Haltia
Haltia
4
Monday
Closed
Tuesday
Closed
Wednesday
10:00 - 17:00
Thursday
10:00 - 17:00
Friday
10:00 - 17:00
Saturday
10:00 - 17:00
Sunday
10:00 - 17:00
About
Haltia - The Finnish Nature Centre, is a sustainable nature and outdoor center and the gate to Nuuksio National Park in Espoo. In Haltia you can get a real experience of the Finnish nature. Haltias’ nature exhibitions introduce you to the magnificent scenery of Finlands national parks, as well as nature sites in the nature capital area. We want to offer our visitors touching experiences, inspire them to hike in the wild and help them forge a deeper relationship with nature. Come and let the nature touch you!
Duration: 2-3 hours
Meets animal welfare guidelines
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listingTours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Top ways to experience Haltia and nearby attractions
Are you currently on your trip?
Help us find experiences available for you.
The area
Address
Reach out directly
Best nearby
We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Restaurants
1 within 5 kms
Attractions
9 within 10 kms
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.0
218 reviews
Excellent
91
Very good
87
Average
25
Poor
13
Terrible
2
Maria Matos Sequeira
Plymouth, UK683 contributions
Aug 2024 • Family
Haltia’s friendly staff provides valuable information on forest trails, appropriate maps and hiking equipment rental. Gift shop & restaurant are all under one roof. Haltia building also has an accessible lookout point .
Guided tours are available at a price but self guided map at your own pace is more fun and adventurous.
It was raining on the day, hiking would have been impossible however thanks to the rain gear rental facility available for €5 deposit at the Nature centre.
Enjoy buffet lunch or snacks and drinks at the restaurant or Experience 5 seasonal multi sensory journey upto the fells of Lapland at the museum. €12 admission fee.
Nuuksio National Park is half an hour taxi journey from Helsinki. Explore the wilderness through marked forest trails and its panoramic nature views.
Guided tours are available at a price but self guided map at your own pace is more fun and adventurous.
It was raining on the day, hiking would have been impossible however thanks to the rain gear rental facility available for €5 deposit at the Nature centre.
Enjoy buffet lunch or snacks and drinks at the restaurant or Experience 5 seasonal multi sensory journey upto the fells of Lapland at the museum. €12 admission fee.
Nuuksio National Park is half an hour taxi journey from Helsinki. Explore the wilderness through marked forest trails and its panoramic nature views.
Written 9 November 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
rtdood
Manchester, UK937 contributions
Jan 2023
I visited Halita nature centre during the off season, after completing a short hike in the surrounding forest before it opened for the morning. The building is quite open and airy, being completely sustainable. On arrival there are hiking leaflets showing routes and trails together with other information leaflets about accommodation, transport and general wildlife safety for the local area.
The floor is completely wooden so you are encouraged to take off your hiking boots and put on light sandals as you walk around the centre so to not cause damage to the floor. There are small shoe/boot lockers for you to do this (free to use) and doing so actually means you can experience the exhibition hall a little better.
The exhibition hall itself has a high vaulted ceiling, and the floor is made up of different material and fabrics – all designed to mimic the natural environment. For example, leaves and wood, taking off your shoes will actually help this effect. Surround sound and projections onto the wall and ceiling of different scenery (streams, hillsides, forests, lakes etc) during different seasons all compliment these senses. It’s quite beautiful and relaxing. To the sides there are small areas for the children to experience what it is like for different animals. There is a small dark ‘den’ that children can crawl into complete with small bear to simulate hibernation. I spent about 25 minutes in the hall, but there isn’t a huge amount besides this area to see inside the building itself.
There is a small basement area with toilets and examples of different insects together with a research room and staff area, and on the upper floor a large café/restaurant area. I didn’t use this so can’t comment on food and costs. Toilets were kept clean, however. I did visit the shop in the centre and the products were presented nicely and all wilderness related, with a clear majority all being local and sustainable. Prices were a little expensive however.
