Porvoo: A Must-Visit?

Time visited: September 2022

Time spent: 4 hours

Since we were in Helsinki for eight nights, there was time to explore one or two other Finnish towns that weren't too far, and Porvoo seemed like a good choice. (The other one was Tampere, which we didn't manage to visit although we prepared an itinerary.)

After listing all the places we wanted to see in Porvoo, we thought a whole day would be needed. Our Onnibus tickets to the town were for 8:48 am and the return tickets for 5:45 pm, so we had over seven hours to explore the town! But did we go overboard with our calculation?

The morning was still chilly when we arrived at Kamppi Bus Station. It took us a bit of time to work out where exactly to catch the bus from, but I hope our video of Kamppi Bus Station makes it easier for you. The bus left Kamppi precisely at 8:48 and we were at Porvoo in an hour and 10 minutes. From Porvoo bus stop, you can pick up a free map (if there's any left), or just follow the signs for tourist attractions.

We walked to the Old Town Square in search of Runeberg tart. This very dense, sweet, raspberry jam-filled tart, which doesn't look like a tart at all, is named after Johan Ludvig Runeberg, the national poet of Finland, who lived in Porvoo for 40 years, until he passed away in 1877. Runeberg's wife created this dessert for her beloved husband. The search took us to the Brunberg chocolate shop at the Old Town Square, where we bought a box of Strawberry Kiss and the company's oldest sweet Alku Toffee. Sadly, they didn't sell Runeberg tart.

But the staff knew who did! We found Café Fanny just 160 metres away and finally had the tart for €4 a piece, along with the most indulgent hot chocolate!

Now it was time to burn all that sugar! We crossed the Old Bridge (Vanha Silta) over Povoonjoki and walked by the river for about a hundred metres. We came across a garbage bin showcasing what looked like a poem. It was indeed a poem written for the tourists who choose to visit Porvoo. Here it is if you want to have a read! Do you also find it a tiny bit condescending? Could it be that the true message was lost in translation?

We left the riverbank and followed Vanha Helsingintie towards the Old Railway Station. and saw an abandoned carriage, which, on closer inspection, revealed itself to be not quite abandoned! There was a note saying someone called Valtteri lived next door and planned on converting the 'railroad car' into a public sauna. Until that happened, if people visiting the car kept littering and damaging it, the door would be locked and/or the floor removed! It didn't read like an empty threat! We looked around to see if we were being watched!

As we headed back to the Old Town, we stopped where the old rail tracks ended for a magnificent view of the picturesque and colourful wooden houses on the other side of the river.

We crossed the Old Bridge and walked up a steep cobbled street to Porvoo Cathedral.

And there it was - Porvoo Cathedral - a towering Gothic building resplendent under a dazzling autumn sun. When we were reading up on the cathedral, we discovered that it was destroyed several times - it was burnt by the Danes in 1508, and by the Russian in 1571 and 1590; then during the Second World War, a bomb went through its ceiling but didn't explode, thankfully; and the latest incident was arson in 2006, when the roof was destroyed.

The interior of the cathedral was unusual. A touch of gold is common in churches, but we were surprised by the ashen blue pulpit, and even more so by the unicorn, which looked like it had recently been graffitied on the pillar even though it is believed to be medieval. Even the ceiling above the altar was covered in designs that looked like runes.

After leaving the cathedral, we walked around the Old Town a little aimlessly and even ventured into quieter, less touristy streets - we couldn't find the Bishop's House or the Chapter House but were ecstatic to come across the Devil's Stairs! Although not as dramatic as our video might lead you to believe, this narrow, rocky path might actually be quite devilish in winter since it is not maintained!

Then we walked past Simoline House, Finland's oldest departmental store, which has been operating since 1854, and headed to Iso Linnamäki (Great Castle Hill). We climbed to the lookout point for a stunning view of the Old Town.

We came down to the riverbank through the forest for an unobstructed view of the iconic red warehouses of Porvoo. These have now been converted into private residences, shops and restaurants.

We crossed the pedestrian bridge (kävelysilta) to return to the Old Town and decided to take the bus back to Helsinki much earlier than originally planned.

Moments before the bus arrived, I realised that our return tickets were not for that day but for two days later! How did that happen? Well, when we first thought about visiting Porvoo, I randomly checked the ticket prices for 3 September and they stayed in my cart. When we finally bought our tickets to and from Porvoo, much later and for 1 September, I mistakenly deleted the return tickets for 1 September instead of 3 September!

The 1:35 bus arrived. I explained to the driver what had happened. Even if he was sympathetic, there was little he could do. We bought new tickets from him and boarded the bus. I barely said a word for the rest of the day!

...

Is Porvoo a must-visit? Well, Porvoo is a beautiful town, and as the second oldest town in Finland, it has a lot of historical significance, so, yes, it is a must-visit, but I did feel that a whole day was somewhat unnecessary to see what we thought were the highlights of Porvoo: the colourful wooden houses, the cathedral, and the red shore houses.