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The science center Heureka

Vantaa (Swedish: Vanda) is in the Uusimaa region in southern Finland, right north of Helsinki. Part of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, it is the fourth most populous city in Finland.

Understand

Like Espoo, Vantaa is basically an extension of Helsinki and does not have one single city center. Vantaa's administrative center is in Tikkurila. Quite few of the inhabitants have any connections to the rural landscapes and villages left from the old Helsinge (renamed Vantaa 1972). Best known as the city where Helsinki's airport is located, you will also find various parks and farms you can visit there as well as the beautiful Medieval Church of St.Lawrence.


Get in

By plane

The city is indeed accessible by air, as Helsinki Airport (HEL IATA) is situated in Vantaa. There are buses from the airport to different parts of Vantaa, or you can take the commuter train to Tikkurila (for eastern Vantaa) or Myyrmäki (for western Vantaa) that are public transport traffic hubs.

By train

The main railroad north from Helsinki goes through eastern Vantaa. In addition to several local train stations, all long distance trains to the north and east, including the ones to Russia, stop at Tikkurila station. If you are heading for the western parts of Vantaa, you can take the local train line "I", which also stops at the Helsinki-Vantaa airport.

By car

Freeways 3, 4, 45 and 7 out of Helsinki go through Vantaa and the main east-western road is the third ring road (Kehä III). In the morning and afternoon rush hours traffic it can get quite busy and in the winter a heavy snowfall or a larger accident due to the often over-frozen road surface can block the traffic completely.

By bus

From Helsinki several local buses go to Vantaa, and there are some lines directly from Espoo too. The Helsinki region public transport authority's Journey Planner is an excellent tool to find out which bus you should take from one address to another. Some larger cities in southern Finland also have a direct connection to Helsinki airport.

Get around

See Helsinki#Get around for information about fares and tickets

By train

Kehärata (Ring Line) connecting the main rail line with western Vantaa via the airport opened in July 2015. Combined with bus transfers, this is the fastest way to get around for many. See Journey Planner or Google Maps for routes and timetables.

By bus

There is a maze of bus lines in the area, however with the opening of Ring Rail train line the routes are completely renewed in August 2015. See Journey Planner or Google Maps for routes and schedules.

By car

As distances are longer than in the more central parts of Helsinki, driving is sometimes an option. As above, the traffic can get quite congested in the rush hours, especially on the ring roads.

By bike or foot

On a sunny summer day you can make use of the cycle and footpaths crisscrossing Vantaa and suburban Helsinki. Get a good map.

By taxi

  • Helsinki Limo, ☏ +358 207870360, +358 20-787-0360, . Will provide airport pick-ups, private car services as transfers and longer trips. Their vehicles are always new and black with leather interior. Drivers speak English and can even, by order, give short sightseeings. 
  • Lähitaksi, ☏ +358 100 7300 (extra charge: €1.92+€2.5/min+pvm). Traditionally the main taxi dispatch service in the capital region outside of Helsinki. Smartphone app: Taksini Daytime M–Sa €3.90+€1/1.45/km+0.90/min, nights and holidays €7.90+1.05/1.55/km+0.99/min; prebooking €7/14; the lower km and prebooking fees for 1–4 persons. (updated Jul 2020)
  • Uber. Uber has resumed its business in the capital region after the reform. They now use licensed vehicles and drivers like everybody else, although the vehicle standard may differ more than what is otherwise common. (updated May 2019)
  • Yango. Yango is a Russian company which offers cheap fares. M–Fri €3.00+1.10/km+0.25/min, Sa-Su 05:00-21:59 €3.00+1.10/km+0.25/min, Fri-Su 22:00-04:59 €6.00+1.10/km+0.25/min (Starting fare includes 4 min and 1.5 km). (updated Jul 2020)
  • Menevä Vantaa, ☏ +358 50-471-0470 (head of office), toll-free: 0800-02120 (booking). As of July 2020 Also bookable by app or web. Fixed price based on calculated route and time if destination address given when booking by app or web. Flag fall M–Sa 06:00–18:00: €4, other times and holidays: €7; 1–4 persons €0.90/km + €0.90/km, 5–8 persons minimum €20, €1.60/km + €0.90/min (July 2020). (updated Jul 2020)
  • iTaksi, ☏ +358 102 120 000, . €4.00/6.00+€0.90/km+€0.85/min. 
  • Fixutaxi, ☏ +358 100 6060, . Also bookable by app. Fixed price based on calculated route and time if destination address given when booking by app. M–Su 06:00–18:00 €0.99/km+0.90/min, evenings and nights €1.17/km+0.99/min, minimum fare €10; prebooking €10. 
  • Valopilkku (Taksi Helsinki). Taxis ordered by smart phone app. Pricing not told on the web. (updated Aug 2019)
  • 02 Taksi. Smart phone app offers address based routing and gives price offers from different taxi companies. Pricing not told on the web. (updated Mar 2020)

