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Essential Helsinki

Sail down the beautiful rivers

The perfect introduction to Helsinki at an uncommon value, our Essential Helsinki is designed to introduce you to some of the sites you need to see on your first trip to the city, with just a taste of the experience that only Exeter International can provide.

The Basics
• Three nights in the city’s top hotel, inclusive of tax and breakfast
• Private airport or rail station transportation to and from your hotel
• Private Exeter Guide at your service as described in the program
• Entrance Fees to all the sites mentioned in the program
• 72-hour Helsinki Card, providing admission into all the top sites of the city
• 24-hour, English-speaking local assistance in case of emergency or changes

Easy to Combine with:

Stockholm
Oslo & Bergen
Berlin
Tallinn
Moscow & St. Petersburg

For custom luxury travel and tours to Helsinki and Finland, please contact one of our travel experts.

Download a PDF itinerary here.

PRICING FROM

Please contact Exeter International for specific pricing and availability.

Arrival | Helsinki Helsinki, Finland

Arrival into Helsinki, where you will be met by your private driver just outside baggage claim and transferred to your hotel.

Originally founded by the Swedish king as a commercial rival to Tallinn (on the other side of the Baltic Sea), Helsinki has grown into a beautiful and cosmopolitan capital of more than 500,000 inhabitants. The city retains a small-town feel; there are no high-rise buildings and the market square is still surrounded by 19th-century architecture. Its green parks and waterways, fresh sea winds with seagulls flying over the busy market square, and many open-air cafes make it a perfect summer destination.

Exeter Services: Transfer

Hotel: Kamp

Helsinki | Helsinki Helsinki, Finland

This morning your guide will meet you at 10:00am for a city overview tour. Your guide will show you Senate SquarewhichwasestablishedwhenHelsinkibecamethecapitolofFinlandin1812. Thesquarerepresentsthe political, religious and scientific aspects of the city as it is flanked by the Lutheran church, the Government palace and the University of Helsinki.

You will also see the amazing underground stone church Tempelliaukkio. Built in 1969, the 80 foot ceiling is covered with copper stripping which creates fantastic acoustics.

Continue onto the Sibelius Monument built in memory of Finland’s national composer Jean Sibelius. The monument is constructed of hundreds of hollow steel pipes. The pipes are united in a wave like pattern to represent the waves of music.

We recommend you take your time at the famous fish market known as the Kauppatori for a glimpse of local life. In summer, you can watch people selling salmon and potatoes from their boats, snack on a bag of fresh strawberries or cherries.

Your afternoon is at leisure. We suggest hopping on the ferry to Suomenlinna; The greatest sea fortress of the Swedish empire. Located on a tight cluster of islands just south of Helsinki, it is now a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The fortress was founded in 1748 to protect the empire against Russian attack. It later fell to the Russians and remained under their control until Finland gained independence in 1917. Here the interesting museums will take you back to the military and maritime history of the fortress, complete with old bunkers, cannons and model ships.

Exeter Services: Guide (4 Hours)

Hotel: Kamp

Helsinki | Helsinki Helsinki, Finland

Your guide will meet you this morning at 10:00am. Helsinki is a fantastic showcase of Scandinavia’s minimalist and functional design. Brilliant architecture can be found throughout the city-from the 1900’s to present day. Fashion and home goods are well represented in the city’s famous design center.

Today you will explore the Design District, home to over 200 designer shops galleries, clothing boutiques and restaurants. Your guide will show you some of the highlights as well as the Design Museum which documents the history of Finnish design and maintains an extensive collection.

Take a moment to step inside the Chapel of Silence. Located outside the entrance to a shopping center, one of the busy spots in the city, the small chapel embraces its visitors with its cocooned curved wooden walls and peaceful interior.

Your guide will also show you the brand new Amos Rex Museum, is comprised of the former Amos Anderson Museum as well as a new contemporary addition. The underground building breaks through the ground level with glass dome ceilings. The museum’s focus is contemporary art to 20th century modernism. Next door is the Bio Rex, a 1930’s movie theater, returned to its former glory.

Your afternoon is at leisure. You might choose to spend more time exploring the Amos Rex or some of the other museums in the city.

Exeter Services: Guide (4 Hours)

Hotel: Kamp