Helsinki is an intriguing mixture: a neo-classical marvel with an art nouveau quarter interspersed with Alvar Aalto's spectacular modern architecture and set on a peninsula jutting out into the Baltic. Smart pavement cafés on Esplanaden; gourmet restaurants at a fraction of London prices; concerts and ballet at Finlandia Hall; boat trips and great value shopping particularly for such iconic design brands as Arabia and Iittala.
You can see Helsinki at your own pace by just hopping on and off a tram or with an audio guided tour leaving from Esplanaden 3 times a day. The evening 'Captain's Cruise' is the perfect way to see the city's eastern archipelago under the mystical light of the Midnight Sun. With the sea all around you and the countryside seeping into the city, Helsinki is one of the perfect ways to spend summer in the city. The Helsinki Card saves you time, effort and money to get around the city and costs approximately £26 for 24 hours. Included in this is a free City Tour, free entry to all the major sights and around 50 museums, unlimited free travel on public transport, a map, guidebook and more besides.
And just across the water is the painstakingly restored medieval city of Tallinn whose Hanseatic buildings cluster around Toompea Hill entwined with narrow cobbled streets with pastry cafés and bars at every turn and topped with a crenellated walled castle and Orthodox cathedral.
With its signature ochre clapboard wooden buildings lining the river bank Porvoo is exquisitly unique. The town layout dates from the Middle Ages and the narrow streets, little yards and low profile houses are interspersed with craft workshops and boutiques selling things you might want to buy, rather than tourist trash. Highlights also include the medieval cathedral and Runeberg’s home.
The M/S Runeberg is a traditional high funnelled steamer built in 1912, which cruises in the summer months from the President’s Quay in Helsinki to Porvoo. The charm of Porvoo is outlined on the left and the Runeberg itself along with its charted course through the Helsinki archipelago and along the coast makes a visit there that much more memorable, that much more romantic.
Prices include lunch
Recently christened Tallinski because of its popularity with the Finns, Estonia’s medieval capital is just a couple of hours away by high-speed catamaran leaving from the main harbour. Upgrade to Business Class tickets for the use of an exclusive sea view lounge with comfort seating and buffet breakfast outbound and supper on the return, along with complementary soft drinks and coffee. One of Europe’s best preserved historical cities you’ll find a profusion of shops, bars and restaurants lining the cobbled streets of the old Town with prices to die for. Please take a look at our website for more on Tallinn.
Round off your trip to Helsinki with a luxury overnight cruise and a one night stay in Stockholm before flying back to the UK. Cruise down the Gulf of Finland out into the Baltic on a Silja Liner in an outside sea view cabin before gliding through Stockholm’s 24,000 island archipelago in the refracted dawn light. On board enjoy the sumptuous grandeur of this floating hotel with its signature promenade gallery deck lined with design shops; choice of restaurants. Saunas and Jacuzzis.
We often think of Helsinki as a forgotten city crowded out of mind by Amsterdam, Paris, Rome, Barcelona,etc,etc,etc. Fact is though it has beer that beats Amsterdam's, boulevards that rival Paris, architecture to match Rome's and cutting edge restaurants you'd find on the Ramblas. On top of which, Tallinn with its medieval Old Town, is just a high speed cat journey across the Baltic and St Petersburg a train ride or overnight cruise away.
April - November
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