Located in the Toolo district of Helsinki, Hietaniemi Beach sits right next to Hietaniemi Cemetery and is usually noted as the most popular beach in all of central Helsinki. The other beaches in the city include Meri-Rastila on the eastern side, and the beaches on the islands of Suomenlinna Pihlajasaari. The beach owes part of its popularity to the relative closeness to the city center, in comparison with the other, slightly more distant beaches in the city. Popular activities here include surfing and volleyball. In general, you can find more than one game of volleyball being played here on any given day.
The beach has some interesting history. In the beginning of the twentieth Century, the area of Hietaniemi, then considered very remote, was being used as a landfill, and was then converted into a sand storage area. The sand was brought in from the bottom of the sea by barges for years on end. The sand never found itself actually being used for anything, and so, the locals wound up just using the sandy storage area as a beach.