Helsinki walking tour with a city planner
Description
We'll walk together in the city center for three hours, discovering Helsinki's secrets, learning its history, culture and traditions. Why is there a statue of a Russian Tsar on the Senate Square? Which statue is the one that seagulls hate the most? Where did they bury thousands of bodies during the plague? Why is the largest Orthodox cathedral located in a Lutheran country? Where can you eat the best salmon soup of your life? Why Finnish people still cheer for the opponents of the Swedish national football team? Why do Helsinkians have picnic on top of graves? What was the meeting point of the bohemian people of 1880s in Helsinki? How did they build a church inside a giant granite rock? Where did Lenin hide when he was running away from the Tsarist Russia? How did a Finnish architect influence generations of American architects and skyscraper designs? We will find answers to all of these questions and more, while visiting each of these less known yet important locations in Helsinki.
Tour Options
Itinerary
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Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
Reviews(178)
Excellent tour guide with delightful presentation on not only the buildings and architecture, but the history and culture of both city and country. It was very well done and a wonderful opening to understanding this place and people.
What an amazing guide and outstanding tour! We loved the deep knowledge of the Helsinki’s history, development and cultural context that our guide shared. Emek shared everything with flair and made for a tour that was both fun and informative. Would highly recommend this tour to anyone who wants to reallly get to know the city!
We had a fantastic walking tour in Helsinki! Emek was super nice and explained everything perfectly. The tour was very well organised, and we learned so many interesting insights about the city's history, culture, and daily life that we wouldn't have discoverd on our own. Emek made the experience engaging and enjoyable answering all our questions. It was the perfect introduction to Finland in general and Helsinki in particular- Thanks a lot!
Emek was an amazing guide. His knowledge of all things Finnish, from history, politics, life in Finland and Helsinki in general was very extensive and he showed us a side we would not have known if we did not take this tour. He explained all the different architecture and why things were built as they were and why. He finished off taking us to the Central Library which is a must if you go to Helsinki. It is a wonderful concept that needs to be developed in more places for their residents. I world highly recommend this tour and Emek as a guide 100%.
Emek was an amazing guide. His knowledge of history, politics, Finland and Helsinki in general was very extensive. He provided a very thorough tour explaining the architecture through the ages and how Helsinki grew. I would thoroughly recommend this tour and Emek as a guide.
Our guide Emmick was a very personable, knowledgeable person. He gave an excellent overview of Helsinki history while walking around key downtown Helsinki places, for example the Plaza. He was very good at entertaining and answering questions. The only thing I would be a bit critical about is that there was little discussion or explanation of the actual planning aspects of Helsinki. I had hoped to learn more about historical as well as current planning in downtown Helsinki.
My wife and I took actually 2 tours with Emek in August 2025. One was the general walking tour and the other was the architectural tour. Both were amazing. Emek was incredibly knowledgeable. His tours were jam-packed with a stunning amount of information. He made these tours entertaining and inspiring. At times he was very serious and at others would speak about little funny idiosyncrasies of some places along the way. One of the best stops on the tour was the central library where we spent a fair amount of time. He made us want to have such an amazing place in our city (New York). We always think the Big Apple has the biggest and the best of everything, but this library sets an entirely different standard for public venues and Emek’s tour brought it to life for us. We both wholeheartedly recommend taking several tours with him.
A great history of Finland and Helsinki. Our guide, Emek, was knowledgeable and interesting. Wear comfortable shoes.
A nice overview of Helsinki history, architecture and current affairs. Emek was personable and knowledgeable.
This was a great experience... Helsinki is filled with magnificent buildings. Emek showed us how the political influences of Sweden and Russia were evident in the style of the buildings of different periods, giving us an enlightening picture of the history of Finland.
