There’s every chance you’ve never heard of pesäpallo. If you have, it was probably a clip that found its way onto your social media feed: a pitcher throwing the ball straight up in the air, bases zigzagging up the field, a fielder chasing a live ball into a river. Well, in July 2027 we’re going to Finland to watch it in person.
Photos: Linnea Laatikainen
It’s Finland’s national sport. It grew out of American baseball a century ago and was reshaped into something quicker and lower scoring, where placement, speed and tactics matter far more than power. If you know baseball, you’ll spend a very happy afternoon working out what’s the same and what isn’t.
This is a short trip built around one very good weekend of sport, for people who love bat-and-ball games and want to see a version almost nobody in Britain has watched in person. To see how our tours work, have a read of the write-ups from our past adventures on the Home Run Travel blog.
And we’re not going for an ordinary league fixture. We’re going for Itä-Länsi, the East v West all-star matches that are the biggest weekend in the Finnish pesäpallo calendar. In 2027 it comes to Hyvinkää, just up the line from Helsinki.
Four nights based in Helsinki, Thursday 22 to Monday 26 July 2027. Itä-Länsi runs from 23 to 25 July at Pihkala, and we’ll be there for two of those days. The shape is set: two days at the pesäpallo, a free day in one of the most likeable small capitals in Europe, and a small, relaxed group.
It looks like baseball for about ten seconds. Then it stops looking like baseball at all.
The game was developed from 1915 onwards by Lauri “Tahko” Pihkala, who took ideas from American baseball and rebuilt them to suit Finland. More than a century on it has a full professional league, a long list of records and rivalries, and towns that plan their summers around it.
Small Towns, Big Crowds
Superpesis, the top division, is built on small towns rather than big cities, and the fixtures that matter fill grounds in places you’d never otherwise visit. It’s a sport with a deep, loyal following, which is a feeling most of us know well.
A Genuine Rarity
Pesäpallo is played seriously in very few places outside Finland. You can watch MLB on your sofa. You cannot watch this anywhere but here, and almost nobody you know will have seen it live.
Finland In High Summer
Late July in Helsinki means long light evenings, harbour terraces, islands a short ferry ride away and a sauna culture that takes itself seriously. A very good place to spend the gaps between matches.
Photos: Iiro Pekonen / @iiropekonen.photos
A Baseball Fan's Guide to Pesäpallo
This isn’t a rulebook. It’s the handful of things you need to sit at Pihkala and roughly follow what’s going on. If you’d rather watch than read, MLB Europe put together a very good three-minute introduction.
The one-line version: nine a side, two periods of four innings, and whoever wins more periods wins the match.
Video: MLB Europe
The pitcher throws the ball straight up
They stand right next to the batter and toss it vertically, at least a metre above their own head. The batter hits it on the way down. Every pitch is hittable, so the contest is entirely about what you do with it.
The bases zigzag
There’s no diamond. The three bases run side to side up a long wedge-shaped field, and each leg is longer than the one before.
The batter doesn’t have to run
Three strikes per turn, and after a fair hit they can simply stay where they are, move the runners along and hit again. Only on the third strike must they run.
The first bounce decides everything
The ball has to land inside the boundary. Clear it on the fly and it’s a foul. Land it in play and it stays live wherever it ends up, which is why you’ll see fielders sprinting off after a ball that’s long gone.
A home run is run, not hit
Reach third base off your own hit and that’s a home run. You stay out there and can come home later for another. Power gets you nothing.
A catch doesn’t end the play
Runners caught off their bases are “wounded”, have to go back, and can be thrown out on the way. In baseball a caught fly ball finishes things. Here it starts them.
Two periods, four innings each
Each period is won separately. Win both and you win the match. Take one each and it goes to a super inning, then to a run-scoring shoot-out if it’s still level.
It’s over in about two hours
Which, after a four-hour game at Fenway, feels almost rude.
Still confused? Don’t worry - so will we be. That’s half the fun.
A Few Words You'll Hear
Pesäpallo – the sport. Literally “nest ball”.
Superpesis – the top division. Twelve men’s teams and twelve women’s, with promotion and relegation, which takes a bit of getting used to.
Lukkari – the pitcher, though the job bears almost no resemblance to the one you know.
Pelinjohtaja – the manager, and the one holding the fan.
Viuhka – that fan.
Kunnari – a home run, earned with your legs rather than your bat.
Haava – a “wound”, what happens when a ball is caught in the air.
Itä-Länsi: East versus West
The biggest weekend in Finnish pesäpallo, and the reason we’re going in July rather than any other month.
