Helsinki is a quite familiar city for me. Or, actually, I thought so. This time tried a private tour of Helsinki with Porvoo and was truly impressed by Nordic Experience guide – Ritva. Very professional, knowledgeable, loves her country with all her heart. We’ve got an absolutely another picture of this severe beautiful city. Ritva knows here really everything: history, gastronomy, best places to avoid crowds and ways to wake up interest of each member of the group. Thank you, “Nordic Experience”, we’ll come back and ask you for new adventures for sure! 🙂
My family of 6 were on a 10-day trip to Finland, but had a free day in Helsinki and was looking for something to do. A lot of blogs were recommending a day trip to Tallinn, so I started looking around for a suitable tour agency. I chose Estonian Experience almost at random, because they appeared to provide a comprehensive package for a reasonable price. I didn’t have high expectations, but was completely blown away by the amazing experience we ended up having. Our guide Eva-Maria was friendly, engaging, and most of all you could feel her palpable passion which was contagious. We learnt so much about Tallinn, the culture and history, about the Singing Revolution, and how Estonia became a proud republic. This day trip to Estonia ironically turned out to be the highlight of our family’s 10-day Finland trip, topping even the husky rides, aurora chasing and Santa Claus village in Rovaniemi. In fact, we are now seriously considering coming back to Tallinn next year to experience the 150th anniversary of the Estonian Song Featival. That’s how impactful this tour was! I can’t recommend them strongly enough. Our only regret was that we couldn’t stay longer in Estonia.
From pickup, the short walk was used to gain an idea of what my wife & I wanted to see/do. This was then immediately delivered, with walks through Tallinn’s modern city regeneration & shopping districts. As we walked we learned & saw the history and (very pretty!) sights of Tallinn, Old Tallinn is very medieval – like a Disney castle! Estonians are very friendly, and after the tour we visited sights we’d seen from afar, thanks to a map & directions from our guide. Really pleased we took a day away from Helsinki, as Tallinn is so different and charming.
My tour of Lahemaa National Park was wonderful — a knowledgeable guide and beautiful surroundings made for a perfect end to my trip to Estonia!