Espoo.
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Overview

Espoo (Swedish: Esbo) with a population of a quarter of a million is the second largest city in Finland. It's part of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area along with the cities of Helsinki, Vantaa, and the small city of Kauniainen (Swedish: Grankulla) which is completely encircled by Espoo.

Espoo as a tourism destination is popular for its easily accessible Nuuksio National Park (situated in northwestern Espoo) and seaside with 40 km long Espoo Waterfront Walkway and 165 islands in Espoo archipelago. The destination suits best for active recreation and outdoor exploring as well as for cultural and event stays. Official tourist information are provided by local destination management organization Visit Espoo.

Understand

Espoo has several local regional centres, thus divided into seven major areas: Vanha-Espoo, Espoonlahti, Espoo, Kauklahti, Leppävaara, Matinkylä and Tapiola. The Espoo center (Espoon keskus) is the administrative centre, but doesn't rise above its peers with respect to population. The population is concentrated in an inverted F-shaped area defined by the railway to Espoo centre (north) and the highway Länsiväylä (south) up to Espoonlahti. The rest is sparsely populated, and north of Espoo centre, the area is mostly forested. While Kauniainen is an independent municipality, in practice it is contiguous with Espoo and has no notable sights or services to travellers besides a small shopping center.

The science and technology-related campuses of the Aalto University are based in Otaniemi, Espoo, along with a thriving science community that includes numerous startups and organizations such as VTT – the Technical Research Centre of Finland. Nokia is headquartered in Karakallio, Espoo. Other high-tech companies such as KONE, Tekla and Fortum have their headquarters in Keilaniemi, Espoo, along with Microsoft's Finnish headquarters.

Tourist information Visit Espoo website

Get in

Espoo is the western neighbour of Helsinki and Vantaa.

The south of Espoo is served by Highway 51, transforming into the local highway, Länsiväylä, while Highway 1 from Turku serves its central parts.

The railway from Turku passes through Espoo and commuter trains along it serves central Espoo, including Kauniainen. The metro reaches Matinkylä in the south-east. A light rail line connects eastern Espoo with Helsinki.

By bus Buses via Länsiväylä to destinations in Espoo leave from the Kamppi bus station (Kamppi shopping centre, ground floor). The orbital line 550 connects the train stations of Oulunkylä and Huopalahti with the south-eastern part of Espoo (Leppävaara, Laajalahti, Otaniemi, Tapiola and Westend).

By train Northern Espoo and Espoo centre (Espoon keskus) are served by Helsinki commuter trains Y, U, L and E (25 min from Helsinki) to mid and western Espoo. In addition, A train (every 10–20 min, 17 min from Helsinki) serves the east part of Espoo. See local train map. The is the only long-distance railway station in Espoo, serving traffic between Helsinki and Turku. The other stations in Espoo are on the same line but only serve local traffic.

Southeastern Espoo is accessible from central Helsinki by metro, with trains every 3–10 minutes. Locations along the metro route include the Keilaniemi business district, Aalto University, Tapiola, Matinkylä and Kivenlahti, which serve as bus stations for feeder lines to destinations further afield. One in two trains terminates at Tapiola, while the rest continue all the way to Kivenlahti.

The "Jokeri" orbital light rail (line 15) curves across eastern Espoo, connecting Keilaniemi, Aalto University, Leppävaara and then looping across northern Helsinki to terminate in Itäkeskus.

Espoo is served by Helsinki Airport , from where it can be reached by taxi in half an hour or less. Also the public transport is quite convenient. Typical routes would be:

To southern Espoo, local train P from Helsinki Airport to Central Railway Station (Rautatientori), change to metro westbound (destination Tapiola or Matinkylä), change to feeder bus line if necessary. To northern Espoo, local train I from Helsinki Airport to Huopalahti, change to local train Y, U, L, E or A northbound, change to feeder bus line if necessary.

By car Highways 1 (from Turku) and 51 (from Karis) pass through Espoo, as do the westernmost portions of ring road one and three. E18 runs along Highway 1 and ring road three.

