Senate Square

Get to know central Helsinki like a local on a small-group walking tour with a city planner. Take in the sights, culture, and history with your PhD student and professional city planner guide who knows the city inside out. Ask any questions you like.  Find out tidbits of Helsinki’s past, from the plague in the middle ages to Lenin’s stay in the 20th century. As you tour Helsinki city center, find out why Helsinkians picnic at gravesites, which statue is most discriminated against by seagulls, and why an orthodox cathedral exists in the city.  Visit many of Helsinki’s most important landmarks, with a typical itinerary (weather, holidays, and events permitting) including: Senate Square, Market Square, Uspenski Cathedral, Helsinki Cathedral, National Library of Finland, the Presidential Palace, Allas Sea Pool, Esplanadi Park, Kappeli, Old Church Park, the Central Railway Station, Oodi, Lasipalatsi, Kamppi Chapel, and Amos Rex.

Explore the historic monuments of Helsinki with a local guide, and visit sights such as Olympic Stadium from the 1952 Summer Olympics. See the monument to the composer Jean Sibelius and explore the promenade of Esplanade Park. Go to Old Market Hall, and admire the largest orthodox church in western Europe at the Uspenski Orthodox Cathedral. Then, catch the ferry to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Suomenlinna sea fortress. Upon arrival, walk to the King’s Gate and see the church built for the Russian troops. Visit the barracks and the Great Courtyard, where the memorial tomb of Augustin Ehrensvärd was designed by King Gustav III of Sweden.

If you have 3-4 hours between flights at the Helsinki airport you can travel to the city center to get an overview of this far northern capital and its inhabitants. You’ll have a chance to meet a local resident, passionate about Helsinki and its culture and history, who will help you make the most of your short time here. The guide will meet you at the airport or train station when you arrive and travel with you to Helsinki’s city center. From the airport, the train trip takes approximately 30 minutes. See some of the city’s most interesting sites, including the magnificent Senate Square and the surrounding 19th-century neighborhood. You’ll also see the unique Church in the Rock and several other places that are local favorites. After the excursion, head back to the airport with your guide, who’ll take you directly into the departures hall.

Immerse yourself in the charming and fascinating city of Helsinki which is a centre for maritime life. On this audio tour, learn of its history through visiting beautiful old buildings and hear of famous local composers who were crucial in the development of this Scandinavian city. Enjoy beautiful sights in Esplanade Park, marvel at the huge ferries coming and going in its harbour and visit the iconic Senate Square. Try something new in the country’s unique food market and learn about its daring swimming traditions. You will also see the Helsinki Information Centre, the Senate Square, Kaisaniemi Park, the Ateneum Art Museum with the Finnish National Gallery, the Helsinki Music Centre, the Parliament House, and the Design Museum. Your tour. Your way.

Experience an exclusive and unforgettable air sightseeing tour around Helsinki. The flights are operated with highly modern helicopters, which are the most silent and environmentally friendly in the world. Start with a luxurious limo service driving you to the helicopter from any location in the Helsinki metropolitan area. After your safety briefing and a photo opportunity, take off and fly above the beautiful nature surrounding Helsinki. Check out the natural state forests on the east side of the city as you fly high. Enjoy a complimentary glass of champagne as you head towards the archipelago in front of Helsinki. As you get closer to the city, fly around Suomenlinna, the sea fortress island, and the city center. Grab some amazing pictures as the helicopter passes in front of the downtown shoreline to show you a beautiful scene consisting of Senate Square and Helsinki Cathedral. Take a peek at why Helsinki is known as “the City of Architecture”, with many neoclassical buildings to peek at. Fly close to Löyly and, on a clear day, see if you can see the skyline of Tallinn, the Estonian capital that lies across the water. Finish off the tour by flying over the fancy neighborhoods located on the west side of Helsinki with beautiful villas owned by a few international celebrities. After the tour, your private chauffeur will drop you off anywhere in Helsinki.

Meet your expert local guide at Helsinki Cathedral and join your small group walking tour to discover Finland's capital.   Listen as your guide shares intimate knowledge of the city and arrive at Senate Square, a significant site shrouded in historical heritage. Pass the exuberant Helsinki Cathedral, admire the classical facades of the Rock Church and the Finlandia Hall before enjoying the brightly colored houses of Mannerheim district, a quaint canal side district. Hear about the varied architecture, a lively cafe culture, and plethora of picturesque natural delights. Then continue through the green Esplanade Park between luxury houses and cafés in neo renaissance style.  Pose for photos beside the Market Square, and scour the scenery for the Presidential Palace. Then delve into the vibrant atmosphere of the food market in Helsinki. Browse enticing food stalls at the Market Square and marvel at the gorgeous architectural offerings, which include fine examples of Modernism, Functionalism, and Art Nouveau. Conclude your tour at the market and bid your guide and group farewell.

