Tour

Helsinki Sightseeing Tour

A 105 minutes tour of Helsinki that details out all the major monuments of the city and both picks and drops you to your hotel. This tour service takes tourists to Senate Square, City Hall, Parliament of Finland, Opera House, Church in the Rock and Finlandi Hall. Detailed narrations of the history and importance of the monuments and places is given, which is beneficial for first time visitors. It is known for good organization and trained tour guides. Approximately $37 is charged per person.

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Overview & visitor information

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The Czar Route tour

Activity

This is a Cultural tour operated for 9 days for an hour each day. The tour takes you to the bordering countries of Finland as well. However, if you wish to stay within Helsinki you can cancel the other parts of the journey or negotiate on reasonable terms. The tour would take you around the downtown area, Finlandia Hall, Parliament Building, Sebilius Monument, the most famous churches of the city and the nearby islands. The company provides a complete pick and drop service to and from your hotel. Phone:+37167554600 Fax: +37167554600

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Helsinki Audio City Tour

Activity

This tour is set on a very unique pattern. It is self guided and tourists find their way around monuments with an audio guide CD that acts as their tour guide for the city. The CDs are designed in a very creative way including sound effects that add life to the tour and ‘humanize’ ancient monuments such as the Parliament House, a few of the important Churches and the Opera House to name a few. The entire session is for 90 minutes and the tour has a cost of about $ 36 per person.

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Helsinki card

Activity

A very smart move as a tourist would be to invest in a Helsinki Card. This card is designed especially for tourists to use it on all modes of travel and to roam around the adventurous city in peace without worrying of transport charges. The card has a certain number of trams and metros covered within it. This kind of tour is an independent choice that the tourist makes on his own of where and when to visit. Another advantage of the card is free entrance in major museums and cultural sites. Along with the card comes a guide book and a map that helps you around the city while you explore it. It is valid for one day.

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Helsinki on foot and bike

Activity

Biking around Helsinki is a very popular way to visit major attractions and monuments. It frees the tourists from parking worries or following time restrictions of tour operators. If you are traveling alone and wish to be in charge of your own timing and destinations biking is the right choice for you. Exploring the city on foot gets tiring for most people. However, if you plan to visit one neighborhood at a time, you can easily chose to walk around and take in the natural beauty of the capital.

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Helsinki Water Tour

Activity

Helsinki is not named ‘Daughter of the Baltic’ for no reason. It is surrounded on three sides by water and travelling via the sea is a vital part of exploring the history and culture of the Finnish Capital. Ferries and boats depart from the main city from the Market Square and take you across to the beautiful islands that hold a huge chunk of Finnish history. The following are a few water travel contacts that you can use:

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Annantalo

Activity

Helsinki’s Cultural Office runs this special program for children to keep them entertained during their holidays. Annantalo is an art center that is filled with children learning basic art techniques, attending small exhibitions, workshops and dance performances.

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Children’s Museum

Museum

This is part of the Helsinki City Museum that holds exhibitions with and for children. To keep them engaged, the Museum holds exhibitions under attractive names like Guinea Pig, where children are told about the animals found in Helsinki. There are colorful displays of cows and fish and children are allowed to have sensory experiences as well, for example they are taught and shown how to milk a cow.

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Kids and Teens- Finnish Opera

Activity

The National Opera runs special programs for children featuring exciting stories and documentaries to promote learning and creativity.

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Helsinki Zoo

zoo

Located on the Korkeasaari Island, Helsinki Zoo is the biggest attraction for children in Finland. The Zoo covers hundreds of acres of land and has a collection of animals and birds. Children love looking at the animals while they feed them and marvel at their size and colors! Many engaging activities have also been developed for kids in the Sea Life section of the Zoo such as having your child’s birthday celebrated there!

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Esplanadi Park

Park

Esplanadi Park is located right in the center of Helsinki with lush green lawns that are crowded by both locals and tourists in the summer months. The park also offers a picnic place for people to get together and spend the day out with friends and family.

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Senate Square

Palace

Senate Square is the most popular destination within Helsinki. It was built by a famous Russian architect, Carl Ludvig Engel(1778-1840). Today the Senate Square houses concerts, events and a site seeing tour. The Square occupies a huge area and has a number of monuments and important buildings located on all four sides.

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Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art

Museum

This Museum has all the contemporary work of Finnish artists and those from neighboring countries. The place also hosts various exhibitions around the year to entertain tourists and to display the cultural and historic side of Finland. The museum building itself is a work of art and is worth a visit on your trip to Helsinki. Entrance fee for adults is 7 Euros while for students it is 5 Euros. Visitors under 18 are admitted free of charge and the first Wednesday of each month is free for all from 5pm to 8 pm! Opening times: Tuesday 10am to 5pm; Wednesday to Sunday 10am to 8 30pm; Monday closed. Address: Mannerheiminaukio 2, Phone: +358 9 1733 6501

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Tennispalatsi

Plaza

This complex is a cultural center located in the Kammpi area of the city center. The place houses a lot of shops, a multi Cineplex called ‘Finkino’, an Art Museum, Tennis Palace and the Museum of Cultures. Tennispalatsi has had a rich history in the sports arena as well. Back in 1938 it was constructed as a center for the Olympic Games held in 1940 and later was the ground for a few basketball games in the 1952 Olympics.

