Kivistö

Understand

Like Espoo, Vantaa is basically an extension of Helsinki, despite having a huge population by Finnish measures. It does not have a proper city centre: Vantaa's administrative centre is in the district of Tikkurila (Swedish: Dickursby), and other districts that can be considered local "centres" are Myyrmäki (Swedish: Myrbacka) in the west, Kivistö in the north-west and Korso in the north-east. Quite few of the inhabitants have any connections to the rural landscapes and villages left from the old Helsinge (renamed Vantaa in 1972). 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 and a couple of interesting museums, notably the science centre Heureka. Depending on your interests, also the complex of the Jumbo mall and Flamingo hotel and entertainment centre can keep you busy for a couple of hours at least. Helsinki Airport, located in the middle of northern Vantaa, takes up a large part of the city's area and effectively splits the rest of Vantaa in two parts, the Myyrmäki-Martinlaakso area in the west and the Tikkurila area in the east. The Ring Rail (Finnish: Kehärata) railway line connects all three areas together with the neighbouring city of Helsinki.

Local information City of Vantaa website

Getting there

By plane The city is indeed accessible by air, as Finland's main airport is in Vantaa:

1 Helsinki Airport (HEL IATA) There are buses from the airport to different parts of Vantaa, or you can take the commuter train to the public transport traffic hubs Tikkurila (for eastern Vantaa) or Myyrmäki (for western Vantaa).

By train The main railway north from Helsinki goes through eastern Vantaa. In addition to several local train stations, all long distance trains to the north and east, including the ones to Russia, stop at 2 Tikkurila Railway Station. . If you are heading for the western parts of Vantaa, you can take the local train line "I", which stops at 3 Myyrmäki Railway Station. and also continues to Helsinki–Vantaa Airport via 4 Kivistö Railway Station. .

By car Highways 3, 4 (E75), 45 and 7 out of Helsinki go through Vantaa and the main east-western road is the third Helsinki ring road (Kehä III), which is mostly part of the E18 route. In the morning and afternoon rush hours traffic on 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 Journey Planner of the Helsinki region public transport authority (HSL) 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.

Getting around

The public transport of Vantaa is operated by the Helsinki region public transport authority (HSL), see Helsinki#Get around for information about fares and tickets and HSL's website for routes, schedules and updated official information.

By train Kehärata (Ring Line) connects the main rail line with western Vantaa via the airport. Combined with bus transfers, this is the fastest way to get around for many.

By bus There is a maze of bus lines in the area.

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's day you can make use of the cycleways and footpaths criss-crossing Vantaa and suburban Helsinki. Get a good map.

Vantaa City Bikes, ☏ +358 9 4257-8815, [email protected]. (updated Jun 2022)

Electric kick scooters German Tier and American Bird rent electric kick scooters for use in Tikkurila, Martinlaakso, Myyrmäki, Vapaala and Varisto. The companies aim to keep the scooters available also in winter, conditions permitting, but the vehicles are not ideal in snowy or slippery conditions. Tier has also electric bicycles.

By taxi Helsinki Limo, ☏ +358 20-787-0360, [email protected]. Their vehicles are always new and black with leather interior. Drivers speak English and can even, by order, give short sightseeings. Lähitaksi, ☏ +358 100-7300 (extra charge: €1.92+€2.5/min+pvm). Traditionally the main taxi dispatch service in Vantaa (and all the capital region outside of Helsinki). Smartphone app: Taksini Daytime M–Sa €3.90+€1/1.45/km+0.90/min, nights and holidays €7.90+1.05/1.55/km+0.99/min; prebooking €7/14; the lower km and prebooking fees for 1–4 persons. (updated Jul 2020) Uber. Uber now uses licensed vehicles and drivers like everybody else, although the vehicle standard may differ more than what is otherwise common. (updated May 2019) Yango. Ya

See

1 Heureka, Kuninkaalantie 7 (Near Tikkurila railway station). M–W Th 10:00–20:00, F 10:00–17:00, Sa Su 10:00–18:00. 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 Vantaa Agricultural Museum (Vantaan maatalousmuseo), Nybackankuja 2 (in Vantaanlaakso), ☏ +358 500-315-744, [email protected]. 3 Vantaankoski Dam (Vantaankosken pato), Kuninkaantie 33 (along the Ring III). A popular vantage point for the roaring rapids of the Vantaa River. 4 Hakkila Stone Bridge (Hakkilan kivisilta), Tikkurilantie 19 (between the Hakkila ja Jokiniemi districts). A stone arch bridge from 1898 crossing Keravanjoki. 5 Suomen Ilmailumuseo (Finnish Aviation museum), Tietotie 3 (near Helsinki-Vantaa airport), ☏ +358 9 870-0870, [email protected]. 10:00–17:00. A museum with over 70 planes (both civilian and military) as well as plane parts, equipment and photos. adults €9, children €6. 6 Vantaa City museum (Vantaan kaupunginmuseo), Hertaksentie 1. Tu–F 11:00–18:00, Sa Su 11:00–16:00. Learn more about how Vantaa grew from a countryside parish to the city of 200,000 inhabitants it is today. €2. 7 Collection and Conservation Center (Kokoelma- ja konservointikeskus), Kanervantie 6 (in the Hakkila district). A museum centre owned by the Finnish Heritage Agency (Museovirasto), offering storage and conservation services for museum collections. 8 Viherpaja (Puutarhakeskus Viherpaja), Meiramintie 1 (in Koivuhaka district, just east of the airport, buses 574 and 623). Not just a plant and gardening store, but actually a 3500 m² garden with an indoor desert where cacti grow and a Japanese garden mimicking the climate of Tokyo round the year. 9 Katrineberg Pks4H Petting Zoo, Katriinankuja 5 (Buses 576, 444, 445 and 446), ☏ +358 45-783-17764, [email protected]. In Katrineberg you will find

Do

1 Flamingo Entertainment Center, Tasetie 8 (buses 650 and 615T from Helsinki Railway Station or bus 61 from Tikkurila St