Minni Niemelä : Happy Helsinki : city for kids : outing ideas for families

Helsinki, the daughter of the Baltic and the Paris of the North, a capital with a small-town feel, is stuffed with splendid places to visit. The atmosphere is unique when compared to many other capitals in the world - this is a safe, unpolluted and peaceful place.

Helsinki region is made up of the city and its suburbs together with the neighboring cities Vantaa, Espoo, and Kauniainen. Enjoyable outings and experiences can be found all around the region. Nature is never far, and the law known as "every man´s right" guarantees everyone the right to enjoy nature and what it has to offer.

The places introduced in this book are not chosen specifically for tourists. Instead they were discovered by dads, moms and children on outings, on parents’ days off, weekends with the whole family, with grandparents, on school trips, and by teenagers exploring the city on their own. Sometimes ideas rose from parents´ interest in history or art, other times just from a desire to spend a nice day together, to learn, have an adventure, or just get out of the house and snoop around a bit. Hopefully this book will encourage families visiting the city or living here temporarily to have some fun together and maybe even learn something new about Helsinki and Finland in the process.