See

Myyrmäki church
  • Churches. 
    • 1 Church of St.Lawrence (Pyhän Laurin kirkko, Helsingin pitäjän kirkko / Helsinge kyrka S:t Lars), Kirkkotie 45. A medieval stone church from the 15th century in the southern part of Vantaa. 
    • Chapel of St. Lawrence (adjacent to the church). A modern chapel; funerals and concerts 
    • 2 Myyrmäki church (Myyrmäen kirkko), Uomatie 1 (In Myyrmäki, Western Vantaa.). Closed for repairs 2019–. Completed in 1984, this church is pretty cubist on both the inside an outside. 
  • 3 Heureka, Kuninkaalantie 7 (Near Tikkurila railway station). M–W, Th 10:00–20:00, F 10:00–17:00, Sa–Su 10:00–18:00. Heureka is an interactive science museum, with different kinds of exhibitions about technology, physics, chemistry, medicine, astronomy and so on. Really exciting for children interested in science. Adult: €19; Children (6–15): €12.50. 
  • 4 Suomen Ilmailumuseo (Finnish Aviation museum), Tietotie 3, ☏ +358 9 870-0870, . 10:00–17:00. Near Helsinki-Vantaa airport. A museum with over 70 planes (both civilian and military) as well as plane parts, equipment and photos. adults €9, children €6. 
  • 5 Vantaa City museum (Vantaan kaupunginmuseo), Hertaksentie 1. Tue–Fri 11:00–18:00, Sat–Sun 11:00–16:00. Learn more about how Vantaa grew from a couple of farms at the outskirts of Helsinki to the city of 200,000 inhabitants it is today. admission €2. 
  • 6 Viherpaja (Puutarhakeskus Viherpaja), Meiramintie 1 (In Koivuhaka district, just east of the airport). Not just a plant and gardening store, but actually a 3500 sq.m garden with an indoor desert where cacti grow and a Japanese garden mimicking the climate of Tokyo round the year. 
  • 7 Sotunki. It's hard to call this farmland dominated area at the eastern edge of Vantaa a "city district". In the summer it's a pleasant area for biking along the unpaved roads between the fields where sheep and cows graze. It also has multiple access points to Sipoonkorpi National Park. Paths allow access to a lake, a small camping place and scenic cliff walks in the national park. 