The outside area of the centre comprises of some tipi’s which can be hired out to groups (I’m assuming for events?) and had a picture exhibition taken by a wildlife photographer all about wolves. I found this quite interesting, although is quite small.
Staff were knowledgeable and helpful. The lady who welcomed me in also pointed out a good viewing point that I could visit that was only about a 25 minute walk away. I took her advice and wasn’t disappointed in the view when I got there. Had she not mentioned this I would have missed out. One of the benefits of visiting in the low season in the morning is that there are few other people around.
I was able to get the 245 bus back to Espoo which is about a 30-minute journey with the same timeframe of frequency. There are also 2 small parking areas near the centre. I can imagine the area teaming with tourists in the height of summer so would definitely recommend visiting during the shoulder or low season to make the most of the experience.
The floor is completely wooden so you are encouraged to take off your hiking boots and put on light sandals as you walk around the centre so to not cause damage to the floor. There are small shoe/boot lockers for you to do this (free to use) and doing so actually means you can experience the exhibition hall a little better.
The exhibition hall itself has a high vaulted ceiling, and the floor is made up of different material and fabrics – all designed to mimic the natural environment. For example, leaves and wood, taking off your shoes will actually help this effect. Surround sound and projections onto the wall and ceiling of different scenery (streams, hillsides, forests, lakes etc) during different seasons all compliment these senses. It’s quite beautiful and relaxing. To the sides there are small areas for the children to experience what it is like for different animals. There is a small dark ‘den’ that children can crawl into complete with small bear to simulate hibernation. I spent about 25 minutes in the hall, but there isn’t a huge amount besides this area to see inside the building itself.
There is a small basement area with toilets and examples of different insects together with a research room and staff area, and on the upper floor a large café/restaurant area. I didn’t use this so can’t comment on food and costs. Toilets were kept clean, however. I did visit the shop in the centre and the products were presented nicely and all wilderness related, with a clear majority all being local and sustainable. Prices were a little expensive however.
The outside area of the centre comprises of some tipi’s which can be hired out to groups (I’m assuming for events?) and had a picture exhibition taken by a wildlife photographer all about wolves. I found this quite interesting, although is quite small.
Staff were knowledgeable and helpful. The lady who welcomed me in also pointed out a good viewing point that I could visit that was only about a 25 minute walk away. I took her advice and wasn’t disappointed in the view when I got there. Had she not mentioned this I would have missed out. One of the benefits of visiting in the low season in the morning is that there are few other people around.
I was able to get the 245 bus back to Espoo which is about a 30-minute journey with the same timeframe of frequency. There are also 2 small parking areas near the centre. I can imagine the area teaming with tourists in the height of summer so would definitely recommend visiting during the shoulder or low season to make the most of the experience.
Written 1 February 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gerard D
16 contributions
Jun 2024 • Friends
Short but interesting and informative visitor centre. Euro 13 to get into the exhibits, no need to pay for toilets and cafe/restaurant. The buffet at the restaurant was excellent quality, variety, and value at Euro 19. They also serve drinks, cakes and sandwiches if you want something lighter.
There is a bus stop outside to catch the 245 bus to/from Espoo railway station (zone ABC from Helsinki).
There also some nice quiet trails at Katilla (stay on the bus past Halti and wait for the end of the line at Kattila).
There is a bus stop outside to catch the 245 bus to/from Espoo railway station (zone ABC from Helsinki).
There also some nice quiet trails at Katilla (stay on the bus past Halti and wait for the end of the line at Kattila).
Written 15 June 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Birgit A
2 contributions
Apr 2022 • Friends
At 4 they take the food away from your face. Exhibition is small and neat but if full with a bunch of screaming kids running around the concept is ruined. The open air tundra photo exhibition is small, of average artistic quality and strange - supposedly funny - explanations. For us: very disappointing.
