Things to do in Europe · Helsinki
Helsinki in October: the Tallinn ferry day, a 4.9 walking tour, Nuuksio, and the Sibelius Academy for free
Which Tallinn day to book from Helsinki, two walking tours rated 4.9, the Nuuksio forest hike with food, plus the Sibelius Academy's free October concerts.
- For Europeans
- For visitors from the US
- For visitors from East Asia
Helsinki's paid list is a ferry, two walks and a forest, which is the city in four lines. The bookings below are from our partner's Helsinki catalogue, 95 experiences as read on October 1, ranked by how many people booked and how they rated them. Prices are "from" prices in euros. The free programme around them is one of the best-kept secrets on Glentio: the Sibelius Academy's student concerts, in churches across the city, with no admission charge, on Glentio's Helsinki page today.
While you're in Helsinki
A few things to do in Helsinki from our partner GetYourGuide. Booking happens on their site.
Glentio earns a small commission when you book through these links, at no extra cost to you. Prices as shown on GetYourGuide on 1 Oct 2026; today's price and availability are on their site. More things to do in Helsinki
The ferry, and what it is for
- Return day-trip ferry ticket to Tallinn, from €43. Rated 4.8 by 2,840, the most-booked and best-rated of the big listings. Two hours each way across the gulf, a medieval old town on the other side, back for dinner.
- Tallinn guided day tour with the ferry crossing, from €116, 4.6 from 820, the version with someone to walk you round; the ticket alone plus a map is the better value.
The city on foot
- Guided old-town historical walking tour, from €35, 4.9 from 1,550, the best-rated tour in the catalogue with more than a thousand reviews.
- A Finntastic walking tour with a local guide, from €25, 4.9 from 800, rated the same for ten euros less, and the lighter of the two.
- The fun storytelling walking tour, from €25, two hours, 4.8 from 920.
- Sightseeing canal cruise with audio commentary, from €28, 4.4 from 1,650, the lowest rating on this page, and October is the last month it runs; the walks are the better buy.
The forest, and the pass
- Nuuksio National Park hiking tour with food, from €94, 4.9 from 475, the best-rated day trip in the catalogue: the lakes and pine forest forty minutes from the city, with lunch cooked over a fire. October is the month the birch turns.
- Museums, tours and public transport pass, AB zones, from €62, 4.5 from 420, the card that pays on a two-day visit with two museums and the tram.
Booking happens on the partner's site; Glentio earns a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Free around it: the Sibelius Academy's churches
The Sibelius Academy, the music faculty of the University of the Arts, programmes its students' concerts in the city's churches with no admission charge. On Tuesday October 6 at 18:00 its organ and church-music students give Urut soimaan in Paavali Church, centuries of organ repertoire in ninety minutes; on Wednesday October 7 at 18:00 a choir of church-music students sings Ikuinen valo, Sibelius to brand-new pieces, in the strong acoustic of Olaus Petri Church. The same week: the 2025 Nordic Council children's literature laureate Sara Lundberg in conversation with Philip Teir at the Nordic Culture Point on Tuesday at 17:00; a craft club that meets in a bar in Punavuori the same evening; and an open mic at Tiivistämö, the old gasworks hall in Suvilahti, on Wednesday from 17:30. The Academy's concerts continue through the month; the Helsinki page lists each one as the faculty publishes it.
For Europeans
Helsinki is a short flight from most of the continent and an overnight ferry from Stockholm. Book Nuuksio and the Tallinn ferry; the walks take bookings the day before. Stockholm runs the same format across the water.
For visitors from the US
Dates on posters are day first: 10/10 is October 10. Prices above are in euros; the Tallinn ferry costs about a train ticket at home, Nuuksio about a nice dinner. Nothing here needs a car; the forest tour collects you in the city.
For visitors from East Asia
Helsinki is the shortest European flight from most of East Asia and mid-October is after Golden Week. Finland applies a minimum purchase per receipt for a VAT refund; ask for the tax-free form at the till. The partner tours run in English; the church concerts need no language.
Sources
- The partner catalogue for Helsinki, as read on October 1, 2026, for every price, rating and review count.
- Uniarts Helsinki and the City of Helsinki's event listings, checked October 5, 2026, for the free programme.