Some of you may know that Helsinki has two outdoor swimming venues – the Swimming Stadium and the Kumpula outdoor swimming pool. Unfortunately both are hard to access from Espoo. So you might just imagine how excited I was when finally an outdoor swimming pool opened nearer to where I live.
Leppävaara’s swimming venue has undergone a huge renovation since 2013. The indoor section was reopened in 2015 but us outdoor enthusiasts had to wait a year longer. What awaited us was definitely worth the wait.
The main swimming pool is 50 meters long and has 10 lanes. The lane closest to the changing rooms if for aqua running. I promise you that it’s not a sport only for grannies! It’s something even young ladies in their 20’s do here in Finland. You can either do it at a leisurely pace or do interval running to get your pulse kicking.
There are two separate entrances to the venue, so if you are planning to spend most of your time outside, then it’s best to enter through the gates that take you to the outdoor pool’s changing rooms. The indoor swimming pool will be closed from the 26th June till the 14th August.
Naturally men and women have their own changing rooms. In addition to showers, you will find a sauna there for your enjoyment. You cannot enter the sauna wearing your swimming suit/shorts.
Please note that in Finland swimming venues do not allow swimming shorts. Yes, this is the land of Speedos! However, at the Leppävaara pools you may wear swimming shorts but they must be shorter than knee length.
How about having a go at the slides? I actually tried them on the day the outdoor venue opened. I saw grannies sliding down and had to have a go myself. It didn’t go very fast – older children will be dissapointed.
In the midst of your day or to finish it off, you might want to eat something. This can be easily taken care of at the swimming venue’s café – Windyday. They even have outdoor seating and serve lunch too.
Address:
Veräjäpellonkatu 15
02650 Espoo
I think my love for outdoor swimming comes from my childhood of spending every day on the weekends or after school by the pool in Kuala Lumpur. I even had poolside birthday parties! Those were the days..
How about you, do you like swimming or aqua running? Do you have an outdoor pool where you live?
xx
The Life and Travels of Mrs Suvi 
Thanks Suvi for telling us these details about Espoo’s swimming pools. And for your question I really love aqua running very much as it makes me feel like a child again 🙂
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Hi Doaa! So fun of you to visit. Great to hear that there’s another aquarunner out there 🙂
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Tuolla pitää kyllä päästä joskus käymään. Näytti tosi kivalta paikalta. Olen joskus käynyt uimastadionilla kesäaamuisin ennen töihinmenoa uimassa, nyt se on jostain syystä jäänyt. Pitääkin ottaa taas agendalle =).
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Ehdottomasti suosittelen. Kaikista ihaninta, mitä tiedän on uiminen (tai minun tapauksessa vesijuoksu) ennen töitä. Täällä voi kätevästi jättää auton Selloon ja jatkaa siitä junalla. Tänään maauimalassa oli aikamoista vilskettä vielä kahdeksan aikaan illalla. 🙂
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Hi Suvi,
It’s fascinating getting to know the details of how people live around the world. My parents have a swimming pool in their backyard and my kids could swim in it 9 months of the year, though adults are more wary. I’ve never heard of aquarunning but it sounds like it would be good for you. I asked my husband and he mentioned hydrotherapy being used for healing race horses.
We live walking distance to a beach and even though it is Winter, the surfers were out yesterday, albeit in wet suits. Got some great photos, which I’ll be posting once I’ve finish on the Nutella Cake saga.
xx Rowena
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Hi Rowena! Oooh a swimming pool in my back yard would be my dream 😀 But I don’t think it’s very reasonable in Finland with the long winter. So thank goodness for this outdoor pool. Aquarunning is very popular here, you wear a foam belt and run in the water 😛 There’s always a special lane for it. In the other pool I go to in winter, there’s more aquarunners than swimmers! I am looking forward to your surf photos. xx
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I’ll have to find out whether aquarunning is around at our local pool. I’ll let you know.
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Looks really lovely Suvi. We have a beautiful outdoor pool, known as a ‘Lido’ with a fountain in the middle. It’s not for serious swimming but is quite large. On sunny days it’s nice to go there and take a picnic as the gardens surrounding the pool are attractive and have lots of low hedges so you can be shielded from the wind and also be a little more private. The only problem with the pool is that it’s not heated so it’s often freezing!
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Sounds dreamy Marion! Too bad about not being heated, I’m glad to tell you that this one is 😀
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Hahahhaha! The Land of Speedos!
That pool sounds lovely! I’ve swam on and off my whole life and outdoor swimming pools like that are the best! You get to do you exercise and also work on your tan 😉
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Yes, it’s two birds with one stone as they say. Plus you get fresh air too! 🙂
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You know, I was just thinking I should google this place cos I heard about it from a woman at work! But once again, I didn’t haven to google since I found the info right here on your blog! 🙂 I’d love to swim outside, it’s one of the things I miss living in Finland – we don’t have a lakeside house or car so accessing lakes is a bit hard and since there are only 2 outdoor pools in Helsinki, they are always SO crowded! Maybe I’ll try this Leppävaara pool one day!
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Glad to be of help Snow 😉 I do think this one will be crowded on hot days but at least till now the aqua running lane has been bearable!
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I love this outdoor swimming pool at Leppävaara! I have already been there about ten times so we must live at same neighbourhood! 🙂
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Oh gosh, if you see me, come say hi! I’ll be in the aquarunning lane 👋
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Looks amazing and a great place to spend the day! We don’t have outdoor pools here really but did love the experience in Finland!
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I really am a fan of outdoor swimming. Of course there’s the lakes and sea too but sometimes the water is just too cold!
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I did aqua running for years. I love it. The new pool looks fabulous.
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Thanks Debra! Maybe you can take aquarunning up again one day, it’s fun, especially outside. 🙂
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I absolutely love outdoor swimming pools and this one looks like an excellent sports complex! I have to come back to swimming very soon and you just reminded me that (despite the fact I am at work now :P) I need to check the offer of swimming complex that is 3 minutes from my block in Warsaw and that I am passing by every day 🙂
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Does the Warsaw one have an outside pool?
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Yes, there are a few. I think 4 or 5. One of these just a few bus stops from my place.
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Nice!!! ☺
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