Welcome to Tapiola!

Shopping and services

With its 150 retail and service outlets, Tapiola offers great shopping for visitors and local residents in a traditional city centre setting. A range of boutiques, chain stores and department stores combined with a great selection of restaurants and cafes provide a pleasant retail and leisure experience.

Located in the heart of Tapiola, the local Stockmann department store offers everything from fashion to sports equipment, children's clothing and the popular Herkku delicatessen. Opened in 2013, the AINOA shopping centre is home to 30 specialist stores offering fashion from popular high street names to iconic international brands. Finland's first shopping centre Heikintori opened in Tapiola in 1968.

When you need a break from shopping, visit one of the local cafes and restaurants for lunch or coffee. With its 30 cafes and restaurants, Tapiola offers something for everyone.

See the map to find out more about stores and services in Tapiola (in Finnish).

  

Culture and events

The cultural hub of the Espoo region, Tapiola is home to Espoo Cultural Centre which operates as the main stage for performing arts in the city; Espoo City Theatre and the exhibition centre Weegee which houses the Espoo Museum of Modern Art EMMA, the Espoo City Museum KAMU, the Helinä Rautavaara Museum, the Finnish Toy Museum Hevosenkenkä, and the Finnish Museum of Horology. The legendary cinema Kino Tapiola has been serving film enthusiasts for many decades.

See the map to find out more about the cultural offering of Tapiola (in Finnish).

Tapiola is a vibrant neighbourhood with a busy event calendar. Events are organised round the year. Tapiola offers a range of festivals, including April Jazz, the Espoo Cine film festival, and the Vocal Espoo festival of choral music. The city offers exciting activities for all ages, from busy markets to Talvirieha, the annual fun outdoor event for the whole family. You will never run out of things to do in Tapiola: the artificial ice-skating rink "Ice Garden" at the central pool is open and free of charge to all throughout winter, and the MiniTapiola city and traffic park for children is open year round.

Find out more about events in Tapiola (in Finnish).

Architecture

Tapiola is renowned for its architecture. The culturally valuable centre designed by Aarne Ervi covers the area around the Central Tower - a local landmark - and the Keskusallas central pool. Many of the buildings in Tapiola were designed by distinguished architects including Alvar Aalto and Viljo Revell. The area is also home to many public sculptures and monuments.

Find out more about sightseeing in Tapiola.

Getting here

Tapiola is located within the Helsinki metropolitan area, approximately 8 kilometres from Helsinki city centre. Tapiola is easy to access by car as well as public transport.

Driving instructions and parking
Tapiola has 2,000 parking spaces for customers and visitors.
The main car park is Tapiola Park, which is accessed from the Tapiolantie road and from Etelätuulentie.

Tapiola Park entrances:
- From west: Etelätuulentie 1
- From east: Tapiolantie traffic circle

* From Länsiväylä approaching from the west off the Tapiola junction: Etelätuulentie-Tapiola Park

* From Länsiväylä approaching from Helsinki off the Tapiola junction: Tapiolantie-Tapiola Park
* From Kehä I ring road: Tapiolantie-Tapiola Park
* From Turunväylä off the Mankkaa junction: Mankkaantie-Vanhamankkaantie-Koivuviidantie-Kalevalantie-Pohjantie-Etelätuulentie-Tapiola Park

Public transport
Tapiola has excellent transport links from all directions by metro or bus.

Type your location and journey planner will show you public transport directions to Tapiola, journey planner >>

 

Tapiola city centre is undergoing regeneration

The idea of a new kind of a residential neighbourhood, a garden city to be built in the vicinity of Helsinki, was conceived in the 1950s. The idea led to the development of Tapiola, a city with a unique nature that has garnered attention the world over since its foundation. Now work is underway to regenerate Tapiola with a sympathetic approach to its traditional values. The goal is to create a vibrant and pleasant urban centre within this leafy neighbourhood.

By early 2020s, the area will have new underground parking facilities, the new Länsimetro link, a refurbished central bus terminal, a range of new retail services and abundant cultural offerings. The number of residential units in the centre will increase, with apartments for over 2,000 residents in the pipeline. The regeneration of Tapiola will transform the city into a more functional and versatile commercial and urban hub combining the best of both worlds: a traditional city centre with modern shopping facilities.

The building stock will be refurbished, with some degree of renovation being planned at nearly all properties. The regeneration has attracted approximately €1 billion of private and public funding, making it a unique construction project in Finland to date. The Tapiola city centre will become a multi-level, versatile pedestrian centre at the heart of a garden city - a one of a kind in the country. Public transport, retail outlets and other services will continue to operate as normal, and the aim is to ensure that the centre continues to thrive and offer a pleasant experience throughout the regeneration project.

Main project schedules

New parking facilities for 1,500 cars	Spring 2016
Leimuniitty park restoration completed	Autumn 2016
Phase II of the AINOA shopping centre opens	Spring 2017
Länsimetro opens for public	2017
Merituulentie bus terminal	Year 2019
Phase III of the AINOA shopping centre opens	Year 2019