ENGLISH INCLUDES COUPONS WITH Happy times SPECIAL OFFERS! in Helsinki p.10 Holiday fun for families 2014 Check out my holiday photos! 2 www.visithelsinki.fi Welcome to Helsinki! Hi, I’m Helppi from Helsinki and I love exploring. I’ve made a photo album with pictures of my favourite places in the city, local specialties, my furry © NIKLAS SJÖBLOM animal friends and me too of course! Take a look at my album and join me for an adventure! Let’s say hi to the mischievous Barbary ape at Helsinki Zoo, go for a ride on Kingi, the new ride at Linnanmäki Amusement Park, see the dinosaurs at the Natural History Museum and so much more! Inside my album you will find coupons with great special offers for exploring Helsinki. You can pick up maps and get great tips from Tourist Information ■ Me, Helsinki’s very own mascot. opposite the Market Square. You might even bump into me! You’ll recognise me from my spots. Hope to see you soon! Helppi Tourist Information Pohjoisesplanadi 19, Helsinki Tel. +358 (0)9 3101 3300 www.visithelsinki.fi www.visithelsinki.fi 3 Useful tips for a successful visit! © RAMI HANAFI RAMI © ■ Bus, metro, tram, even on your dad’s shoulders – it’s easy to get around Helsinki! Getting around easily When your tummy rumbles With our great public transport system, I love Winter, spring, summer or fall – you need to exploring different parts of Helsinki, both near eat every day! Here you will find some great and far. Listen to the humming of the tram restaurant tips: tracks, the swish of the metro tunnels and ■ www.visithelsinki.fi the splashing of the waves as you admire the ■ www.eat.fi views through the tram windows, race under- You will also come across all kinds of interesting ground in the metro and cruise around the pop-up restaurants in the city’s parks, on street islands on a ferry. corners and inside courtyards during Restaurant Taking the little ones with you is also easy, as Day on 17 May, 17 August and 15 August 2014. strollers and prams are welcome on buses, trams This great event invites anyone to set up their and trains, as well as on the metro and ferries. In own restaurant for a day! fact, parents who are pushing a stroller or pram travel free of charge! If you get a boo-boo You can purchase single tickets and day tick- Children have a habit of falling over and hurting ets, or alternatively you can pick up the Helsinki themselves when they are having fun. For- Card, which includes free public transport and tunately, most of the time a kiss and plaster many other benefits that will help you to discover are enough. However, if you do need to see a and experience Helsinki while saving money, time doctor, there are plenty of medical centres in and energy during your visit. Helsinki that are open around the clock. See for ■ www.helsinkicard.fi example: You can find your way around using ■ www.aava.fi the Journey Planner: ■ www.diacor.fi ■ www.dextra.fi ■ www.reittiopas.fi/en ■ www.mehilainen.fi 4 www.visithelsinki.fi Say hello to my wild friends! Helsinki Zoo Botanic Gardens © LUOMUS © KORKEASAARI © ■ We had a grinning contest with the Barbary ape and I won. ■ This is where I started my journey around the world. SEA LIFE © SEALIFE Haltia © HALTIA © ■ At the Finnish Nature Centre I got to experience what it’s like to be a baby bird. ■ Did you know that the tentacles on giant octopuses can grow up to nine metres long? www.visithelsinki.fi 5 Spend a fun day Marvel at the wonders of nature at Helsinki Zoo! at the Natural History Museum ■ Mustikkamaanpolku 12; www.korkeasaari.fi ■ Pohjoinen Rautatiekatu 13; www.luomus.fi/museo/ Helsinki Zoo on the pretty island of Korkea- When was the last time you stood at the feet saari is a great family destination where you of a dinosaur or listened to the sounds of wild can easily spend an entire day enjoying the animals under the starry skies of Africa? The animals, a picnic and the beautiful scenery. exhibitions at the Natural History Museum Explore Cat Valley, visit the Barbary apes and present the diversity of nature around the say hi to the new deer! At Helsinki Zoo you can world. Travel through time with the dinosaurs to travel around the world and learn more about unravel the history of life. The museum also has endangered species. You can get to the zoo by a brand new exhibit – a white shark that’s over taking the Zoo Bus (number 16) from Railway eight metres long! Square throughout the year, or in summertime you can take the ferry from the Market Square or Hakaniemi. Circle the globe in an hour at the Botanic Gardens Dive to the depths At the Botanic Gardens you can enjoy a glorious of the oceans at SEA LIFE picnic and travel from continent to continent all in the same day. You can admire the fascinating ■ Tivolitie 10; www.sealife.fi and diverse plant