Thoughts About Visiting Finland in Summer 2025 — Part I

In July of 2025, my family visited Finland. Our plan was to spend time in Helsinki and Turku, plus get into the countryside a bit. We’re from Arizona, so a big part of the appeal was being somewhere that’s cool and often cloudy. We’ve also generally enjoyed the vibe of Northern Europe during previous visits.

Part I will cover why we went to Finland, what we did and where we stayed. When I publish Part II, it’ll talk about beer, coffee, unexpected discoveries and some random thoughts. Overall, this might help anyone else who’s visiting Finland this summer or in the future.

Why We Went to Finland

More than a decade ago, my wife and I went to Finland as part of a trip through Sweden, Norway and Finland. At that time, we were mostly there to see the Ruisrock music festival in Turku, a city about 110 miles away from Helsinki. We didn’t spend much time in either city, but thought they both deserved a future visit.

This time, we had our 10-year-old daughter with us. We remembered seeing a lot of things that would be on our list of things to do, in addition to our standard practice of just walking around to uncover what might not be in the guidebooks.

And I guess that hints at what makes our travel style different: We don’t necessarily go anywhere to pack our schedule full. We have a few specific activities in mind and leave the rest of our time flexible. (It’s kind of non-negotiable that my wife will want to go for a daily run.)

So What Did We do in Finland?

Aside from the aforementioned city walking, here’s a brief recap of our activities:

Go to Linnanmaki

I knew our daughter would love this cool little amusement park north of the city center in Helsinki. She was ready to hit some roller coasters, along with some of the easier-going rides. It’s just a short trip away on the light rail.

They have some serious roller coasters, but a good amount of rides for younger kids along with a lot of carnival-style games. I didn’t eat there this time, but my daughter needed a hot dog and fries to refuel. Par for the course in Finland, the amusement park food was decent and priced fairly (unlike just about any theme park in the U.S. or any theme park featuring a cartoon mouse).

Visit Suomenlinna

The fortress island of Suomenlinna is great for a few reasons:

• The boat ride is enjoyable, providing nice views of Helsinki and of the nearby islands
• It’s fun to walk around in the old fortress
• There’s plenty of random stuff to see
• The weather is typically windy, which is refreshing for parched desert dwellers like us

Another nice thing about a boat trip to Suomenlinna: You’ll like have to walk through the Esplanade and the Kauppatori; I noticed that Turku also has an area called the Kauppatori, so I think it pretty much translates into an outdoor spot to get food.

Spend Some Time at the Flow Park

The Flow Park in Turku is a ropes course wedged behind a shopping mall. But it’s also tucked into a small slice of forest, making it one of the most-scenic places you’ll ever find butted up against a mall.

Go to Turku Castle

A bit north of the Turku city center is Turku Castle, which date back to the medieval period. Walking through it is way more fun than I expected — and kids will love the room where you can try on medieval garb; my daughter loved trying on some actual steel mail armor, and she couldn’t believe how heavy it was.

There are all sorts of nooks and crannies to check out, so take your time. There’s a cafe and gift shop, too. And yes, try on the helmets and mail!

Get into the countryside

The thing about the outskirts of Helsinki is the weird resemblance to the rolling, green terrain near Minneapolis, Minnesota. We wanted to head out a little further to see what it’s like. My wife found a cool little farm house vacation rental, which we’ll talk more about later.

Where We Stayed in Finland

We have a lot of praise for the hotels and vacation rentals in Finland. Here’s a bit about where we stayed.

Scandic Grand Central Helsinki

This is a perfect place to crash after arriving in Finland. It’s just a few steps away from the train station where you’ll likely arrive from the airport. The rooms are extremely comfy, and the staff was fine with adding a comfy cot for our daughter.

Also, huge props for one of the most-comprehensively tasty breakfast spreads ever. European hotels generally offer solid breakfasts, but the Scandic Grand Central takes it a level further. Let’s just say that I had enough fuel to keep me going into the early evening.

As for cost, a night at the Scandic Grand Central cost about the same as a night at a Best Western in Safford, Arizona (hardly the garden spot of Arizona). This is yet another data point telling me that American hotels are the biggest rip-off.

Hotel Marski by Scandic

Another Scandic hotel, another win. Comfortable rooms and a great breakfast. It seems a little more glitzy than the Grand Central, but I still liked it. The breakfast also stacks up well to the Grand Central — if you want a made-to-order omelette, you might like the Hotel Marski even better.

