Heather's Helsinki
Heather's Helsinki
5
09:30 - 15:00
Monday
09:30 - 15:00
Tuesday
09:30 - 15:00
Wednesday
09:30 - 15:00
Thursday
09:30 - 15:00
Friday
09:30 - 15:00
Saturday
09:30 - 15:00
Full view
About
Join me on a tasty walk around Helsinki! For 2022-23 there are two products on offer, both available all year round. Fork In Hand (Finnish Food Tales) is an urban exploration of Helsinki through its' most passionate people and businesses as well as a discovery of local flavours and design. Finnish Food tales are revealed to guests over a 4,5 - 5h stroll around the city center, tasting bits of Finnish cuisine and learning how design is part of the everyday life in Finland. Tastes of Helsinki is the abbreviated version, a sneak peak of food, culture, history & design. Come hungry and curious, you'll get home sated and inspired. Foodism at its' best! Join me for a taste adventure with Helsinki as the backdrop. Let's have fun out there!
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Heather's Helsinki
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5.0
166 reviews
Excellent
154
Very good
10
Average
0
Poor
2
Terrible
1
Lisa D
3 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
Heathers Food Tour was absolutely fantastic she spoke about the history and culture of Finland and it’s people with excellent knowledge.
We tried some wonderful local cuisine from fresh fish to fresh cakes along with an excellent tour of the city. She also gave us some superb recommendations for local restaurants to try in the evening.
We we would definitely recommend you take Heathers Food Tour when you visit Helsinki you won’t be disappointed.
We tried some wonderful local cuisine from fresh fish to fresh cakes along with an excellent tour of the city. She also gave us some superb recommendations for local restaurants to try in the evening.
We we would definitely recommend you take Heathers Food Tour when you visit Helsinki you won’t be disappointed.
Written 12 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello LisaW5281,
Thank you so much for sharing your opinion of our outing. This was one of the last I did before COVID-19 grounded all of our travels. You'll be (hopefully) pleased to hear that I am back in business and while the route and tastes have changed due to an altered business landscape, all other facets of the outing remain the same! Wonderful local cuisine and lots of tidbits of information along the way.
Take care and travel safe,
Heather
Written 18 August 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Jeenny
Brisbane88 contributions
Nov 2022 • Couples
On the morning of Heather's Helsinki Fork in Hand Tour, my husband and I were fortunate to have Heather to ourselves. Heather, who happens to be an Aussie has made Finland her home. Sharing her knowledge of the food, the culture and history, we explored a small section of Helsinki, including the Central Station where she pointed out a special historic spot, what was the oldest restaurant area with its early 1900 booths, decor and fittings. Below ground is the large supermarket. Having already sampled a popular, savoury and nutritious breakfast or anytime warmed pastry, and the vitamin C bomb - the juice of a certain berry, it was good to see where these products can be bought and their range. With an incredibly short season, the most is made of local produce: cloudberries, lingonberries, etc, many wild; the tree fruits, vegetables and root vegetables. From the range we saw, the Finnish take their seafood, deer and bear meats seriously. Exploring other iconic food establishments we continued our flavour filled tour. The pace was easy, the foods delicious and the conversations flowed. After a warming bowl of delicious soup, a special open sandwich and a range of tastings including delicious licorice from Finnish recipe, we turned our attention to some other iconic Finnish products... these inedible... but beautiful. Some more walking, thank goodness, as we were quite full, it was time for the final stop with extra special treats!
What a wonderful way to spend our final day in Finland...
I'd recommend doing this tour earlier as Heather passes on special discounts and information.
What a wonderful way to spend our final day in Finland...
I'd recommend doing this tour earlier as Heather passes on special discounts and information.
Written 16 November 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ranny L
Santa Fe, NM58 contributions
Oct 2022
Heather is just as charming as they come, making you feel welcome and part of her family. She took us around the center city primarily, stopping at various food places at the rail station, the grocery store, the local market - sharing historical facts about Helsinki with stories of food and design. We were a group of 3, myself and my two grown children. We signed up for the short tour, but I think she spent almost 5 hours with us, which was amazing. Highlights were the licorice shop - with its hundreds of flavors of chocolate covered licorice and the market - with an interior straight out of the 1800s.
