Walking Tour of Helsinki: Discover Finland's History, Culture and Wilderness with a Guide
5.0
17 Ratings
Helsinki
Join our walking tour of Helsinki to discover Finland's history, culture, and wilderness. Learn about Helsinki's landmarks, experience Finnish traditions like sauna and wilderness, and taste Finnish flavors. Get insider tips for your stay in Helsinki.
Duration:
3 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
learn more
Highlights
- Senate Square - The landmark of the city from where everything began for Helsinki to be the capital of Finland.
- Uspenskin Cathedral (Uspenskin Katedraali) - Largest Orthodox church in western Europe.
- Old Market Hall - We’ll walk through the market square, getting to the old market hall.
- The Esplanadi Park - Get in touch with the lifestyle of Helsinki.
- Helsinki Central Railway Station - See one of the world’s most beautiful railway stations (chosen in 2013)
- Kansalaistori - We’ll stop in that square and from there we have a privileged view of the parliament house, the music house and the new central library of helsinki oodi.
- Mannerheim Statue - We’ll see the statue of the first president of Finland, as well as the main avenue in the city, which is the city center of Helsinki.
- Kamppi Chapel of Silence - Visit one of the newest chapels in Helsinki, where you discover how the design has developed and you’ll find out a unique spot of quietness in the city.
- Central Library Oodi - We’ll visit the library where we’ll get an amazing view of the city from the balcony.
What's Included
- Local guide
- Small-group tour
- Snacks
Additional Information
This excursion will introduce you to the iconic sites of Helsinki and delve into the rich history and culture of Finland.
Join this intimate, small-group walking tour to understand why saunas, lakes, islands, berries, the wilderness, and silence are essential elements of Finnish life. Ever wondered what it’s like living in a country with midnight sun during summer and no sunlight during winter? Discover the fun of extreme conditions.
Ready for some Finnish gastronomic delights? Your wish is granted! Upon completion of the tour, you’ll get to sample distinct Finnish candies, a petite gastronomic tour of the local flavors.
Moreover, I’ll offer you great suggestions for making the most out of your Helsinki stay, point out lesser-known city attractions, and recommend stellar outdoor activities within close proximity to the city.
- A minimum of 2 participants per tour.
- Tours are conducted in English at 10 am and Spanish at 2 pm.
- English Tour 10 am Spanish Tour 2 pm
- Minimum 2 travellers per group
- Not recommended for travelers not used to walk long distances
Location
Aleksanterinkatu 9
Aleksanterinkatu
I’ll be waiting in the main entrance of Kluuvi Shopping Centre.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
5.0
(17 Ratings)
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Michaelsi7091ri
Aug 15, 2023
Professional and lovely guide - We had a tour of the city with Catherine, and it was great.
The city of Helsinki is perfect to discover on foot since the main sights are reachable within walking distance. The route our guide had is nice because you get to see the old part of Helsinki first and then the newest area, where you can observe how architecture and design have been changing through the years. Our favorite place was the central library, beautifully done and where you can see the real Finnish design.
Catherine is an amazing guide, you can tell when someone is professional and knowledgeable, and no doubt that she is. Besides her kindness and friendly way to explain about history and culture of Finland.
We totally recommend this tour if you are visiting Helsinki.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
185garethd
Jul 17, 2023
Perfect Tour with Catherine - My friend and I had a wonderful tour around the beautiful city of Helsinki. Catherine did a great job, showing us all the top sites, taught us some history, and of course we learned plenty about Finnish culture. Don’t miss out on seeing the sauna on the Ferris Wheel. Thank you Catherine, we wish you continued success.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mringenoldus
Jun 16, 2023
Lovely day with wonderful guide - Following the very clear meeting point directions, we easily located Catherine, our Helsinki guide. Fortunately for us, we were the only people on that day’s tour so it was as tour we had a private guide. I am grateful to our guide because I know many companies may have canceled the tour if there were only two people. We left feeling like we had made a friend. She was highly personable and knowledgeable. Her English was impeccable as she had previously lived and worked in the US. Catherine’s ability to give us a sense of the holistic wellness beliefs of the people of Finland almost made me wish I lived there (except I’m not so sure I could do the cold sauna plunge!) We were able to experience the old and new areas of the city which showed the progress and priorities of the Finnish people under the leadership of a now highly stable government. Don’t let the tour title of a “Wilderness Guide” confuse you as this is a city tour but the guide also spends the winters touring guests in Lapland. We very highly recommend this tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Edward_c
Jun 3, 2023
Sunny Day in Helsinki - Our tour guide took us around the main sites by foot. Helsinki is a pretty small town compared to other cities, so walking is a pretty great way to get around. I loved learning about Finnish history and seeing people going about their daily lives.
Review provided by Viator
Beckyharris1965
Mar 14, 2023
Perfect day! - We had a lovely walking tour with Catherine in Helsinki, we had some information about Finland in general, but after all, she shared with us, we feel that we really understood the history and culture of Finland in a way that we never expected. We were so pleased to have a Catherine as our guide, she was absolutely fantastic and her knowledge about the country is impressive. The time flies with her! We enjoyed every single second of this tour and we recommend it 100% when you are in Helsinki.
Thank you Catherine for a beautiful day!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
K5179tvsusanm
Jun 28, 2022
Fantastic! - We had an excellent time with Catherine, we were a group of friends visiting Helsinki for the first time and sometimes it could be difficult to manage a group of excited people wanting to see and know everything, but she was an amazing guide that full filled every one’s wishes :)
Her knowledge about Finland is amazing and her English excellent. We were so happy and thankful to have Catherine as our guide, also she give us so many recommendations for the rest of our trip, that was so nice of her. We totally recommend her as a guide if you are visiting Finland.
Thank you Catherine for share all your knowledge with us, we loved you!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Yara_e
Nov 27, 2021
A must on day 1 - This is probably the best tour of a European city that we have ever done! Catherine is fantastic, the tour feels like a stroll, she doesn't rush you and she is super generous in her information, as well as tips and tricks not only for Helsinki but other cities in Finland. I highly recommend it especially on your first day in the city.
Review provided by Viator
B3953yxsaraha
Nov 9, 2021
Amazing - My mom and I had an amazing walking tour with Catherine, she is lovely to talk with, and her knowledge about Finland is outstanding, we got to understand so much about the history and culture of this country, while we were walking thru the beautiful City of Helsinki.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Marieblank
May 8, 2020
Lovely - We got a tour with Catherine last year when we were in Helsinki, and we had such a nice time in the city with her. We visited the most important sights of Helsinki, but definitely what we enjoy the most, it was when we walked to a nice spot where we could enjoy the quietness and nice view to the islands around, having a berry juice that we loved :)
We recommend 100% get a tour with Catherine, she is so much fun to be with, and her knowledge about Finland is impressive.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Wai35
Apr 8, 2020
Excellent guide - We had an amazing tour with Catherine, we learned so much about Finland and we loved all the stories that she shared with us. We recommend her 100% to show you the city, you will get to see the landmarks of the city, and also some beautiful hidden spots.
Review provided by Tripadvisor