By yacht There is a range of guest harbours in the archipelago. For reaching the mainland, there is at least the following:

Get around

Espoo is part of the capital region's HSL public transport system, see Helsinki#Get around. Tickets and journey information can be found on their web site or by dowloading the HSL app. Espoo is covered by zones B and C. The metro serves Espoo's southern part (Keilaniemi–Kivenlahti) and connects it with Helsinki. Commuter trains along the railway from Helsinki to Turku form another east–west corridor, north of the metro (Leppävaara–Espoo Centre).

Northern and southern Espoo are connected with plenty of bus routes and cycling trails.

By train Trains A, E, S, U run across Espoo. Train L runs late at night and on weekend mornings. Suburbs in southeastern Espoo, including Tapiola and Matinkylä, are connected by metro.

The first light rail line of the capital region called Jokeri was opened in 2023. In the Espoo area, the route runs from Keilaniemi to Vermo in Leppävaara, from where the route continues to the Helsinki side.

By bus Buses are frequent and convenient enough. Check the HSL app for timetables. is a part of the Espoo zone.

By bike There are excellent cycling paths almost everywhere in Espoo and smoothly connected with Helsinki. From beginning of April till end of October it is possible to use City Bikes. Espoo and Helsinki use the same City Bikes system, making it easy to move around. There are over 460 City Bikes stations and over 4 600 bikes in A and B zone of HSL public transport. Remember to wear a helmet. City Bikes are not available in the zone C.

By electric scooter Swedish Voi, German Tier, American Lime and Finnish Joe Scooter rent electric kick scooters. The companies aim to keep the scooters available also in winter, conditions permitting, but the vehicles are not ideal in snowy or slippery conditions.

Scheduled boat lines to Espoo islands.

Scheduled boat lines between Espoo and Helsinki

See

Nuuksio National Park. One of Finland's most popular national parks. Located in Espoo, southern Finland, with just a short drive to Helsinki City Center, Nuuksio offers truly Finnish scenery of deep forests, pure lakes, and peaceful natural landscapes, along with visitor services that make exploring the area easy and convenient.

Espoo Waterfront Walkway. A 40-km-long gravel path following the coastal line of Baltic Sea. The path is perfect for walking, cycling and jogging with plenty of cafés, restaurants, saunas and viewpoints along the way.

Pentala Island. Known for being the iconic island with a lake with another island on the lake and for its history of being home to one Finnish fishing family back in the 1790s - 1986. There is an Archipelago Museum Pentala on the island with several buidling accessible free of charge with an exception for guided tours in Gurli's House (operated by KAMU Espoo City Museum). Visitors can access the island with public boats running from smaller Espoo's harbours during summer season (June-August). On the island operates summer Café Pentala.

Iso Vasikkasaari Island. The closest island from the mainland is perfect for a day trip visit. Visitors find nature trail around the island, playground for children, smaller swimming beaches, Discgolf cour and a summer Restaurant Gula Villan. It is possible to reach the island by scheduled public boats available from mid May till mid September (note: outside the main season available only on weekends).

Oittaa Area. Outdoor recreational area in the south part of Lake Bodom. From Oittaa Beach, outdoor gym, 3x different Disc Golf Courts and Angry Birds park for children popular during summer to first cross-country skiing trails available usually from November till April. The area offers also Restaurant Oittaa, public sauna and sport equipment rental (xc-skies, mountain bikes, kayaks, etc.) in HiihtoCenter Oittaa.

Espoo Central Park. Like New York and Helsinki, Espoo also has its own central park. The park consists mostly of dense spruce forest, with some steep hills. Has maintained walking and cycling paths and trails, although they might be inaccessible to wheeled vehicles (prams, wheelchairs) with snowfall.

Marketta Park. This park is a permanent garden exhibition next to and operated by the Överby gardening vocational school. Stroll around and look at the works by the students. If you are an amateur gardener yourself, you'll perhaps get some ideas for your own garden.

