Helsinki and Espoo – Sustainable Autumn, 11.-14.09.2025

Year after year, Finland and Helsinki tops the world Happiness index. In Helsinki, we enjoy simple pleasures: clean air, pure water, relaxing sauna, unique food, walking around in the woods and seashore, experiencing various events, enjoying design in everyday life. Helsinki Happiness is the calm and peaceful type; it’s an appreciation for how things work and the ability to pause and admire the little things in life. Helsinki is a place where everyone’s free to be themselves.
In Helsinki, you are always welcomed.

During the days in Espoo, you will meet happy Finns, get to experience unique moments, and have a chance to talk about sustainable tourism.
Espoo is a part of the metropolitan area and second biggest city in Finland. It is easily accessible from Helsinki City Centre and Helsinki International Airport. In the south of the city, you can enjoy the delights of the coast and archipelago, cultural and other events and in North of Espoo, you can experience the countryside, lakes, and the wilderness in Nuuksio National Park. 

In the end of 2024, Espoo received the Sustainable Travel Finland (STF) label from Visit Finland. Visit Espoo has been long committed to advancing sustainable travel in Finland, working collaboratively with local businesses for several years. Through its efforts to promote responsible tourism, Visit Espoo aims to achieve comprehensive sustainable development in tourism, considering ecological, economic, and socio-cultural objectives. As a visitor, you can act in a sustainable and eco-friendly manner as well.

Arriving afternoon

Meet your Helsinki Partners hosts at the arrival hall at Helsinki Airport

Transfer to the city of Helsinki by local train

Check-in the hotel Scandic Grand Central Helsinki
Meet your hotel host: Sales Manager Meri Hokkanen.
A unique hotel offering first-class experiences in the best location in the centre of Helsinki. The decor of timeless elegance and the classic style of the beautiful Art Nouveau building, combined with the hotel’s relaxed atmosphere, guarantee a pleasant stay. Scandic Grand Central Helsinki is located in the stunning historic building designed by the famous Eliel Saarinen at the Central Railway Station, where old-fashioned charm meets modern style in an inspirational way. 

17:40 Lobby call and transfer to the sauna
Meet your Helsinki Partners host Aino Mellais +358 40 708 2851
Transfer by bus to Löyly.
NB! Remember to take your swimsuit with you! Towels, seat covers and shampoo and soap are offered by Löyly.

18-19:45 Sauna at Löyly
The Finnish sauna culture is enjoying a revival in Helsinki. The impressive Löyly design sauna opened in spring 2016 on the southern tip of the Helsinki peninsula. In addition to a smoke sauna, traditional sauna and private sauna for groups, visitors will be able to enjoy Finnish food culture while admiring the stunning views from the large terrace that stretches out over the sea. Enjoy the sauna and refreshing drink on the Löyly terraces!

Transfer by bus to the restaurant

20:00 Dinner at the Restaurant Marga
We offer Helsinki-inspired flavors, from classic dishes to delightful new creations from our kitchen! The restaurant has five mezzanine cabinets available for private use.
Two bars serve a variety of cold and hot drinks, and the wine selection is curated to add some fun to your evening! Whether you’re with a large or small group for the entire evening or just stopping by for a quick bite at the bar, you’ll feel right at home with us!

Breakfast at your hotel

8:30-11:30  Workshop with Makers of Helsinki network at the hotel
Sustainable partner companies from the Helsinki Suppliers’ Network present themselves and their products. After short presentations buyers have the opportunity to meet with the representatives of these companies in an informal setting.

11:45-12:45 Lunch at your hotel restaurant

13:00 A walk to the Market Square and transfer to Vallisaari island with FRS ferry
Meet your Helsinki Partners host Heidi Johansson

13:30 Ferry leaves from Market Square harbour                               

14:00-15:00 Visit to the Helsinki Biennial at Vallisaari Island
Helsinki Biennial is an international art event that brings outstanding contemporary art to Helsinki’s archipelago nature. Guided by TBC

15:00 Transfer back to mainland Helsinki by REDRIB experience
REDRIB offers everything from a high speed offshore ride for 4 persons with maximum protection and safety available to private tours or a sunny relaxed inshore cruise for a bigger group. Experience the Arctic Helsinki on our Hovercraft safari, taking you in the winter time into a beautiful frozen archipelago. Or why not combine a RIB or Hovercraft tour with an exciting helicopter flight? Either way, you can come as you are. Directly from the pier into a great adventure.

