Population 51,000 / 60.2 degrees north

Porvoo, Finland

Porvoo is one of Finland’s six medieval cities and was first mentioned in history around the beginning of the 14th century. Porvoo old town is charming thanks to its 15th-century church and 18th and 19th century buildings, and is only 50km from Helsinki, making it a fantastic place to visit for the day. 

Fun Facts About Porvoo

Latitude: 60.2 degrees north

Population: 50,000

Porvoo coat-of-arms

In this Travel Guide...

Map of Porvoo

Uniquely Porvoo

Here are some things that you must do and try in Porvoo

Historic Centre

Porvoo Old Town

Porvoo’s old town follows the dense medieval street pattern with wooden houses from the 17th and 18th centuries. Many of the houses now have craft boutiques, galleries and souvenir shops. 

Food

Runeberg Torte

The Runeborg Torte is a Porvoo delicacy and was developed by a local pastry master. It’s an almond-rum cake and was supposedly the favourite breakfast place for poet JL Runeberg. Traditionally it’s eaten on his birthday, but in Porvoo you can get them at Helmi Tea & Coffee House. 

Food

Brunberg

Brunberg is a well-known chocolate factory from Porvoo. They specialise in hand-made chocolates and liquorice treats. 

Website

Things to See & Do

Here’s an overview of some of the best things to see and do in Porvoo

Cathedral

Porvoo Cathedral

Porvoo Cathedral is from the 15th century and is one of the main icons of the town. This is where Tsar Alexander I convened the first Diet of Finland in 1809, giving Finland religious freedom. 

Museum

Porvoo Museum

Porvoo Museum is located on the Town Hall Square. The town hall building has most of the collection, with artefacts relating to the history of the town.

Website
Museum

Runeberg Museum

National poet JL Runeberg’s former home is now a preserved museum and well worth visiting. 

Website

Hikes, Day Trips & Experiences

Looking to go for a hike or take part in a unique experience? Here are our recommendations!

Village

Kotka

An hours drive from Porvoo is Kotka, a seaside village that celebrates the local swash-buckling history.

At the Maritime Centre, you can see icebreakers and learn about various notorious shipwrecks. The museum recounts Finland’s seafaring life. The headline attraction is the Tarmo, the wrold’s oldest icebreaker (1907), which was in use until 1970.

Website

Road-Trips

Follow our road-trip guides for scenic trips around Porvoo

Self-Guided Walks

Porvoo on YouTube

Watch our YouTube videos featuring Porvoo

History of Porvoo

The area around Porvoo has been inhabited since the Stone Age and the river Porvoonjoki was an important route for commerce for the Finnish tribal Tavastians. 

Porvoo was colonised by the Swedes in the 13th and 14th centuries after the Second Crusade against the Tavastians and conversion to Catholicism. Porvoo grew as an important trading town.

After Sweden had to cede Finland to Russia in 1809, the Diet of Porvoo in 1809 was a landmark in the history of Finland. 

Porvoo Today

Today Porvoo is a bilingual city, with 64.1% of the population speaking Finnish and 28.3% of the population speaking Swedish. 

Travel Information

Getting Here

Fly: Closest airport is Helsinki. 

Drive: Porvoo is located on the E18 between Helsinki and St. Petersburg. Buses travel between Porvoo and Helsinki every 30 minutes or so and the drive takes one hour. 

Train: There are many trains connecting Turku to Helsinki and the journey only takes 2 hours. You can also take the train to Oulu and Tampere from here. 

Ferry: It is possible to arrive on Porvoo from a cruise from Helsinki. The steamship JL Runeberg cruises from Helsinki’s Market Square to Porvoo’s passenger harbour in summer – the journey is 3.5 hours one way.

Getting Around

You can easily walk around Porvoo, though be wary of cobblestones and hills, especially in winter. 

Shops

Places to Eat

Cafes & Bakeries

Cafe Postres is a lovely dessert cafe. 

Helmi Tea & Coffee House is where you can try various cakes and sweets, including the Runeberg Torte.

Café Cabriole has a lunch buffet and cakes house in an art nouveau building.

Quick Bites

 

Reasonable Restaurants

Fryysarinranta has local delicacies, including Porvoo snails. It is in one of the old town red buildings.

High End & Unique Eats

Bosgård is a farm restaurant with organic foods. 

Places to Stay

Hostels & Camping

Porvoon Retkeilymaja is a hostel close to the town centre in a wooden house. 

B&Bs & Guesthouses

Ida Maria is a nice B&B in an wold wooden building on the main square. 

Chains & Mid-Range

 

High End & Unique Properties

Hotel Runo is a modern boutique hotel in a historic art nouveau building, with art exhibits and an attic spa.

Hotelli Onni is opposite the cathedral and is a gold-coloured wooden building. Each room is unique.

Hotelli Parissin Ville is a plush place with modern luxury. Some rooms have mini saunas.

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