The Gallen-Kallela museum. A small museum of the Finnish painter Akseli Gallen-Kallela (1865–1931) who is best known for his illustrations of the Kalevala, the Finnish national epic. The museum is located in a castle-like house, Tarvaspää, on a rocky hill facing the sea, originally designed and built by Akseli Gallen-Kallela 1911–1913 as a combined home for his family and a studio. The museum presents not only the works of Akseli Gallen-Kallela, but also tells the story of his family and contains a collection of artefacts brought back from their travels to Africa.

Otaniemi Campus. The campus of Aalto University (former Helsinki University of Technology) was designed by Alvar Aalto in organic modernist style, and includes the Dipoli congress center designed by Reima and Raili Pietilä in an eccentric style (lacking in right angles). Most buildings of interest are located either on the main street, Otaniementie, or on Otakaari, a loop road going from Otaniementie via Dipoli to the dorm village (Teekkarikylä), returning to the other side of the main building. The Laajalahti nature protected area, a good birdwatching site, is accessed from Otaniemi. At the headquarters of the Geological Survey of Finland, there is a museum display of geology, minerals and in particular a piece of moon rock gifted by the United States. At Tekniikantie 1 is Mikes (Centre for Metrology and Accreditation), with Finland's most accurate clock on its wall.

Glims Farmstead Museum. Local open air museum.

Espoo cathedral. The cathedral near Espoon Keskus is over 500 years old and built out of granite stone.

Espoo TV and radio mast. At 326 m, it is the tallest structure in the capital region and the third tallest in Finland (two other masts are 327 m high). It isn't the Eiffel tower – you can't climb it or even get next to it (the immediate surroundings are closed off with a fence) but it's there; there is a walking trail next to the place.

Architecture in Tapiola. The Tapiola district in the east of Espoo was constructed as a garden city in the 1950s and 1960s. The district is a showcase of Finnish architecture from that period and many of the buildings look quite innovative and unusual even today.

Glims Pks4H Petting Zoo. In Glims you will find several different domestic animals such as sheep. Children can hug animals.

Lake Bodom. The most popular beach in Espoo has a grim history, it is the site of probably the most well-known unsolved mystery in Finland, the Lake Bodom murders. This is where the band Children of Bodom got their name from.

Do

Espoo archipelago. Many small islands outside Espoo can be visited by boat in the summer. They are great for hiking and camping.

Classical music. Tapiola Sinfonietta is an orchestra specializing in Viennese classical music, but also plays modern music. They perform regularly in the Tapiolasali concert hall, sometimes together with international guest soloists.

Mini-Tapiola. "Mini-Tapiola" is a children's play park featuring a miniature version of the centre of Tapiola. Here children can have fun and familiarise themselves with the Tapiola district and basic traffic rules, while being safely overseen by their parents.

Espoo Waterfront Walkway. The Rantaraitti hiking trail runs along Espoo's entire coastline, from the border to Helsinki at Laajalahti all the way to the border to Kirkkonummi at Kauklahti. The trail is well marked with frequent Rantaraitti icons. You can start and end your hike at any point during the trail.

Laajalahti Nature Reserve. Bird wetland. It has a large nesting population and is also an important stop for migrating birds. Trails and bird watching towers. The Laajalahti bay consists mostly of shallow open water, but there are also a broad reedbed and shoreline groves and meadows. The nature centre Villa Elfvik is starting point for a 700-m nature trail and a 3-km trail to the southern end of the area by Otaniemi, where it combines with the Waterfront Walkway].

. This is a "go to" place in Espoo, being probably the most accessible "true Finnish forest" near Helsinki. There is parking and footpaths. Although one has a metalled path up to a beautiful lakeshore, none are completely accessible by wheelchairs or prams, since all include unmaintained sections with rocky slopes or tree roots blocking the way. Cinema

Finnkino. Finnkino runs movie theatres in the shopping centres Iso Omena and Sello.

Bio Grani. Smaller independent cinema, showing mostly the bigger blockbusters. May have a matinée series of cheaper, more art house screenings supported by the local culture board.