Start your walking tour from the Railway Station Square, right next to one of the most beautiful Romantic buildings in Helsinki, the National Theater. From there, continue your walk through central Helsinki to get a feel for its vibrant streets, mostly built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Then, follow the main shopping street, Aleksanterinkatu, towards the city's main square, Senate Square. At the central point of the square is the magnificent Helsinki Cathedral, built in 1852 when Finland was part of the Russian Empire. Stop at the nearby seat of the Finnish Government and the main building of Helsinki University. Continue on towards the Katajanokka Peninsula, stopping at the Uspenskii Cathedral, a beautiful Orthodox cathedral atop a hill. Go up the hill and to the terrace of the cathedral for pretty views over Helsinki. Explore Market Square (Kauppatori), where you can find souvenirs and taste local specialties. Walk along the Esplanade Park and Helsinki’s main street, Mannerheimintie, before stopping by the parliament building, National Museum, and Finlandia Hall, a concert and congress hall designed by famous Finnish architect Alvar Aalto. After a walk through the district of Töölö, visit the unique Rock Church, carved within a rocky hill, and afterwards a have a short city bus trip to the park and monument dedicated to the most famous Finnish composer, Jean Sibelius. End the tour at the impressive granite Central Railway Station, where nearly a quarter of a million passengers pass through every day. This private walking tour allows variations in pick-up point, starting time and the route. Agree your most convenient timing and meet the guide from the port, railway station or a hotel.

See Helsinki and its major sights in an environmentally friendly and unique way aboard a fully electric TukTuk, experiencing the city in a new and relaxed way. Sit back and relax on your 1.5-hour tour as your guide drives you along the scenic coastline, and the Kaivopuisto Park, Helsinki's oldest and best known park surrounded by embassies and villas. Smoothly pass many major landmarks in Helsinki, with your expert guide and driver explaining their historical importance, including the iconic Market Square, the City Hall, the impressive Presidential Palace, the famous Cathedral of Helsinki, the Katajanokka Art Nouveau neighbourhood with the mighty icebreaker, and the Uspenski Orthodox Cathedral with its green roofing and golden tips. Best of all, choose to book the entire TukTuk for yourself, your family, or your friends to enjoy a private tour. And time permitting, stop and snap memorable photos along your way.

Welcome to Helsinki. Enjoy the ultimate walking tour in this city for cruise ship passengers. Meet your guide and small group tour (maximum 12 persons) right at the dock and start discovering Helsinki with a specialist local guide. Listen as your guide shares intimate knowledge of the city and arrive at Senate Square, a significant site shrouded in historical heritage. Pass the exuberant Helsinki Cathedral, and then absorb the charm of local Finns in their everyday heyday. Admire the classical facades of the Rock Church and the Finlandia Hall before enjoying the brightly colored houses of Mannerheim district, a quaint Canalside district. Hear tales of varied architecture, a lively cafe culture and plethora of picturesque natural delights and then continue through the green Esplanade Park between luxury houses and cafés in neo-Renaissance style.  Pose for photos beside the Market Square, and then scour the scenery for the Presidential Palace and then delve into the vibrant atmosphere of the food market in Helsinki. Conclude your tour at the market if you have the time and enjoy some local food or join your guide to leave you back at the dock on time for your ship's departure. All details will be taken care of.

Avail of an itinerary that has been especially designed to cover the top 12 attractions of Helsinki, perfect for travelers with a short stopover at the airport. Learn hidden stories known only by your guide to make your trip unique.  Get a meet and greet at Helsinki Airport, and then head to the Töölö district of the city center to see the Olympic Stadium, built for the 1952 Summer Olympics. Continue to the Sibelius Monument by Eila Hiltunen in Sibelius Park, and then marvel at the National Romantic façade of the National Museum of Finland. See where the Parliament of Finland sit, and admire the contemporary architecture of the Kiasma Museum. Gaze in wonder at the Temppeliaukio Church, built directly into solid rock. Pass Esplanade Park and the 19th-century Old Market Hall near Market Square. See the monumental Uspenski Cathedral on the way to Senate Square, and then take a look at Helsinki Cathedral, built as a tribute to Tsar Nicholas I of Russia.