Once a year the league stops and the best players in the country are split in two, East against West. It’s the biggest weekend in Finnish pesäpallo: men’s and women’s matches, a fan zone, music, and a host town that effectively shuts down around it.
It moves somewhere new each summer, and it sells out. Vimpeli did in 2026. In 2027 it comes south to Hyvinkää, an easy run up from Helsinki, which is exactly why we’ve built the trip around it.
Itä-Länsi 2027
Dates
23 – 25 July 2027
Host town
Hyvinkää, 50km north of Helsinki
Venue
Pihkala
Hosts
Hyvinkään Tahko
Occasion
Men’s, women’s and youth matches
Photos: Linnea Laatikainen
Where We're Based
One hotel, one city, no packing and repacking. We stay in Helsinki for all four nights and travel up to Hyvinkää on match days.
Helsinki in late July is the city at its best. Long evenings, a working harbour in the middle of town, market halls, island ferries and a sauna culture that is genuinely part of daily life rather than a spa add-on.
It’s small enough to walk, which makes the free day worth having. Suomenlinna, the sea fortress out in the harbour, is a short public ferry ride and fills a very pleasant half day. The Market Square, the Design District, Oodi library and the rock-cut Temppeliaukio church are all within easy reach of the centre.
Our hotel will be centrally located and close to the main station, which is where we set off from on match days.
Your Finland Itinerary
Four nights, one hotel, two days of pesäpallo. The full Itä-Länsi programme and match times are published by Superpesis in November 2026.
Day one – Fly to Helsinki
A short hop from the UK and we’re there in time for the evening. Make your way over to Helsinki and settle into the hotel. In the evening the group gets together for a team dinner and a proper start to the trip.
Day two – Helsinki, at your own pace
A free day to enjoy the city. The ferry out to Suomenlinna is the classic choice, or spend the morning in the market halls, wander the Design District, or go and sit in a proper Finnish sauna on the waterfront. It’s a deliberate breather either side of the pesäpallo, and Helsinki is a very easy city in which to spend a day.
Day three – Itä-Länsi
We travel up to Hyvinkää together for our first day of pesäpallo. Expect a full site rather than just a ground: food stalls, a fan zone, music, and thousands of Finns who have been looking forward to this all year. Matches, atmosphere, and the near certainty that you’ll be debating a rule or two by the third innings.
Day four – Itä-Länsi
Back up to Hyvinkää for the closing day, by which point you’ll be following the fan signals and shouting at throws like everyone else. We return to Helsinki in the evening for a last night in the city.
Day five – Home
Make your way out to the airport and fly back to the UK, with a new sport to follow and a league table to keep an eye on.
Itä-Länsi 2027 runs from 23 to 25 July at Pihkala, Hyvinkää. Superpesis publish the full daily programme in November 2026, including match times and which fixtures fall on which day, at which point we will confirm which two days we attend and which day is free. Flight times are subject to airline schedules. The advertised tour price is guaranteed for confirmed bookings made before tickets and flights are released for general sale.
What's Included
Included in your package
✓ Return flights to Helsinki in Economy Class, based on a London Stansted departure, including the airline’s standard free cabin bag
✓ Four nights in a centrally located Helsinki hotel
✓ Itä-Länsi match tickets for Saturday and Sunday
✓ Return train travel between Helsinki and Hyvinkää on both match days, travelling together as a group
✓ On-site UK tour host throughout the trip
✓ A free day in Helsinki to explore at your own pace
✓ ABTA and ATOL protection for complete peace of mind
Not included
- Daily meals
- Hotel city taxes, where applicable
- Travel insurance or expenses of a personal nature
- Drinks, personal expenses and entrance fees for any optional activities
Optional extras
- Direct departures from Gatwick, Heathrow, Manchester or Edinburgh, priced on request
- Connections from other regional UK airports, priced on request
- Hold luggage or a larger cabin bag, at additional cost
- Seat selection, so you can sit with the rest of the group
- Fast Track through airport security, at additional cost
- Private airport transfers in Helsinki, at additional cost
- Extra nights in Helsinki before or after the tour
I set up my travel agency, Travelstylers, six years ago, and since our first East Coast tour in 2023 we’ve taken groups to the West Coast, the Midwest, Toronto and Houston for the World Baseball Classic.
Finland is something different for us. A short trip, a sport almost none of us have seen in the flesh, and one of the best weekends in the Finnish sporting year. I couldn’t stop thinking about it, so we’re going.
Why Travel With Home Run Travel?
