Welcome to The Urban Explorer blog! We have stories about urban exploration from around the world, from interesting public places to hidden, exploded bunkers with rebar pointing all the wrong ways. The Urban Explorer has explored 287 places in 37 countries. You can also click on the map below to see where in the world they took place.
The Urban Explorer articles appeared originally in the Blogspot Planetskier series, at TGR posts, or at the Relaa website. See also the articles about skiing, climbing, cycling, caving, flying, swimming, and saunas.
All urban exploration-related articles:
| Paavola bay swim Now this is an official beach and marked on the Finnish map as such. But I have to say it is far out and probably not used by anyone. Google doesn't know about it, for instance. Except when we started undressing on the pier, three people walking showed up, and boats parked in front of the beach! Full story Alternate link September 2026, Paavolansalmen uimaranta, Lohjansaari, Lohja, Finland; Paavolan Tammi, Lohjansaari, Lohja, Finland Swimming (Outdoor, Water, Waterbody-Lake, Beach); Hiking; Urban-Exploration (Other) | |
| Sandfjärden Today I returned to the same nature area as yesterday's wonderful swim in Sandvik was at. Today's beach was Sandfjärden, the beach next to Kopparnäs parking lot and the grill, hut and other facilities there. This one is likely going to have other people, but is indeed easy to reach. Full story Alternate link September 2026, Sandfjärden, Kopparnäs, Inkoo, Finland; Rauniot, Kopparnäs, Inkoo, Finland Swimming (Water, Waterbody-Sea, Beach, Outdoor); Hiking; Urban-Exploration (Ruins) | |
| Naisvuoren uimahalli (Swimming hall of the Women's Mountain) After another sweaty cave exploration, I had to get the sweat off. I was returning from Punkaharja back home to Kauniainen, but splitting the drive to two days by stopping for the night in Mikkeli. I always love the underground swimming halls (like those in Itäkeskus or Tampere), so now it was time for another one: the Naisvuoren uimahalli in Mikkeli. Deep inside the rocky hill in the middle of the city, home to gyms, swimming hall, and WWII-era command centers. Interesting place, must be like Swiss cheese inside that hill! Full story Alternate link August 2026, Naisvuoren uimahalli, Mikkeli, Finland Swimming (Water, Indoor, Waterbody-Pool); Sauna (Normal); Urban-Exploration (Bunkers) | |
| Stevnsfort's massive cold war bunker On my trip to Copenhagen to ski (see separate article, alt. link) I also wanted to go underground. Sadly, Danish caves are in short supply, only on a remote island Bornholm. However, there are bunkers... while my visit first was going badly, it turned out to be a spectacular success! Not only did I get an in-person tour of the bunker, but I also got visit a secret sea shore beach from the bunker's under-the-cliff exit, and also got to see small sea caves! Full story Alternate link July 2026, Stevnsfort Cold War Museum, Rødvig Stevns, Denmark; Stevns Klint Beach Cave, Rødvig Stevns, Denmark Urban-Exploration (Military, Bunkers); Caving (Basic, Rock, Rock-Limestone, Morphology-Erosion, Surveying) | |
| Aulanko swim and (man-made) bear cave Another after-work evening activity: visiting Aulanko's spa (hosted by the Scandic hotel Aulanko). This is a historic spa location, the old spa building is still there but today's spa visits are in the new fancy building. I had also heard about "bear cave" in the adjoining Aulanko nature park. Full story Alternate link May 2026, Kylpylä Scandic Aulanko, Aulanko, Hämeenlinna, Finland; Karhuluola, Aulanko, Hämeenlinna, Finland Swimming (Indoor, Outdoor, Waterbody-Pool, Water); Sauna (Normal, Infrared, Steam); Caving (Basic, Rock, Rock-Granite, Man-Made); Urban-Exploration (Other) | |
| Bath Baths Two spas, separated by one block and two thousand years. One you can't swim in because it is dangerous, and one you can swim in. If you are a guest at the hotel, that is. Full story Alternate link May 2026, Roman Baths, Bath, United Kingdom; The Gainsborough Bath Spa, Bath, United Kingdom Swimming (None); Urban-Exploration (Ruins, Historic); Swimming (Indoor, Water, Waterbody-Pool); Sauna (Normal, Steam, Infrared) | |
| Linear Park Tunnels Bath. The Linear Park is a biking and pedestrian path or park in the outskirts of the city, built on an abandoned railway line and tunnels. There are two tunnels, the first one being shorter and the second one longer, together more than two kilometers long. Full story Alternate link May 2026, Devonshire Tunnel, Bath, United Kingdom Urban-Exploration (Tunnels, Railways); Caving (Basic, Man-Made) | |
| Kruunusillat (Crown Bridges) joined the grand opening of the Kruunuvuoren silta (the bridge of the Kruunuvuori, or Crown Mountain). It was opened on April 18, 2026, after years of construction and decades of planning. A stunning bridge! Full story Alternate link April 2026, Kruunuvuoren silta, Helsinki, Finland Urban-Exploration (Bridges) | |
| Catalonia caves I After working several weeks straight with not even weekends free, I thought I would be completely free today and can just leisurely drive around the Pyrenees and look for interesting stuff. Well, it turned out that I still had to listen to some conference calls while driving. But it was an interesting drive in the canyons leading towards the northern border. And I was hunting some caves. Turned out I didn't really properly find the caves that I was looking for but did find some other interesting ones :-) Full story Alternate link March 2026, Cova de l'Arena, La Maçana, Spain; Cova de l'Arena mini cave, La Maçana, Spain; Cova de l'Arena tunnel, La Maçana, Spain; Central hidroelèctrica d'Alòs de Balaguer, Riu Segre, Spain; Cova de la Figuera, La Maçana, Spain; Forat de l'Or, Camarasa, Spain Caving (Basic, Rock, None); Caving (Basic, Rock, Surveying); Caving (Basic, Rock); Urban-Exploration (Tunnels); Urban-Exploration (Industrial) | |
