Helsinki & Porvoo with coastal cruise

Day by day itinerary

• Days 1-2 » UK/Helsinki

  Flying out to Helsinki, you’ll make your way to your accommodation – Finland’s very first member of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World. Rooms are suitably stylish, the restaurants among the city’s finest and the chic bar serves a fantastic afternoon tea. With an ideal central location, you’ll also be perfectly poised to explore. Take in the living heritage of the 19th-century Market Hall, the Senate Square’s Uspenski Cathedral and the UNESCO-listed Suomenlinna Sea Fortress before marvelling at the Design District and the city’s more modern wonders. There’s everything from the ultra-contemporary Odi Central Library and Amos Rex art museum to the Allas “swimming pool in the sea” and the spectacular Temppeliaukio “church in the rock”.
  

  Stay: Hotel Haven, Helsinki

  Meals: Breakfast

• Day 3 » Helsinki to Porvoo

  After a last gourmet breakfast, you’ll make the five-minute walk to the harbour and board the MS J.L. Runeberg. This century-old ship has been immaculately restored to its 1912 heyday, all glossy timber panelling and plush banquettes. You’ll also be treated to a sumptuous lunch of salmon soup, served with traditional dark bread and, for dessert, coffee and a Runeberg tart. The journey is equally evocative, winding between beautiful archipelago islands to arrive at Porvoo. Here, you’ll stay in one of just five boutique rooms in an 18th-century manor house, just a short walk from the river harbour.

  Stay: Boutique Hotel Onni

  Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

• Day 4 » Porvoo

  The next two days are fully given over to exploring Porvoo. After an indulgent breakfast, you’ll set off along cobbled streets and narrow alleys to take in what is one of Finland’s six medieval cities. Expect delightfully painted wooden houses, a fairy-tale cathedral and a charming 18th-century town hall – one of the country’s final remaining two. The design shops and art galleries are a further highlight, along with the excellent Brunberg Chocolate Factory. Be sure to also explore the nature trails of the town’s “urban natural parks”, which lead out along the river, into old-growth forests and across to the gorgeous archipelago shore.

  Stay: Boutique Hotel Onni
  

  Meals: Breakfast

• Day 5 » Porvoo to Helsinki

  With a final breakfast of fresh, local produce, you’ll have today to enjoy Porvoo further, perhaps enjoying a last walk or bike ride. Then, in the late afternoon, you’ll reboard the MS J.L. Runeberg, perhaps toasting your trip with a bottle of wine, prepared exclusively for this historic ship. Then, on returning to Helsinki, you’ll retrace your steps to the luxurious Hotel Haven. You might want to cap things off in style, with a meal at hotel; modern Finnish inventions are served in the city’s second-oldest building. 
  

  Stay: Hotel Haven, Helsinki

  Meals: Breakfast

• Day 6 » Depart for UK

  After breakfast, you’ll return to the airport and board your flight home. 
  

  Meals: Breakfast