Admire Helsinki and her islands from the water on a relaxing 1.5-hour sightseeing cruise. Hop aboard a comfortable sightseeing boat, settle on deck or inside the cozy cabin, and absorb the key sights of Helsinki’s shorelines and surrounding archipelagos of beautiful islands. Cruise by top Helsinki attractions such as the mighty UNESCO-listed Suomenlinna Maritime Fortress; see Finland’s fleet of gigantic icebreaker ships; sail into the scenic Degerö Canal, and hear all about Helsinki’s eventful past from the informative onboard commentary. Free WiFi is available on-board for your comfort.

1.5-hour Helsinki sightseeing cruise
Admire the rugged coastline that frames the city
See top Helsinki attractions such as Helsinki Zoo and Degerö Canal
Cruise past Suomenlinna Maritime Fortress, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Hear about Helsinki’s rich maritime history from an onboard guide
Free WiFi is available on-board for your comfort

What's Included

Onboard commentary via loudspeakers in English, German, Finnish and Swedish
Written information available onboard in Spanish, Italian, French, Portuguese, Japanese, Chinese, Swedish and Estonian
Free WiFi on-board

Gratuities
Food and drinks

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

Market Square
Eteläranta, 00170 Helsinki, Finland
Market Square, by the yellow flags

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Board your sightseeing boat in central Helsinki, and settle into the comfortable cabin or find a spot on the outdoor deck.

Then, sit back and admire the sights as you sail by Helsinki’s waterfronts and islands. Around 62 miles (100 kilometers) of picturesque coastline extend out from the city, as does an archipelago of around 330 islands, each offering a quiet escape from the Finnish capital’s bustle.

As you cruise, hear fascinating facts about Helsinki’s colorful history and the passing sights from the on board commentary. Watch for Korkeasaari Island, the site of Helsinki Zoo; and pass the UNESCO-listed Suomenlinna Maritime Fortress: an immense 18th-century edifice that straddles several smaller islands. Snap photos of this sturdy outpost and learn how the Swedes built it as a military defense during the Russo-Swedish War.

Sip on a drink from the onboard bar (own expense) as you sail into the Degerö Canal. Behold the beautiful scenery along this man-made waterway — constructed in the late 1800s to provide an easier passage to one of Helsinki’s inner archipelagos.

Have your camera ready as you drift by Helsinki’s fleet of icebreaker ships. These massive vessels help to keep Finland’s seaports open during winter and make an impressive sight.

After your roughly 1.5-hour cruise, arrive back at the starting dock where your trip ends.

Stromma - Sightseeing By Boat

Helsinki Canal Cruise in Helsinki archipelago Official name of the tour: Helsinki Beautiful Canal Route

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Kauppatori

Departure point

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Service animals allowed

Near public transportation
Most travellers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 100 travellers

Operated by Strömma Finland Oy Ab

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

about cancellations.

Traveller Photos

Traveller Tips

There's probably another boat tour you can find when you arrive at the market square in Helsinki.

Reviews

4.5

110 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travellers.

Showing 1-10 of 110 reviews

Give it a go

Sheena_D, Sept 2022

Wonderful cruising experience. Loads of islands with informative narrative. Got to see the ice breakers, holiday homes and the famous fortress. Barman was exceptional.

Relaxed little cruise

Mark_M, Jul 2022

Enjoyed the cruise. It’s not for seeing Helsinki as you only are near the city at the start/end docking point. It takes you around nearby islands by a loop so no retracing of same route. It was a warm day but at times quite chilly when boat heading into the wind but you can retreat to lower cabin if uncomfortable on upper open deck.

An amazing closeup of the islands

james_b, Jul 2022

This was an awesome cruise. We were already in a ship, so I thought this just might be a repeat of what we saw coming in. Wrong! It was amazing. Small enough it could go under low bridges (none of the other boats could do that were in the harbour) and the information was great. Do this! You’ll love it!!! It was so amazing to also be so close up to the islands around us. Loved it!

Good for the price

robin3870, Jul 2022

The boat offers a good selection of drinks and snacks and took a good trip around the islands. The announcements are offered in several languages and also provided in writing with a map. We would have like to have heard more information and have been able to ask questions. It felt as though we were simply hearing a recording of what was written on the paper.

Good overview of Islands nearby

Anastasiya_N, Jul 2022

A good tour to take with friends or a partner. Drinks can be bought on board. Interesting little facts given through loud speakers in different languages. Overall happy with the little cruise.