Kino Tapiola. Smaller independent cinema, showing mostly the bigger blockbusters. May have a matinée series of cheaper, more art house screenings supported by the local culture board.

Serena Water Amusement Park. This is the largest water park in the Nordic countries with some 2,000 m² of heated pools indoors. The buildings have seen their best days, but kids love the water slides. An extra 1,000 m² of outdoor area is open in the summer. Serena is at its best in winter when you can kick back in a jacuzzi and watch people ski on the other side of the glass windows.

Watch a game. Espoo has a team in many premier Finnish sports leagues. The football (soccer) team FC Honka play their home games in Tapiola sports park, Esport center is the home for Oilers (floorball) and Honka (basket ball), and in the winter many fans head to Metro Arena to see a home game of the local ice hockey team Kiekko-Espoo.

Vermo Horse Racing Track. Finland's premier horse racing track features races every Wednesday and some Saturdays. It also hosts the annual Finlandia-Ajo event part of the UET Masters Series.

Laguuni Keilis. You can rent a standup paddleboard or a kayak.

Leppävaara Swimming Pool. Big pool, therapy pool, hot tubs, cold water pool, wading pool, outdoor pool, virtual water exercise. Regular saunas and steam saunas.

Keski-Espoo Swimming Pool. Big pool, therapy pool, learner's pool, jacuzzi, hybrid saunas (infrared and aroma).

Seapoint. Motorboat rental at Suino marina in Suvisaaristo.

Mellsten Beach. A popular public beach in the Haukilahti district. There is a café serving food and drinks and a lifeguard on duty. Chosen as the best beach for windsurfing in the entire capital region by university students. About 400 metres to the east there is another public beach called the Toppelund Beach which has no services and no lifeguard. There is a beach for dogs between them.

Espoo Panee ja Juhlii. The name means "Espoo is Brewing and Partying". A small-scale beer festival hosted by the brewery restaurant Fat Lizard in Otaniemi and held on the restaurant's terrace. Various Finnish breweries come to showcase their beer and there is usually live music played. Held on three separate Fridays in the summer, one in June, one in July and one in August. See the restaurant's website for more information.

Länsiväyläjuoksu. Espoo's most famous annual running and walking event. Held on a Sunday in late April. Three event categories: long run, short run and walk. All of them start and end at Otaranta. The long run is over 17 km and goes all across the Laajalahti bay, also visiting neighbouring Helsinki. The short run and the walk are 6 km and stay in Espoo. A nice opportunity to get some exercise and see the scenery in southern Finland. There is a fee for participation but spectating is free.

Buy

Sello. One of the largest shopping centres in Finland with excellent traffic connections. Local trains A, E, S, U, Y and the night train L all stop at Leppävaara station which is just beside the shopping centre. Also many bus routes serve the area. Selection of retailers is geared Finnish and international clothing and consumer electronics chains. The shopping centre features several cafes, restaurants and fast food outlets as well as two large grocery stores.

Iso Omena. Large shopping centre serving the Matinkylä district. Bus lines 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 10K, 11, 31, 35, 112, 503, 132, 143, 145, 147, 150, 151, 154, 160 and 165. The selection of shops is fairly similar compared to the slightly larger Sello shopping centre, although there are some speciality shops geared towards a more upscale clientele.

Entresse and Espoontori. The two shopping centres, Entresse and Espoontori, serve the Central Espoo district near the Espoo train station. Local trains E, S, U and the night train L stop here. Both shopping centres are significantly smaller than the ones previously introduced. Espoontori features a grocery store, Tokmanni (a budget general store) and various smaller retailers. Entresse has a grocery store, jewellery shops and clothing stores.

Tapiola shopping district. Includes AINOA Tapiola Commercial Centre, a Stockmann, and numerous smaller shops.