life at the Botanic Gardens in SEA LIFE Helsinki transports you into the amaz- Kaisaniemi and Kumpula. ing underwater world. Be wowed by beautiful ■ Kaisaniemi Botanic Garden (open all year) and fascinating creatures of the deep sea and ■ Unioninkatu 44 / Kaisaniemenranta 2; prepare for astonishingly close views. SEA LIFE www.luomus.fi/kaisaniemi/ Helsinki is home to over 150 different spe- ■ Kumpula Botanic Garden cies, including charming sea horses, awesome ■ Jyrängöntie 2; www.luomus.fi/kumpula/ sharks, cute turtles and active octopuses. The displays will inspire you to care for the sea and Events all its creatures so that we can all help protect ■ 8-10 August: FCI World Dog Show 2014, the marine environment for future generations! Messukeskus ■ 23-26 October: Helsinki International Horse Show, Helsinki Ice Hall ■ 7-9 November: ELMA countryside, forest, outlet and handicrafts fairs, Messukeskus Crawl into a bear’s ■ 8-9 November: Lemmikki 2014 pet fair, Messukeskus ■ 6-7 December: Koira 2014 international den at Haltia dog show, Messukeskus ■ Nuuksiontie 84, Espoo; www.haltia.com The Finnish Nature Centre Haltia is a new type of exhibition and event centre at Nuuksio National Park. Here you can explore the Finnish nature and even crawl into a bear’s den. The surrounding nature in the national park invites you to explore the trails. In summertime, from May to September, there is a direct bus service between the city centre and Haltia. 6 www.visithelsinki.fi Enjoy a thrilling holiday! Linnanmäki Amusement Park © LINNANMÄKI ■ Kingi, the new ride at Linnanmäki, took us high into the sky. Helsinki Playground Heureka © LEIKKILUOLA © © HEUREKA ■ The fun continued by swimming in a sea of balls! ■ We then rolled up our sleeves to build a house at the Finnish Science Centre! www.visithelsinki.fi 7 Have fun at Linnanmäki Show off your skateboarding skills in Helsinki’s parks ■ Tivolikuja 1; www.linnanmaki.fi The most famous amusement park in Finland Kids and young people can practice their back will feature a majestic new ride this summer. flips or frontside ollies in many of Helsinki’s Kingi elevates you above the rooftops to a great parks! height of 75 metres... before dropping you back ■ Nordenskiöldinkatu 20: Young people love to down again in freefall! The Kattila restaurant skate at Micropolis at the Eläintarha sports ground complex will also feature another top new from morning to night. ■ Emännänpolku 1: The biggest skateboarding restaurant. Admission to the amusement park hall in Finlnad can be found in Kontula. ■ Pallokuja 4: The newest skateboarding is free of charge, and 11 rides are also free of park is in Vuosaari. charge to the delight especially of families with ■ Kaasutehtaankatu 1: Skateboard in a cool small children. industrial setting at Kalasatama. Laugh, climb and swing Experience the joy of in Helsinki’s play parks discovery at Heureka! Hip, hip, hooray! This year Helsinki is celebrat- ■ Kuninkaalantie 7, Vantaa; www.heureka.fi ing 100 years of play parks! These are excellent The Finnish Science Centre Heureka is an and safe areas where kids can play and have interactive exhibition centre for people of all fun all day! ages! Visitors to Heureka can discover firsthand ■ Kaivopuisto Playpark the exciting world of science and technology ■ Puistokatu 4 by trying things and experimenting. Heureka ■ Tähtitornin Vuori Playpark presents a wide range of thematic exhibitions ■ Tähtitorninkatu 1 and a permanent main exhibition. In addition ■ Taivallahti Playpark, Töölö to the interactive exhibitions, visitors can enjoy ■ Pohjoinen Hesperiankatu 22 breathtaking experiences in the Planetarium, ■ Tokoinranta Playpark which presents mainly astronomical planetar- ■ Eläintarhantie 1 ium films. Drive around at the Climb like a monkey children’s traffic park at Helsinki Playground ■ Auroranportti 2 ■ Sörnäisten rantatie 6, Hakaniemi Market; www.leikkiluola.fi Practice your driving skills at this terrific children’s traffic park, where children can learn about traffic Helsinki Playground is an unbelievably fun indoor safety while driving pedal cars and riding bikes! play centre where kids get to jump, romp, play, run, laugh, climb and release their energy as much as they want! Climb like a monkey through Events the jungle or splash around in the ball pool. ■ 28 April–18 May: Risto Räppääjä ja Elvin paluu, Charge like a rhino through the tyres and totem family musical, Peacock Theatre, Linnanmäki ■ 24-25 May: World Village Festival, world poles on a safari, or gather your courage and music and culture in Kaisaniemi Park ■ 7-12 July: Helsinki Cup, international enter the glowing ghost cave! junior football tournament ■ 16 August: Helsinki City Marathon & Chiquita Minimarathon, Olympic Stadium ■ 30-31 August: Finland vs.