lots of free activities in Seurasaari and really tame squirrels ;)

[caption id=“attachment_367” align=“aligncenter” width=“1334”] You can watch craft demonstrations at the Seurasaari buildings.[/caption]

On Sunday, July 23, Alppipuisto’s park festival features folk music from top musicians from 1-8 p.m. The program also includes group singing. The event is suitable for the whole family and you can enjoy the music and atmosphere while sitting on a picnic. Free admission. More information about the event can be found here. Near Alppipuisto is Helsinki’s Winter Garden, which is an excellent destination to visit.

Tips for longer excursions

The large sailing ship event The Tall Ships Races that was seen in Kotka last week is happening Thursday through Sunday in Turku.

Also remember these: Things to do in Espoo

Culture tip: Children's Cultural Center Pikku Aurora has unparalleled child-friendliness. Here there are very many guided activities even in summer, but self-directed activities can also be found, for example from Pikku-Aurora's summer courtyard. Garden and picnic music classes are worth experiencing. More information about Pikku Aurora's summer program can be found here. Free admission.

To see farm animals: Manor Museum Glims in Espoo’s Bembölä is a historic farm where you can peek into the past in a rural setting. In the Glims courtyard, you’ll find a 4H organization’s farm animal pen during the summer months, and you can see its inhabitants during the museum’s opening hours. Pasture visits, where you can pet and feed the animals, are held weekly. More information from Glims’s summer brochure.

Admission: Adults 4 €, under 18 free. Museum card venue. Free admission on Wednesdays. The museum is open in summer Tuesday to Friday 10-5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Closed Mondays.

[caption id=“attachment_260” align=“aligncenter” width=“1126”] Chickens also live in Manor Museum Glims’s courtyard.[/caption]

Week’s museum tip: WeeGee Exhibition Center in Tapiola is a complex of four museums. The Museum of Modern Art Emma, Espoo City Museum Kamu, Finnish Watch Museum, and Toy Museum Hevosenkenkä are all under one roof. The museum center also has a café and child care facilities. The exhibition center is open Tuesday through Sunday; closed Mondays. Combined ticket for museums 12€/10€, under 18 free. Museum card venue. From a children’s perspective, an interesting destination is Toy Museum Hevosenkenkä, where children can also play and experiment.

To the archipelago: More information about Espoo’s beautiful outdoor islands can be found here. Espoo’s archipelago has many great day trip destinations.

For swimming: Westend’s renovated swimming beach is within sight of Helsinki. The beach is long and shallow with protection, and there are showers and toilets on the beach. At one end of the beach there’s a good children’s play area. It’s about a hundred meters from the parking lot to the beach. More information about Espoo’s swimming beaches can be found here. In cooler weather, Leppävaara outdoor pool and indoor swimming hall work better than a beach. Paid admission.

[caption id=“attachment_360” align=“aligncenter” width=“1334”] Westend’s renovated swimming beach.[/caption]

[caption id=“attachment_359” align=“aligncenter” width=“1334”] Westend beach’s play area.[/caption]

To play: Angry Birds parks in Leppävaara and Oittaa are also suitable for smaller players. The Leppävaara AB park is located in the middle of a sports park, and Oittaa is by Lake Bodom. Both parks have a separate area for the smallest children; at Oittaa this division is clearer than at Leppävaara park. Oittaa also has a nice café and Lake Bodom beach nearby.

If an Espoo trip is about to go wrong when rain suddenly appears, Iso Omenna shopping center has a free play area and an excellent child care facility.

To nature within the city’s beat: In Espoo, Villa Elfvik and Laajalahti Nature Reserve right next to Otaniemi are very accessible even by public transport. Here you can spot cattle from a bird tower and, if you’re lucky, right beside you, even though the place is only fifteen minutes from downtown Helsinki. In summer, goats graze in Laajalahti Nature Reserve for landscape management. You can find your way when you head to Villa Elfvik’s nature building, from where various nature trails depart and you’ll find signage. More information about landscape managers here.

 

Have you already taken a summer trip to Porvoo? Tips for day trips to Porvoo, Sipoo, and Loviisa with children can be found here.

Missing an event from the list? Suggest it to others in the comments or by email to helsinginkattojenalla@gmail.com

Current event information for Helsinki’s playgrounds should be sent by email or through Pienten Helsingin Facebook.