Do

Flamingo Spa
Kaljakellunta

Events and festivals

Samba dancers at Winter Carnival.
  • Winter Carnival, Hertaksentie 2. Dance class 3 PM to 6 PM, show 10 PM to 2 AM. A samba show held on a Saturday in late January at the nightclub Tulisuudelma (see section Nightclubs below). Features performances by the samba schools Império do Papagaio from Helsinki and Sambic from Tuusula. Consists of both an instructed samba dance class and an evening samba show. 16 €. (updated Jan 2016)
  • Tikkurila festivaali: 20–21 July 2018. In the Tikkurila festival there is a good serving of domestic music in the Hiekkaharju Sports Park in Vantaa (date needs updating)
  • [dead link] Beer Floating (Kaljakellunta), on Vantaa river. An unofficial event usually held the last weekend of July or the first weekend of August since 1997. The participants (yup, mostly males in their 20s) gather in Vantaa with rubber boats, rafts or whatever they can find that floats and travel downstreams towards Vanhankaupunki rapids while indulging beer - of course without life vests. This event has no official arrangers that could be held responsible if something happens and the date of the event just spreads in social media. If you think watching the spectacle isn't enough, remember that you're doing it on your own risk! 
  • 1 BRQ festival: 5 August – 11 July 2018, Kirkkotie 45. A music festival of classic baroque music held in St. Lawrence church in Helsingin pitäjän kirkkokylä. (date needs updating)

Vantaa

  • 1 Flamingo Entertainment Center, Tasetie 8 (Buses 650 and 615T from Helsinki Railway Station or bus 61 from Tikkurila Station). A big entertainment complex located near the airport in Vantaa, next to a large shopping mall Jumbo, just north of Helsinki. Biggest attractions are Flamingo Spa & Wellness with pretty cool and fast slides in the waterpark section and a large selection of relaxation pools, jacuzzis and different saunas in the other section, and Hohtogolf West Coast which is a glow in the dark 15-hole miniature golf course with over-the-top mechanized special effects and a special "horror" section. Cheesy but fun, especially after a few drinks from the bar. Other attractions in Flamingo include a small casino, a 3D movie theater, many pubs and restaurants, a variety of specialist shops, a large hotel and one of the biggest nightclubs in Finland called Onnela. 
  • 2 Kuusijärvi Smoke Sauna, Kuusijärventie 3. This traditional smoke sauna is located in Vantaa but very easy to reach from Helsinki Railway Station. Situated in Kuusijärvi Outdoor Centre and besides a beautiful lake, it's widely regarded as one of the best traditional saunas in the capital region. Rebuilt in 2011.. Take your swim gear with you, as the smoke sauna is mixed-sex. €10 for adults, students/children €6. 
  • 3 Pavi, Honkanummentie 6 (Itä-Hakkila, eastern Vantaa). We, Fr and Sa nights in the summer. Dance tango and other similar dances. Also arranges dance courses. 

Work

More so than Helsinki or Espoo, Vantaa has large industrial areas and a lot of services, so there are a lot of jobs at various levels, including for immigrants. Common jobs are for instance cleaning, cargo handling, warehouse work and waiter and other restaurant jobs. The government employment office (TE-toimisto) is located in Tikkurila, Vernissakatu 8 C, 01300 Vantaa.

Buy

Jumbo Shopping Centre

Shopping centers

In Vantaa and the northern suburbs there is no shortage of large shopping malls with even larger parking areas where you can buy everything from strawberries to washing machines. They also have other services like banks and restaurants and are all accessible by bus. The major ones are:

  • 1 Jumbo, Vantaanportinkatu 3 (Near the airport). Finland's second largest mall when it opened in 1999, Jumbo does live up to its name. Jumbo features Prisma and Citymarket superstores, a Stockmann department store and practically all Finnish shop and a range of cafés and restaurants. 
  • 2 Myyrmanni, Iskoskuja 3 (In Myyrmäki, western Vantaa). 

There's also a cluster of shopping malls in 3 Tammisto, along freeway 45 south of Ring road III, as well as in 4 Porttipuisto, though this one only comprises furniture and bargain stores.