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Three Smiths Statue

Statue

Rich art is depicted in every alley way and intersection of Helsinki. The Three Smiths Statue is a famous sculpture carved by Felix Nylund at the intersection of the two most famous streets of Helsinki, Aleksanterinkatu and Mannerheimintie. The statue was attacked in the war in 1944 and damaged areas are still visible. Within the city, The Three Smiths is a popular meeting place for people.

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Statue of Mannerheim

Statue

Situated along the Mannerheim Street in the heart of Helsinki is this statue of the great Finnish Military leader, Carl Gustav Emil Mannerheim. The statue is a very famous cultural landmark for Helsinkians.

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Sasso

Sasso offers one of the best Italian 3 course meals in town. The Italian culture of enjoying food and wine while chit chatting is evident here at Sasso, so if you’re looking for a quiet evening this is not the place to be. The chef holds back nothing in perfecting the order you place. The wine collection is also one of the best in Helsinki so make sure you order one for starters or the main courseYou will certainly leave with good Italian memories once you visit Sasso!

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La Petite Maison

One of the more upscale and modern French restaurants in Helsinki, La Petite has delicious French food and the way it’s presented makes it even more mouth watering. The chefs and staff are highly trained in making customers feel welcome. The restaurant has the best collection of wines that will leave you wanting more!

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Yume

Yume has introduced Helsinki to a new way of dining with exquisite flowers, a very sophisticated dining hall and an elaborate wine and steak list. Just sitting in the restaurant makes you feel peaceful and close to nature. Japanese food is served at its best at Yume with a choice of tailoring your own appetizers and main courses by selecting which spices and herbs you prefer. The Japanese culture of ‘mix and match’ is highly promoted and diners are encouraged to create their own meals.

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Restaurant Walhalla

This restaurant is atop a hill on the island of Suomenlinna in Helsinki. The place has a touch of elegance and class amidst the fortified island that has had a dark past. Walhalla has a lot of Finnish specialties to serve. Needless to say the best quality ingredients are used and food is prepared to perfection. Among the most famous dishes are salmon soup, reindeer, lamb and grilled duck.

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Chez Dominique

One of the best restaurants in Helsinki in terms of food and décor is Chez Dominique. The place offers excellent French food prepared by the world renowned chef Hans Välimäki. Such specialties include Duck confit, Smoked Tuna, Roasted Turbot and lobster. Inside, the décor and placement of tables is sophisticatedly done. Reservations are a must as there is little competition for Chez Dominique and so there is usually a full house on weekends. Cuisine: French Address: Richardinkatu 4, Helsinki Phone: 09/612-73-93

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Havis

One of the largest restaurants in Helsinki is Havis. High ceiling and wooden panels add much beauty to the dining hall; it is tough to decide between having your meal in the hall or the spacious airy terrace. Havis prides itself for the use of fresh sea food that is prepared to perfection. Reservations are a must. For further details visit the URL below.

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G. W. Sundmans

The setting of G.W.Sundmans is one of elegance with 19th century Finnish paintings lined on the walls and a mansion like look that is set beautifully overlooking the harbor. The best quality ingredients are used to prepare food that is finger licking good and people keep coming back to enjoy Chef Jarmo Vähä-Savo’s famous cuisine. Specialties include fried Sweetbreads; sugar cured salmon and apple pie.

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Gallery Restaurant Wellamo

One of the posh dine-ins in Helsinki, Gallery restaurant is situated on the Katajanokka Island and is visited mostly by prestigious people. The restaurant is very charming and has a white and brown décor which oozes class. Specialties include sautéed white fish, lamb and grilled rabbit.

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Farouge

Arguably the only Lebanese restaurant in Helsinki, Farouge has the best home made “baklava” in Finland. The dishes offered are exquisite and are made from rare herbs and spices that are hardly used in Western foods. Apart from food, Farouge offers excellent customer service. The staff is friendly and well trained and can make menu recommendations based on your preferred tastes. Main course meals may vary from 20 to 38 euro.

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Cella

A very casual place where the chef himself serves the dishes, Cella was opened in 1969 as a traditional Finnish restaurant that would offer spicy dishes at a price of around 10 to 20 Euros in the Kallio district. There is also a summer terrace that is filled up during summer months and reservations may be required. The environment inside is cozy yet a bit noisy as the place is not all that big. A fine collection of wines can also be found at the bar.