LANDAUSFLÜGE

This tour combines the main sights of Helsinki and a visit to the Seurasaari Open-Air Museum. Drive by the colorful open-air market and stop at Senate Square with the elegant Lutheran Cathedral for a photo opportunity. Continue past the Uspenski Cathedral and see the icebreakers docked for the summer season. Then, it’s on to Mannerheim Street, the main thoroughfare and home to Parliament House, the National Museum and Finlandia Hall. Also pass the new Contemporary Art museum, Kiasma, the Olympic Stadium, venue for the Olympic Games of 1952, and the Opera House. Continue to the Seurasaari Open-Air Museum, located on a beautiful green island just a few miles from the heart of Helsinki.

The island is a tranquil oasis in the midst of the city and here, the traditional Finnish way of life is portrayed in the cottages, farmsteads and manors of the past four centuries that have been relocated from around different provinces of Finland. The oldest building on the island is a 1686 wooden church from Karuna, near Turku. The guided walking tour is a fast way of getting to know traditional Finnish life and architecture while enjoying the beautiful surroundings. You’ll be treated to coffee and a traditional pastry in this country setting. Then it’s on to the unique Temppeliaukio Rock Church, blasted out of solid rock. At the end of the tour, should time allow, you can get off in the downtown area to explore the city on your own or return by your bus to the cruise pier. Should you decide to remain in the city, you’ll be responsible for your own return to the cruise pier.

OVERVIEW

See two of Helsinki’s most avant-garde buildings through the eyes of your architectural historian guide and come away with an eye-opening insider’s view. The façade of the Oodi Central Library boasts a striking undulating shape that celebrates Finland having one of the world’s highest literacy rates. But only a third of the library contains books, the rest being devoted to public spaces such as a recording studio, movie theatre, restaurants and top-floor Citizens’ Balcony. The innovative use of steel beams allowed the middle floor to be built without columns for an unobstructed view from one end to the other. Your guide will also detail the advanced technologies used to construct the Helsinki Music Centre. In particular, you will discover how acoustic technician Yasuhisa Toyota designed the main concert hall in a terraced, vineyard style so the audience surrounds the musicians. Much of the interior is underground to prevent the building from towering above the surrounding ones.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Gain an insider’s perspective into the designs of two modernistic buildings in Helsinki.
• Discover how the Oodi Central Library was brilliantly designed for much more than books.
• Hear about the design challenges in creating the Helsinki Music Centre’s extraordinary acoustics.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

Entdecken Sie die schönsten Sehenswürdigkeiten von Helsinki, auch bekannt als die „Weiße Stadt des Nordens“. Auf Ihrem Ausflug passieren Sie den Kaivopuisto-Park und die orthodoxe Uspenski-Kathedrale mit ihren goldenen Zwiebeltürmen. Weiter geht es zum Senatsplatz, wo Sie imposante Gebäude des neoklassischen Architekten Carl Ludwig Engel betrachten können, darunter die berühmte lutherische Kathedrale. Auf dem Weg zum Olympiastadion, in dem 1952 die Olympischen Spiele stattfanden, kommen Sie am Freiluftmarkt vorbei. Von dort geht es weiter zum Sibelius-Park, wo Sie ein Denkmal zu Ehren des großen finnischen Komponisten Jean Sibelius fotografieren können.

Sie fahren am Opernhaus vorbei und halten an der Temppeliaukio-Felsenkirche, einem einzigartigen, in festes Felsgestein gesprengten und von einer Kupferkuppel gekrönten Gotteshaus. Anschließend geht es weiter zur Mannerheims Straße, Helsinkis Hauptverkehrsstraße, und zu anderen weiteren Sehenswürdigkeiten. Am Ende des Ausflugs können Sie in der Innenstadt aussteigen, um die Stadt auf eigene Faust zu erkunden, oder mit dem Bus zur Kreuzfahrtpier zurückkehren. Sollten Sie sich entscheiden, in der Stadt zu bleiben, sind Sie selbst für die Rückkehr zur Kreuzfahrtpier verantwortlich. Diese Möglichkeit steht nur bei Abfahrten am Morgen zur Wahl.

Your coach will take you from the pier to start your walking tour from Senate Square, with its neo-classical atmosphere. It is surrounded by the Main Lutheran Church, the Senate Building and the University. Walk by the central railway station of Eliel Saarinen and see the National Theater and Sanoma Talo. Enjoy a flavorful cup of fresh coffee and pastry served in one of the many coffee venues in downtown.

