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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. 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.

For practical purposes also Helsinki's northern suburbs — forming the continuum between Vantaa and more central parts of Helsinki — are included in this article. Like Vantaa it's dominated by apartment buildings, industrial areas and a couple of malls but no major attractions are located here. Still, if you're a fan of outdoor activities like running or biking you might be interested in Helsinki's own "Central Park".

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).

Get in

By plane

The city is indeed accessible by air, as Helsinki airport is situated in Vantaa. Moreover Helsinki's general aviation airport Malmi is located in northern Helsinki.

By train

The main railroad north from Helsinki goes through the northern suburbs and 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 I local train line, 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). The first ring road (Kehä I) is the main east-western road in northern Helsinki. 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

Map
60°16′59″N 24°59′10″E
Map of Vantaa and Northern Helsinki

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

See also Helsinki#Get around

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.

The price for a single ticket in Vantaa is €3 (€1.95 if paying with a Travel Card), for Helsinki likewise €3 (€1.95 if paying with a Travel Card) and €5 for a regional ticket valid in both cities and Espoo (€3,65 if paying with Travel Card). The single ticket is valid for 60 minutes. If you are traveling across the city borders you will need the regional ticket (seutulippu, button "2" on the travel card reader), valid for 80 minutes. Both tickets allow unlimited transfers to all public transport during their validity.

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.

See

Myyrmäki church
Helsinki-Malmi airport

Vantaa

  • 1 Heureka, Kuninkaalantie 7 (Near Tikkurila railway station). M-W, Th 10AM-8PM, F 10AM-5PM, Sa-Su 10AM-6PM.. 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. 
  • 2 St.Lawrence (Pyhän Laurin kirkko, Helsingin pitäjän kirkko), Kirkkotie 45. A medieval stone church from the 15th century in the southern part of Vantaa. 
  • 4 Myyrmäki church (Myyrmäen kirkko), Uomatie 1 (In Myyrmäki, Western Vantaa.). Completed in 1984, this church is pretty cubist on both the inside an outside. 
  • 5 Vantaa City museum (Vantaan kaupunginmuseo), Hertaksentie 1. Tue–Fri 11AM–6PM, Sat–Sun 11AM–4PM. 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's also not far away to Sipoonkorven kansallispuisto (Sipoonkorpi National Park) in the neighboring Sipoo municipality. 

Northern Helsinki

  • 8 Malmi airport (Malmin lentokenttä). Located north of Malmi, the airport is nowadays the general aviation airport of Helsinki. Even if you aren't a pilot yourself, it's quite interesting to sit in the restaurant and watch small planes and helicopters land and take off. 
  • 9 Tuomarinkylä Manor Museum, Tuomarinkyläntie 7 (Buses 64, 72). A look into the daily life on a 18th century manor. Also hosts a restaurant and a riding school. 

Do

Flamingo Spa
Kaljakellunta

Vantaa

  • Beer floating (Kaljakellunta), on Vantaa river. An unofficial event held in late July or early August since 1997. The participants (yup, mostly males in their 20's) 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, Kirkkotie 45. A music festival of classic baroque music held in St. Lawrence church in Helsingin pitäjän kirkkokylä 
  • 2 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. 
  • 3 Härmälä Farm, Mäntykummuntie 6 (Bus 742 from Helsinki Railway Station.), ☏ +358 9 876 7339, +358 400 880 539. Open by arrangement around the year.. A typical Finnish farm located in the village of Sotunki in eastern Vantaa and surrounded by a picturesque landscape. On the farm you can meet animals representing the traditional Finnish stock: cows, sheep, goats, pigs, horses and more.. Admission €3, families €10. 
  • 4 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. 
  • 5 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. 
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)

Northern Helsinki

View from Malminkartanonhuippu
  • 6 Helsinki Central Park (Keskuspuisto). This is a huge park starting just north of the Olympic Stadium and extending northwards for 10 km. It encompasses an area of over 1,000 hectares. The park is mostly in a natural state, with plenty of walkways, bikeways, riding paths and sports facilities including Pirkkola Sports Park (ice hockey, swimming, running) and Paloheinä (skiing, golf). A popular jogging area. 
  • 7 Kanneltalo, Klaneettitie 5 (in Kannelmäki district). A concert and exhibition hall in Kannelmäki. 
  • 8 Haltiala Farm (Haltialan kotieläintila), Laamannintie (in Tuomarinkylä). A kind of a zoo with farm animals in a real countryside environment. Occasionally country music concerts are held at Haltiala. free. 
  • 9 Malminkartanonhuippu, Naapurinpellontie (Malminkartano district, close to the Espoo-Vantaa border; closest bus stops: Neulastie, Naapurinpellontie). With a height of about 90 m, this is the highest point in Helsinki and when you've climbed the 426 stairs to the top you're rewarded with a nice view in all directions. In winter this is a great place for sledding. The hill itself is actually an old landfill and consists mostly of building material which has given the hill nicknames such as the dump hill or filling hill! Can be accessed from two directions, either from the east (Naapuripellontie) or from Paperitie (west), which is within a walking distance (0.8 km) of Uusmäki bus stop, Espoo. free. 

