Helsinki Walking Tour - Small Group
- 2h 30m
- Free cancellation up to 24h before
- 4 languages
- Instant confirmation
Highlights
Would you like to explore Helsinki like a local? Keep on reading! Forget those crowded and impersonal touristy tours and join this walking tour to experience Helsinki in a fun and informative way. All the tours are be led by me, Jonna, a local helsinkian and the founder of Rento Helsinki Tours. You’ll get to explore Helsinki’s sights at an easy-going pace and learn about the country’s history, culture, and society. You’ll get to ask all of your questions, and as the group size is limited to 8, you’ll get more interaction with your guide. You’ll hear stories that only a person born and raised in Finland would know about. After the tour, you’ll know why is there a statue of a Russian Czar in the most famous square of Helsinki? Is Finland really the happiest country in the world? When do Finns gather in the market square to swim in a fountain? What’s the “unicorn block”? Is Finnish that difficult to learn? Join this tour to get a real idea of Helsinki, instead of the touristic one!
Inclusions
What's included
- Native guide's service
What's not
- Snacks
Itinerary
The most important square of the city and the postcard view of Helsinki. Here we'll see the Helsinki Cathedral, the old Senate, the University of Helsinki, the National Library and the Statue of Alexander the II. On the Senate Square you'll learn about Helsinki's past, how did the city develop from a tiny fisherman town into a bustling capital of Finland?
Helsinki's main sight, the mighty Helsinki Cathedral, inaugurated in 1852. Join this tour and you'll learn anecdotes about this famous building. The architect of Helsinki Cathedral actually hated Helsinki, what's the deal with that?What's the major religion of Finland? When do Finns gather to do picnics at the staircase in front of the cathedral?
The Bank of Finland, a building from 1883 right behind the Helsinki Cathedral. Here you'll meet te statue J.V Snellman, a 19th century poet and philosopher who influenced heavily to the nationalistic movement of pre-independent Finland. You'll also learn, why is there big bullet holes in Snellman's statue?
The House of the Estate is a stunning neo-renassaince building, were the different estates of 19th century Finland gathered to discuss politics. On this stop, you'll learn about Finland's political system.
The largest Orthodox Cathedral of North-Western Europe. Why is is located in a Lutheran country though?
This stop is dedicated to talk about SAUNA. Finns favorite past time, and that one thing that all the Finns share love towards. You'll learn about the importance of saunas in our every day life, and also you'll learn what is the sauna etiquette.
The famous Helsinki Market Square. Loved among tourists and locals. We'll pass through the market, and talk about Finnish Gastronomy. In the market square you'll also see the President's Palace and the Helsinki City Hall.
Picturesque Parisian style park in the heart of Helsinki. Here you'll meet the statue that seagulls love the most.
Helsinki Central Railway Station from 1919, by a famous Finnish architect, Eliel Saarinen. We'll pass by it and comment about the wide and incredible railway network of Finland. On the Railway Square you'll also see our National Gallery, Ateneum and the National Theater of Finland.
The last (and the best) stop of the tour. Oodi Central Library is considered one of the best public libraries of the world, and for me personally, I consider it my second living room. Have you ever seen a library with recording studios, 3-D printers, lunch restaurant, boardgames and sawing machines? Not to forget the books obviously. To finish the tour, you'll get an extensive library tour, and I promise you'll be amazed by this library.
Cancellation
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.
Reviews
5.0
- 5183
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Ratings come from 183 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.
Showing reviews written in English.
5The best walking tour !!
Jonna was absolutely the best tour guide - she provided such a perfect blend of history with current context added to make it relevant to today - tour was relaxed - she added humour and made sure everyone got what they needed - would give her 10 stars if I could
5‘Rento’ Jonna an unique breed of guide!
6 close friends who have travelled to some new part of the world for 2-3 weeks of our lives every year for the past 6 years experienced a most wonderful walking tour with Jonna getting to know Helsinki. We had wonderful sunny weather after a blustery rainy day the prior day, with Jonna which did not hurt. She is a wonderful, down to earth , humorous with a complimenting self deprecating degree humour on top adding to her endearing quality. More importantly she knows and better yet has truly an appreciating knowledge of past history in order for tourists to understand how more currents events developed and thus eventually happened. She had for us an extensive, deep upstanding of the relationships of the Swedish, Russian and Finnish peoples from prior to 1700s until now not to mention what is happening in today’s current geopolitical climate and in discussing general financial and sociological issues in current times regarding Finland ands it’s increasing diverse population. We simply had a blast with Jonna and found we talked so much about so many issues the 2 and 1/2 hours went by so fast we even missed some common sites due to lack of time although that is the information we wanted to know through no fault of Jonna. We all would have given her 5.0 out of 5 if we all individually voted . Well worth a half day excursion . Our group felt if you enjoyed a little humour in your life and do not take daily life and world events too seriously but have a true respect for those events and their outcomes you will enjoy the value in taking a tour with Jonna!
5A nice, relaxed walking...
A nice, relaxed walking tour of the city, tailored to our interests. At our request, we also visited the library. During the walk, we talked about the history of the country and the city, as well as life in Helsinki today.
5Good Orientation to Helsinki
This walking tour was wonderful. We have taken walking tours several times in Europe. Our experience has taught us that being a part of a small group enhances the experience and is well worth the additional cost. Our tour guide began by asking each of us what we were interested in learning through this experience and answered all of our questions. She took our interests into account through the experience. We learned about Finnish history, architecture, culture, language, and more.
5Excellent city tour
This is an excellent tour to learn about the city. Jonna is a fantastic tour guide, incredibly knowledgeable but very easy to talk to. The same group size makes you feel like you’re walking around with friends. I would highly recommend!
5Luved the small group...
Luved the small group environment. Johanna has a strong knowledge of Helsinki and Finnish culture. What makes this tour special is she customizes speaking points based on customers requests. Take this tour!
Know before you go
- Meeting point
- Senate Square, in front of the Alexander II statue. Jonna, your guide, has a bright red/orange cap and holds a blue sign saying "Helsinki Walking Tour". Please note there might be other tours starting at the same time. I'll always wear my red/orange cap and hold the blue sign.
- Pickup
- Everyone meets at the starting point; there is no pickup.
- Ticket type
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Group size
- Up to 8 travellers
- Operated by
- Rento Helsinki Tours
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
How it compares in Helsinki
- Its from-price is 70% below the median of the 426 experiences we list in Helsinki.
- Its length is typical for the group.
- By number of reviews it ranks 12 of 426.
- The operator lists free cancellation on it.
About Helsinki
Helsinki is Finland's capital on the Baltic, a compact seaside city of neoclassical squares, Art Nouveau streets, design shops and saunas.
The white neoclassical Helsinki Cathedral looks down on Senate Square, and the red-brick Uspenski Cathedral stands on a rocky headland to the east. Carl Ludvig Engel planned the city centre in the early nineteenth century after Finland passed to Russia, and Art Nouveau houses line the streets of Katajanokka and Eira. The Market Square on the harbour front has stalls of fish, berries and crafts, with the Old Market Hall nearby.
Top-ranked sights in Helsinki: Helsinki Senate Square (Senaatintori), Uspenski Cathedral, Helsinki Central Library Oodi.
Special offers in Helsinki
Was/now prices come from the operator, never from us.
