Helsinki Walking Tour: Discover City Secrets with a City Planner
5.0
142 Ratings
Helsinki
Uncover Helsinki's hidden secrets on a captivating walking tour with a city planner. Discover the city's history, culture, and traditions while exploring lesser-known locations and answering intriguing questions.
Duration: 3 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Senate Square - .
  • Helsinki Cathedral - .
  • Presidential Palace - .
  • Uspenskin Cathedral (Uspenskin Katedraali) - .
  • Market Square - .
  • The Esplanadi Park - .
  • Johan Ludvig Runeberg Statue - .
  • Swedish Theater (Svenska Teatern) - .
  • Helsinki Central Railway Station - .
  • Helsinki Music Centre - .
  • Central Library Oodi - .
  • Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma - .
  • Finlandia - Talo - .
  • Parliament of Finland - .
  • Lasipalatsi - .
  • Amos Rex Art Museum - .
  • Mannerheimintie - .
  • Ateneum - .
  • Finnish National Theater (Suomen Kansallisteatteri) - .
What's Included
  • Local guide
What's Not Included
  • Food and drinks
  • Transportation to/from attractions
  • Gratuities
Additional Information

We’ll spend three hours journeying through Helsinki’s city center, unveiling its hidden gems, and educating ourselves about its past, customs, and cultural practices. What reasons do the locals in Helsinki have for picnicking on top of graves? What was the popular gathering spot for the artistic community of the 1880s in Helsinki? How did they manage to construct a church within a massive granite rock? Where did Lenin seek refuge while fleeing from Tsarist Russia? Which sculpture seems to be the least liked by seagulls? Where were thousands of corpses buried during the epidemic? Why does the biggest Orthodox cathedral sit in a predominantly Lutheran country? Where can you partake in the most delectable salmon soup you’ll ever taste? Why do Finns continue to support opponents of the Swedish national soccer team? How has the work of a Finnish designer inspired a generation of American architects and the design of skyscrapers? As we tour these less frequented yet historically important Helsinki sites, we’ll uncover the answers to all these intriguing inquiries and more.

  • Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
Location
Aleksanterinkatu 9
Aleksanterinkatu
Meeting point address: Aleksanterinkatu 9B, 00100, Helsinki. The meeting point is the corner of Aleksanterinkatu street and Kluuvikatu street, in front of Aleksanterinkatu no 9B, Nanso Clothing Store (outside). Guide will be waiting for you at this point.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(142 Ratings)
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Susan_z
Apr 19, 2024
Amazing tour and tour guide - top notch! - Emek was super great - very knowledgeable and friendly. I would recommend this tour over and over again.
Review provided by Viator
Erma408
Apr 12, 2024
Excellent introduction to Helsinki - Emek was very knowledgeable and thoughtful. The tour struck a great balance between educational and interesting, while allowing you to experience each location without feeling rushed.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
1216sarag
Apr 10, 2024
Excellent Experience! - Emek provides an excellent, informative tour of the major locations around the city at an easy pace. I highly recommend booking his tour! This is a great activity to plan at the beginning of your stay, to help you learn the city and the sites. Then, you can return to ones that you would like more time exploring later on. The stop at the public library was very memorable.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
933beatricemariam
Apr 10, 2024
Must do Tour - Emek is extremely well prepared. he is your go to guide for a relaxed and informative tour! He made the whole narrative interesting and engaging! tailoring it to our questions and interests! do not miss the visit to the library - it is astonishing!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Joyo749
Apr 9, 2024
Great Introduction to a Beautiful City - Joy - Aug 17, 2023 Excellent way to tour Helsinki. Emek answered all our questions, had great stories to tell, and insights.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Samannijmegen
Feb 19, 2024
Insightfull day! - We were really impressed by Emek's deep knowledge of different subjects like history, geography and contempary politics. We asked him to focus a bit more on (geo)political aspects as we took the tour with a group of political scientists and advisors. He was really flexible and gave us a lot of insight in the city and it's context. I can highly recommend his tour to anyone visiting Helsinki!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Melanie_b
Dec 29, 2023
A walking tour with a difference - This tour was a wonderful way to start our visit to Finland. Emek was an entertaining and knowledgeable guide, who tailored the tour to suit our interests - something he could do easily because of his deep understanding of Finnish history and culture, and its impact of the urban design and architecture of Helsinki. It was a real joy - many thanks, Emek.
Review provided by Viator
Tarik_t
Oct 10, 2023
Waking the city with Emek. - A really enjoyable walking tour of the city by an outstanding guide who was funny, knowledgeable, informative, interesting and very professional. The perfect walking tour for getting acquainted with this lovely little city and a massive thanks to our excellent guide Emek.
Review provided by Viator
Davidhv3290ps
Oct 6, 2023
Great experience and learned a lot about Helsinki and Finland - We went on this walking tour with Emek, who was fantastic. We got to see both hilltop cathedrals, the market, Senate Square, and many other places. He even helped us figure out our train schedule for later in the trip. He had a wealth of information about Helsinki and a unique perspective. I learned a lot about why you don't build skyscrapers in Helsinki (the shadows leave other neighborhoods always without sunlight due to the angle of the sun). Great history lessons as well. Very personable and knowledgeable. Highly recommend if you want a different take on the common sights around the city center.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
182brianneb
Mar 26, 2024
Just ok. - We were not able to see the cathedral because it was closed so I feel like the guide was stretching time by talking at length about political opinions and unnecessary wordiness. If one of the main stops is closed, something else should be substituted. I also would prefer a local Finnish guide in Finland, but that is my fault for not reading the tour description close enough.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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