Porvoo in Finland is one of those quaint, old towns that you will easily fall in love with. When we saw photos of Porvoo in winter, we decided to make Porvoo part of our Finland travel with kids. We visited Porvoo with our kids two winters ago where the atmosphere was just magical. So what to do in Porvoo with kids?
Before I list down the things to do in Porvoo with our two young daughters, let me build the case for why you need to go visit Porvoo with your kids.
Why Visit Porvoo?
1. It’s a beautiful town.
There are so many ways to describe Old Porvoo (Vanha Porvoo): charming, quaint, picturesque, pretty, colorful, idyllic, magical. It’s, in short, an Instagrammable town. Literally everywhere you look, Porvoo will win you over.
There are the cobblestone streets, the colorful wooden houses, the medieval architecture, the riverside red warehouses, the cute shops, the quaint cafes, and the small-town feel. It’s been a couple of years since our visit and we’re still gushing over it.
2. It’s a historic town.
Porvoo is actually the second oldest town in Finland. The medieval Old Town is the center of attraction here. Swedish settlers arrived in the area in the 13th century. And six cities were established in Finland during the Middle Ages, Porvoo being one of them.
Porvoo also boasts of two of Finland’s oldest streets, Jokikatu (River Street) and Välikatu (Between Street). Any place that dates that far back is worth at least a consideration. The fact that it’s just a beautiful, well-preserved Old Town makes it a must-visit. It being a historic town is a bonus.
3. It’s a living, breathing town.
People actually live here. Porvoo is not some heritage showcase town designed to separate tourists from their money. There are 50,000 Finns living in Porvoo (although of course, they’re widely spread in Downtown Porvoo and the West Bank, and not concentrated in the Old Town, where just 800 Finns live).
Still, you’ll get to see residents walking their dogs, carrying groceries, and going about their daily life. While strolling along the streets, we can’t help but notice a young lady practicing the piano at home.
4. It’s a kid-friendly town.
Hilly lanes, cobblestone streets, a frozen river, an ancient fortress, colorful doll houses, narrow alleys, a doll and toy museum, a white cathedral, a medieval town hall — Porvoo is straight out of a fairy tale book. We can imagine our girls conjuring scenes from Beauty and the Beast or Cinderella.
It’s also easy to find something for the kids to eat, whether it’s meatballs, pasta, pizza, or burgers. Porvoo also has lots of shops selling ice cream, cakes, confectioneries, and chocolates. It’s famous for its Brunberg Candy Factory Shop.
5. It’s so close from Helsinki.
For sure, a visit to Finland means spending a few days in Helsinki. Well, why not take a day trip to Porvoo while you’re at it! Porvoo is just an hour away from Helsinki by bus. Make sure you make it part of your Finland itinerary with kids. You are going to miss a lot if you overlook Porvoo.
It’s an easy day trip for most tourists. You can skip group tours though. The actual area of the Old Town is really small, which you can easily cover on foot in a couple of hours. Most tours are half-day tours. In our experience, however, that’s not enough. You’ll spend hours admiring your surroundings, taking loads of photos, browsing in shops, relaxing in cafes, and getting lost in the alleys (this is the kind of place where you don’t need to have a strick, military-style itinerary or schedule).
Getting to Porvoo
There are many ways to get to Porvoo: car, train, boat, bike, or bus. Taking the bus is the easiest. We reserved seats and bought tickets through Onnibus.com, which offered cheap fares. There are plenty of seats in the double-decker bus, but it’s nice to grab the front seats on the upper floor for a panoramic view of the road on the way to Porvoo.
The bus ride is about an hour, departing from Kamppi Shopping Center. It’s a bit confusing to look for the underground bus stop, so just ask if you get lost. We took the 9:50am bus with a return ride at 2:45pm. On hindsight, we should have taken the last bus ride home.
How Much Time to Spend in Porvoo
Some people who have been to Porvoo wrote in reviews and discussion boards that 4 to 5 hours is enough time. More than that and you’ll get bored. We disagree. I mean, sure, it really is a small area to cover. And if you’re just after checking out the landmarks and getting lunch, that should be fine.
But Porvoo is meant to be explored in your sweet time. It’s a place where it’s great to get lost because (a) there’s always some pretty spot when you turn a corner that will delight you and (b) it’s easy to find your way back. It’s also a place where you should just spend time checking out the shops and enjoying coffee or ice cream, watching people pass by. And, especially for us, it’s a place to take photos, stage photoshoots, and take everything in.
So 6 to 8 hours is more like it. In fact, we would have welcomed staying in Porvoo overnight.
