As a youngster, you were probably brought up on the popular Tove Jansson Moomin books – which, by the way, are pretty darn awesome. These books follow the lives of the white, large-snouted, hippopotamus-style fairy tale characters who live in Moominland. And if you were as obsessed as we were with the books, and the subsequent TV shows and comic books, you can now visit a Moomin theme park in Finland. And you have no excuse not to.
Where is Moominland?
The fictional town of Moominland doesn’t REALLY exist, of course (although we like to pretend otherwise) but Moomin super fans have created their very own Moominland theme park. The theme park is situated on a tiny little island called Kailo in the west of Finland. Going by the name of Moominland, in Swedish, it is called Muumimaailma ( a bit of a mouthful) and is currently the most well-equipped and most immersive Moomin-related location in the world. Instead of offering rides and candy stalls, this land places you into the heart of the story.
Moominland attractions
The main attraction of Finland’s Moominland is the reconstruction of the iconic blue Moomin House which looks like it’s just stepped off of the pages of Jansson’s books and plonked itself on the ground. You can take a peek into the life of the Moomins and their house, and check out Moominmamma’s kitchen, explore Moominpappa’s secret cave, have a little play with Moomintroll’s toys and top up your makeup in Snorkmaiden’s dressing room. But that’s not all. Due to the popularity of Moominland, the theme park has spruced itself up in the last few years and added more and more fun attractions for Moomin fans and children. There is a Moomin Theatre, where you can watch Moomin productions every single day.
To take a break from all of the fun, you can chill out in Whileaway Park and sit on the hammocks or bean bags and listen to Moomin fairy tales. Then, you can wander in the forest on the Barefoot Trail which takes you on a journey over cobbled stones, water, and sand – all guided by the one and only Snufkin. Explore the theme park and the neighboring towns (and summer house of the Finnish president) from the top of the Scenic Lookout Point and then take a dip at the Moomin’s swimming pier where you can chill out with Edvard the Booble.
Other services
As well as the awesome attractions, Moominland also offers a range of services to make your day out Moomin-tastic – including gift shops, photo opportunities, Moomin memorabilia and the Moomins themselves wandering around the whole park. Moominland also provides its visitors with food stalls, snack bars, cafes and restaurants to feed the young ones, with all of their food being made by locally sourced and organic goods. But of course, there are also some of the yummiest candy stalls with Moomin sweets! (Our favorite is the meter licorice stand – how many meters of licorice could you eat?!)
How much do tickets cost?
Okay, so you’re probably already sold on the whole Moominland idea, so you probably want to know how much it will set you back. Well, it’s not as expensive as you’d think! If you buy your tickets in advance, you can shed off €1 from the gate price. This means you can buy a ticket for €27 per person online, or €28 on the gate! If you want to make your Moomin adventure a 2-day adventure, you can buy a 2-day ticket online for €37 or on the gate for €38.
What are you waiting for? If you grew up watching The Moomins on TV as a kid, or read Jansson’s books, this will be an awesome trip down memory lane. Finland is beautiful, too, so while you’re there why not take a trip to visit Santa Claus’ Village, or the Helsinki Castle?
