You can explore Helsinki alone, but you can use the services of guides. In the city you can make some good excursions.
1. Sightseeing tour of the city
Agree, after all, a lot in Helsinki interesting, and inspect the best places of the city much more informative and more pleasant with a knowledgeable person.
Such an excursion usually lasts about 2-3 hours, and during it you will visit all the main attractions of Helsinki, including the Senate Square, the viewing platform, the Cathedral, the old indoor market and much more. An excursion can be taken as an individual (approximately € 35) and group (2-45 people, € 50-100). Naturally, the guide is Russian-speaking. Excursion, as a rule, passes on the bus or car, have both hiking, and combined tours (bus + boat). There are more extensive and long-excursions with private guides for small groups of up to 4 people, however, they are not suiced, more than 400 euros. With some guides, you can discuss the excursion plan in advance, add places where you would like to go. The main thing is to give everything in advance. Look at the guides here http://experts.tourister.ru/finland/helsinki/guides or here http://tvoihelsinki.info/form.htm.
2. Cruise on the DEGERÖ channel
This one-and-and-a-half tour of the yacht is solid pleasure!
During the skiing, you will drive past famous places, including the fortress of Sveaborg (Suomenlinna), Corkaceari Islands and much more. All this is accompanied by Guide's stories. Drinks, wine, coffee, snacks, baking are served on the yacht. Excursion is held from May 1 to September 30 approximately. The ship leaves from the market square in the Eteläsatama area.
Excursion costs € 22, children from 7 to 16 years old - € 10. In the online store Helsinki Expert (http://www.helsinkiexpert.com/), you can also buy a family ticket for two adults and one child up to 16 years for € 49.
3. Audio-excursion by Helsinki.
The excursion lasts almost 2 hours and includes all the most popular places of the city, monuments, ports, monuments, churches. That is, you will sit at the appointed place for the bus, you will be given headphones, putting on the sights that you can listen to the sights that are passing by.
Such buses depart from the Esplanada Park at the crossroads with Fabianinkat Street (from the station 12 minutes on foot or going on a tram of 7V to stop SenaAtintori or Tram 2 to Kauppatori.). Such an excursion is held one or four times a day. Here is the schedule of departure for 2014:
January 1 - March 30 - at 11:00,
March 31 - April 27 - at 11:00 (+ on weekends at 13:00)
April 28 - May 25 - at 11:00 and 13:00
May 26 - June 29 - 10:30, 11:00, 13:00
June 30 - August 31 - B10: 30, 11:00, 12:30, 13:00
September 1 - December 31 - at 11:00 (with the exception of December 24-26)
There are also shipments from the Ferry Terminal Katajanokka (Viking Line).
From there, the buses are sent year-round daily at 10.30, except December 24-26.
From the southern port there are also similar tours. Follow the Olympia Terminal (Silja Line).
From January 1 to May 25 and from September 1 to December 31 at 10.45 (except December 24-26).
Such an audio excursion costs € 29 adults, children from 7 to 16 years old - € 15 and from 2 to 6 years - € 11.
Another plus, if you stayed in one of these hotels: Radisson Blue Seaside Hotel, Radisson Blu Royal Hotel, Sokos Hotel Presidentti, Sokos Hotel Vaakuna, Hotel Seurahuone Helsinki, you can pick up on a tour right from the hotel, this service is free.
The tour can be booked on the Internet (here: http://www.stromma.fi/en/helsinki/sightseeing/sightseeing-by-boat/?activity=allroSightSeEing+Tours(1)What(2)7004(1) WHERE (2) 7003 (1) When (2) 0), or purchase on the railway station from 9.00 to 17.00 in the summer months and from 9.00 to 15:00 in winter, in spring and autumn. You can also contact the "Helsinki travel bureau" (PohjoiseSplanadi 19), or find a kiosk with the name "sightseeing" (Fabianinkatu Street, in Esplanadi Park, the kiosk is only in the summer and the first half of September from 10 am to 13:00 or 15: 00).
4. "Little Finland" in Helsinki
During this excursion, tourists attend a small village very close to Helsinki (15 minutes away), where amazing patterns of wooden architecture are preserved.
The guide will tell about the features of the place of life in the Finnish family of past centuries, you are brought to the deer of the farm, you look at the old mills and forge.
Very colorful interesting place impregnated with an atmosphere of antiquity.
Excursion lasts about 2 hours. Tour, again, individual or group (up to 8 people, cost from € 35-70).
5. Excursion to the city of Porvoo
The town of Porvoo is a 40-minute drive from Helsinki and is an excellent example of the preserved architecture of the old Finland.
This, by the way, the second city in the country in the country, was mentioned back in the annals of the age of 14. Such a quiet, wonderful town with amazing churches and buildings, narrow streets and bridges.
Although pictures write! During the tour of the tourists also spend on the local chocolate factory.
Excursion lasts about 5 hours with expensive. The cost of the excursion is completely different. Some guides offer a tour of up to 15 people - from € 75, up to 45 people - € 100. Others raise prices up to € 215 for four.
6. Suomenlinna fortress
Often a tour of Suomenlinna's fortress is combined with sightseeing tours of the city or a cruise on a boat.
You can come to the city yourself (entrance to the fortress is free, paid entrance to the museum on the territory of the fortress, as well as a ferry, about 4 euros), but there is so much interesting that it is better to listen to what the guide will tell, a place with a rich historical heritage.
Suomenlinna is a city district with a population of about 800 people, and at the same time the fortress on seven hilly islands.
Very mysterious place. The island can be reached by ferry from the southern port.
The excursion lasts about three hours and costs about 250-400 euros from a group from 1 to 15 people. Although how lucky, you can find and cheaper.
There are from Helsinki and excursions to other cities and even countries, but I suppose it makes no sense to cover these questions in this article. Pleasant travel!