Essential Helsinki Free Tour

Your Guru: Helsinki
Questions?

Helsinki
Available in English, Spanish
2h

About the Guru

Hello stranger! We're Sara, Ed and Maria, three friends and Authorized Helsinki Guides. We're passionate about Helsinki's culture, history and architecture, we love showing people around and showing off the essential sights as well as the quirks of our new hometown. We're the ones with the pink umbrellas, see you in the square!

About the Tour

Welcome to Helsinki , the capital of the country that consumes the most coffee, has a famous education model and a very popular karaoke scene!

During the tour, we will learn about the history of Helsinki and Finland in a dynamic and fun way , walking through the most emblematic parts of the city. The tour starts at the famous Senate Square , where the Helsinki Cathedral , the University of Helsinki and the old Senate are located. We will learn about the country's past and how Helsinki grew from a small fishing village to a great capital.

We explore the National Bank of Finland and the Estates House , where we will learn about the politics of Finland , contemporary and past. We will also reflect on the evolution of our language, Finnish .

Before reaching the port and the market square, we will walk through the oldest quarter of the city , and see the largest Orthodox cathedral in Western Europe. Why is this Orthodox cathedral located in a Lutheran country?

In the Market Square we will talk about Finnish gastronomy , and the Finnish cultural heritage: the sauna. Next to the market square is the famous Esplanadi park , which was inspired by the Champs Elysees in Paris. Passing the park, we will see the statue of the poet that the seagulls love the most in the city.

Finland is known in the world for its education system , social assistance, and high taxes. We will be covering these topics during the tour stops as well as hinting at why Finland is the happiest country in the world .