Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ings, from the recently remodeled Olympic Stadium to Embassy Row. You
stay on the bus the entire time, except for a short stop or two (e.g., for
10 minutes at the Sibelius Monument, and when possible, Temppeliaukio
Church). You'll learn strange facts, such as how Finns took down the highest
steeple in town during World War II so that the Soviet bombers flying in from
Estonia couldn't see their target. Tours cost €28, but are free with the Hel-
sinki Card, and are €3 cheaper if you book on the Helsinki Expert website
(
www.helsinkiexpert.com
)
. Tours get booked up, so it's wise to reserve in ad-
vance online (or call 09/2288-1600, email
sightseeing@helsinkiexpert.fi
, or
ask your hotelier to help).
Bus Tours Departing from Boat Dock:
Conveniently, tours depart from
the Viking Line and Tallink Silja boat docks at 10:30, soon after the boats ar-
rive from Stockholm. Tours end back at the dock they started from, though
you can get off downtown near the end of the tour.
Viking Line tours run daily year-round, with a live guide (who speaks Eng-
lish and Swedish) from June through late August, and an audioguide narration
off-season. Tallink Silja has a live guide for a bigger chunk of the year—from
mid-April through September—but offers no tours off-season. If you haven't
reserved your tour online, buy your ticket (and Helsinki Card, if you wish) on
board the ship.
If you want to take the bus tour and end up downtown for an overnight
stay, stow your bag on the bus, and get off in the city center before the end
of the tour (cost-effectively using the tour for transportation as well as for in-
formation).
Bus Tour Departing from the Center:
The same 1.75-hour bus tour, with
an audioguide, leaves later in the day from the corner of Fabianinkatu and the
Esplanade (mid-June-mid-Aug daily at 11:00, 12:00, 13:30, and 15:00; fewer
tours off-season, but 11:00 departure runs year-round).
Hop-On, Hop-Off Bus Tours
—If you'd enjoy the tour described above,
but want the chance to hop on and off at will, consider
Open Top Tours
(ownedbyStrömma/Helsinki Sightseeing). Their twoone-hour,complement-
ary routes—yellow around the southern part of town and to the Hernesaari
cruise terminal, and green to points north including the Sibelius Monument