Ice skating is so much fun with friends and kids. With your loved one it feels somehow romantic to skate together. It feels very special when your kid learns how to skate.

If it is freezing, it is easy to find places for ice skating in Helsinki – there are several around downtown as well as in suburbs. However, this winter the situation is not such – it has been very warm. We don’t have any snow and hardly any ice skating places. Luckily there is one in down town called “Jääpuisto” which is almost always open even when it is so warm as now. Jääpuisto is situated next to main Railwaystation (Rautatieasema) and Ateneum (one of the most important museums in Finland).

Unlike many other ice skating places, Jääpuisto is not free – it costs 6 euros for adults and 3 for kids. Paying that you can skate as long as you want. It is also possible to hire skates if you don’t have your own. It is even possible to hire a skating teacher if needed.

I am writing what locals do in Finland. There are locals in Jääpuisto, for example me and my daughters visit there frequently (if warm weather, if colder, we also use other ice skating places).  At least half of the people are tourists so if you don’t know how to skate, you are not alone. Remember to dress warmly (mittens and a hat,) however not too warmly since ice skating is hard work!

Anna