Background
On Saturday, July 8th, 2023, I took a day trip from downtown Helsinki, Finland to the coastal area of Porkkalanniemi on an Archipelago Excursion.
Tour Duration: 4.5 hours
Cost: Approximately € 120
Book your trip to Porkkalanniemi here!
Itinerary
- 9AM - departed from Mannerheiminaukio 1 H, 00100 Helsinki (on the main road near a statue) in a van with 4 other passengers and a driver
- 9:56AM - We began hiking to the coastline, stopping briefly along the way to learn about the area and also were able to try wild blueberries
- 10:27AM - We were at the coastline of the Baltic Sea and could freely walk around until lunch at 11:15AM
- 11:15AM - We all sat at a wooden picnic table and had a meal of salmon on bread, strawberries, some kind of berry humus and salad with the option for blueberry juice, or tea, plus dessert
- Around 12:30PM - We began driving back to Helsinki
- 1:25PM - We were all back where we started
Other Details
For accomodations, I stayed at the Valo Hotel. To get around, I took Uber but also used the HSL app to buy a bus ticket. If you are in Helsinki for a short time and want to both explore the downtown area of the city and visit nature, then the Archipelago Excursion is a good option.
On the tour you can ask anything you'd like about the area. One thing I learned is that there is a "right to roam" in much of Finland which permits camping without a permit. Berries in the forest area around Porkkalanniemi are edible. Also, the "old man's beard" moss Usnea was present which I was told is a sign of good air quality.
Overall, if you'd like to experience both nature and city plus have an authentic Finnish lunch without driving, you should consider the Archipelago Excursion.
Book your day trip to Porkkalanniemi here
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