Our tours are designed by bat-and-ball obsessives, for bat-and-ball obsessives.
Tickets, transport and timings are all handled, so you can turn up and enjoy it.
A few moments from our past Home Run Travel tours:
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Want to see what our tours are really like? Read the full stories from our past adventures on the Home Run Travel blog.
What Our Travellers Say
Real feedback from UK fans who've travelled with Home Run Travel.
“Home Run Travel are specialists in USA and baseball travel, and the attention to detail shows every time. Harry is a passionate tour leader who's there with us right through the trip. I'd recommend these trips to anyone from the UK wanting to try baseball in the USA – accessible, fun and brilliantly organised.”
John, Cheshire
5 tours with Home Run Travel
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1 tour with Home Run Travel
“The freedom you get with these tours is excellent – if you don't want to do something the group's doing, you don't have to, you can go off and do your own thing and meet back up later. If you want baseball, sightseeing and good laughs, Harry and Home Run Travel is the place to go.”
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“If you think baseball tours are only for young sports fanatics, think again. As a 76-year-old recently widowed, I had a blast. We managed eight games in nine days and still had plenty of time for sightseeing. If you're aged 20 to 80 and love baseball, Home Run Travel is the company for you.”
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Tour Price & Booking
4 NIGHTS • HELSINKI • ITÄ-LÄNSI 2027
THE EAST v WEST ALL-STAR MATCHES Flights, hotel, match tickets and transfers included
Dates: Thursday 22 – Monday 26 July 2027
From, per person sharing
£895
From, single occupancy
£1,195
Based on return flights from London Stansted. Deposit confirmed at the time of booking, as airline fares are paid in full at the point we secure your seats.
Flying from elsewhere, or have particular flights in mind?
Your trip doesn’t have to start at Stansted. Direct flights to Helsinki also run from Gatwick, Heathrow, Manchester and Edinburgh, and we’re a travel agency first, so we can build this around whatever suits you: your nearest airport, particular flight times, a cabin with a bit more room, or extra nights in Helsinki at either end. Hold luggage, seat selection and Fast Track through security can all be added too.
Get in touch and we’ll put together your tailor-made package.
✔ Secure your place on the tour
✔ Lock in today's advertised tour price
✔ Itä-Länsi tickets secured on your behalf
Numbers are deliberately limited, so the group stays small and everyone sits together at the matches. Tickets are arranged well in advance, so the earlier we know you’re joining us, the better the seats we can hold.
Neither do we, but that’s the beauty of it - we’ll learn together. The guide further up this page covers everything you need, and if you follow baseball like we do, we should pick the rest up within an innings or two.
Which airport do we fly from?
The tour price is based on a London Stansted departure. Helsinki is also served directly from Gatwick, Heathrow, Manchester and Edinburgh, and as we’re a travel agency first and foremost we can arrange flights from most other UK airports too. Just tell us which one works best for you when you enquire and we’ll price it up.
It does mean we won’t all be on the same flight, so unlike our longer tours the group comes together on the first day in Helsinki. We’ll let everyone know exactly where and when nearer the time, and we’re on hand throughout if anything needs sorting on the way.
How do I get from the airport to the hotel?
Easily, which is why we haven’t built it into the price. A train runs directly from Helsinki airport into the city centre in around half an hour, and it’s cheap, frequent and simple to use. With everyone arriving on different flights, it makes far more sense than sitting in a minibus waiting for the group to assemble.
We’ll send full directions before you travel. If you’d rather not think about it at all, we can arrange a private transfer at additional cost, so just say the word when you book.
What about luggage and seats?
The price includes the airline’s standard free cabin bag, which for four nights in July is plenty for most people. Hold luggage and larger cabin bags are charged separately by the airline, as is choosing your seat and Fast Track through security.
We can add any of these for you when you book, so you don’t have to go back to the airline yourself. If enough of the group want seats together, tell us early and we’ll sort it in one go.
How far is Hyvinkää from the hotel?
It’s a short and easy journey north of Helsinki. We travel up and back together on both match days, so there’s nothing for you to organise.
Do I need to speak Finnish?
No. English is very widely spoken in Finland and we’ll be with you throughout. You’ll pick up a handful of pesäpallo words by the end of the weekend whether you mean to or not.
What's the weather like in July?
High summer, long daylight hours and generally pleasant, though it’s still the Nordics so bring a light jacket and something waterproof. The matches are outdoors and go ahead in most conditions.
Is this tour suitable if I'm travelling on my own?
Absolutely. Plenty of our guests travel solo, and a small group like this is a very easy one to join on your own.
