Espoo is the second largest city in and municipality in Finland, after Helsinki. Espoo is part of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area along with the following cities; Helsinki, Vantaa and Kauniainen and is located close to the shore of the Gulf of Finland, in the province of Southern Finland and the region Uusimaa. The city has a population of 243 thousand people as of latest measurement.
The city of Espoo still has a quite original and urban structure visible throughout the city center, which is split apart in 5 districts. Each of the districts are as large as a regular sized Finnish town and perfectly well connected through public transport. Also the Nuuksio National Park can be reached through public transport, from pretty much every station it’s fine to walk to your final destination.
The most popular out of the 5 districts is probably Tapiola for its carefully designed gardens, spacious parks and architecture are in harmony with each other. The high tech city parts are reachable within just 15 minutes and shows interesting sightseeing including museums and festivals, of course the April Jazz festival and Espoo Ciné International Film Festival are the most well known reasons for repeatedly tourist visits to Espoo.
The Espoo skyline is a mix of old and new, in between some historical buildings and museums there’s various high tech buildings visible including the Nokia world headquarters, the headquarters of Fortum and the Helsinki University of Technology. Elsewhere if you are looking to have a fine dining experience, there’s restaurants and small eat cafes divided all over town, small horeca places which will serve food and have a bar to sit at. Local Finnish cuisine is popular, but international meals are also served.
American and European citizens are required a valid passport for entry to Espoo, when staying for less than 90 days there is no need to apply for a visa. No vaccinations are required either for entry into Finland. If you are from Africa, Asia, North America or South America you’re required to contact your embassy before leaving. The best time to visit Finland and Espoo are in the summer from June to August.