Smaller shopping centres are Lippulaiva in Espoonlahti; Olari Prisma next to Iso Omena on the opposite side of Länsiväylä; Niitty in Niittykumpu on the top of the district's metro station; Mankkaa and Viherlaakso; a hardware store area including the shopping centre Merituuli in Suomenoja; another similar area in Lommila and Muurala near Espoo centre, and numerous others. Most districts have at least one local grocery store (often with a couple of other shops and services in the same building).

Iittala Outlet. Home decoration and kitchen utensils.

Lumene. Finnish cosmetics manufacturer Lumene's factory outlet.

Espoon lahjatupa. An outlet shop rich in atmosphere selling Finnish handmade gifts and home decoration products.

Outdoor markets Like most cities in Finland you can buy fruits, vegetables, fish and more and sit down for a cup of coffee at outdoor markets (tori). They are open 09:00–17:00. For maps and information on events, Espoon torikauppiaat association website.

Espoon keskus (Asematori) Leppävaara markets (Läkkitori north of the railway station and Viaporin tori on the southern side, in the inner court of Sello shopping centre) Espoonlahti market (Ulappatori) Tapiola market Karakallio market

Fida International. Fida International operates goodwill flea markets in four, mostly residential areas: Leppävaara (Harakantie 22) Matinkylä (Piispansilta 11), Tapiola (Kauppamiehentie 1) and Espoon Keskus (Kamreerintie 3). The selection in the shops mostly consists of used clothes, books and furniture.

Espoo Recycling Centre. The selection includes furniture, clothes (also vintage), toys, books, sports equipment, electronics, cookware and cutlery. The shop has also a free of charge department with a small variety of clothes and other items.

TC Secondhand. Charity shop selling clothes and accessories. Sales revenue supports those in difficult life situations.

There are some self-service fleamarkets around Espoo like Akseli (Sinikalliontie 1, Mankkaa)

Red Cross Secondhand Store Galleria. Finnish Red Cross Kontti charity shop offers a wide range of second hand goods like clothes, household items, books and small furniture. The proceeds of Kontti are used for the relief work of the Finnish Red Cross in Finland and abroad.

Eat

Student diners in Otaniemi. The lunch restaurants of the Aalto University engineering schools offer cheap meals even for non-students.

Maukas. Family-run lunch restaurant in Otaniemi, Espoo.

Pizzaman. Pizzaman is next to the K-Kauppa grocery store. Large pizzas.

Ravintola Haukimuori. A lunch restaurant in Iivisniemi district with home cooked delicious food.

Täffä. Perhaps the most famous of the university student restaurants in Otaniemi, owned by the Teknologföreningen student association. Located in a nice-looking functionalist building, easy to spot by the long ledge hanging over its main entrance.The restaurant is mainly for university students but is open for everyone, non-students just pay more. Still cheap.Five choices available each day, of which one is vegetarian and one is a fancier and costlier à la carte option. Most famous for its spaghetti bolognese, served every Wednesday, perhaps the best spaghetti bolognese in Espoo. On Wednesdays, prepare for long queues, taking almost fifteen minutes just to get to order your food.

Deli Rasoi. Tasty and authentic Indian food.

Dylan & Friends. A lunch restaurant in the Accountor Tower office building. Serves buffet lunch on weekdays.

E.T. Charlie. A spacious, stylish, comfortable restaurant in the quiet residential district of Haukilahti. Serves typical dishes available in restaurants in Finland: pastas, pizzas, steaks, and burgers. No famous speciality, but all dishes are worth trying. The kitchen closes at 21:00, but the restaurant usually stays open until midnight. Many local people come here often. There is a bus connection to Tapiola and Otaniemi (line 111) near the restaurant and it's a short walk away from the Haukilahti beach and marina.

Fat Lizard. One of the very few à la carte restaurants in Otaniemi. Highly stylish interior and good, if somewhat expensive, food. Easily accessible as it's next door to the Aalto University metro station. The restaurant also includes its own bar, serving various beers both from the Fat Lizard brewery (try some, they're refreshingly fruity lagers) and elsewhere.

