Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
▲▲) to follow along with what you see, and also pick up the helpful tram #2/#3 explan-
atory brochure—free at TIs and often on board.
▲▲▲
Orientation Bus Tours
—These 1.75-hour bus tours, run by Helsinki Expert, give
an ideal city overview with a look at all of the important buildings, from the recently re-
modeled 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 pos-
sible, 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 Esto-
nia couldn't see their target. Tours cost €28, but are free with the Helsinki 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 advance online (or call 09/2288-1600, email
sightsee-
ing@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 arrive 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 English 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 Septem-
ber—but offers no tours off-season. If you haven't reserved your tour online, buy your tick-
et (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 information).
Bus Tour Departing from the Center:
The same 1.75-hour bus tour, with an audi-
oguide, 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
(owned by Strömma/Helsinki
Sightseeing). Their two one-hour, complementary routes—yellow around the southern part
of town and to the Hernesaari cruise terminal, and green to points north including the Si-
belius Monument and Olympic Stadium—depart every 30-45 minutes (€25 for either route
or €30 for both, €35 combo-ticket also includes harbor cruise—see next, all tickets good
for 24 hours, May-Sept daily 10:00-16:00, tel. 020-741-8210,
www.stromma.fi
)
. A differ-
ent company,
Sightseeing City Tour,
offers a similar combination of routes for similar
prices, but has fewer departures (
www.citytour.fi
).
Harbor Tours
—Three boat companies compete for your attention along Market Square,
offering snoozy cruises around the harbor and its islands roughly hourly from 10:00 to
18:00 in summer (typically 1.5 hours for €17-20;
www.royalline.net
,
www.ihalines.fi
,
www.stromma.fi
)
. The narration is slow-moving—often recorded and in as many as four
languages. I'd call it an expensive nap. Taking the ferry out to Suomenlinna and back gets
you onto the water for much less money (€5 round-trip, covered by day ticket or Helsinki
Card).