| Lubja caves in Tallinn Viimsi Koobas, or the caves of Viimsi, are a man-made set of tunnels on a cliff face rising near the Vimka - Viimsi Mäepark ski hill. There may be more than one tunnel and the tunnels are supposed to be longer, but I think they have been filled with sand or collapsed, as I was able to find only one about 13 meter long tunnel. Nice visit still, though. Full story Alternate link January 2026, Viimsi Koobas, Lubja, Viimsi, Estonia Caving (Basic, Rock, Man-Made); Urban-Exploration (Tunnels) | |
| First day, first ski resort This is the first day of the year, and I am at my first ski resort. Not just the first of the year, but my actual first ski resort that I skied at age 7 ... or 8, can't quite remember. In any case, a few years ago. A few decades ago... five. Uh. Anyway, a really nice experience once again. And a very nice local ski hill that trains little kids to ski and to race, like it did back when I was here the last time. Wonderful. Full story Alternate link January 2026, Kokonniemen hiihtokeskus, Porvoo, Finland; Kokonniemen tykkiaseman rauniot, Porvoo, Finland Skiing (Outdoor, Snow, Lifts); Urban-Exploration (Ruins, Military) | |
| Day trip to Tallinn snow, caves, and water I'm collecting things. Or rather experiences. Or visits to places. Ski resorts, swimming halls, caves... preferably as many as possible. Could I do a one day trip to Tallinn for some of the closest ski hills, caves, and spas that I had not yet visited? How many could I do in one day? Full story Alternate link January 2026, Vimka - Viimsi Mäepark, Lubja, Viimsi, Estonia; Nõmme Lumepark, Mustamäe, Tallinn, Estonia; Viimsi Koobas, Lubja, Viimsi, Estonia; Naage Koopad, Naage, Estonia; Elamus Spa, Tallinn, Estonia Skiing (Outdoor, Snow, Lifts); Caving (Basic, Man-Made, Rock, Surveying); Urban-Exploration (Tunnels); Caving (Basic, Rock, Surveying); Swimming (Water, Waterbody-Pool, Indoor); Sauna (Normal, Steam) | |
| Amethyst mine and spa In Luosto -- near the better known Pyhä ski resort -- there's an amethyst mine that runs tourist digging tours. In the summer you may hike to the mine, but in the winter the better option is to take a ride on a snowcat " Amethyst Pendolino" and visit the mine. A visit includes the ride, a presentation about the history and purpose of the mine, and then you get to .. digging. You may take the smallest finds home, and everybody is guaranteed a find. And afterwards you might also visit the Amethyst Spa, a Lapland Hotels Luostotunturi resort who has a spa with an amethyst theme. Full story Alternate link December 2025, Ametistikaivos, Luosto, Finland; Ametistikylpylä, Luosto, Finland Urban-Exploration (Mines); Sauna (Normal); Swimming (Indoor, Water, Waterbody-Pool) | |
| Vršac castle and the Helvecija 1880 spa Vršac is a small city in northeastern Serbia, close to the Romanian border. The city has been built on the foothills of a striking hill, and on the top of the hill there's a castle dating back to 1439. It has been abandoned for centuries, but reconstruction started in 2009. The main tower of the castle is today in good condition, other parts remain as ruins. Full story Alternate link August 2025, Vršac castle, Vršac, Serbia; Helvecija 1880, Vršac, Serbia Urban-Exploration (Historic, Castles, Ruins); Swimming (Indoor, Waterbody-Pool); Sauna (Normal, Steam) | |
| Gaura cu Muscă cave in Romania I had two choices for visiting a cave. One was reportedly larger, but also came with a river crossing on foot, hiking through bushes known to have venomous snakes, and a 10-meter vertical cliff climb without protection. I chose the other one, Gaura cu Muscă, or the "Cave of the Flies". This cave was supposed have an easy path to follow from the road. Yet, that easy path turned out to be not so obvious, so after hiking 50 meters up and gotten to an increasingly unstable and sketchy mountainside path, I gave up. But on the way back I realized there were alternate paths, and one of them lead to the actual cave. The views from inside this cave's oval-shaped entrance holes, over the Danube were nothing short of stunning! Full story Alternate link August 2025, Gaura cu Muscă mai jos, Coronini, Romania; Gaura cu Muscă de sus, Coronini, Romania; Golubac fortress, Golubac, Serbia; St. Laszlo Fortress, Coronini, Romania Caving (Basic, Rock, Morphology-Karst, Swimming, Surveying); Urban-Exploration (Ruins, Castles, Historic); Urban-Exploration (None, Ruins, Castles, Historic) | |
| Underground rivers of Flåm While going on the Flåm railway (see the other article), I noticed that on Google Maps there was a marking for a "cave waterfall", Grottefossen-Høgabru. I saw it briefly when the train drove by, the river entered the mountain and came out shortly thereafter on the other side. And there was an additional similar underground water flow after the Kjosfossen waterfall, under the station. These seem man-made, however, as in both cases the water is taking a different direction to bypass the station or the bank that the rails were on. Full story Alternate link June 2025, Grottefossen-Høgabru, Flåm, Norway; Kjosfossen station, Flåm, Norway Travel; Urban-Exploration (Tunnels, Railways); Caving (Man-Made, None) | |
This is the 1th set of articles. The next sets are set 2, set 3, set 4, set 5, set 6, set 7, set 8, set 9, set 10, set 11, set 12, and set 13.