The golden triangle is an informal Finnish-English term for the area of southwestern Finland between the cities of Helsinki, Turku, and Tampere where most of the country's population, arable land, and GDP is done.
Location:
Helsinki
Type of tour:
6-day Tour
Season:
All Year
Availability:
available
Number of people:
1
Duration:
120 hours
Transport:
Day 1
Arrival to Helsinki, the capital of Finland. Transfer from the airport.
Check-in in hotel 4*. Evening Sauna.
*Highlight of the day – the candidate to UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists – Finnish Traditional Sauna!
Day 2
Breakfast in the hotel.
10:00 – 12:00 Food Walking Tour (2 hrs)
Your guide will meet you at the Old Market Hall (next to the Market Square) to begin a 2-hour walking tour for food enthusiasts. Accompanied by your guide you will experience the rich culinary culture of Helsinki during an appetizing 2 hour walking food tour of the vibrant Finnish capital. Discover hidden foodie hotspots and sample a selection of local delicacies. Gain valuable insight into the culinary traditions and history of Helsinki and stroll past prominent landmarks like the Park Esplanadi and Bulevardi Street. Food samples are included in the tour cost.
13:00 – 18:00 City Walking Tour with Suomenlinna Fortress Island (5 hrs)
Discover the sights, history and culture of Helsinki on this private city walking tour with your guide. See the landmarks such as the Senate Square and Uspenski Cathedral. Visit Temppeliaukio Church, quarried out of the natural bedrock. After a lovely 3-hour walking tour board a ferry and make your way to Suomenlinna Fortress Island. The ferry crossing from Helsinki takes 20 minutes and offers magnificent views of the city and the surroundings from the sea. On arrival, meet your private guide at Suomenlinna Island and explore the UNESCO World Heritage listed fortress. Enjoy the nature or explore the tunnels and the Suomenlinna museum. After the tour take a ferry and make your way back to Helsinki.
Day 3
Breakfast in the hotel. 09:00-10:00 Trip to Porvoo (50 mins)
10:00-13:00 Porvoo city tour (3h)
Experience the colorful and charming city of Porvoo with narrow cobbled streets, red shore houses, and a river frontsetting. Your guide and driver will pick you up from your hotel and drive you to the picturesque town of Porvoo, the second oldest town in Finland and about an hour drive from Helsinki. Explore the town with your guide and visit museums and galleries, see the Old Town Hall, a colorful two-story building with a mansard roof and a wooden clock tower. Visit the Porvoo Cathedral built in the 15th century, making it one of the oldest churches in Finland. Get an insight into the town’s history and present day, and also hear fascinating stories about people who have lived in and visited the town.
14:00-19:00 Trip to Verla and Verla Groundwood and Board Mill (1.5h drive from Porvoo, 2h in the Verla area with a private guided tour in the Mill Museum and 1.5h drive back)
After the city tour we will head to one of the UNESCO listed world heritage object – Verla Groundwood and Board Mill and visit the mill museum. The first groundwood mill at Verla was founded in 1872 by Hugo Neuman but was
destroyed in a fire in 1876. A larger groundwood and board mill, founded in 1882 by Gottlieb Kreidl and Louis Haenel, continued to operate until 1964.
The historical paper mill was converted into a museum of board mill technology. The historical machines were
preserved in their places (except for several pieces brought from other buildings). A guided tour to the mill follows the technological process from timber cutting and pulp production to board drying, sorting, and packing. After the tour you can enjoy the walk in the beautiful garden.
* Highlight of the day – the candidate to UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists – The Great Finnish Poet – Johan Ludvig Runeberg lived and died in Porvoo. Guide will dedicate part of the tour to his story. And of course you will try the famous or over Finland – Runneberg cake by his wife’s original recipe
Day 4
Breakfast in the hotel. Trip to Tampere by train
11:30 – 13:30 Tampere city walking tour (2h)
Meet your guide and driver at your hotel for a private transfer to Tampere city, situated on a peninsula between two large lakes. Explore the city with your guide and see all the most beautiful sights and attractions of Tampere. Your guide will tell you facts and fiction of the city’s industrial past and the vivid and innovative presence giving a good overview of the city. Visit the neo-renaissance City Hall situated at the edge of the Central Square. See the
breathtaking views from the world’s highest gravel ridge. Enjoy the picturesque setting of Pispala housing area and admire the bold red brick factory buildings in the heart of the city.
14:30 – 19:30 Trip to the Petajavesi Old Church (2h ride from Tampere)
There are no local guides, guide can be booked on request.
19:30 Overnight in hotel 4* in Tampere
*Highlight of the day – the candidate to UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists – Tampere “Munkki” (or a doughnut in English) made at the Pyynnikki observation Tower cafeteria by the original recipe form 1980’s by Eva Suoste and true Finnish Nature products
Day 5
Breakfast. 09:30 – 11:30. Trip to Turku by train
11:30 – 13:30 Turku city walking tour (2h)
Turku is one of the most beautiful cities in Finland. The guide will show you the historical part of the city and give an overview of the city’s history. Turku (Åbo) is the oldest city in Finland, and a former center of commerce going back as far as the 13th century. Until 1812, Turku was the capital of Finland, when the Russian emperor decided to move the capital to Helsinki, closer to Russia. Turku is the residence of the Archbishop of the Evangelical Lutheran church. During the excursion we will visit the main church of Finland – the Cathedral, where daily worship takes place. The cathedral is considered one of the most valuable architectural monuments of the country. After a sightseeing tour you will have free time for shopping.
14:30 – 19:30 Old Rauma and Bronze Age Burial Site of Sammallahdenmaki (1.5h ride from Turku)
Situated on the Gulf of Botnia, Rauma is one of the oldest harbours in Finland. Built around a Franciscan monastery, where the mid-15th-century Holy Cross Church still stands, it is an outstanding example of an old Nordic city constructed in wood. Although ravaged by fire in the late 17th century, it has preserved its ancient vernacular architectural heritage.
Sammallahdenmäki is a Bronze age burial site in Finland in Rauma. This Bronze Age burial site features more than 30 granite burial cairns, providing a unique insight into the funerary practices and social and religious structures of northern Europe more than three millennia ago. It was designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1999, and includes 36 granite burial cairns dating back more than 3,000 years, to 1,500 to 500 BC. It is located on a hill in a remote area off the road between Tampere and Rauma.
19:30 Check in in the hotel 4* in Turku
Day 6
Breakfast in the hotel. Trip to Helsinki by train. Transfer to the airport.
Package includes:
– Transfers to / from airport
– Accommodation in hotels 4*
– Train tickets
– Excursions accordind to the program