A Must See and Do

Mellisa_M, Jun 2022

Friendly and welcoming staff. Boat was clean and tidy. The translation information was very helpful and appreciated. The sites were amazing! I was very impressed.

I will definitely...

Anaisa_D, May 2022

I will definitely recommend to my friends. Was easy to find the place, from central station. It started on time.

1 traveler found this review helpful

Enjoy this trip when you have the chance!

Erik_S, Sept 2021

I would recommend this boat ride to anyone. For me it had the perfect duration. Friendly staff. Beautiful sights. Take a blanket in case there are chilly winds and sit at the upper deck. You might miss the audio tour, which might be quite interesting, but it is already worth your money to silently enjoy the water, sun and sights.

1 traveler found this review helpful

Nice cruise trip!

LeanneSauYin_T, Aug 2021

It’s very chilly on that day. We had good time on the cruise even though it rained a couple of times during the journey. Not with live guide, please take notice of it.

Response from Host, Aug 2021

Thank you for your feedback! Nice to hear that you enjoyed Beautiful Canal Route cruise even if weather was not so good on that day. Kind regards, Anu/ Stromma Finland

Worth booking!

Anne_C, Jul 2021

My 18 year old even enjoyed the tour, and they never enjoy anything. The weather was beautiful, which can't be controlled, but made it even better. It gets busy during the summer so booking in advance is recommended versus doing walk ups.

Response from Host, Jul 2021

Thank you for your feedback! We're really happy to hear you all enjoyed this nice weather and cruise. Have a nice summer! Kind regards, Essi/ Stromma Finland

Service Opinion

Namrata_S, Jul 2019

Excellent service. Very accommodative and since the climate was very Cold, they provided some blanket which was very useful.

Response from Host, Jul 2019

Dear Sir/Madam, thank you for your feedback. We are glad to hear that you had a nice time on our Canal Cruise. The blankets can be, indeed, necessary as the weather here can be little chilly sometimes! Hope to see you again in Helsinki! Best regards, Karoliina / Stromma Finland

It was fine

Zoey_D, Jun 2019

It was really nice to see many parts of Helsinki from a boat, and I learned some interesting things from the recorded guide, but overall, this tour didn't meet my expectations. It's not a canal tour (though you do boat through one canal), and the boat is not as pictured here. A live tour guide could have been so much better. There's probably another boat tour you can find when you arrive at the market square in Helsinki.

Response from Host, Jun 2019

Dear Sir/Madam, thank you for your feedback. Great to hear that you enjoyed the views and the stories of Helsinki on the Beautiful Canal Cruise. However, it is unfortunate that this tour did not meet your expectations. Would you be able to tell us where the picture of the boat was? We have several boats that we use on the tour and have tried to make sure that there are pictures of each boat on all web pages. Best regards, Karoliina / Stromma Finland

Fantastic views

David_M, Jun 2019

Highly recommend this canal tour - about 1.5 hours duration. - do this tour !! Plenty of opportunity to have a wine or coffee as well...

1 traveler found this review helpful

This canal cruise allowed us a...

Janette_T, Aug 2018

This canal cruise allowed us a glimpse of the islands in Helsinki. It was a relaxing one-hour trip with a lot of photo opportunities.

1 traveler found this review helpful

The boat was very nice and relaxing...

Raul_M, Aug 2018

The boat was very nice and relaxing, just not much to see on the cruise.

great experience. it was...

T, Nov 2017

great experience. it was unexpectedly big boat and we saw many islands and Helsinki area which are only visible from the sea. it was nice experience especially view of Helsinki from the sea is impressive! not to be missed

Great way to see Helsinki from the...

Sheena_E, Sept 2017

Great way to see Helsinki from the water. Sit on the upper deck but grab a blanket as it gets very cold!

We booked the canal tour and were...

Jutta S, Sept 2017

We booked the canal tour and were glad to have done so. The views are impressive, the boat is comfortable and I believe we have seen more of Helsinki and experienced this city deeper and better this way. Helsinki itself is small, but the landscape and surroundings are big and impressive.

A very good boat tour of the greater...

RonG, Aug 2017

A very good boat tour of the greater Helsinki islands. Clean well maintained boats. Upper observation deck with seats and a lower enclosed cafeteria area with table seating. A taped narrative throughout the tour. Impersonal.

This tour is a misnommer, as it is...

margat, Aug 2017

This tour is a misnommer, as it is mainly just around the islands outside Helsinki. I loved the Venice and Amsterdam canals, and it was canals I was expecting.

...

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Product code: 3485CANAL

Attractions in Helsinki, Finland

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Helsinki Canal Cruise

From US$29.47

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