Top Helsinki Bus Tours - page 2

This was a great little tour that gave us a nice insight into the older parts of Tallinn. We did a one-day trip from Helsinki and the team did a fantastic job getting us there. They arranged a pickup from, and return, our hotel and clear instructions on how to get the n the ferry and where to meet upon arrival. Anastasia was our guide and as he was fantastic. She had interesting in as nights and was quite skilled at keeping us on time. Moving amongst a number of much larger tour groups, she could have a second job herding cats in a storm! The tour lasted two hours and ended with Anastasia showing us where we would be picked up. After doing that, she left (her job was done) and we got about our self-paced tour. The driver was on time and left when we were told he would leave. You have very specific times to be at the ferry and they were intent on getting us there on time. . One member of our group, who was traveling alone, did not make it to the pickup point and we left without her. I texted the tour operator so they knew and could reach out to her. We had some bad weather roll in and, as it turns out, she had taken a taxi to the ferry. All in all, a great way to get a nice walk through Tallinn. The information you get can help focus where you may want to spend more time when on your own time.

Great experience! Mikhail is very knowledgeable. We would not have been able to see as much of Helsinki, let alone understand what we were seeing, if it weren't for Mikhail. Harbors, markets, residential neighborhoods, and Helsinki's modern library are just some of the highlights.

A shuttle from the cruise terminal is necessary to meet the local tour guide in the center of Helsinki especially if you have a set meeting time. Luckily, there was a free port shuttle that took us to a spot not too far from Senate Square, our appointed meeting spot. Unfortunately, our tour guide, Kerstin, had different instructions from Viator, so I had to text Kerstin after we had waited for 15 minutes or so. She replied that she was about 5 minutes away, and once she arrived, we set off on a whirlwind tour of Helsinki highlights. Senate Square with the pastel colored Cathedral, Umiversity and Parliament buildings was the best square in Helsinki. Close by was the artisan’s and food open market next to the smaller harbor. We strolled through the open market and tasted the specialties of Finland on our way to the Old Market, the beautifully preserved wooden structure with equally impressive wooden stalls that now hold food stuffs from around Finland as well as the world rather than the fruits and vegetables and fish and meat that used to fill the stalls. We walked through Esplandi park right in the center of Helsinki and ended up at the Central Train Station which has been maintained and whose dining area is now restored to its former glory as a restaurant with Finnish specialties, and NOT Burger King. Kerstin was informative and conscientious. We told her we wanted to return to the ship by shuttle, so she made sure to route the tour, so we would end up at the shuttle stop within 2 hours time. Thank you, Kerstin, for making our brief stop in Helsinki worthwhile!