Private Highlights and Seurasaari Outdoor Museum
Private Highlights and Seurasaari Outdoor Museum
You start your tour by passing the colorful open-air market and the Uspenski Cathedral. Make a stop at the Senate Square with the elegant Lutheran Cathedral.
Then on to Mannerheim Street, the main street through the city, where you can see the Parliament House, the National Museum, and Finlandia Hall, which is a concert and convention center designed by famous architect Alvar Aalto. You will also pass the new Contemporary Art museum, the Kiasma, designed by American architect Steven Holl.
You will pass the Olympic Stadium, venue for the Helsinki 1952 Olympic Games. You'll also pass the new Opera House, completed in 1993.
You continue to Seurasaari Open-Air Museum, located on an island near the heart of Helsinki, and founded in 1909 by ethnologist Axel O. Heikel. The 87 buildings come from every province in Finland. While most of the farmsteads and manor houses date from the 18th through 20th centuries, the oldest building - the Kauna Church - dates to 1686, and is a wooden church from Karuna near Turku.
The guided walking tour is a fast way of getting to know traditional Finnish life and architecture and enjoy the beautiful nature.
Finally, your tour bus will take you to the unique Temppeliaukio Rock Church blasted into solid rock. Here there will be a short stop and if a service is not taking place, a visit inside.
You continue your drive through the city and to your cruise ship.