Vantaa: Nature, Sauna and Science

When choosing a focus for your trip to Vantaa, nature and relaxation on the one hand, and museums and science on the other, offer different points of interest. Kuusijärvi combines a nature and recreation area that is open year-round with opportunities for outdoor activities and hiking. Elsewhere, Vantaa City Museum, the Finnish Aviation Museum and the Heureka Science Centre each offer their own thematic focus. This lets you consider whether you would like to spend more time outdoors or explore history, aviation and science during your trip.

Nature Trails and Recreation in Vantaa

Kuusijärvi is located in eastern Vantaa and is open to everyone for outdoor activities, hiking and recreation. The site is accessible year-round. Vantaa also has marked nature trails and a wide variety of outdoor routes. They pass through forests, over rocky terrain and through wetlands, as well as along the Vantaa River. If you pay attention to the landscape when choosing nature experiences, you will find a range of described environments here rather than just one type of trail. The references to forest, rock, wetland and river offer different nature-related themes for planning your trip, without implying any particular trail conditions or level of difficulty.

Kuusijärvi also offers different kinds of activities: four smoke saunas and four electric saunas operate there year-round. Hiking and sauna bathing are therefore two separate interests that may factor into planning a stay at Kuusijärvi. The number and types of saunas are specified, as is the fact that they operate year-round. When choosing between sauna facilities and outdoor activities, you can therefore base your decision on the activities that interest you most on your trip.

Hiking Trail and Getting to Kuusijärvi

A marked, two-kilometre hiking trail leads from the Kuusijärvi car park to Bisajärvi in Sipoonkorpi National Park. Orange diamonds mark the route. Its length and markers give you specific information to help decide whether this trail fits your plans. The destination is in Sipoonkorpi National Park; the starting point is the Kuusijärvi car park. Whether you are mainly visiting Kuusijärvi for the saunas or for hiking, you can consider the trail as a nature experience in its own right. Kuusijärvi is accessible year-round by public transport operated by the HSL public transport authority. So if you are considering travelling by public transport, this connection is an option outside any particular season as well.

Museums and Science

For travellers interested in culture and history, Vantaa City Museum operates two museum sites that host exhibitions and events. Vantaa History Museum is located in the old Tikkurila railway station building. The Finnish Aviation Museum is in Vantaa’s Aviapolis area and has a collection of dozens of aircraft from the history of Finnish aviation. The themes are clearly distinct: one focuses on Vantaa’s history and a historic railway station building, the other on Finnish aviation and its aircraft. You can choose which museum to visit based on whether you are more interested in local history or aviation.

Heureka adds a focus on science and technology to these destinations. The science centre is located in the Tikkurila district, where visitors can explore its interactive exhibitions hands-on. Visitors can also take part in workshops at Heureka. If you would rather learn about scientific topics by trying things out for yourself than by viewing a collection of aircraft or exploring local history, Heureka offers a different approach. A signposted footpath of about 700 metres leads to Heureka from Tikkurila railway station. This is an approximate distance and offers a specific point of reference for planning your visit.

More destination pages: Espoo, Ruotsinpyhtää, Kerava, Siuntio, Sipoo, Helsinki, Rajamäki, Hattom.

For the broader travel overview: Uusimaa.