Water parks are one of the most popular leisure activities in Finland. There are a huge number of them in this country; not only local residents, but also foreign tourists love to visit them. There is a whole culture of trips to Finland for water activities, which are often combined with the wellness services of a bath, sauna and spa. To choose suitable water parks in Finland for recreation, you need to study in detail the most popular of them.
The most famous water parks in the country
There are water parks in Finland even in small towns, which especially pleases numerous foreign tourists. Water parks, simultaneously performing the functions of health and entertainment centers, operate at shopping centers and hotel complexes.
Aquapark "Serena"
Serena Water Park, one of the largest in the country, is a tropical entertainment complex located half an hour drive from Helsinki in the small village of Espoo.
The uniqueness of the complex is that it is located in the thickness of the rock, inside a real mountain. In the mountain, passages are cut, picturesque boulders lie nearby - here is the entrance to the covered part of the water park, which is accessible to visitors all year round.
The outdoor zone is open only from June to September inclusive. In the open air there are children's and adult water areas with pools, slides and tunnels. The children's water area is divided by age: older children have fun on rides of medium height and difficulty, and for kids under 4 years old there is a shallow "paddling pool" and low, gentle slides.
After active entertainment, visitors can refresh themselves in the Granina restaurant, where they can come for lunch in a bathing suit and sit on the covered terrace, carved into the rock, just like the water park itself. On the territory of the complex there is a shop with beach equipment, drinks, children's toys and other goods.
The closed part of Serena offers not only entertainment, but also a wellness segment: here you can relax in saunas, spa centers, have a hydromassage session and lie in a jacuzzi.
As in the open area, there are slides for adults and children, as well as a waterfall and a pool with artificial waves. The favorite entertainment of adult visitors is the Tornado slide with a sharp spiral descent and the Black Hole indoor attraction with special effects and optical illusions.
The attraction Nykänen, named after Matti Nykänen, the Finnish Olympic champion in ski jumping, deserves special attention. It is a short slide with a flight in the air before falling into the pool.
"Serena" is open to visitors from early June to late September (depending on the weather), as well as during school holidays - specific dates can be found on the official website.
During the off-season, the water park is open on weekends. Working hours: from 11:00 to 19:00. An adult ticket costs 23.50 euros if purchased online and 26 euros at the ticket office. For children under 4 years old, admission is free.
You can purchase a reduced ticket for the evening (from 16:00 to 18:30), which costs 22.50 euros. If you plan to park your car in the parking lot, prepare 5 euros, the use of an individual locker for things will cost 2 additional euros.
The water park is located at Tornimäentie 10, 02970, Espoo. You can get there by bus number 339, which departs from the bus station in Helsinki - note that it stops on demand. If you are planning to travel from Espoo, take the regular bus number 82.
"Flamingo"
The Flamingo Waterpark is part of the Jumbo shopping center, which is located in the town of Vantaa, 18 km from Helsinki. The park is dedicated to the Maya Indians, so the design of the entertainment areas is appropriate here: tropical forests and traces of lost civilizations have been recreated both in the water park itself and in the adjacent cafe.
All pools are subdivided by purpose. Visitors are offered a sports pool, a jump (4 m deep), with an artificial current, a jacuzzi, a geyser (water temperature +32 degrees), a children's one with a gentle entrance and a maximum depth of 30 cm.
As for the slides, they are for children and adults - there are slides with a fast flow, wide family slopes. The 152 meters long slide with a height difference of almost 15 meters and unexpected sharp turns is very popular with visitors.
The spa area with steam rooms requires a separate ticket. Next to it are an adult cafeteria serving spirits and a family diner "Hesburger" offering various types of hamburgers and salads.
The spa complex and the water park are open all year round according to the same schedule: on weekdays from 10:00 to 21:00, on weekends from 09:00 to 21:00. The cost of tickets for adults on weekdays is 18 euros, on weekends - 24 euros, for children from 3 to 9 years old - 10 and 14 euros, respectively.
There are preferential opening hours from 10:00 to 15:00, when the cost of entry for adults is 12 euros, and for children it is free.
If you are planning to have fun with the whole family, you should pay attention to the family rate: 64 euros for two adults and two children.
The SPA area is paid separately, the entrance fee is 39 euros per day.
The "Flamingo" is located at Tasetie 8, Vantaa. You can get to the water park by bus 615 from the station in Helsinki. In Vantaa, you can use fixed-route taxis 561 and 962, or walk to the water park - the village is small.
If you are coming from Helsinki by car, take highway 45 - it leads directly to Vantaa, and the journey will take no more than 25 minutes.
