10 reasons to fall in love with Espoo
Besides being a great place to study, work and live in, there are many other reasons to fall in love with Espoo.
Everyone is equal in Espoo. We offer a wide range of services for all citizens such as services for families with children, health services, social welfare services, housing services, sport and exercise, culture activities, child care and education.
Our Service Points will be happy to guide you towards the city services, e-services and Kela - Social Insurance Institution and many other matters.
Our citizens have many ways to influence decision-making matters. Citizens can provide feedback to municipal decision-makers and officials through the electronic feedback system(external link, opens in a new window) as well as traditional methods of communication.
Hello Espoo webpage offers up-to-date information in English regarding visiting, moving to and living in Espoo. Hello Espoo Facebook group(external link, opens in a new window) is a platform for international residents to interact and share their experiences of living in Espoo.
The Espoo Town Hall Meetings are a series of interactive events in English where international residents can have a direct dialogue with city experts. The results of the dialogues are used to improve the city service development.
The residents can make their voices heard through the Advisory Board of the Council. The Advisory Board handles current issues that will be decided in the Council and issues statements concerning major upcoming projects.
Are you interested in city planning? Read more and participate in city planning.
Finland is a bilingual country(external link, opens in a new window) and Finns are generally well known for their good English skills. We are the first city in Finland to introduce English as a language of service besides two official languages Finnish and Swedish.
In order for Espoo to continue being a vibrant city, we are continuously improving our services for better customer service experience - together with our residents.
Learning opportunities in English are provided in Espoo from early to higher education.
Study programmes in English are provided by:
- Aalto University(external link, opens in a new window)
- Laurea University of Applied Sciences(external link, opens in a new window)
- Metropolia University of Applied Sciences(external link, opens in a new window)
- Omnia, The Joint Authority of Education in Espoo Region(external link, opens in a new window)
Espoo Adult Education Centre is a learning centre for open studies. You can pick interesting courses and enjoy life-long learning and personal growth.
In addition, basic art education is a goal-oriented education that is offered primarily for children and young people. Basic art education is available in the following fields: architecture, pictorial arts, crafts, literature, music, circus, dance and theatre.
Espoo libraries offer free internet connection for anyone and some libraries also provide self-service hours. You can get a library card(external link, opens in a new window) to access for example
- books
- online magazines
- 3D printers
- workshops
- events.
There are also open and innovative spaces for everyone to study, read, collaborate and work in. All services at the libraries are free of charge.
We are a family-oriented city with its safety, equality and balance as well as an excellent and affordable childcare system. Extensive social security and social services ensure basic security and quality of life for people in all situations in life.
We offer a wide range of services regarding childcare and education, services for families, health and well-being. The MONIKU-service supports multicultural families in strengthening their children’s native language development.
There are many kinds of benefits that may be available to you in Finland, such as the maternity package(external link, opens in a new window), maternity allowance(external link, opens in a new window), parental allowance(external link, opens in a new window) and child care allowances(external link, opens in a new window). The maternity package is a special gift from the government to every expectant mother – as a matter of fact, the beautiful cardboard box often doubles as a bed for the baby during their first nights at home.
We offer growth potential, business and investment opportunities. Espoo is home for more than 680 international companies like Microsoft, Nokia, Samsung and Rovio. Many international universities and organisations locate in Espoo, especially the districts of Tapiola, Keilaniemi and Otaniemi form a strong international community.
Enter Espoo helps companies(external link, opens in a new window), investors, visitors, and travel professionals to access business opportunities and exciting adventures in Espoo's innovation and travel ecosystems. The Launchpad matching platform(external link, opens in a new window) is an open innovation ecosystem of Enter Espoo, helping startups to grow into scaleups by connecting them with the right investors and corporations at the right time.
Business Espoo is a service network for companies and entrepreneurs in Espoo and the surrounding municipalities, formed by seven organisations. The goal is to increase the number of jobs and vitality in Espoo by producing customer-oriented, cost-effective and high-quality services for companies and entrepreneurs. Business Espoo gives free counseling on matters such as starting a business, developing a company and acquiring skilled workers.
There are 165 islands, 58 kilometres of seashores, 95 lakes and 18,700 hectares of forest in Espoo. We strongly believe that also you could fall in love with our nature.
In Espoo it's possible to
- cycle through a Nordic landscape on a well-maintained bike route
- enjoy sunny days on numerous seaside and lakeside beaches and
- explore the Espoo archipelago in a kayak or a scheduled archipelago boat.
Everyman’s rights (jokamiehenoikeudet) are an integral part of Finnish culture and legislation. Everyman’s rights refer to everyone’s right to move freely(external link, opens in a new window) in nature in Finland.
In Espoo you can
- hike and camp in many forests
- go on nature trails
- go bird-watching and
- go fishing and berry-picking.
We recommend visiting the Keskuspuisto central park or Nuuksio National Park(external link, opens in a new window).
There are many cultural activities for everyone such as
- cultural centres and cultural houses
- Espoo City Museums
- orchestras and choirs
- theatres and dance
- festivals.
Explore Visit Espoo's event calendar(external link, opens in a new window) and our culture calendar(external link, opens in a new window) to find exciting events and activities for the whole family. The calendars let you know what is going on in the city – movies, concerts, festivals and exhibitions that spark your interest in Espoo.
Harrastushaku.fi provides information(external link, opens in a new window) about clubs, courses and other activities in Espoo, Helsinki and Vantaa.
The metro, trains and buses connect different areas in Espoo and provide easy access to Helsinki, Vantaa and Kauniainen. HSL provides information(external link, opens in a new window) about the Journey Planner, customer service, tickets and fares.
From spring to autumn, city bikes(external link, opens in a new window) and electric scooters are fast, sustainable and convenient ways to commute in Espoo and Helsinki. In Espoo, there are a total of 105 city bike stations, mostly located near the metro line.