15.30 Arriving at the Market Hall pier 
Meet your Helsinki Partners host: Anu Koski

15:45-17:45 Helsinki sightseeing tour with a twist – HELtours bike tour
a Fresh way to enjoy the multiple characters of Helsinki and an unbeatable opportunity to understand how it is to live in Helsinki nowadays. The tour works as a perfect Helsinki takeover and covers main attractions of Helsinki - not forgetting the latest trends and uptodate agendas in business and culture. We will enjoy a few delicious secrets of Helsinki’s food culture. Explore & Feel Helsinki, like locals do!

Route: Finlandia Hall, Oodi Library, Kaisan Helmi, Coffee & cakes/snacks at Kaisan Helmi

Free time

19:10  Lobby call
Meet your hosts at the lobby 

Short walk to the restaurant

19:30 Dinner at the Michelin and Green Star Restaurant Nokka
Every visit to a restaurant holds a story. A unique series of events which are created of details, also those invisible ones. However, the most important ones are those hand-picked, high quality ingredients. In Restaurant Nokka the story is influenced by chef Ari Ruoho and his pure ingredients

Breakfast at your hotel

Check-out

9:30 Lobby Call at your Helsinki Hotel, meet your Visit Espoo hosts
Paula Lappalainen, Senior Advisor, Conventions & Tourism (tel. +358 40 823 0816)

10:00 Hotel inspection at Hotel Hanaholmen
Hanaholmen offers visitors top modern Scandinavian style hotel rooms and conference facilities in the beautiful archipelago of Espoo. The hotel pays attention to the environmental impact of our choices, from the big picture to the most miniature details.

10:45 Let’s get familiar with a few companies offering sustainable nature experiences

At Hanaholmen, we will meet some local tourism operators that offer activities, accommodation, and unforgettable sustainable experiences to visitors from all over the world all year round. 

Hawkhill Cottage Resort offers accommodation and experiences in high-end log cottages. Each cottage has a sauna and private beach by a pristine lake. Eight separate cottages can accommodate visitors from 2 to up to 10 persons. Their forest restaurant Korpelan Laavu, an Tuomela Forest Cabinet close to the cottages in own privacy, are among Southern Finland’s most breathtaking. They offer a magical atmosphere with perfect meals for the occasion.

FRS Finland is one of the main operators of island transport in the capital region. They operate both public archipelago routes as well as organize charter cruises in the Espoo and Helsinki archipelagos.

11:45 Site visit at Laguuni – oasis by the sea with focus on sustainable tourism
Laguuni is a floating watersports center that offers a giant water park, wake cables, kayaking, stand up paddling and electrical bikes for outdoor and water sports fans. Laguuni’s restaurant serves fresh meals, and their floating sauna guarantees gentle steams with a sea view. Laguuni has one of its centers in Espoo and two in Helsinki.
As sustainability is in the dna of all Laguuni’s operations, they together with Itämeri Plogging Ry association started a Finland-wide charity project that enables concrete cleaning of the Baltic Sea one kayak trip at a time. Laguuni wants to offer everyone the opportunity to see and experience the Baltic Sea in all its beauty and harshness. Let’s hear more about this!

13:00 Lunch over the rooftops at restaurant Lucy in the Sky
Lucy in the Sky is a rooftop restaurant and bar. Lucy serves contemporary bistro food along with a unique view on top of one of the tallest buildings in Espoo. Lucy's glass walls provide views to all directions showcasing the best of the Helsinki region from diverse urban landscapes to natural parks. If you move your gaze to the south, you'll find the glistening quintessential Finnish archipelago.

