Credits: Visit Espoo
Espoo offers a mix of modern city life and peaceful nature just a few kilometres from Helsinki. It’s known for its vast natural areas, which include seashores, islands, nature preserves and lake-filled highlands.
Given its cultural landscape, architectural gems and natural areas, Espoo has earned a reputation as Finland in miniature.
Espoo
Population: 300 000
Distance from Helsinki:
– 15 minutes by metro from Helsinki city centre to the Aalto University campus area and Tapiola, the cultural heart of Espoo
– 30 minute drive from the Helsinki Airport
The home of Aalto University, Espoo is considered a tech hotspot and bastion of research and development.
The city is also the headquarters of many international companies and high-technology businesses, including Nokia, Rovio (Angry Birds), Kone and Fortum.
One of Espoo’s notable features is its urban structure, which relies on five distinct centres dominated by detached houses that combine urban and rural living. And thanks to its fixed position on the Metropolitan Area public transport network, many people from neighbouring municipalities commute to the city daily.
Espoo’s most important resources are its active inhabitants, educational institutions, communities and businesses, all of which share the goal of making the city a pioneer in the municipal sector as well as a pleasant place to live, learn and work.