Private tour in Helsinki Lesley R
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Lesley R.
4.8
Guide rating
21
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35 hrs
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I am an Authorised Helsinki Guide (2002) and I am an author who has written a popular book about Helsinki's most famous landmark, the Church in the Rock (Temppeliaukio). I am a native English speaker and have dual nationality (British-Finnish). I have been living in Finland for nearly thirty years. I have a fun, relaxed, easy-going personality and I aim to make each tour unique so if you have any special areas of interest, let me know, so I can do some advance research for you. I am happy to tailor in any special requests or visits and base the tour around a particular theme of interest to you. It has been a great privilege to be able to share my passion for both Helsinki and Finland with visitors from around the world for the last sixteen years. During my professional guiding career, I have taken politicians, journalists, bloggers, and celebrities around the city. I treat everyone on any of my tours like a V. I. P and I aim to make all my tours relaxed and entertaining with a good dose of humor. My goal is that everyone goes home with an intimate view of what it is really like to live in Finland and how history, people and events have created the Finland of today. I want to show you what makes Finland and Helsinki so special and why I love my hometown and its surroundings. I live in the north of the city with my family and our dog Bertie Woofster. I enjoy wild swimming, the sauna and walking Bertie around some of the fabulous, urban natural areas in Helsinki. In addition to working as a professional guide, I am a qualified Social Worker and Brief Therapist. During the winter I work in child protection as a Family Crisis Worker. Through this second profession, I keep well informed about socio-cultural and current affairs in Finland. Authorised Helsinki City Guide (Finnish Guide Association). First Aid Certificate. Bachelor of Social Services (Helsinki University of Applied Sciences). Registered to work with children and vulnerable adults (European Police Register). Solution Focused Brief Therapist (Helsinki Psychotherapy Institute). Registered practitioner with the National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health (Valvira). None.
Have a question or want to customize this tour? Message Lesley R.
This magical tour gives a thorough insight into Helsinki and its most significant landmarks before taking you on a restorative journey into the forest of SipoonKorpi National Park. Forest bathing will open up your senses to the natural world, slow you down, and relax you. You will savour the sounds, smells and sights of the forest, releasing your sense of joy and calm whilst benefitting from the natural aromatherapy of pine, spruce and birch. Finland is the birthplace of the sauna and there is nothing that compares to the experience of the soothing steam of traditional, wood-fired smoke sauna followed by an invigorating wild swim in the silky-smooth waters of Kuusjarvi lake. The real essence of Finland and its people is captured in the forest, lake and sauna, so come and join me on a journey of discovery.
Scenic drive includes Eira's Art nouveau buildings and garden villas. Following along the coastline past the bustling, old fisherman's market, the Presidential Palace, the magnificent Orthodox Cathedral and the ice breaker ships. Esplanade Park, Finlandia Hall, Finnish Parliament, National Museum, the Opera House and the Unesco World Heritage Site of Suomenlinna Fortress. Stops - Senate Square in the historical centre of the city and was the setting for many Hollywood movies. The square contains some of the finest examples of harmonious neo-classical architecture in Europe. -Inside visit to Oodi a jewel of modern Finnish architecture and innovation. Oodi was chosen as the best new public library in the world in 2019. -Photo stop at the Olympic Stadium site of the 1952 Olympics. -Driving out of the city to the stunning National Park (35 minutes) Relax your mind and body with a Mindful forest walk with expert relaxation guidance . Wood-fired smoke sauna and wild lake swimming. Lakeside coffee and snack.
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Modern, clean and safe minivan with a professional licensed driver.
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If your tour is valued over $200 USD and booked at least 45 days before the tour date, you can book with a deposit!
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