"Fontanella"
Unlike the previous two water parks, Fontanella is located near the port city of Kuopio, in the village of Siilinjärvi. There are not only entertainment complexes, but also a swimming school, sports pools, gyms, bowling and squash courts.
The official website provides all relevant information for tourists in Russian.
There are ten pools in the water park, which differ in water temperature, depth and purpose. Here you can go wakeboarding, do sports swimming or jogging in the water, soak up the bubbles in the jacuzzi, plunge into the ice-hole and take a massage shower.
There are children's play pools with funny fountains, as well as one of the best slides in all of Finland, 90 meters long. In addition to the well-known Turkish bath and Finnish sauna, you can visit the infrared and peat saunas in Fontanella.
Since the water park is located in an enclosed space, it operates all year round. Fontanella is closed on Mondays and Sundays, so plan your trip on Tuesday-Saturday.
Opening hours: from 12:00 to 19:00, on Saturday from 12:00 to 17:00. A ticket for an adult will cost 12 euros on weekdays and 13.50 euros on Saturday, children from 4 to 14 years old will cost 6.50 and 7.50 euros, respectively; the ticket price includes 2 hours of entertainment (3 hours in summer). For children under 3 years old, admission is free.
You should be aware that for every additional half hour you will have to pay 2 euros.
Fontanella is located at Kuiluntie, 2, Siilinjärvi. You can get to the water park from the nearest Kuopio (only 23 km on the way) by buses No. 31, 35, 40, which depart from the Kuopio bus station every 30 minutes.
For those planning to drive their own car, take the E63 motorway from Kuopio, take exit 77 Viitasaari / Nurmes / Nilsiä / Maaninka and then turn onto road 75.
Water park "Magic Forest"
The Magic Forest water entertainment center is located in the center of the village of Imatra, on the shores of Lake Saimaa. Imatra is located near the border with Russia, and annually receives a large number of Russian-speaking tourists.
Belongs to the "Magic Forest" of the Imatran Kylpylä Spa hotel complex, therefore the cost of visiting the water park is included in the room price.
A unique feature of the water park is its changeable weather, because, like in a tropical forest, a sunny hot day here can suddenly be replaced by a strong thunderstorm.
"Magic Forest" is suitable for a relaxing family vacation - there are no extreme attractions here, but there are vast areas of swimming pools with currents, waves and heating, waterfalls, a hydropathic center, beauty salons, SPA services.
Guests are offered an 80-meter slide with a height difference of 3 meters, outdoor pools, jogging and walking pools. The interior is styled after Finnish nature.
The water temperature is +31 0C all year round, and in the Yokorobi hydro pool it reaches +38 0C. For the little ones, there are entertainment programs and shallow pools with safe slides.
The water park is open all year round, seven days a week, from 08:00 to 22:00. The cost of an adult ticket, which opens access to all areas of the water park, including the sauna, is 18 euros.
Children from 4 to 14 years old pass at the rate of 11 euros, for children under 3 years old admission is free. There is also a family ticket that costs 39 euros and is valid for two adults and two children.
You can buy tickets to the water park on the official website.
The Magic Forest is located at Purjekuja 2, Imatra. You can come here from Imatra by taxi or your own car. The route from the city center runs along the streets of Korvenkannantie and Lammassaarentie, on the road you will be no more than 10 minutes.
If you have enough time, organize a walking tour, at the same time you can see the sights of Imatra.
Water park "Caribia"
Located in western Finland near Turku, Caribia Waterpark offers Caribbean-style water activities. This is one of the favorite vacation spots of the Finns themselves, who come here not only from neighboring Turku, but also from Helsinki.
This water park is located in the luxury hotel complex Sokos Caribia and is available for visiting not only for hotel guests, but also for everyone.
A distinctive feature of this water park is considered to be a huge pirate ship, which was wrecked at one of the walls of "Caribia". The ship can be explored, run on and photographed, which delights the smallest tourists. Here, any visitor will find entertainment to their liking: mysterious grottoes, pools, waterfalls, hydromassage, fitness pool and even an open-air reservoir.
The water park has three slides:
- extreme "Wild River" 25 m long with a turbulent current;
- closed ring "Black Hole" with light and sound effects 80 m long;
- open "Serpentine", the length of which is 112 m.
It is one of the smallest, but at the same time the most atmospheric water parks in Finland. At the request of parents, animators work with children, for example, the captain of a pirate ship with a live parrot on his shoulder.
The ship has a bar and a restaurant for those who wish to have a snack after the water activities. There is a shop on the territory of the complex where you can buy beach items and rent bathing suits.
For hotel guests, the water park accepts visitors all year round from 10:00 to 21:00 from Monday to Saturday and until 20:00 on Sunday.
