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Have you ever been in Kuopio? This city in Northern Savonia is one of my favourite in Finland. Having kids during travelling, we always make sure that they have activities wherever we go. I have gathered here a few places for budget travel when you are in Kuopio with small kids. Hopefully, they will enjoy it too as much like ours or why not just join me reading this blog for a tour in the city.
- Puijo Tower –An observation tower in Kuopio where you can see the whole city. There is a restaurant in the tower and based on Wikipedia, this is the first in Nordic countries that has the revolving restaurant. Only precautions to be attentive with the little ones, while they are there. They can be a little adventurous.
2. Zoo – During summer season this is in my list to visit. There are big area and very family friendly. If kids get tired and hungry, there are tables surrounded by trees like apple and few grilling places where you can have a perfect grill.
3. Hoplop – Indoor fun for the whole year is offered in Hoplop. We visit Hoplop not only in Kuopio but in other cities too. Especially if the weather is bad outside, this is the perfect place for the whole family to have fun. There are plenty of activities for different ages. There is a restaurant inside whenever everyone got hungry.
4. Ikea – A Trip to Ikea is also very convenient. It is easy to find everything and if you have kids and want to shop without being disturbed for an hour (if I remember correctly the duration), there is an option to leave them in a supervised playing room. Age limit is 3-8, there are plenty of activities for them that they wouldn’t notice the time passing. You will have to write your details and the kids name & age before leaving them. In our case, the kids are the ones who voluntered to be there in playroom when the saw it. After shopping, there is also a very good and affordable restaurant that menu is specially considered for the family with small kids.
5. Playgrounds – There are surely many playgrounds in Kuopio but I have listed here the top 3 playgrounds where we always bring the kids and it’s very close to the city centre.
a. Brahe Park – This is called also as Pikkukakkonen leikkipuisto in Finnish and there are so many activities for kids of all ages.
There is a labyrinth, jungle gym or climbing frames other than basic playground equipment. There is a very nice walking area beside the lake too where you can enjoy site seeing and take pictures as I do.
b. Passengers Harbour Playground – If you are walking in the harbour there is definitely one playground there for small kids. Family can enjoy the sunset after the kids played.
After playing, its worth to walk around the harbour area.
We also found a labyrinth garden a few meters away from the harbour and it was definitely a place to try. I enjoyed as much as my kids. It looks small but having small kids, they know a hiding place that is challenging to find.
c. Hapelähde Park – This playground is so colourful when its summer. There are flowers everywhere beside the playground and so close to the harbour and centre too.
6. City Centre – Kuopio centre has a lot to offer. There are many shopping places and restaurants there too. Why not just roam around the city and do some shopping. When you feel tired walking with kids, there is a newly built playground just a few meters from the market hall. It was very new and on the constructions process when we were there last time.
Inside Kauppakeskus building, there is an indoor playground too.
Thank you for keeping up with me and stay reading this long post. If you have been in Kuopio with kids and you have a suggestion what I can add in my list for the next visit, kindly comment below.
Here is also a link for my other blog about wandering around Kuopio.