Good deal, but offering less…read more We picked this cruise because it was heading out sooner and cost less. Unfortunately though, the "guiding" was super limited - the tour guide gave very little information at all. Additionally, though we didn't realize this, the other boats offered internet, which would have allowed us to supplement the gap in guiding.

The m/s J.L.Runeberg offers visitors and residents a pleasant 3.5 hour (each way) boat trip to the…read moreold Finnish city Porvoo on a restored old metal ship. Time in Porvoo is limited to about 2.5 hours. Adult fare is 39 euros with a BOGO on Mondays. The good: pay as you go food & drink service aboard (booze too), beautiful scenery, free blankets, free relatively fast Wifi. Dogs and bikes welcome. The not so good: In my opinion, they oversell and the boat could be packed with limited comfortable seating. No safety briefing nor mention of the location of life preservers ( I once spent 7 hours clinging to a cooler after my boat overturned in Florida), limited toilets, so go easy on the booze or coffee. It can get chilly while underway, even in July or August, so bring a jacket. Not much ambiance, so bring your headset/earbuds. All in all, if you have about 10 hours to burn in Helsinki and want to go on a decent boat ride with beautiful scenery, I recommend a ride on the Runeberg.

We took the Canal tour and found it very worth our time. The narration was good and audible from…read moreall areas of the boat. Narration was in Finnish, English, and German. The Tour allowed us to see both residential, civic and military areas that we would not have had time to see otherwise and included local history.

We took Stromma tours in Stockholm and found them excellent. We took the canal tour here in…read moreHelsinki and also found it very good. It takes an hour and a half. The scenery sells itself. It's a beautiful route on any day. Some of the waterside summer houses here are extraordinary. We really liked the tour, and found it well run and good value.

Hop on- Hop off is fun only once in each new city. I use it as transportation from landmark to…read morelandmark. But, sometimes it's fun to climb aboard, grab a seat on the topless upper deck & take a ride around the entire loop. Helsinki is a small city & has a great public street car service. So, I prefer the streetcar while visiting Helsinki. Plus, one particular streetcar has a full bar inside. Hop on- Hop off has no bar in any of its buses. It would be a lot cooler if they did! I found the buses to be clean & the staff friendly. Check online for discount offers.

Agree with the other postings; in concept this should be a good service. Two competing companies…read moreusing the same name is ridiculous. Have read that the street cars are a better option- next time!

Love the Ivana Helsinki designs, especially the adorable, quirky Moomin-collection. But I don't…read morethink this small shop does it justice. It just doesn't rock my shopping boat. These clothes need room to move and shine. To be honest I am inclined to give the shop a 2, but it somehow seems unfair to the clothes. Thus 3 it is.

From the owner: Explore an architecturally unique Finnish atelier house, built in the 70's. The house flooding with…read morenatural light will charm anyone with its calm and elegant atmosphere, making this working studio and boutique a must-see destination to architecture and design lovers. Find design treasures and unique pieces in Ivana Helsinki shop, enjoy the atmosphere and have a glass of sparkling or a cup of coffee in the garden!

Heather's tour was a combination of food, geography, culture, history and politics (discussed in a…read moremost enlightened and educational manner). I don't think I could have learned more about Finland and its people in any other way. Top ratings!

I can highly recommend this tour. I only had a day in Helskinki on a cruise and this was the…read moreperfect way to get a feel for the city, learn about its history and find out so much about the food scene and the culture. The food stops were well thought out and the food delicious. Thank you Heather!