Continue your tour by walking to Mannerheim Street, Helsinki’s main thoroughfare where you’ll see Helsinki’s museum of Contemporary Art, National Museum, the new Music Hall and the House of Parliament. Then, visit the world famous Rock Church built of bedrock and quarried stone. Continue your walk towards Sibelius Park, in which the name was given to the park honoring Finland’s greatest composer, Jean Sibelius.

Enjoy the main sights of Helsinki, also referred to as the ‘Daughter of the Baltic’ or the ‘White City of the North’ from the comfort of your motorcoach. Your tour begins with a drive along a picturesque road on your way to see the great variety of Helsinki’s architecture. In Senate Square, you’ll see several buildings attributed to the Neo-Classic architect Carl Ludwig Engel. Enjoy a photo stop at the famous Lutheran Cathedral and continue on to Mannerheim Street, Helsinki’s main thoroughfare.

You’ll see the Parliament House, the National Museum, and also Finlandia Hall, designed by the famous architect Alvar Aalto. Pass the new Opera House on your way to the Olympic Stadium where the 1952 Olympic Games were held. Then it’s on to Sibelius Park, where you can photograph a monument completed of 527 steel pipes honoring the great Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. Enjoy a view of Embassy Park and the colorful open-air market on your drive back to the pier.

Begin with a scenic drive through the main sights of Helsinki towards the picturesque town of Porvoo, the second-oldest town in Finland and a favorite of poets and artists. Porvoo was an important trading center as early as the Middle Ages. Enjoy a walking tour along its cobblestone streets lined with 16th century wooden houses. Browse in the handicraft shops before you continue to Savijarvi Mansion, a private home where the family shows you around and treats you as a personal guest.

Your hosts will serve coffee and cakes along with an assortment of Finnish berries and caramel sauce. Sit on the terrace or indoors, depending on the weather, and you’ll be able to see the riding horses and breeding farm. On the return trip to Helsinki, you’ll stop briefly in Sipoo for a visit to its 15th century church. At the end of the tour, you can get off in the downtown area to explore the city on your own or return by your bus to the cruise pier. Should you decide to remain in the city, you’ll be responsible for your own return to the cruise pier.

Drive along the road through woodlands and the lake country to Hvittrask, the former home of the famous Finnish architects Eliel Saarinen, Armas Lindgren and Herman Gesellius. Built in 1902, Hvittrask is famous for its architecture with buildings of natural stone and logs. Situated on a forested hill overlooking a lake, Hvittrask is now an exhibition center for Finnish arts and crafts. You’ll have time to explore the grounds and a guide will escort you through the magnificent home of Eliel Saarinen. Returning to the city you’ll pass by the Finlandia Hall and Parliament House.

A brief stop will be made at the Senate Square from where you’ll see the Lutheran Cathedral, the University, and Senate buildings. Passing Uspenski Orthodox Cathedral and the Presidential Palace, it’s on to visit the unique Temppeliaukio Rock Church blasted into solid rock. At the end of the tour, you can get off in the downtown area to explore the city on your own or return by your bus to the cruise pier. Should you decide to remain in the city, you’ll be responsible for your own return to the cruise pier.

Nach etwa einstündiger Fahrt auf einer malerischen Straße erreichen Sie die Alte Brücke, wo Sie einen traumhaft schönen Blick über das Alte Viertel von Porvoo genießen. Porvoo ist die zweitälteste Stadt Finnlands. Ihre Geschichte reicht bis ins Jahr 1346 zurück. In diesem beliebten Künstlerviertel bummeln Sie auf gemütlichen Kopfsteinpflasterstraßen und bewundern farbenfrohe Holzhäuser. Erkunden Sie Porvoo auf eigene Faust und besuchen Sie die vielen Kunst- und Handwerksläden, bevor Sie nach einer kurzen Fahrt im Haikko Manor ankommen, wo Sie ein Mittagessen erwartet.

Nach dem Mittagessen kehren Sie zurück nach Helsinki. Bei einer Stadtführung stehen die Temppeliaukio-Felsenkirche, der Sibelius-Park und der Senatsplatz auf dem Programm. Außerdem sehen Sie den Marktplatz, die Uspenski-Kathedrale, den Präsidentenpalast und viele weitere Sehenswürdigkeiten der Stadt.