On Saturday, Scott and I decided to do the touristy thing and take a little drive over to the picturesque city/town of Porvoo. (It's referred to as both; although I'm sure it is technically a city.) Situated about 40 minutes outside of Helsinki, Porvoo is an ideal location for those wanting to explore a little more of what Finland has to offer.
Porvoo is Finland's second oldest town and is comprised of the old town, the new town and the Empire quarter. Scott and I visited the old town which is made up of quaint cobbled streets, quirky little shops and stalls and more cafes/restaurants than you could possibly ever wish for.
Situated by the river, wooden former warehouses have become one of the main attractions in Porvoo, due to their unique, brick-red colour. Most of the old town is made up of wooden houses, similarly painted in a mixture of brights and soft pastel colours.
We couldn't resist stopping off for ice-cream down by the water front as it was a scorcher of a day! Scott opted for a vanilla cone, whilst I went for a yummy mint chocolate tub.
At the top of a small hill sits Porvoo's historic cathedral which overlooks the wooden rooftops and cobbled streets below. There was a wedding taking place when we arrived so we took a few pictures, cheered along with everyone as the newlyweds emerged from the building and then swiftly left them to it.
We headed waterside for a spot of lunch at one of the cafes. There's a number of places that offer the chance of eating aboard a boat, moored up along the banking. We decided to stay on dry land - mostly due to the fact that there were a scary number of seagulls circling said boats and I didn't really fancy being pooped on.
Once we had eaten our late lunch, we headed back down the cobbled streets to explore the souvenir shops, before heading home.
If you ever find yourself in Southern Finland, Porvoo is definitely worth a day trip as there is so much to see and take in, especially when the weather is nice during the Summer months. Make sure you wear sensible footwear if you are visiting the old town as those cobbled streets are tricky, even in flats. Most of all, make sure you pack a camera so you can capture the lovely scenery at its finest!