One caveat: It’s not as quiet as the Grand Central since it’s a bit closer to some bars and other party people places.

Hetkitalli’s Cottage

Hetkitalli’s Cottage is a second-floor apartment near an organic farm just outside of Hyvinkää. It’s amazing how much changes with a 30-minute train ride from Helsinki.

There’s no wi-fi, nothing in close walking distance. But there’s a petting zoo, a kid’s play area, plenty of books, a workable kitchen, an in-room sauna and a good chance of seeing a full rainbow at 10pm. There’s also a nearby walking trail through the forest that takes you past all sorts of crazy art installations. You can also find some paved cycling and walking trails nearby.

I cranked up a nice salmon dinner with some sides after a quick visit to Hyvinkää for supplies. Despite the lack of wi-fi, my daughter was absolutely distraught to leave the next day. I imagine that this place is also spectacular during the winter.

Hotel Bob W

Imagine a normal hotel room, but without a front desk or staff people all over the place. That’s the vibe at Hotel Bob W. That means you’re on your own for breakfast.

But the Hotel Bob W still provides coupons for a nearby cafe, along with some nice recommendations for nearby places. The rooms are clean and comfortable, with absolutely zero pretense about them. The Bob W in Turku is convenient, too, just across from the central bus station.

Something else cool about the Hotel Bob W: It’s keyless. You use a key code to get into the front door, into the main door on your floor and into your room. It’s one less thing to misplace. I’d be OK with this in any hotel.

Where We Ate in Finland

Before we get into the actual restaurants, let me address eating on the go. Finnish stores — from grocery stores to convenience stores to random little kiosks — sell tasty, inexpensive sandwiches with all sorts of fillings. Like the random sandwiches in Japan, they’re solid snacks to keep hungry at bay. Generally, we’d have a huge breakfast at the hotel, grab a snack or two during the day and then have a big dinner.

Something else I need to point out: I recently saw someone in a Reddit travel community complain that restaurant portions in Europe are small. OK, so I’m 6’2 and about 200 pounds and never left a restaurant in Finland still feeling hungry. Make of that what you will.

Aune (Turku)

Aune comes in first alphabetically and in every other way. We’d been on the go all day, and many restaurants had closed by the time we were hungry. Aune, however, was ready to go.

My wife and I both had mussels, because good mussels are a rare treat for us. They were in a nice garlicky wine broth with some excellent bread and potatoes. My wife joked about drinking the remaining broth, and the owner said “it wouldn’t be the first time.”

Aune was also kind enough to accommodate our daughter’s wish for a plain cheeseburger — the other burgers on their menu were loaded with an array of toppings that sounded delicious. I was able to negotiate a bite of her burger, and I can only imagine how good the more-elaborate versions on the menu must’ve tasted.

The husband-and-wife owners were also very pleasant, and I finished the meal with a great conversation about his custom bass guitars, which are hanging on the wall. I’m certain we’ll visit Turku again at some point, and Aune is the first place we’re going for dinner, and that’s it.

Ristorante Pizzeria Dennis (Turku)

OK, I admit that Dennis is an unlikely name for a good Italian place. But the food here was 100 percent satisfying. We had spaghetti bolognese, ravioli mozzafiato (can’t go wrong with ravioli stuffed with cheese, salmon and crayfish) and a pretty crazy pizza called the Don Julio for my daughter, my wife and me, respectively.

Vapiano Mikonkatu (Helsinki)

Early in the trip, my daughter had a pasta craving. This happens to her pretty often, and she’s not the easiest person in the group to feed (I sooooo hope she eventually starts making it a point to sample everything in sight like I do). She was also whooped from a long 48 hours of travel and starting to wander Helsinki.

Vapiano Mikonkatu was near the hotel and offered pasta. We could tell it was a chain, which isn’t typically our preferred way to go. But you know, it was convenient and just had a good vibe. For example, a group of kids was playing in a little area set aside for them with toys provided by the restaurant. Even though ours is too old for that, I like that it’s there for others.

We used our smartphones to order and pay from the table. We were able to pick the type of pasta, the sauce and a nearly endless variety of add-ins.  A short time later, the staff delivered our pasta. Usually, big chain restaurants cook pasta into a squishy mess. But all credit to Vapiano Mikonkatu — the pasta had a nice al dente bite. Parents, this might be the restaurant that helps you accommodate the little travelers in your group.

Watch for Part 2 of Visiting Finland

That’s all for now … Part 2 is coming soon!