During summer many of the huts are transformed into restaurants or bars. Perfect for relaxing!
Average costs
Stay – If you want to stay close to Helsinki, but escape the hussle of the big city, then Porvoo is perfect for you! The price for a four star hotel in Porvoo varies between €120 and €200 per night. One star less is around the same price, but there are also some hotels and B&B’s for about half that price. The cheapest you can find in Porvoo costs around €50 per night. A summary of accommodation an deals can be found on Booking.com.
Eat – Just like everywhere in Finland, you can actually get quite affordable lunches in Porvoo. For a delicious lunch you pay ten to fifteen euros. A more elaborate dish starts at around twenty euros per person. For a dessert, expect to pay another €7,5 extra.
Transport – Chances are that you visit Porvoo as a day trip from Helsinki. A travel company would sell you this day excursion for about €55 p.p. If you arrange it yourself, you are possible to do it for €20 per person. You have to take a bus from the central bus station in Helsinki which has its terminal in Porvoo. (a single ticket costs +/- €9 p.p.)
If you stay in Porvoo and need to take public transport, you’ll pay anything between €3,30 and € 3,90.
Once you climbed all the way to the top of the village you get a beautiful view over the city and its surrounding landscapes.
Saving money
Arrange your own excursion – Instead of arranging costly excursions (€55) you can also quite easily commute to Helsinki <-> Porvoo yourself. With a bus from the central bus station of Helsinki it takes about fifty minutes to get there. A singe ticket costs just under ten euros.
Don’t stay in Porvoo – Porvoo is tiny so there aren’t that many accommodations. Thus, they are often fully booked and the prices soar up quite fast! The capital of Finland has a lot more choice and often at significantly lower prices.
Avoid alcohol – As everywhere in Finland alcohol is also very pricey here. Enjoy a cup of coffee or tea, a a soft drink but avoid alcohol! I personally don’t think it’s worth the hefty prices they charge in Finland to get your buzz on.
The old city center is rather small and you’ve seen it quite fast. Nonetheless it is quite beautiful!
Do’s
Old Town – The reason that Porvoo gets so much attention from tourists is of course because of the lovely historic center of the city. The colorful downtown goes up and down the cobbled streets and quite quickly you can get lost. The village is filled with dozens of wooden huts and buildings to be included on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Porvoo Cathedral – At the top of the historic city you can see the giant cathedral of Porvoo. The Cathedral of Porvoo is the headquarters of the Evangelical-Lutheran church from Finland, where mainly the many Swedish belong to. In 2006, the church was set ablaze deliberately, but fortunately it has now been restored to its former glory.
The home of Runeberg – Johan Ludvig Runeberg was a renowned Finnish and Swedish writer and poet and the man even wrote the Finnish national anthem. The literary genius lived all his life in Porvoo and his former residence is now opened up as a museum for all his admirers.
Söderskär Majakka – The Porvoo lighthouse stands on a rocky surface on the Porvoonjoki river. The pastel-colored building helped boats to get ashore without any problems. Because of all kinds of modernization it’s in fact no longer necessary, but the charming structure is certainly worth a visit.
Castle Hill – Porvoo is the second oldest city in the Finnish empire. On the hill that’s now next to the historic center, you might not see a lot. But once a giant stately wooden fort ruled the region from here. The hill is now covered with trees, but the information signs and a little imagination easily make clear how it must have looked here. History fan or not, a walk on the hill definitely will purify your lungs with some fresh air.
To arrive at castle hill you have to do a little climb.
Don’ts
Only visiting Porvoo – Porvoo is fun, cute and there’s a nice atmosphere. Still, you may have seen the village in only a couple of hours. It would be a shame not to explore other parts of Finland. Helsinki is very close, and the far north beckons as well! Be a little more adventurous and don’t linger here for too long.
The colorful streets of Porvoo, with many shops and restaurants scattered through the village.