For children under 4 years old, the entrance to "Caribia" is free, a ticket for children from 4 to 14 years old will cost 13 euros, and for adults - 18 euros. On Saturday and Sunday, the cost rises to 15 and 20 euros, respectively. If you plan to rent a room at Sokos Caribia, the cost of entering the water park will be included in the room price.
The water park is located at Kongressikuja 1, Turku. You can come to him from the city center by buses No. 50, 51, 53, 54, which leave every 15 minutes. There are regular buses F1 and F8 from Helsinki to Turku - so in just two hours you can find yourself in the tropical kingdom.
Water park "Yuku-park"
The water park is located on the shores of the Baltic Sea in the small village of Kalajoki, just 3 km from Turku. Yuku Park opened in 2021, but has already gained immense popularity among Finns and foreign tourists.
The open-air park offers water slides, swimming pools, saunas, restaurants and souvenir shops. Particularly famous is Finland's largest water play world - Pirate Island, designed for children from 4 to 14 years old.
Rides for teens and adults include Twister, Black Hole, Freefall, Boomerang and other extreme entertainment.
There are family slides for joint rides on inflatable cheesecakes, as well as closed pipes for downhill skiing.
Guests can visit the grill cafe, bar and restaurant with a children's menu.
"Yuku Park" is open from mid-June to mid-August, as it is in the open air. Regardless of the day of the week, you can visit it from 11:00 to 19:00, and access to the pools and attractions ends 20 minutes before closing. On holidays, working hours are reduced to 17:00.
Children under 4 years old can visit Yuku-Park free of charge, a child ticket is not provided, therefore the ticket price for children and adults is the same - 21 euros. There is a discounted ticket for evening hours from 16:00 to 19:00, costing 15 euros. A season ticket will cost 99 euros.
The water park is located at Kurrapolku 1, Turku. You can get from the center of Turku by buses No. 2, 2A, 2B, 2C, get off at the Palloiluhalli stop. Regular buses run through the city on the directions Turku - Huittinen, Turku - Tampere - Jyväskylä.
Water park "Tykkimäki"
Known for the amusement park of the same name, Tykkimäki Water Park has been open to visitors since 2021. It is located next to the amusement park, but has a separate entrance - to get into it, you need to walk about 500 m along a forest path leading from the amusement park.
From the main tower of the water park, you can get to any of the five slides, the starting height of which is more than nine meters. For the safety of visitors and to prevent collisions, all descents end not with a pool, but with a special mechanism that acts as a trap.
The water park has a swimming pool, a children's pool, play sections for the little ones, a 70 m long Bodyslide, a Typhoon tunnel, a Splash of Happiness slide for descent on cheesecakes.
Please note that children under 4 years old can only be left in the company of an accompanying person over 15 years old. Adult visitors can relax in the sauna, spa complex, relax on the restaurant's terrace or sit at the bar.
Depending on weather conditions, the period in which the water park is open varies - usually this time from the beginning of June to the end of August. “Tykkimäki” works seven days a week from 10:00 to 19:00.
The ticket will cost 23 euros, preferential evening hours start at 16:00 and last until 19:00 - the ticket price is 8 euros. Children's ticket is not provided, for children under 4 years old admission is free.
The Tykkimäki Water Park is located at Käyrälammentie 20, Kouvola. The distance between the water park and Kouvola is 10 km, and there is no regular transport here, so you can get there by your own car or transfer-taxi. The fastest route is along the roads number 6 and 373, you can accurately plot it on the map available on the website www.viamichelin.com.
Other water parks
There are as many water parks as there are in the country of Suomi, perhaps nowhere else in the world. Here are the complexes worth visiting if you happen to be near them. For example:
- Tropiclandia in Vaasa;
- Eden and Kulpulä in Tampere;
- center "Vesikko" in the city of Joensuu;
- parks "Rantakeidas" and "Dinasauria" in the city of Mikkeli;
- the Saimaa Club in Lappeenranta;
- a water park at the Rukka ski resort in Kuusamo;
- the Payarinhovi Center in Kitee with the largest children's pool in Finland;
- water park "Katarina" in the border Kotka;
- water center "Nautilus" in Rovaniemi;
- Aquapark and SPA-hotel "Savonlinna" in the city of the same name;
- Uusimaa water park in Hamina.
Finally
A visit to a water park in Finland is a great way to diversify your leisure time.Here you can get a decent dose of adrenaline on the slides or relax with wellness treatments. In Finnish water parks you can eat if you feel hungry and buy the necessary equipment for your vacation.
Observe the rules of safety and conduct in the water park - then your trip will leave extremely pleasant memories.