8 Things to Do in Porvoo
1. Explore Porvoo Old Town
From the bus stop, it’s a 6-min. walk to Old Town. All the major landmarks in Old Town are just within a 5-min. walk from each other. Take a look at the map of our “itinerary” below. That’s how small it is!
Of course, this is just between landmarks. But exploring the Old Town means passing through alleys, parallel streets, and crossing the bridge, and strolling along the riverbank. And our kids didn’t even get bored!
2. Take photos, lots of ’em
If you love photography and Instagram, you’ll love taking photos in Porvoo. Old Town is totally photogenic. The pastel color scheme, the medieval architecture, the cobbled streets, the freezing river, really, you can’t stop taking pictures.
My wife and our kids had a blast posing for the camera. We brought a change of clothes for their photo shoot, because just wearing baggy winter clothes won’t look as nice in such a picture-perfect town. (They refused, however, to take off their snow pants, as it was very chilly.)
3. Admire the red shore houses
This is one of the main reasons I insisted we go to Porvoo, even if it meant sacrificing more time in Helsinki. The famous red waterfront houses are the most photographed landmark in Porvoo. They used to be storehouses for coffee, tobacco, spices, wines, and fruits transported by boat up along the Porvoonjoki River. Now, they’ve been converted into houses, cafes, inns, and restaurants.
We spent an hour just strolling along the opposite side of the river bank, taking photos and admiring the houses. It was snowing at that time, so that just added even more magic and enchantment to the place. And the kids played in the snow, so that was fun.
4. Eat at Hanna-Maria
There are plenty of places where you can eat in Porvoo. But Hanna-Maria kept coming up in lists. Mainly, it’s known for its cheap, cafeteria-style eats and famous for local favorites like meatballs and mashed potatoes (which we had, of course).
Hanna-Maria was a good choice. We had traditional Finnish cuisine, it has a long history (30 years in Porvoo), the food was good, the kids enjoyed their meal, the service was fast, and the place was cozy. It’s #3 on TripAdvisor.
5. Buy souvenirs at the boutique shops
This is Finland, famous for design. And Porvoo, as a haven for artists and artisans, is known for its rows of charming boutiques selling handicrafts, antiques, home decor, toys, vintage clothes, jewelry, and trinkets.
Our kids enjoyed looking through the shop windows. My wife spent quite some time window shopping and buying souvenirs. She’s definitely happy.
6. People watch
As it’s winter when we visited, there were not a lot of tourists, so that was great. In fact, there were barely any people. Maybe because most of the museums were closed and perhaps summer is peak season for visiting Porvoo.
But that allowed us to see residents going about their business. For us, it’s always great to just have a feel of daily life for locals. It just adds to the authenticity of the experience.
7. Visit the Porvoo Cathedral and Old Town Hall Square
While the Old Town itself is the main attraction, you shouldn’t miss its two major landmarks. Porvoo Cathedral is a 15th-century cathedral of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland that still holds Sunday services to this day. The stone and wood building is simple and minimalist, which fits the vibe of the entire town. As it’s on top of a hill, it’s easy to spot.
The Old Town Hall Square has the Porvoo Museum and Holm House across each other. One ticket gets you inside both. But reviews of what you can see and do inside are just so-so. We skipped this, but make sure to check out the pink and the yellow buildings, which are a great backdrop for photos.
8. Buy chocolates at Brunberg Candy Factory Shop
A trip to Porvoo is not complete without buying the famous Brunberg chocolates. The candy factory is in Porvoo, so the chocolates and truffles at their shop are made fresh.
Brunberg dates back to 1871 and it’s based in Porvoo, so it’s special. But forget history, it’s just really good! (We bought a lot.)
And More…
There are still a lot more you can do in Porvoo, which we weren’t able to do due to time constraints.
You can visit the house of Finland’s national poet Johan Ludvig Runeberg, eat the famous Runeberg cake (a recipe his wife made), visit the statue of Porvoo artist Albert Edelfelt, take a hike in Linnamaki, eat at the hip Zum Beispiel, check out the art galleries, stay at a B&B, take a hike in Iso Linnamäki Fortress (once home to a medieval castle, now a lush forest), visit the modern Art Factory, and explore the newer areas of Porvoo.
But we were quite satisfied with our experience. If there’s one thing we could change, it’s to spend maybe a couple more hours in Porvoo. We kind of rushed back in our last hour just to make sure we catch our return bus.
Thankfully, we took a leisurely walk and took our sweet time during most of our visit, taking in the charm of Porvoo, eating local food, buying from local shop owners, capturing beautiful photos, and making memories that will last forever.
