Guiding in my Finland an introduction

I am a professional Helsinki tourist guide and have been living in Finland for over 27 years. I have seen many changes over the years and have experienced many things, mostly positive during my time here. A few years ago I felt that I wanted to show Finland to the rest of the world. So I left my mundane job and decided to become a guide. Being interested in nature, my first thought was to become a nature guide. I enrolled in a three year course at a school for urban studies which was situated a few kilometres from Helsinki. After successfully graduating I found that it would be a bonus if I could guide in Helsinki as well, so I also became a Helsinki guide, able to guide in both town and countryside.

Over the years I have completed hundreds of tours, meeting people from all over the world, mostly I guide in English, but when needed in an emergency, I have completed some tours in Finnish. The busy period is during the summer from May to the beginning of September, but even here in Finland people require tours during the wintertime as well. Mostly winter tours are for companies who have visitors and would like to show their guests the surrounding areas. Groups can be from 1 or 2 people, right up to 50 people, the largest number of customers I have experienced was 60 people, a full bus. The tours can last from 3 hours up until a couple of days and every tour is different.

I am always finding new experiences during guiding and looking for new ways to improve myself. It is amazing how one can pass a certain building or statue and notice something that one has never noticed before. Only the other day I found Helsinki's smallest statue, a little bronze mouse which I had past on many occasions without noticing. Many of the buildings have stories attached to them, many well known but there are always little treasures wanting to be found. Despite the many thousands of people that visit Helsinki during the year and the around 600.000 people who live in Helsinki itself, it still retains that "big little village" feeling that visitors and locals alike would never want to lose.

Over the years I have heard many complements about Helsinki and Finland as a whole from my many customers. Friendly, clean, un-rushed, beautiful, peaceful, safe, positively surprising, interesting, easy to communicate (everyone speaks English) and something for everybody are often terms that visitors describe their first impressions when visiting here. 

During the next few months I intend to show people my Finland on this blog, my experiences and places which might interest the visitor. Finland is not just Helsinki, I have visited many towns over the years and met many people. Finland is open for business so why not come and have a look, perhaps one day I will be your guide and make your visit here a time to remember.

But now lets look at some pictures;

The Finnish National Museum

This is one of my favorite destinations in Helsinki. The Finnish National Museum in Helsinki, with centuries of Finnish history inside, including the remains of the World's oldest fishing net as well as artifacts dating right back to the stone age. You can walk through the centuries discovering Finland's history.

Helsinki Cathedral on the Senate Square

No tour of Helsinki is compleate without a visit to the Senate Square, it can be said that to miss it would be like going to the zoo and not seeing the animals. If you come into Helsinki by boat from Sweden or Estonia, it is the first part of the city you will see as you approach Finland.

The Havis Amanda

During your tour of Helsinki, you will find a statue at almost every turn, the Havis Amanda is one of Helsinki's favorite statues. Representing Helsinki as the jewel rising from the Baltic, there are many stories behind her smile.

The Rock Church

The Rock Church is one of Helsinki's most visited attractions, it does not look much from the outside, does it?

The Rock Curch from within

But wait until you get inside, cut into the solid granite rock, the Rock Church has been wowing visitors since 1969.

The Sebelius Monument

If music is your thing, you could visit the many music halls around the City. Or visit the very popular Sibelius monument dedicated to Finland's most famous composer Jean Sibelius. The monument itself is made up of 600 stainless steel tubes.

But it is not just Helsinki

Porvoo

 

Only an hours drive down the motorway you will find the wooden town of Porvoo, Finland's second oldest town, full of little gift shops.

Hameenlinna

 

Perhaps Hameenlinna is more to your taste with its castle and prison, or Turku the old capitol of Finland during the Swedish times. Perhaps Vaasa or Oulu or even a trip up to Lapland, Finland has so much to offer.

Come and visit one day.