Designs of Helsinki: Architectural Highlights
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Port
Helsinki, Finland
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Activity Level
Moderate
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Excursion Type
City Tour
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Wheelchair Accessible
No
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Starting At
$89.95
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Minimum Age
Information Not Currently Available
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Duration
Approximately 4½ hours
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Meals Included
Meals not included
See some of the highlights of Helsinki before visiting Hvitträsk.
A panoramic drive takes you past the shipyard along the coastal road to the Embassy Park, the colorful open-air market, and Senate Square with its elegant Lutheran Cathedral. Watch for the Uspenski Cathedral and the icebreakers docked for the summer season. Mannerheim Street is the main street through the city, where you can see the Parliament House, the National Museum and the Finlandia Hall Concert & Convention Center, designed by architect Alvar Aalto.
Pass the Kiasma Contemporary Art Museum, designed by American architect Steven Holl, the Olympic Stadium venue for the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, and the Opera House.
Stretch your legs and see the unique Temppeliaukio Rock Church, blasted into solid rock.
Hvitträsk is the birthplace and former home of the famous Finnish architect Eero Saarinen. Saarinen's best-known projects were the TWA Terminal at JFK Airport, the Arch of St Louis and Washington's Dulles Airport. Explore the grounds and a guide will escort you through Saarinen's magnificent home, situated on a forested hill overlooking a lake. Hvitträsk is now an exhibition center for Finnish arts and crafts. It was built in 1902 and is famed for its architecture, with buildings made of natural stone and logs.
Notes:
Terrain at Senate Square includes cobblestones. It is a 400-yard walk uphill from the coach parking to the Rock Church. In the event that a special function is being held here, an inside visit will not be possible. Helsinki's Olympic stadium is currently closed for renovation. Your tour may or may not include a drive-by view of the stadium, depending upon road closures and other logistical considerations.