Outdoor Pools in Helsinki

There are two main outdoor pool areas (=maauimala) in Helsinki, one at the stadion and one in Kumpula. Both are affordable option for a warm day, kids are free until they turn 7 and a single ticket for an adult is 3,80e, which allows you to stay the whole they in the area. You’ll need a 50 cent coin, if you want to use the lockers by the i door showers but you’ll get the coin back after use and usually the till is happy to give you those coins in change as well.

When we first moved to Helsinki, we lived very close to the Kumpula one, so I find this smaller option of the two cosy and familiar. It’s probably built in the 60’s or so, which you can see in the layout and structures. But it was given a bit of a face lift just a few years ago, which has served it well. There is a 25 m pool for the adults, one end of it has jumping towers ( 1, 3, 5, 7,5 ja 10 metres) , a smaller pool for children and a tiny round and shallow pool for the toddlers next to a relatively new playground. I was told there is a basket ball and beach volley field too, but I have never noticed those. There is an ice cream kiosk and a cafe selling some food on the premises.

The stadion was built for the Olympics in the 40’s, which then had to be cancelled due to the war, so it actually served as the place for Olympic games 1952. The area is bigger than in Kumpula, there is plenty of lawn to put down a picnic mat on (some in Kumpula too), the adult pool is 50 metres long, there is an own pool for the jump towers (1, 3, 5, 7,5 and 10 metres), a pool for bigger kids with a small slide, and again a round pool for the smaller kids. To me this is the biggest difference though: the round pool in the stadion has a descent size and is shallow enough for even toddlers to play relatively freely in but deep enough for eg my 4yo to swim and dive in. There is also  a play area, weight lifting area, and a place for beach volley and another for basket ball. There is a cafe/ restaurant too, and according to their website there are some bigger water slides that one can use for 5e from 12-6pm during the school holidays too, but as I’ve never used them I’m not quite sure how and when they work.

Goes without saying in Finland that both pools also have saunas included in the entrance price, and as always, they are separate for women and men. No swimsuits are allowed in the sauna, but you should either bring a small towel to sit on or rent one for 50c.

If you find the two outdoor pools are too far away, or don’t want to pay their entrance fee, there is, of course, the option of one of the Helsinki beaches, e.g. in Vuosaari, Hietasaari (pretty much downtown) or Pihlajasaari. Most bigger playgrounds also fill their paddle pool up, where your kids and play in the water under your supervision. No floats are allowed there, so if your child can’t swim, you need to go in too. And if the day is as cold as today, you may want to consider the indoor pools in the city!

It doesn’t feel quite right to walk around a pool area with a camera, so no pictures this time!

Tags: Helsingin maauimala, outdoor pools in Helsinki, pools in Helsinki, swimming in Helsinki