Helsinki Private Walking Tour with a Local

We booked this tour to get a good overview of the city on our first day in Helsinki. It did not disappoint! Our guide Maru was the best. We walked all over, saw amazing things and chatted the whole way. It truly was like having an old friend walk us around. It was as if she had known us for years and knew all the things we would be curious about. She also recommended certain pastries, food, restaurants and coffee shops for us to visit during the rest of our stay. Don’t hesitate to book it! Kiitos Maru! Ensi kertaan asti!

A shuttle from the cruise terminal is necessary to meet the local tour guide in the center of Helsinki especially if you have a set meeting time. Luckily, there was a free port shuttle that took us to a spot not too far from Senate Square, our appointed meeting spot. Unfortunately, our tour guide, Kerstin, had different instructions from Viator, so I had to text Kerstin after we had waited for 15 minutes or so. She replied that she was about 5 minutes away, and once she arrived, we set off on a whirlwind tour of Helsinki highlights. Senate Square with the pastel colored Cathedral, Umiversity and Parliament buildings was the best square in Helsinki. Close by was the artisan’s and food open market next to the smaller harbor. We strolled through the open market and tasted the specialties of Finland on our way to the Old Market, the beautifully preserved wooden structure with equally impressive wooden stalls that now hold food stuffs from around Finland as well as the world rather than the fruits and vegetables and fish and meat that used to fill the stalls. We walked through Esplandi park right in the center of Helsinki and ended up at the Central Train Station which has been maintained and whose dining area is now restored to its former glory as a restaurant with Finnish specialties, and NOT Burger King. Kerstin was informative and conscientious. We told her we wanted to return to the ship by shuttle, so she made sure to route the tour, so we would end up at the shuttle stop within 2 hours time. Thank you, Kerstin, for making our brief stop in Helsinki worthwhile!

Our tour guide was great! John reached out in advance to confirm the details and get an idea of what we were interested in to tailor the experience. It was a lovely albeit brief introduction to Helsinki with a knowledgeable guide

Evi was an excellent tour guide. She tailored the tour based on our interests. She is knowledgeable and personable. I highly recommend her.

Did the 3 hour walking tour of Helsinki including ferry to Sveaberg John was a good tour guide with lots of knowledge of Finland. He showed me a diverse range of sights of Helsinki, limited by the short time available. Very enjoyable!

Your is customized to what you like and what you’d want to see as part of walking the City. Plan accordingly for the weather!

Appreciate the effort that the tour guide put into the overall experience but felt we spent too much time talking about the shopping malls and going around the city center in circles to fill up the 3hr booking. We were on our feet the entire three hours and were pretty tired by the end of the session. She seemed well informed about the history, architecture, and culture of Helsinki as well so we appreciated that.

The guide was really nice although her french we limited so it was more a we go from blueprint to bluepront and have the names of where we are. No really history of the city. It was not what was ecpected. Not is avarage as, as said, the guide was really nice.

Marc was incredibly knowledgeable and wonderful to be around. He shares a deep passion for Finnish culture, especially Helsinki, and knows every corner of the city like the back of his hand. Truly recommend, 5*

Great tour of Helsinki. Lots of information of the city as well as daily life. Excellent tour guide.