Staying Home Sucks, home
Erottaja square in Helsinki, Finland, 2021 June
Helsinki, the nearest town, 1 km away. Photo: Ximonic (Simo Räsänen), CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Ruoholahdenkanava

Kayak spot · Finland

Flat water: a lake, canal or slow river

Is it worth the trip?

78Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

2 days tie for best

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 76 out of 100

Wind
12 kn
Gusts
22kn
Air
8°C
Rain
0 mm

Wed 4 · 80 out of 100

Wind
11 kn
Gusts
16kn
Air
9°C
Rain
0.5 mm

Thu 5 · 80 out of 100

Wind
10 kn
Gusts
14kn
Air
8°C
Rain
0 mm

Fri 6 · 79 out of 100

Wind
9 kn
Gusts
13kn
Air
6°C
Rain
0 mm

Sat 7 · 71 out of 100

Wind
14 kn
Gusts
21kn
Air
9°C
Rain
0 mm

Sun 8 · 79 out of 100

Wind
8 kn
Gusts
12kn
Air
6°C
Rain
0 mm

Mon 9 · 77 out of 100

Wind
9 kn
Gusts
16kn
Air
5°C
Rain
0 mm

Tap a day for wind, gusts, air and rain. Full forecast

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 277, good
  2. Tue 376, good
  3. Wed 480, good
  4. Thu 580, good
  5. Fri 679, good
  6. Sat 771, good
  7. Sun 879, good
  8. Mon 977, good
  9. Tue 1068, good
  10. Wed 1182, good

The spot in one fact

  • Flat waterthe water

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know the river level, weirs or your skill.

Wind and weather forecast and score for each day at Ruoholahdenkanava
DayScoreWindGustsAirRain
Mon 2Nov77, good6 kn10kn10°C5.5 mm
Tue 3Nov76, good12 kn22kn8°C0 mm
Wed 4Nov80, good11 kn16kn9°C0.5 mm
Thu 5Nov80, good10 kn14kn8°C0 mm
Fri 6Nov79, good9 kn13kn6°C0 mm
Sat 7Nov71, good14 kn21kn9°C0 mm
Sun 8Nov79, good8 kn12kn6°C0 mm
Mon 9Nov77, good9 kn16kn5°C0 mm
Tue 10Nov68, good12 kn19kn8°C2.1 mm
Wed 11Nov82, good9 kn16kn8°C0 mm

Wind and gusts are in knots, rain in mm. River levels: no free forecast gives them, so check a gauge before you go. More

Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.

Best time to go

No month stands out

Good kayaking days in a typical week, each month, for expert paddlers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).

  1. Jan6of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
  2. Feb7of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
  3. Mar7of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
  4. Apr7of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
  5. May7of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
  6. Jun7of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
  7. Jul7of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
  8. Aug7of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
  9. Sep7of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
  10. Oct7of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
  11. Nov7of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
  12. Dec7of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec

Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.

Typical weather, not a forecast, and not the river's level: a month that is often good to be outside may still be low water.

Map

the spot and its town

Each place wears its best day on these dates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

More kayaking near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Ruoholahdenkanava

A launch on the Ruoholahdenkanava. No grade stated: ask locally before you paddle. OpenStreetMap marks the water open to canoes and kayaks. 9 paddling schools, clubs or hire within 10 km, the nearest 2.2 km away. The town to stay in is Helsinki. Within 5 km we also list 6 wind sports spots, 3 kayak spots and 1 climbing area.

  • River Ruoholahdenkanava
  • Grade No grade is stated.
  • Who it suits No grade stated: ask locally before you paddle.
  • Access OpenStreetMap marks the water open to canoes and kayaks.
  • Schools, hire 9 paddling schools, clubs or hire within 10 km, the nearest 2.2 km away.

Spots and rivers: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Whitewater sections © Rivermap (rivermap.org), Riverzone and Jonathan Riddell, ODbL.

The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).

Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,400–US$2,640 each

about US$1,400–US$2,640 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, stay, food, kayak hire.

Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to HEL, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$489–US$1,020
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$40–US$67
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$342–US$576
Food7 days eating outabout US$335–US$623
Kayak hire5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$194–US$355
Totalabout US$1,400–US$2,640

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Helsinki

Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn

Closest

Helsinki

about 5 min by car · 164 places to stay

about US$127/nightcountry average

See 164 places to stay in Helsinki · Booking.com

About Helsinki its beds, food and every spot near it

About US$127 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.

Getting there: about 14h 05m

About 14h 05m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → HEL, direct, then 40 min by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.

On the water

Paddling schools, clubs and hire nearby

The nearest named schools, clubs and kayak or canoe hire within 25 km, in a straight line. Listings, not a recommendation. Schools, clubs and hire: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Credits