Vantaa

Before it was renamed Vantaa in 1974, the city's old name translated as "the parish of Helsinki". It is the fourth-largest city in Finland and, alongside Helsinki, Espoo and Kauniainen, belongs to the capital region on the Gulf of Finland.

Thanks to its attractive range of museums and cultural venues, Vantaa promises an eventful city break with everything that goes with it.

Quick facts

• Population: 238,033
• Area: 240.36 km²
• Official languages: Finnish and Swedish
• Location: directly north of Helsinki

Traces of the distant past

Thanks to numerous archaeological finds, evidence of human settlement here can be traced all the way back to the Neolithic period.

Another witness to days long gone is St. Lawrence Church. Built in the 15th century, it was reconsecrated in 1894 after a fire had badly damaged it. It is the oldest building in Vantaa.

After Sweden lost the war against Russia, present-day Finland was ceded to Russia in 1809.

For the 1952 Olympic Games, the Helsinki-Vantaa airport was completed and taken into operation.

The name Vantaa comes from the Vantaanjoki river and was adopted in 1974.

Top 5 things to do in Vantaa

Fazer Experience Visitor Center

The Fazer Experience Visitor Center, opened in 2016, is a treat for anyone who loves chocolate. The chocolate museum offers guided tours covering Fazer's history, its wide product range and the company's innovations.

Visitors should bring an appetite for chocolate, which of course can be sampled here. And if you feel something is still missing from the large selection, you can put in requests for future products.

Heureka, Finnish Science Center

True to the motto that trying beats studying, explorers big and small can let their curiosity run free at the Heureka Science Center, with over 100 hands-on experiments. Heureka is one of Finland's best-known and most popular attractions, offering a planetarium and numerous exhibitions all about science.

The center is open every day of the week; exceptions are listed in the calendar on the Heureka Center website.

A ticket for adults from age 16 costs 24 euros; children aged 6-15 pay 17 euros, and the same applies to students, school pupils, pensioners, unemployed visitors and conscripts.

Tip: Book your ticket online on the website instead of buying it on site on the day of your visit. That way you save 2 euros.

Finnish Aviation Museum

Around 70 aircraft, including gliders, propeller planes and helicopters, are on display at the Finnish Aviation Museum. The two large exhibition halls cover different eras of aviation history along with other objects such as seats from a 1960s passenger plane, model aircraft and other aircraft parts.

Thanks to four flight simulators, you can take the controls yourself, entirely safe on the ground and accompanied by an experienced flight instructor. The simulators are open during museum hours and on Saturdays from 12 noon to 5 pm.

Tickets cost 12 euros for adults and 6 euros for children aged 6-17, students, school pupils and pensioners. Exact opening hours and details about the exhibitions are on the museum website.

Tip: With the Helsinki Card, admission costs only half price, and the Museum Card for 74 euros gives visitors free entry to 300 museums across Finland.

Tip: Dress warmly, the exhibition halls are not heated!

Artsi, Art Museum Vantaa

The Artsi art museum in Vantaa has a collection of around 10,000 works of Finnish and international contemporary art, and not all of it hangs in the museum itself. Buildings such as libraries and schools have also been decorated with graffiti.

The museum invites its guests to admire and interpret the works, completely free of charge. Now and then, guided tours for small groups of up to 5 people are offered.

The museum also runs tours for people with special needs. For example, tours for visually impaired visitors can be booked. The best way to arrange one is directly through the museum's contact form.

Flamingo Spa

The water park at Flamingo Spa invites the whole family to swim and splash around in several basins and pools. Water lovers big and small can plunge into the water or haul their tubes up to the slide.

Adults can leave everyday life behind in various saunas, including a traditional Finnish one, or relax in the warm-water pools. Soothing treatments such as body scrubs and massages can also be booked.

Tip for couples: for more time together, the Kings Bath can be booked for 45 minutes of bathing by candlelight with sparkling wine, at 89 euros.

An overview of the individual treatments and details about the spa are on its own website.

Where to stay in Vantaa

Clarion Hotel Vantaa

The Clarion Hotel is right next to the Finnish Aviation Museum, about a 10-minute bus or train ride from the airport.

The hotel has parking, a minibar in the rooms, a fitness center and its own restaurant.

Noli Myyrmäki

The Noli Myyrmäki, in the heart of Vantaa, has around 322 rooms in various categories. There is also a modern gym, a sauna area, a shared kitchen and a co-working space covering 1,000 m².

20Rooms

About 20 minutes from the airport, in a quiet spot, lies 20Rooms. The family-run hotel is in a calm neighborhood, 2 kilometers from the Heureka Science Center.

Food in Vantaa

What?	Name?	Where?
Nepalese	Ravintola Koseli	Unikkotie 2, 01300 Vantaa, Finland
Nepalese	Ravintola Sagarmatha	Peltolantie 2, 01300 Vantaa, Finland
Italian	Restaurant Bistrot Helsinki	Lentoasemantie 1, 01530 Vantaa, Finland
Sushi	Sushilounge	Lentoasemantie 1, 01530 Vantaa, Finland
Pizza and burgers	Deluxe Burger & Pizza, Myyrmanni	Iskoskuja 3, 01600 Vantaa, Finland

For shopping fans

Jumbo Center

Dedicated shoppers will find a wide range of popular stores in Finland's largest shopping mall. Alongside shops for everyday needs, there are fashion stores, toy and sports shops, furniture and home stores and much more.

After a long day of shopping, you can refuel in one of the many restaurants. The mall is open Monday to Saturday from 11 am to 7 pm and Sundays from 11 am to 6 pm, with 4,600 free parking spaces.

Conclusion

Despite its closeness to Helsinki, Vantaa holds its own against the capital. History buffs and art lovers in particular will find plenty of inspiration here, and beyond the many museums, keen shoppers get their money's worth too.

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