Written 3 April 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
frequentflyersuffolk
Sudbury, UK282 contributions
Sept 2021
Beautiful building, well presented exhibits and plenty to see and do to keep everybody amused. Grandchildren loved building animals from fir cones and the interactive displays. The museum has been well planned and is very modern. Certainly a great way to learn about Finnish nature and history of ecology in Finland. Very good restaurant with a menu of three choices plus salad, cake, tea and coffee included. Outside trail and also a tepee for use by parties.
Written 19 September 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hanazono100
London, UK13 contributions
Jun 2013 • Family
Haltia is brand new and billed as 'Finland's Nature Centre' so it seemed to be a "must visit" during our trip to the beautiful Nuuksio National Park. But - we were SO disappointed. The entrance fee is quite substantial (Euros 15 for a family of 4) and there is almost nothing to see once you are inside... and what there is largely consists of pretty pictures of Finnish nature projected onto walls, various screens etc. We kept thinking that there must be more (perhaps we'd missed the main room??) and that there must be some actual CONTENT or INFORMATION somewhere, but no - we saw everything, and that everything didn't amount to much at all.
The exhibition starts well enough with a short corridor portraying Finnish nature in mid-winter - nicely done, but very small and unlabelled - the only explanation is on a single computer screen nearby. There is indeed lots of fascinating stuff accessible via this computer, but if I wanted to read in-depth information on a screen I can do that from home!
Then there is a 'sounds of nature at night' room installation which is quite fun and very relaxing (there are comfy beanbags to sit on), but there seemed to be more human noises included that genuine animal ones, and the recording is on a fairly short loop.
The 'centre piece' of it all is an egg-shaped enclosure (inspired by the Kalevala folklore) with a strange art modern art installation - a chessboard, mirrors, several stuffed swans…
Fine in an art museum perhaps, but as the centrepiece of a nature museum?? Inexplicable!
My boys were excited by the idea of being able to go down a fox hole and see a hibernating bear in his lair... both are there, but are so simply done that there's not anything to them. Yes you can crawl down a tunnel and there is the bear... but that's it. The smallest children are scared and older children are disappointed and bored. There is no inspiration, no information. It is all such a wasted opportunity :-(
Some of the pictures projected onto the walls are indeed beautiful, but please - for 15 Euros??
Even the ‘expensive architect-designed’ building itself is a disappointment – yes, it’s wood-clad and ‘eco-friendly’, but otherwise it doesn’t represent anything new or inspired. Other than the woeful exhibition, it contains an overpriced restaurant (of course), an under stocked shop (although there are some beautiful soft toys), and naturally lots of 'conference and meeting spaces' to rent. There are, however, nice clean toilets (and you don't need to pay to use them). The pleasant building-wide gallery looks down onto a piece of waste ground - although hopefully this is going to be landscaped? - and there is little sense of connection with the nature all around. In fact the centre is completely cut off from the lake below.
The 'viewing tower' is climbed by means of a clanking echoing metal spiral staircase and the tiny platform at the top looks across the flat roof and air-conditioning paraphernalia of the building. What WERE the architects thinking?
The two short marked trails above the centre are pleasant enough. One leads to a beautiful viewpoint, and another is wheelchair and buggy accessible. But they are short and fairly busy...
If you have any time at all, try to head into Nuuksio National Park proper - it's absolutely beautiful. And don't bother with Haltia at all unless you want to buy a lovely soft toy or are in need of a proper toilet!
A total and utter disappointment. Finland's stunning natural environment deserves something a thousand times better.
The exhibition starts well enough with a short corridor portraying Finnish nature in mid-winter - nicely done, but very small and unlabelled - the only explanation is on a single computer screen nearby. There is indeed lots of fascinating stuff accessible via this computer, but if I wanted to read in-depth information on a screen I can do that from home!
Then there is a 'sounds of nature at night' room installation which is quite fun and very relaxing (there are comfy beanbags to sit on), but there seemed to be more human noises included that genuine animal ones, and the recording is on a fairly short loop.
