Nuuksio National Park from Helsinki: Hiking Tours, Campfire Lunch and Getting There
4 min read
If you want to go with a guide and do not mind public transport, the biologist-led half-day hike is the straightforward choice; if you want a car from the city centre and food by the fire, choose one of the two tours with a vehicle. Nuuksio is a forest national park in the Espoo area, with small lakes and rocky ridges, and the three tours below all start in Helsinki.
Getting there on your own
The park is reached by train to Espoo and then a local bus. The national parks site has the directions, and the half-day tour’s page puts the trip from the city centre at about an hour and a half by public transport. Look up your day’s timetable in the HSL journey planner before you go. According to that page, bus 245 runs from Espoo Centre to the eastern and northern part of the park; in summer it goes on to Kattila, in winter it ends at Nuuksionpää, and the Haukkalampi area is about a two-kilometre walk from the nearest stop.
Three guided hikes
Half-day hike with a biologist. The Nuuksio half-day trip costs €56 and takes 5 hours. It has 806 reviews. You meet in central Helsinki at Rautatientori, travel by commuter train to Espoo centre and then a local bus to the park entrance, per the page. The guide is a biologist, the language is English and the group has up to 10 people. The page says children under 16 with at least one adult can join for free. The page also lists the public transport ticket, at €13 for the round trip, in the same list as the guide, without saying whether it is in the price, so ask the operator before you book.
Hike with food, by car. The Nuuksio hiking tour with food costs €94 for 4.5 hours, with 489 reviews. It starts at Museokatu 8, with about 35 minutes by van each way and about 3.3 hours of hiking. The page lists a homemade mushroom soup, glögi in winter or blackcurrant juice in summer, and Finnish biscuits and liquorice sweets, eaten at a Laavu, a Finnish fire camp. Groups are limited to 8. The guide languages are English, Finnish, French and Spanish. In snowy weather the description offers snowshoes, and in summer a swim in a lake.
Six-hour hike with a campfire lunch. The hike with a campfire lunch costs €125, with 265 reviews. It covers 7.5 km, starts at Nervanderinkatu 2 and takes about 45 minutes by van each way, followed by a four-hour guided hike. The page rates it easy to moderate, with several short but steeper uphill sections and uneven natural trails. The park entrance fee, the campfire lunch and the berry juice are listed, as is round-trip transport from the city centre. Groups are limited to 8, in English. If heavy rain or a thunderstorm is expected, the operator cancels and refunds you. The page lists people with mobility impairments, heart problems or respiratory issues, people who have had recent surgery or have a low level of fitness, and wheelchair users, as not suitable.
| Tour | Duration | Transport | Group |
|---|---|---|---|
| Half-day hike | 5 hours | Train and bus | Up to 10 |
| Hike with food | 4.5 hours | Van from Museokatu 8 | Up to 8 |
| Campfire lunch hike | 6 hours | Van from Nervanderinkatu 2 | Up to 8 |
What to bring
The campfire page asks for comfortable shoes, clothes for the weather and water, and the hike with food asks for comfortable shoes. All three run outdoors, so dress for the day’s weather rather than for the city, and tell the operator about dietary needs before the tours that serve food. Cancellation is free up to 24 hours ahead on each page.
Our recommendation
The half-day hike with a biologist has the most reviews of the three and suits anyone who is happy to travel by train and bus with a small group. If you would rather be driven and eat in the forest, book the hike with food; for the longest walk, choose the campfire lunch hike. More options are in all Nuuksio and nature tours.
