Helwalk Walking Tours

At Helwalk we want to show you a different part of Helsinki, a part you wouldn’t otherwise see! Join us to explore hidden secrets, local wonders, exciting establishments and more off the beaten path. Discover a truly Finnish Helsinki and find out where it comes from and what drives it. From Swedish royalty to Russian imperialism, through war, assassinations political turmoil and rebellion emerges Finland a unique republic in the modern world. Filled with a history of art, design, ingenuity and intrigue the Finnish capital has so much to see and learn that is so easy to miss. Let us show you!

Find our available tours below!

Sisu: Empire to Equality

FREE TO JOIN

To see the real story of Finland you need to get away from the busiest most touristy spots. Everyone goes to see the architecture of the Russian Empire in the senate square but to see the most beautiful spots in a truly Finnish Helsinki you need to look just outside the busiest tourist destinations to discover something different.

Finland has been sandwiched between two of the great powers of Europe for hundreds of years. Traded and occupied, through oppression and rebellion the unique culture and language of Finland survives and thrives. From the birth of the Grand Duchy of Finland the independent Republic of Finland emerges through the fires of civil war and the savagery of the Eastern Front. Come hear the story of Russian Military Officers and Swedish Royalty, from the assassination of Finnish Statesman to the ghosts of the sanatorium. Through revolution against an Empire, the invasion of the Soviet Union and a flirt with dictatorship, modern Finland emerges as a unique social democracy in the modern world. The tour will have a focus on Finnish national identity and how the modern political landscape and values were shaped by a history of war, revolution and social responsibility.

This tour will take you to some beautiful parts of Helsinki you would otherwise miss. Starting around Oodi library we will walk towards Töölö to see some unique Helsinki architecture as it changes from Art Nouveau to functionalism where we will also walk past one of Europe’s most prominent music schools.

As we move further from the busiest parts of Helsinki and into some greener spaces we will see where the city centre meets nature and walk round one of Helsinki’s most beautiful bays.

The tour will end directly at a metro and tram stop only a few minutes journey or a short walk back to Kamppi in the city centre. As well as this the tour will end 500m from some highly recommended bars and restaurants for any hungry customers who require immediate sustenance after a good walk. This includes my personal favourites for local Finnish food, the balkan corner for lunch and fine wines, some more exotic cocktails or just a game of pool.

A view of Helsinki main library Oodi from a Helwalk tour, curved wooden exterior wall, glass entrance, and bicycles near the entrance. People are walking nearby its the sun shines from the clouds in Helsinki.
Colorful apartment buildings lining a city street with parked cars, bicycles, scooters, a crosswalk, and a parking sign. Overhead wires and a clear sky are visible.
Red brick building located by a body of water with trees and yellow buildings in the background, under a blue sky with scattered clouds.

Taito: Industry & Design

COMING SOON

FREE TO JOIN

To see the real story of Finland you need to get away from the busiest most touristy spots. Everyone goes to see the architecture of the Russian Empire in the senate square but to see the most beautiful spots in a truly Finnish Helsinki you need to look just outside the busiest tourist destinations to discover something different.

Finnish design and industry is some of the most interesting and internationally important Finnish exports to the world. It touches everything from architecture to Star Wars, from ship building to Supercell. The Helsinki design district houses some of the most unique Finnish business and buildings and the Helsinki harbour is part of a long history of ship building, smuggling, prohibition and more.

Free walking tour in the Helsinki harbour showing the old shipbuilding cranes
A green and yellow tram on cobblestone street in a city with pastel-colored buildings and overhead tram wires.
The view of the front of famous Helsinki cafe and bakery Ekberg as a Helwalk TAITO: Industry and Design tour passes down Boulevard on the way to the design district.

What is a free walking tour?

The free tour model is a big thing all across the world now for tour operators. It is a pay-what-you-want model where instead of charging a fixed price up front guests pay what they think the tour is worth at the end. This also means guests who can pay a little more sometimes want to, and guests who can’t afford very much at all are not excluded.

Helwalk operates using the free tour model, so please join for free and see how you enjoy it. However, we only operate high quality tours that a lot of work and planning went into to, so please pay the guide at the end so we can continue to deliver excellent tours and our guide can keep paying his rent!