Eat

Big Hero steak at Oklahoma Restaurant

Budget

  • 1 IKEA furniture mall's cafe and restaurant, Porttisuontie 18 (at the intersection of freeway 4 and the third ring road). The furniture store IKEA has a restaurant on the 3rd floor and a café on the second where you can have a cheap and decent meal for well under €10 or a coffee or a hotdog for around €1. Also serves €2 breakfast in the morning except Sunday when the store is closed. 
  • 2 Lounasravintola Kehä III, Virkatie 7 (a little over a kilometer west from Jumbo shopping center, best accessed by car). Open 8:45-17:00. The "Lunch restaurant Ring Road Three" is a café all the day and serves you good all-you-can-eat buffet lunch at lunchtime. Popular among blue-collar workers. lunch buffet €9. 
  • 3 RAX pizza buffet, Asematie 4 (Tikkurila), Iskoskuja 3 (Myyrmäki), Tasetie 8 (Flamingo). The pizza buffet chain RAX has three restaurants in Vantaa. All you can eat buffet serving delicious (but some say "unhealthy") food such as pizza, chicken wings, lasagne, meat balls, fried onions, nachos, salads, soft drinks and ice for desert. buffet €9.95. 

Mid-range

  • 4 Parilla Steak House, Tasetie 8. A restaurant in the Flamingo entertainment center. The menu is along the line of steaks, chicken wings, large hamburgers etc. best enjoyed with a glass of wine from their surprisingly large wine list. 
  • 5 Thai Palace, Unikkotie 5A. Mo-Fr 11-22, Sa-Su 12-22. Thai food, as the name reveals. 
  • [dead link] Oriental House, Unikkotie 5A. Mo-Fr 11-22, Sa-Su 12-22. Next to the former, the oldest Chinese restaurant in Vantaa. 
  • 6 [dead link] Ravintola Mummola, Kielotie 8. Mo,Tu 10:30-14, We,Th 10:30-22, Fr 10:30-22, Sa 12-22, Su 12-18. Traditional Finnish food, the name translates to "at grandma's". 


Splurge

If you want fine dining, you should better travel to central Helsinki. The hotels near the airport also have their own restaurants, however the food at the hotel restaurants doesn't necessary live up to the prices.

  • 7 Oklahoma, Tikkuraitti 15. Mo-To 10:30-23, Fr 10-24, Sa 12-24, Su 13-24. American restaurant in Tikkurila. 
  • 8 [dead link] Katering Ammattilaiset, Talkootie 4. Mo-Sun 08-14. At your request. 

Drink

Night view of Martinlaakso bus terminal

Most suburbs have a pub or two. If you want something fancier, head to central Helsinki, that's what the locals do.

Pubs and bars

  • 1 Pub Hertas, Hertaksentie 2. Su–Fr 16–04, Sa 11–04. 
  • 2 Old Story, Tikkuraitti 17. daily 09–02. 

Nightclubs

  • 3 [dead link] Klubi 5, Kilterinraitti 6. 
  • 4 Shamrock, Peltolantie 2. Mo–Tu 16–24, We–Th 16–02, Fr 15–04, Sa 12–04, Su 14–02. Night club in Tikkurila. 
  • 5 Torello Rock Bar, Lehdokkitie 6. Mo–Th 10–01, Fr–Sa 10–03, Su 11–01. 
  • 6 Tulisuudelma, Hertaksentie 2, ☏ +358 20 1234 618. Tue/Thu 8PM to 12AM, Fri/Sun 10PM to 4AM. The most famous nightclub in Vantaa. Easily accessible as it's actually located inside the hotel Sokos Hotel Vantaa, right next to the Tikkurila railway station. As such, after partying you can either go sleep in the hotel or travel by train to neighbouring Helsinki. The nightclub regularly holds live performances by various Finnish musicians and bands. The nightclub is so popular among partygoers in the capital region that people tend to include it in a list of Helsinki's popular nightclubs even though it's not actually in Helsinki. Free to 16 € depending on event. (updated Jan 2016)

Sleep

Entertainment center Flamingo including a hotel. Behind it, the Jumbo mall

The major hotel concentration in this part of the capital region is near the airport. No wonder, as most people coming to or leaving from Finland by air pass through Helsinki-Vantaa.

Budget

Mid-range

Splurge

Stay safe

Stay healthy

Connect

Cope

Go next

Routes through Vantaa
Rovaniemi ← Kerava ←  N  S  → Helsinki → END


This city travel guide to Vantaa is a usable article. It has information on how to get there and on restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.
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