72 hours in Käpylä: the Garden City neighbourhood
Your imperfect itinerary for Käpylä
Looking to visit Helsinki for just three days? Exploring a new place is an art, and we know there’s research to do not to miss the hotspots! But when the schedule’s too tight, there’s no space for curiosity. Getting lost is a cliché for a reason: it matters. Our perfectly imperfect itinerary series for Helsinki neighbourhoods has you covered.
Start with local knowledge on where to start and what not to miss, while leaving you space to play it by ear and discover your own favourite spots in Käpylä – Helsinki’s Garden City neighbourhood.
Green
Gardens
Happy communities
Day 1: Arrive and explore
Already here? Yes. Welcome.
Only around 15 to 30 minutes from Helsinki Airport, the Central Railway Station or Port of Helsinki, Käpylä is practically on your lap and easily approachable no matter where you come from or by what means (tram, bus, train, bike or by foot). So, book a room at the heart of Käpylä, the Park Hotel, or a room with a (garden) view with one of the locals through Airbnb, and get ready to explore the wooden blocks and secret alleyways of the fabulous Garden City Käpylä.
Wander and wonder, get lost
Named after the characters from the national epic Kalevala, the streets and alleyways of Käpylä are an invitation to get lost. So, wander and wonder, admire the architecture of the exceptional historical wooden neighbourhood of Puu-Käpylä (Wooden Käpylä) or the beautiful communal yards of the Olympic Village nearby. These two areas form the basis of the whole neighbourhood.
Käpylians are a friendly bunch but still: remember to respect their privacy whilst roaming the little alleyways and garden paths. Although it’s very likely that you’ll be offered help to find your way, or almost as likely that someone will ask you to help them (by taking away some free apples, or pushing a car up the snowy hill or holding their dog while they pop into the grocery store…).
Get to know the locals
If you didn’t already mingle with the locals while wandering around the blocks of Puu-Käpylä or the Olympic Village, it’s time to dive right into the “deep end” of the community. If it is summer, head to the buzzing heart of the area, Käpylän Kiska, the cherished canopy kiosk of the neighbourhood in Otto Meuman’s Park! In addition to delicious coffee and ice-cream and the friendliest (and coolest) young entrepreneurs on Earth (or at least in Helsinki) you’re likely to find very sweet and kind people to chat with, a pop up flea market, a poetry event, or a punk/electronic/reggae/folk (you name it) gig. The park can also be full of people watching the football championships together on a screen – and it has a playground for kids too!
If it’s not summer and the Kiska has gone to hibernation then hit the coziest (ex-)police station you can find anywhere – the community center and cafe, Käpylän Kylätalo. Yes, here too you will find kind people to chat with, possibly music or poetry or locals doing arts and crafts together and, at least on Sundays, coffee and real, authentic home baked pulla! Kylätalo is open around the year and worth a visit in summer or winter with its lovely big yard and over 100 years old atmosphere.
When hungry
Hungry yet? Good. There’s a good selection of local restaurants in Käpylä. Anything from Neapolitan pizza to vegan lunch, Indian and Thai – and classic Finnish! – food. If you’re hungry and still keen to get to know the locals try Restaurant Sophie, a popular bistroesque local restaurant with a delicious menu from traditional meatballs to tasty vegan options and very likely some evening programme from stand up nights to dj’s and acoustic music.
Some Käpylä cafés and restaurants:
Day 2: Nature, sports, party
Taivaskallio aka beautiful “Sky Hill”
Good morning! Wanna have a better look at where you are? Climb up to Taivaskallio (Skyhill) and admire the view of Helsinki. While you’re at it, you can pick some blueberries and wander through the forest. At the top you can find some air defense bases from WW2, but also something much more fun: probably the best hills for sliding in the wintertime! So if it’s snowy, grab a sledge with you. If you’re here with kids during the Shrovetide (Laskiainen in Finnish), the traditional feast at Taivaskallio is a must!
Kumpula outdoor swimming pools – or ice-skating
Now that you’re already warm after climbing Taivaskallio, it’s a perfect time for some more activities, like swimming or ice skating – and sauna of course. In the summer head for the Kumpula Outdoor Swimming Pool – a homebase for many Käpylians throughout the summer. Three pools, saunas, jumping tower, a grill, ice cream kiosk, outdoor gym and a playground are likely to keep you busy the whole day. If you’re here outside the summer season, hit the ice skating rink at Käpylä Sports Park and then head for Mäkelänrinne Swimming Center (technically in Vallila neighbourhood, but so, so close!) for a sauna.
Helsinki
Green
Fleamarkets and communal parties
As you walk back to the heartland of Puu-Käpylä from Kumpula Outdoor Swimming Pool or Mäkelänrinne, it’s a great chance to admire the gardens and little cottages of Kumpula Community Gardens and the great design of the functional architecture of two Olympic Villages on the southern edge of Käpylä. While you’re at it you may well stumble on some of the many local specialities like the summertime village festivals of Kumpula or Käpylä with their intensive street food and flea markets (check the times!) or the yard flea market of the Olympic Village.
& summer
Helsinki
Relax (and get tipsy with the neighbours)
Hungry? No wonder. Enjoy some delicious Neapolitan style artisan pizza, good wine and friendly service at the local ristorante Ravello. While eating, plan a night out with the locals in Käpylä: Perhaps a beer at the pub Päätön Kana after Ravello, then live music at the terrace of Park Hotel or at Käpylän Kiska, then get ready to feel the rougher around the edges kind of vibe of Käpylä with billiard or live music in Käpygrilli. Then head to Ravintola Sophie again (remember this is where you already made new friends the day before) for some late night partying and if – when the clock hits 2am – you still feel like singing there’s a karaoke across the street at Käpylän Krouvi.
Day 3: Brunch at Saurahuone or picnic by the Kiska
Time to say a gentle goodbye to the dimple of Helsinki. Have a final stroll across your favourite archways and secret paths of Puu-Käpylä and head for a great brunch or lunch at the cute and stylish Café Saurahuone, a very communal and intimate local restaurant, serving only sustainable food, delicacies and drinks (locally made, whenever possible!) – with a fun tram-shaped terrace outside, right by the final stop of Käpylä’s very own, famous tram No. 1. If all the seats are taken, grab picnic ingredients from the nearby grocery store and chill out in the park by Käpylän Kiska. Most likely you’ll run into someone you already know. This is Käpylä, after all.
neighbourhood Käpylä
Happy