14:30 Site visit at EMMA - Espoo Museum of Modern Art
EMMA is Finland’s largest art museum and showcases topical contemporary issues by displaying curated picks of international art and design in a unique architectural setting. EMMA’s own collections cover a broad spectrum of Finnish and international contemporary art, modernism, and design.
In the art workshop taster, we will discover new sides of art by getting creative ourselves. The workshop consists of an experiential tour of current exhibitions and creative activity around a specific theme.

15:45 Trip to Espoo’s Archipelago with FRS Finland and Reset Holidays
FRS Finland will offer us a waterbus transfer to one of Espoo’s recreational islands.

Reset Holidays will host a relaxing archipelago nature tour on Espoo’s Iso Vasikkasaari Island. During this easy walk, we’ll enjoy professional nature guidance, unwind in beautiful surroundings, and sip coffee and tea by an open fire. At Reset Holidays, the story revolves around providing exceptional guided tours, daily trips, and getaways in Finland that prioritize customer service excellence and sustainability.

17:45 Check in to a seaside Hotel Radisson Blu Hotel, Espoo and rejuvenate in sauna
Located by the shimmering Gulf of Finland, Radisson Blu Hotel, Espoo—also known as the Log Out Zone—offers a peaceful retreat with a wellness floor featuring a pool, gym, and sauna. Just 30 minutes from Helsinki Airport and 9 km from the city center, it also provides free on-site parking and easy access to Espoo’s stunning coastline.

Before dinner., the hotel sauna in the top floor is warm for you. Dip into a pool and warm up and rejuvenate in “löyly” (löyly = the hot steam that forms when water is thrown on the stonew in sauna).

19.30 Lobby call for hotel inspection and dinner in the hotel’s restaurant Bistro Ranta
In Bistro Ranta, each customer is personally served by the bistro’s expert staff. The bistro is a meeting place of everyday heroes, to enjoy good service, food and drinks.

22:00 Good night and see you in the morning!

7:30 onwards, breakfast at the hotel restaurant Bistro Ranta

9:00 Check-out and lobby call, departure to a day in the Nuuksio National Park
We will experience the wild beauty of Nuuksio National Park. This is an extraordinary must-visit destination in the capital area. Within a short 30-minute drive from Helsinki, you'll discover forests, ponds, lakes, and breathtaking viewpoints that will rejuvenate your spirit but also great amount of sustainable tourism services from accommodation to activities.

9:45 Hotel inspection at Nuuksio National Park area
We will introduce you to a local accommodation provider – we’ll get to visit their nature-based lodging options and experience firsthand how to create package deals that combine accommodation with outdoor activities in the area.

10:15 Site Visit at the Finnish Nature Centre Haltia & Finland Naturally, Experiences
Finnish Nature Centre Haltia is a fascinating nature, visitor, exhibition, and events centre that will give the visitor the feel of Finnish pristine nature and a chance to experience spectacular nature destinations under one roof. The building is highly ecological, and the services have been built around the surrounding nature. Haltia’s exhibitions, guided tours, and events help visitors deepen their relationship with nature and increase their environmental awareness.

Finland Naturally, Experiences is your go-to destination for all things related to outdoor adventures in the Finnish wilderness. They are passionate about spreading the joy of northern trekking and outdoor life and taking your customers to their custom-made tours and guiding them at their carefully planned activities, whether it is wine tasting in the woods, snowshoeing in the winter or getting familiar with Finnish mythology.

11:00 Time for lunch - "Nature on a Plate"
Restaurant Haltia serves food made from domestic, fresh ingredients and seasonally changing flavors that all can be enjoyed while looking over the sparkling lake Pitkäjärvi. 

12:00 Heading out to the Nuuksio National Park forests
We’ll discover the beauty of nature through a specially tailored taster experience of one of Finland Naturally, Experience’s signature adventures.

After the nature tour you have a chance to change clothes before heading to the airport.

13.45 Departure to the airport. Latest arrival 14.30.

Flights back to home

Thank you for visiting Finland!

Please apply for this FAM trip via this link. 

Visit Finland will review your registration as soon as possible, no later than 30 days prior to Fam-trip's planned starting date.