A leisurely start to the day after arriving here late last night. Waking to warm sunshine after so many cold days at home was just what was needed. Our holiday home overlooks a sheltered bay where the air is fresh and all around it’s so peaceful and green. I call it my ‘summer paradise’ as I can be a nature lover one minute yet be a city girl whenever I feel like it too, as we are less than a 15 minutes drive away from the centre of Helsinki. Setting out, we strolled along the waterfront into Tapiola, this stretch being part of the 40 km Espoo Waterfront Walkway (Espoo Rantaraitti). The sign below marks the pathway which is part of the National Cycling Route which extends to the full length of the country and our gentle morning exercise took only 15 minutes to reach Tapiola’s shopping centre along an attractive coastal path. Barnacle geese were resting on the grass and some of them were caring for their goslings which were lovely and fluffy.
Tapiola, meaning garden city, is surrounded by parkland with many forest paths to walk and cycle along. It’s the cultural centre of Espoo and is situated to the west of Helsinki by a series of bridges.
In Tapiola you will find a good selection of shops including the modern Aiona shopping mall which currently has around 30 shops but more are planned. The focal point of Tapiola is the small lake and fountain beside the swimming pool and cultural centre. There’s an outdoor diving pool which in previous years has been full of children but at the moment seems to be closed for maintenance work which must be a real shame when Finnish summers are so short. In the photo below you can see the lake with the cranes behind. The metro is being extended to the west and should be opening next month but has been delayed until the end of the year. Alongside Tapiola’s metro station will be new housing and commercial developments allowing commuters seamless travel into the city centre so there is a building frenzy taking place along the Lansimetro Line.
After looking round awhile and loading season tickets onto our travel cards we strolled back to our apartment for some lunch. Our afternoon was spent in the city centre which looked at its best bathed in sunshine. On the Esplanade locals and visitors alike were relaxing in the gardens and listening to the live music at the bandstand.
We strolled around taking note of any changes since our last visit and felt very content to be enjoying life once again in this Nordic capital city.
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Every city needs a spot like this where the people can relax in nature. Thanks for sharing. Allan
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Tapiola is beautiful and a place I’ve had the pleasure of visiting many times. Thanks for commenting and hope you have a good day. Marion.
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lovely!
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Great pictures! I must say I am not really familiar with Tapiola, other than the name and the general knowledge that it is a very nice place to live. It is such a pity that swimming pools are closed in summer – the best outdoor one in our town is being renovated all through this summer, boo! But then the short summer is the only time to do these things, unfortunately.
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Yes, I suppose it is but it seems such a shame. Where I live in the UK we have a wonderful outdoor lido with fountains and little box hedges to sit and picnic round in privacy as well as providing shelter from the wind. It’s open all summer and is very popular but the water is unheated so it’s often very, very cold!!
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Luckily we have another outdoor swimming pool as the sea water around here is often quite cold. I actually do aqua jogging as exercise and it’s wonderful to be able to do it outdoors in summer. Looking forward to having my favourite outdoor pool all fancy and new next year!
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I’m eager to visit tapiola,
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Cool, as you might have guessed, I live a stone’s throw away from Tapiola 😀 So if you are still there when I’m back, a meetup will be very easy to arrange!
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That would be lovely Suvi, the last week of the month would be best for me!
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What a gorgeous place to stay Marion – looks perfect and that sunshine, so jealous!
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Thanks Joy, hope it’s getting warmer in northern England soon!
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Me too, but not so far…..
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My wife lived in Tapiola when young. 🙂 Great post and wonderful photos.
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Thank you for your compliments Sartenada. I just love your country so much!
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Seems to be a popular destination during summer.
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It’s popular with Finnish families and people on cruise ships but not so many people from UK for instance.
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It looks so beautiful☺ x
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Thank you, it really is.
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Lovely place:))
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Thank you, I definitely think so!
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