Fuku Supreme. A sushi restaurant near the Sello shopping centre in Leppävaara. The buffet is rather good and included salad, sushi, warm food and desserts.

Luukki Manor. A restaurant manor in the Luukki recreational area.

Ravintola Johannes. Scandinavian cuisine served in an environment of modern art. Good food, but the service is rather slow even as the restaurant is not even half full. The restaurant also has their own pale ale "Märket" (named after the lighthouse west of Åland).

Restaurant Lime Leaf. Thai and Malay restaurant run by Chinese.

Ravintola Nepal. Tasty and authentic Nepalese food in Espoo.

Ravintola Sevilla Bar & Restaurante. Spanish-style restaurant.

Xin Long. A Chinese restaurant near the centre of Tapiola. Famous for its all-you-can-eat lunch buffet, combining Chinese food and sushi. Not specifically a sushi restaurant, but the sushi is among the best in Espoo. The main courses include various varieties of beef, pork, chicken and tofu, and all are worth trying.

Ravintola Haikaranpesä. A panoramic restaurant in the water tower of Haukilahti. Open only for lunch!

Lucy in the Sky. A fashionable restaurant located on the top floor of the Accountor Tower office building on the sea shore, offering nice views over the cities of Espoo and Helsinki. A wide variety of dishes available as well as three set menus, of which one is vegetarian. Diverse wine list.

Drink

Café Mellsten. A café that serves tasty and cheap lunch consisting of soup or pasta.

Bembölen kahvitupa. Traditional café with century-old history next to the King's Road.

Kaisan Café. Located in the "Sampokuja" building in central Tapiola. Open on weekdays only. Try their cinnamon buns, they're tasty, huge (perhaps the biggest in Espoo) and quite cheap.

Teen Challenge Finland meeting place. Community café. Free of charge coffee and buns.

Base. A cosy place for a drink, also situated at Sello.

Bodom Bar & Sauna. A restaurant bar dedicated to the Finnish metal band Children of Bodom. Public sauna included.

Gallows Bird. A brewpub with a wide variety of different beers on tap, and they brew their own beers as well. A spacious outdoor terrace, but no spectacular views from the terrace to speak of. The pub also serves banh mi and tacos if you're hungry.

Mitta ja Hana (former pub Satulinna). Likely the most famous pub in Espoo.

William K. A passable beer pub with nice sunny outdoor seating.

Nightclubs Most people head east to Helsinki when they're planning a night out, but there are a couple of night clubs in Espoo as well.

Bada Bing. The former Fellini/Aladdin is in the Tapiola district and attracts many young adults. R-22.

Club Kannunkulma. A restaurant in the daytime, and some form of entertainment every night.

Bella Ciao. The place to go in Matinkylä. Like the others it is also a restaurant during the daytime. R-18

Sleep

Folkhälsan Solvallan Sports Institute Accommodation.

Comfort Hotel Sello. A new design hotel next to Sello shopping centre.

Scandic Espoo. A chain hotel next to highway 1, best suited for those travelling by car as there isn't very much to see within walking distance.

Sokos Hotel Tapiola Garden. A largish, modern hotel in a pleasant neighbourhood of Tapiola. 154 (all non-smoking) rooms, sauna, exercise facilities, wireless Internet access, restaurant and bar. Convenient transport to Helsinki center by bus. Rooms in the northern part of the hotel have a scenic view facing a large pool.

Hotel Hanaholmen. Located in the Laajalahti bay between Espoo and Helsinki, Hanasaari island fits exactly the hotel, a short road to it and a stretch of the highway Länsiväylä. Hanasaari hotel hosts a Swedish cultural centre and is often used for conferences. It is also within a walking distance (1 km) from the Keilaniemi business district. Very easy to reach by bus via bus stops on the Länsiväylä. Notice that there is an unrelated Hanasaari power plant in Helsinki; ask the taxi driver for the hotel in Espoo! The hotel rooms offer magnificent sea views through their huge windows.

Radisson Blu Hotel, Espoo. Popular among business travellers and academic visitors because of its location.