The 'centre piece' of it all is an egg-shaped enclosure (inspired by the Kalevala folklore) with a strange art modern art installation - a chessboard, mirrors, several stuffed swans…
Fine in an art museum perhaps, but as the centrepiece of a nature museum?? Inexplicable!
My boys were excited by the idea of being able to go down a fox hole and see a hibernating bear in his lair... both are there, but are so simply done that there's not anything to them. Yes you can crawl down a tunnel and there is the bear... but that's it. The smallest children are scared and older children are disappointed and bored. There is no inspiration, no information. It is all such a wasted opportunity :-(
Some of the pictures projected onto the walls are indeed beautiful, but please - for 15 Euros??
Even the ‘expensive architect-designed’ building itself is a disappointment – yes, it’s wood-clad and ‘eco-friendly’, but otherwise it doesn’t represent anything new or inspired. Other than the woeful exhibition, it contains an overpriced restaurant (of course), an under stocked shop (although there are some beautiful soft toys), and naturally lots of 'conference and meeting spaces' to rent. There are, however, nice clean toilets (and you don't need to pay to use them). The pleasant building-wide gallery looks down onto a piece of waste ground - although hopefully this is going to be landscaped? - and there is little sense of connection with the nature all around. In fact the centre is completely cut off from the lake below.
The 'viewing tower' is climbed by means of a clanking echoing metal spiral staircase and the tiny platform at the top looks across the flat roof and air-conditioning paraphernalia of the building. What WERE the architects thinking?
The two short marked trails above the centre are pleasant enough. One leads to a beautiful viewpoint, and another is wheelchair and buggy accessible. But they are short and fairly busy...
If you have any time at all, try to head into Nuuksio National Park proper - it's absolutely beautiful. And don't bother with Haltia at all unless you want to buy a lovely soft toy or are in need of a proper toilet!
A total and utter disappointment. Finland's stunning natural environment deserves something a thousand times better.
Written 6 July 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
George M
Worthing, UK64 contributions
Dec 2019
Easy to get to by bus from Kontala metro station and once there the countryside opens up ! Superb trails through moss, lichen covered boulders, forests, streams and marshes. sublime walking and so quiet.
Written 24 December 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
You can explore the 2nd best nature in Haltia - The Finnish Nature Centre by Nuuksio National Park in Espoo.
You reach us from Helsinki centre by train to Espoo and from there bus 245 to Nuuksionpää. Welcome!
Written 2 January 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Someday dot Bike
Espoo, Finland50 contributions
Oct 2017
Nature centre with several very good exhibitions and an affordable restaurant with a buffet table. Greta place to start or to finish your nature hike in Nuuksio National Park.
Written 17 September 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
amira25
Manchester, UK41 contributions
Dec 2017
This was an interesting place and the staff very helpful.We had a snack in the restaurant which was very good.Would recommend to visit
Written 9 January 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tina W
Espoo, Finland21 contributions
May 2016 • Family
I've visited this center a couple of times. It gives a good glimpse of the Finnish nature during different seasons. Some of the information is interactive. Children like it too! They have a nice cafe upstairs with a marvellous view. Do go outside for a quick hike afterwards. The forest is so calming:)
Written 23 August 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your visit to Haltia!
We also have a restaurant (the same place as the cafe), where you can enjoy Finnish buffet lunch everyday at 11-14.
Written 10 October 2016
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Est ce que je peux y aller du port de helsinki
Written 22 March 2018
Bonjour,
Oui, c'est possible en prenant le train jusqu'a Ville d'Espoo et depuis Espoo le bus 245: itineraire exemplaire ici (du terminal Olympia): reittiopas.fi/reitti/Helsinki%20port%20(Olympia%20terminal)%2C%20Olympiaranta%201%2C%20Helsinki%3A%3A60.160688%2C24.958584/Nuuksiontie%2084%2C%20Espoo%3A%3A60.293637%2C24.557321/0?time=1522138192
Written 22 March 2018
Showing results 1-2 of 2
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing