What to do with children in Helsinki on a rainy day?

Article first published on August 3, 2017, updated on July 22, 2026

Rainy days every now and then are nice, and jumping in puddles is the best, but with children, you might also want other activities for rainy days. Pienten Helsinki’s rainy day outing tips have been compiled in cooperation with readers in the summer of 2026. Included are events and other ideas worth utilizing with children and young people in Helsinki and the capital region. The tips also work for tourists visiting the city and can now also be found translated into English behind this link.

What to do with children on a rainy day in Helsinki and the capital region?

  • Pop into the library! Almost every library in Helsinki and the capital region has its own section for children and young people. In addition to reading, they offer board games, toys, opportunities to try video games, and drawing and crafting. Libraries also organize many events. Kalasatama Library in the Redi shopping center is a dedicated children’s library, and in Espoo, Lippulaiva Library takes the library experience to a whole new level. Visiting the mobile children’s libraries, Skidi and Stoori , is also an experience!
  • Central Library Oodi is much more than just a library. In addition to borrowing books, at Oodi you can play, play games, play music, sew, spend time in the playground area (excl. summer closure), hang out in the youth space, and go to the movies!
  • Go on an adventure in Helsinki aboard a tram, sail on ferries, or take a train ride! On a rainy day, Helsinki can be explored looking out the tram window. HSL ferries take you on a sea adventure to Suomenlinna and Kruunuvuorenranta, and you can just sail back and forth. By train, for example along the Ring Rail Line, you can ride a loop route and see Helsinki and Vantaa from the train windows.
  • A picnic to the Winter Garden under the palm trees is always an experience! Pack your own drawing supplies, and the garden visit turns into an art trip. This tip is recommended by Pienten Helsinki’s followers!
  • To a museum with children! Many museums also offer experiences for children. For example, entry to Museum Merkki’s Puss in Boots exhibition is free, at the Museum of Architecture and Design you can go on an adventure with the Moomins (admission fee), and at the Natural History Museum, you can examine dinosaur bones (admission fee). Helsinki City Museum’s Children’s Town is a classic (free admission).
  • Go to a rock exhibition! The Geological Survey of Finland’s (Vuorimiehentie 5) GEO / on geo-exhibition in Espoo’s Otaniemi, near the Aalto University metro station, is open Monday through Friday from 9 am to 4 pm. Admission to the exhibition is free. The geo-exhibition is excellently executed, visually impressive, and a truly informative look at everything around us. The geo-exhibition is suitable for both adults and children, though for kids, those interested in rocks, school-aged children, and youth are the primary target audience.
  • Explore a demolition art exhibition . The “Tämän haluan sanoa” demolition art exhibition in Arabianranta, Helsinki (Hämeentie 135), is open until October 18, 2026. Admission fee. This tip is recommended by Pienten Helsinki’s followers!
  • Free and easy spots in central Helsinki on a rainy day include, for example, the many movie characters and wild glass floor found in Tennispalatsi, which can be marveled at even if you aren’t going to the movies. On the 4th floor of Stockmann’s department store in central Helsinki, there is a small fish pond where you can see carp during store opening hours.
  • Go to a restaurant or cafe with children !
  • A trip into the middle of flavors and scents at Helsinki’s market halls in Hakaniemi and the Old Market Hall next to the Market Square.
  • Helsinki city playgrounds and resident houses on the Espoo side offer cozy indoor spaces for play. Check the opening hours for indoor spaces on the websites of the playgrounds and resident houses (note that this tip only works on weekdays and some playgrounds are closed during holiday periods).
  • On a rainy day, you can explore the animals living in the indoor spaces of Korkeasaari Zoo at your leisure (admission fee).
  • Go for a swim at an indoor pool. A few Urheiluhallit indoor swimming pools are also partially open during the summer season.
  • Helsinki and the capital region have several different indoor playgrounds and climbing centers.
  • Orienteering in the rain! Starttirastit are courses designed for families with children and beginner orienteers in outdoor areas around the city of Helsinki. The courses are 1–2 km long, and the maps are easy to read. The 2026 checkpoints are located in Lauttasaari/Myllykallio, East Helsinki in Uutela, and Pirkkola/Maunula. The checkpoints remain in the terrain until the end of 2026. This tip is recommended by Pienten Helsinki’s followers!
  • Search for treasures at flea markets and recycling centers. This tip is recommended by Pienten Helsinki’s followers!

The Geological Survey of Finland’s geo-exhibition in Espoo’s Otaniemi is open on weekdays from 9 am to 4 pm.

Also remember these tips:

At home on rainy days, you can:

  • Listen to Lasten oma radio .
  • Take a bubble bath.
  • Mold a sea monster or a glitter princess out of soda dough .
  • Bake buns or fry crepes.
  • Paint or craft a card for a friend.
  • Play board games, put together jigsaw puzzles.
  • Build a fort and eat snacks inside while listening to the pitter-patter of the rain.