The City of Helsinki offers plenty of possibilities for outdoor recreation. The city owns outdoor recreation areas in Helsinki and neighbouring municipalities.

Visitors can enjoy open spaces, forests, beaches, rocky terrain, marked trails, experiences in nature and cultural history. The city has a network of 350 km of trails and about 750 km of bike paths. The Helsinki Sports Department maintains nearly 170 km of trails and over 50 km of jogging paths. In winter it maintains about 35 km of snowplowed trails and nearly 200 km of ski tracks. There are also separate dog ski tracks. The Sports Department is responsible for over 60 skating rinks and the Public Works Department for nearly 100. There are also lighted sledding slopes for children.

The Helsinki archipelago includes about 300 islands. A large number are owned by the Finnish state, which has entrusted them to the Defence Forces with a few exceptions. About one-fourth are administered by the City of Helsinki's different departments. Private individuals own about 10 per cent in terms of area. The remaining islands are owned by firms and other organizations, and a few skerries have not been partitioned. Water areas are mostly owned by the Finnish state and the City of Helsinki.