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January 27, 2020

Half day trip to Porvoo from Helsinki (on the public bus)

Helsinki is actually quite small – you don’t really need more than 48 hours to see the highlights. If you have time to stay longer I recommend venturing out of the city. After much Googling and comparing between Espoo and Porvoo, I opted for a half day trip to Porvoo.

Porvoo is a really old town (from the 1,300’s!) with well preserved old timber houses and cobblestone streets. There are only about 3 main streets but each one is slightly different so it worth walking up and down each one.

What to see and do in Porvoo

If you Google Porvoo the first thing that comes up will probably be a row of red houses like this:

porvoo day trip from helsinki finland in autumn things to see and do how to get there which local bus to take how much things to see and do best lookouts viewpoints cute village forest lookout half day trip diy on the bus photo spots iconic red row of houses along the waterfront cute autumn weather

You can see them from the bridge you’ll pass on the bus on the way into town, and can also walk along the river to get better pictures. They used to be for for storage but are now people’s homes.

I took a photo of this row in the morning (at 10am when I arrived) and another photo at 12:30pm before lunch. The lighting was better in the afternoon.

porvoo day trip from helsinki finland in autumn things to see and do how to get there which local bus to take how much things to see and do best lookouts viewpoints cute village forest lookout half day trip diy on the bus photo spots iconic red row of houses along the waterfront cute autumn weather september

This house was my favorite!

porvoo day trip from helsinki finland in autumn things to see and do how to get there which local bus to take how much things to see and do best lookouts viewpoints cute village forest lookout half day trip diy on the bus photo spots iconic red row of houses along the waterfront cute autumn weather september old village

There are a more modern version on the other side of the river.

porvoo day trip from helsinki finland in autumn things to see and do how to get there which local bus to take how much things to see and do best lookouts viewpoints cute village forest lookout half day trip diy on the bus photo spots iconic red row of houses along the waterfront

porvoo day trip from helsinki finland in autumn things to see and do how to get there which local bus to take how much things to see and do best lookouts viewpoints cute village forest lookout half day trip diy on the bus photo spots

After walking along the river you can either head into town or take a walk up to Iso Linnamaki. What was once the site of a castle with a moat is now a grassy hill that has some glimpses of Porvoo.

porvoo day trip from helsinki finland in autumn things to see and do how to get there which local bus to take how much things to see and do best lookouts viewpoints cute village forest lookout half day trip diy on the bus Iso Linnamaki castle hill

porvoo day trip from helsinki finland in autumn things to see and do how to get there which local bus to take how much things to see and do best lookouts viewpoints cute village forest lookout castle hill old fort viewpoint

If you’re short on time you could probably skip this – despite it’s height and good position overlooking the town it’s hard to see much because there’s so many trees. I found the best view was at the start of the trail:

porvoo day trip from helsinki finland in autumn things to see and do how to get there which local bus to take how much things to see and do best lookouts viewpoints

porvoo day trip from helsinki finland in autumn things to see and do how to get there which local bus to take how much things to see and do best lookouts viewpoints cute village

Would’ve loved to have lunch here but it was closed 🙁

porvoo day trip from helsinki finland in autumn things to see and do how to get there which local bus to take how much things to see and do best lookouts viewpoints cute village forest lookout half day trip diy on the bus photo spots iconic red row of houses along the waterfront cute autumn weather september old village cafes how to get there diy day trip from helsinki

Half Day Trip Itinerary to Porvoo (from Helsinki)

  • By 8:30am – walk to Kampin Metroasema (bus station) and buy tickets for the 8:45am bus #848
  • 8:45am – Get bus to Porvoo from Helsinki bus station 14 euro max. (each way)
  • 9:55am arrive Porvoo
  • Walk up the Iso Linnamaki (Great Castle Hill Iron Age Hill Fort) and Pikku Linnamaki for views over the town.
  • Walk around the old town to see the Red Warehouses, Old Town Hall, Porvoo Cathedral & the river and most importantly – Brunberg Chocolate shop
  • Lunch at ZUM BEISPIEL
  • 2pm – Take the bus back to Helsinki – If you’re not sure which bus to catch, just ask the driver. You can buy tickets on the bus. The pick-up and drop off point is the same location (linja-autoasema, 06100 Porvoo, Finland – or just enter Porvoo bus station into Google Maps)

Time of my visit: Mid-September

Read more: Best of Helsinki in One Day (Photo Stops, Attractions & Scheduled Itinerary)

porvoo day trip from helsinki finland in autumn things to see and do how to get there which local bus to take how much things to see and do

porvoo finland church things to see and do half day trip from helsinki porvoo day trip from helsinki with itinerary porvoo bakery september autumn

poorvoo hidden alleyways best photo spots things to see and do half day trip from helsinki on the bus porvoo day trip from helsinki finland in autumn things to see and do how to get there which local bus to take how much things to see and do porvoo day trip from helsinki finland in autumn things to see and do how to get there which local bus to take how much things to see and do town from 1300 porvoo half day trip from helsinki on the bus things to see and do itinerary

For lunch, I went to ZUM BEISPIEL cafe which had meals with veggies not chips!

zum biespeil restaurant porvoo finland review zum biespeil restaurant porvoo finland review where to eat

Don’t forget to visit Brunberg chocolate shop! I had trouble finding this brand in the supermarket and liked it better than the more common Fazer chocolate.

Half day trip to Porvoo from Helsinki (on the bus)

As you can see from the walking route & attractions I plotted using Google Maps (tutorial here), Porvoo is quite small. You only need a half to 3/4 of a day to see the cute old town. I wouldn’t stay the night at this little town, it’s nice for a day trip but there’s not really enough to see and do to justify spending the night.

porvoo walking route itinerary google maps

Finland is notoriously expensive so an organized day trip is predictably, expensive. Instead of joining an organized bus tour, take local bus #848 from the Kampii Center shopping centre (bottom level). It was easy to find and cheap. Once you get to Porvoo you can walk the whole thing, the only thing you need to pay for when you get there is food or souvenirs.

  • Organized tour via Stromma = 62 euro (at the time of writing this)
  • Return bus ticket from Helsinki =14 euro x 2 ways = 28 euro

On the bus on the way back from Helsinki. There wouldn’t have been more than 10 people on the bus so got a good view from seats up the front!

poorvoo day trip from helsinki finland autumn things to see and do highway diy bus tour

More Finland posts

  • Best of Helsinki in One Day (Photo Stops, Attractions & Scheduled Itinerary)
  • Guide to visiting Rovaneimi in Lapland, Finland (the home of Santa Claus!)
  • Visiting Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi – is it worth it when there’s no snow?
  • Do you need a DLSR camera to photograph the northern lights?
  • Hiking day trip to the Finnish forest!

Found this post helpful? Pin it!

Porvoo finland half day trip from Helsinki diy itinerary on the bus things to see and do photo spots autumn september

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Posted In: Europe, Travel · Tagged: best helsinki day trips, best views of porvoo, half day trip from helsinki, helsinki day trips, porvoo day trip, porvoo day trip from helsinki, porvoo things to see and do, things to see and do in poorvoo

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