Make exercise memorable as you travel
Exercising while traveling doesn't have to be dull. Here are some tips for memorable activities at our destinations!
Why train indoors, when being outdoors allows you to not only enjoy the cleanest air in the world, but to also get to know the local lifestyle?
The seaside routes in both Helsinki and Espoo offer fantastic opportunities for exercise. You can plan your walks using the walking and cycling route guide, for example, while My Helsinki has listed the best path running routes.
Or would you be more interested in breaking a sweat at an outdoor gym?
At the free Street Workout point at Hernesaarenranta in Helsinki (Hernesaarenranta 4), you can do an extensive workout using just your bodyweight. In the nearby Eira Open Air exercise container, you can exercise while enjoying seaside views for a single fee of EUR 10. Pirkkola Sports Park, located along Helsinki Central Park’s jogging routes, is a veritable exercise buff's oasis with its outdoor gym and diverse exercise opportunities, while Leppävaara Sports Park offers exercise of all sorts for those staying in Espoo.
We also recommend hopping on one of the popular yellow Alepa city bicycles!
As you register for the service, you get a personal cyclist ID and PIN code for retrieving a bike. You can use a bike for one day for EUR 5, and one week of cycling costs EUR 10. You can have an unlimited number of trips, each one lasting a maximum of 30 minutes, and the range of the bikes is quite vast—there are about 250 city bike stations in Helsinki and Espoo and ten times as many bikes. You may also borrow our own hotel bikes on a "first come, first served" basis.
A CHALLENGE FOR YOU: A PLAYFUL MINI-TRIATHLON
ROUTE 1: ACTIVE TOURIST
Start from Allas Sea Pool, where you can swim a distance of your choice, either in the 27-degree freshwater pool or the refreshing seawater pool. There's no need to rush, so you can take your time in the sauna and admire the enormous cruise liners at the port, the bustle of the Market Square and the adjacent Presidential Palace.
Next, it's time to grab a vehicle that has become hugely popular among the citizens of Helsinki—the city bike. Ride along the seaside for about four kilometres until you get to Hernesaari. This leg, too, can be done slowly, savouring the diverse selection of cafés by the sea. Along this route, you will find places like the atmospheric café-restaurant Birgitta Hernesaari and the unique city oasis Löyly. The seawater spa Löyly again offers an opportunity to go to the sauna, and you can cool down by jumping in the refreshing sea.
The last leg is a jog. The distance "back home" from Hernesaari is about two kilometres if you're staying at GLO Hotel Art or about three kilometres if you're in GLO Hotel Kluuvi in the centre of Helsinki.
ROUTE 2: IRON TOURIST
The slightly tougher route starts from Allas Sea Pool, just like the more relaxed sprint version. The running challenge is a bit heavier, however: Kauppatori – Eteläsatama – Tähtitorninmäki – Kaivopuisto – Hernesaaren ranta (Löyly) – Hietalahden kauppahalli; in other words, about 6–8 kilometres depending on your choice of route. Finally, grab a city bike and cycle the "full" distance of about ten kilometres from Helsinki to Leppävaara. Most of this route can also be taken through fantastic seaside scenery. If you're staying at GLO Hotel Sello, you're already there! If you're staying at one of the hotels in Helsinki centre, you can ride back to the Helsinki Central Railway Station by train.