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

  • 1 Varusteleka, Ruosilantie 2. A bit outside the center but reachable by public transport, is Europe's biggest military surplus store. Has probably the friendliest and knowledgeable staff you'll find in Finland. Varusteleka sells anything from modern combat gear, to thirties Nazi leather trench coats, to very good value-for-money modern gore-tex hiking coats that some army somewhere had too many of. 
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:

  • 2 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. 
  • 3 Myyrmanni, Iskoskuja 3 (In Myyrmäki, western Vantaa). 

There's also a cluster of shopping malls in 4 Tammisto, along freeway 45 south of Ring road III, as well as in 5 Porttipuisto, though this one only comprises furniture and bargain stores. On the Helsinki side, large shopping malls can be found in 6 Kannelmäki (Kaari), 7 Malmi (Malmin Nova and Malmintori) and 8 Konala (Ristikko) among others.

Eat

Big Hero steak at Oklahoma Restaurant

The shopping centers in the district usually have a few cafés and restaurants where you can have a budget or mid-range meal during the day. In the evening you don't have to travel far to find a fast food joint or a Chinese or Middle Eastern restaurant. Self-catering is also an option.

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. 
  • 4 Marian Konditoria, Orakas 5. Mo-Fr 6:00-17:30, Sa 8:00-13:00. Sandwiches, pastries and cakes fresh out of the oven at the bakery's café. 

Mid-range

  • 5 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. 
  • 6 Thai Palace, Unikkotie 5A. Mo-Fr 11-22, Sa-Su 12-22. Thai food, as the name reveals. 
  • Oriental House, Unikkotie 5A. Mo-Fr 11-22, Sa-Su 12-22. Next to the former, the oldest Chinese restaurant in Vantaa. 
  • 7 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". 
  • 9 Ravintola Rumpu, Klanettitie 10. Lunch restaurant in Kannelmäki. 

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.

  • 10 Oklahoma, Tikkuraitti 15. Mo-To 10:30-23, Fr 10-24, Sa 12-24, Su 13-24. American restaurant in Tikkurila. 
  • 11 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. 
  • 3 O'Gelis Bar, Torivoudintie 1. Mo–Th 14–02, Fr–Sa 12–03, Su 12–02. Irish pub in Oulunkylä. 
  • 4 Kannel-Krouvi, Sitratori. Live music, darts, billiard table. 
  • 5 Kannel Pub, Klanettitie 7. daily 09–02. 

Nightclubs

  • 7 Klubi 5, Kilterinraitti 6. 
  • 8 Shamrock, Peltolantie 2. Mo–Tu 16–24, We–Th 16–02, Fr 15–04, Sa 12–04, Su 14–02. Night club in Tikkurila. 
  • 9 Torello Rock Bar, Lehdokkitie 6. Mo–Th 10–01, Fr–Sa 10–03, Su 11–01. 
  • 10 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

  • 3 Airport Hotel Bonus Inn, Elannontie 9 (Pakkala exit from Ring III Highway), ☏ +358 9-825511, fax: +358 9-82551818, . Friendly family-owned hotel with basic but very clean and comfortable rooms. Restaurant, sauna (evening only), free shuttle service to airport (5-7 min). €120. 
  • 4 Cumulus Airport Hotel, Robert Huberin tie 6, ☏ +358 9-41577100. Mid-range Finnish chain hotel, 10 min away by free shuttle bus. Renovated in 2007. €120. 
  • 5 Hotel GLO Helsinki Airport, Helsinki-Vantaa Airport Terminal 2, ☏ +358 103 444 600, fax: +358 103 444 601, . The only hotel located in the airport building itself, on the service floor of Terminal 2 and with direct indoor access from Terminal 1. Day rooms are also made available for use, depending on the booking situation, between 9:00 - 19:00. 
  • 6 Best Western Airport Hotel Pilotti, Veromäentie 1, ☏ +358 9 3294800, fax: +358 9 329 481 00, . Best Western Airport Hotel Pilotti is located in Vantaa, within 5-minute drive from Helsinki-Vantaa airport and within walking distance to Jumbo shopping centre and new Flamingo Spa. There is a regular bus service between Helsinki-Vantaa airport and the hotel. 

Splurge

Stay safe

Stay healthy

Connect

Cope

Go next

  • Järvenpää — 25 km further north where you can visit Ainola, the home of the famous composer Jean Sibelius.
This city travel guide to Vantaa and Northern Helsinki 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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