Private tour in Helsinki Lesley R
4.9
(9) reviews
6 hours
1
6 hours
1
Lesley R.
4.8
Guide rating
22
Reviews
Tours delivered
35 hrs
Avg. response time
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 tour features the best of both Helsinki City and Old Porvoo. You will learn about Finnish nature, culture and history during this fun and relaxed tour which we can flexibly adapt according to your own needs and interests. We will drive into the countryside and visit picturesque Porvoo which from ancient times to the present day has been a hub for artisans, craftsmen and artists who found inspiration in the beauty of the Old Town and its surrounding countryside. Porvoo also been visited by Kings and Tsars. We will visit the old cathedral, pass by charming wooden houses, flower filled courtyards and you can choose to linger in the quaint shops filled with handmade goods by local artisans In Helsinki we will visit all the most interesting areas and sites in the city . Through stories and anecdotes, I will make the city and its people come alive. If you want to shop or eat I know the best places. The tour is at your pace and is designed to accomodate your needs and interests. Welcome to Finland!
Leslie was the best! She was totally flexible and adjusted her planned itinerary according to our needs and how the day developed. She was extremely well prepared and added bits of her personal experience and humor to make the day truly memorable. I will definitely be calling Tours by Locals in the future!
Lesley was a great guide. She is fun, informative and insightful. Our introduction to Helsinki and surrounding area couldn’t have been better.
Leslie did a great job for our group of eight Americans. She is extremely knowledgeable about Finland, it's history, it's people and how to introduce travelers to her beautiful country in only one day. We couldn't have had a better guide.
The next best thing to the city itself, was our guide Leslie! While local accents on some tours may be a challenge, she grew up in Britain making the tour especially easy. Paired with an excellent driver in a Mercedes van, we whisked off to the classic town of Porvoo. Helsinki warrants a second visit, the library was fantastic. Tours can sometimes be a choreographed torrent of places and information, but Leslie was always happy to allow us time to explore the quaint shops and markets. Happy clients!
Lesley met us at our ship in Helsinki and gave us a wonderful minivan tour of the City and nearby Purvoo . Lesley is from Great Britain, and has lived in Finland for many years, so communicating before and after the tour was very easy. The restaurant that she recommended, a manor house outside of Purvoo, Haikon Kartuno was a beautiful location and the food was excellent and reasonable. Our group was extremely happy with Lesley, and would highly recommend her as an alternative to the ship's excursions.
Lesley is an excellent guide. She made Finland fun to our young kids, while providing an in depth view of the culture, history and beauty of this magnificent Country. Strongly recommend.
Featuring the best of Helsinki and Porvoo! Helsinki Oodi Library (new) *Senate Square/Lutheran Cathedral visit *The Sibelius Monument visit *The Rock Church ( subject to availability) (visit) *Seaside artisan/food market (visit) *Short nature walk on Seurasaari bridge (visit) Scenic drive (with commentary) passing the, Parliament, Opera House, Olympic Stadium, Icebreakers, Suomenlinna Fortress, Presidential Palace, Uspensky Orthodox Cathedral. Porvoo Cathedral ( subject to opening times) Chocolate Shop Walking Tour of the Old Town Please note : Porvoo has cobbled streets and is difficult in that respect for wheelchairs. Please contact me for more details in cases of customers with limited mobility.
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We .will have a private driver and an air-conditioned minibus
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6 hours
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