Tiny Summer Houses Amidst Helsinki’s Urban Landscape

One of my acquaintances stayed with his friends in Finland in the mid-2000s. They invited him to their summer cottage. I still remember how he was amazed by the fact that he could walk from his home in one of the central districts of Helsinki to the cottage in just 15 minutes.

Tiny summer cottages in the middle of the city are a true phenomenon of the Finnish capital, dating back to the 1920s. Usually, cottages are located on the outskirts or in the suburbs, but Helsinki is an exception.

The cottage cooperatives here are truly within walking distance. You walk along a busy avenue, and within moments, you find yourself on a street called Strawberry Street (Finnish people, like us, love giving fruit and berry names to their cottage alleys).

My acquaintance stayed with his friends in Finland in the mid-2000s. They invited him to their summer cottage. I still remember how he was amazed by the fact that he could walk from his home in one of the central districts of Helsinki to the cottage in just 15 minutes.

Tiny summer cottages in the middle of the city are a true phenomenon of the Finnish capital, dating back to the 1920s. Usually, cottages are located on the outskirts or in the suburbs, but Helsinki is an exception.

The cottage cooperatives here are truly within walking distance. You walk along a busy avenue, and within moments, you find yourself on a street called Strawberry Street (Finnish people, like us, love giving fruit and berry names to their cottage alleys).

Cottage owners decorate their houses in their own way. Without grandiosity, but with soul.

Every garden cooperative is a riot of greenery and flowers.

One unusual thing is that only residents of Helsinki can acquire such cottages. Most houses are rarely publicly listed for sale because the demand for them is so high that cottages are snapped up like hotcakes even when the owner just considers selling.

The yards and houses are all different. It’s probably difficult to find two identical cottages. Each has its own spirit and character.

In some garden cooperatives, you can have a greenhouse or a terrace next to your cottage, with an area of 7-8 square meters. But, of course, all such works need to be meticulously coordinated in advance, as independent activities are not welcome.

Here, before entering the cottage, you have to pass through a whole oasis of flowers.

This is how the cottage from the previous photo looks up close.

There are also cottages with only a small kitchenette inside for cooking.

This cottage looks very secluded.

The sense of seclusion is created by trees and shrubs. By the way, Finns often paint their cottages in terracotta and pale blue shades.

And now the question! Does this kind of cottage vacation appeal to you? Or are vegetable and berry gardens, battling with Colorado beetles, everything to you?