Highly recommend her tour. Although we did it on our last day of Helsinki, I would recommend you take it earlier so you can return to some of the places that you just barely touch o.
Highly recommend her tour. Although we did it on our last day of Helsinki, I would recommend you take it earlier so you can return to some of the places that you just barely touch o.
Written 28 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sarah C
176 contributions
Jun 2022 • Couples
This was a great way for foodies to get a good introduction to Finnish cuisine whilst learning about the city as you walk.
Heather is happy to answer as many questions as you have and she is very knowledgeable.
We were only able to fit the tour in on our last day. I would recommend doing it as early in your stay as possible as you will have lots of places you want to go back to afterwards. We will just have to do another trip.
Thanks Heather it was worth the wait ☺️
Heather is happy to answer as many questions as you have and she is very knowledgeable.
We were only able to fit the tour in on our last day. I would recommend doing it as early in your stay as possible as you will have lots of places you want to go back to afterwards. We will just have to do another trip.
Thanks Heather it was worth the wait ☺️
Written 28 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello 658sarahc and many thanks for your review and feedback.
It's exciting to hear you are pondering another Helsinki trip - look me up when we return and we will do something special!
(I agree that food tours are best at the beginning of the stay - like you, next time!).
Yes, it was worth the wait.
Take care and travel safe,
Heather
Written 17 August 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
John P
Los Angeles, CA43 contributions
Jan 2022
We signed up for Heather’s walking tour of Helsinki and thoroughly enjoyed our time with her. We always do food tours, since we feel it's a great way to quickly get oriented to the city and the culinary landscape. We were the only people who signed up for the day, so we had Heather all to ourselves. She is from Tazmania originally, but has been in Helsinki for over 20 years – you get a great perspective from her, since she’s a local, but also has an outsider’s perspective on life in Helsinki. With all the Covid-related dining and drinking restrictions in Finland that were in place at the time, it was difficult to put a tour together, but she managed very well and we got to sample 4 different places that covered the range of local berry “shots”, pastries, rice pies and more, along with a lot of information on the origins of the Christmas story from Finland lore, and a tour of a huge, beautiful grocery market underneath Stockmann’s Department Store (check out the beautiful hydroponic herbs and vegetables!) and a walk through the Central Train Station to see the most beautiful Burger King we’d ever seen, built in the historic restaurant place of the station. Heather is a wonderful guide and we can’t recommend her tour highly enough.
Written 27 January 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello John,
Many thanks for your wonderfully detailed review. I am always intrigued to read my guests reactions to our different stops - and yes, those herbs are lovely to see, especially in the depths of winter.
Take care and travel safe,
Heather
Written 18 August 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Kayla T
4 contributions
Aug 2022
Heather's tour was out of this world! I booked the abbreviated three and a half hour tour, but I had overslept and missed the start time and was so disappointed. However, I was the only one booked on that particular day Heather reached out to me via many forms of communication to make sure I was alright and if I wanted to still take the tour. I did of course and she allowed us to begin nearly two hours later than the designated start time. This tour was part culture, part history, and part food. As she noted in the description, this is not a tour where you will only be eating the whole time. You get oriented to the city, see interesting sites, eat small bites, and learn a variety of Finnish facts. The small bites we ate were very tasty and included desserts, savory snacks, and jam. Heather was an open book and I asked her many questions about life in Finland that she gladly answered. She was a wealth of knowledge and a joy to be around. She also went the extra mile and looked up some information for me after the tour regarding a food my great-grandparents used to eat. I highly recommend Heather's Helsinki.
Written 22 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you KJTurner2011 for taking the time to share your recent experience with Heather's Helsinki. I am happy my efforts to reach you did not go unrewarded and we were able to set out (after a slight delay) 😎.
The outing Tastes of Helsinki is all the things you described and I am pleased to hear that you appreciated both the tastes and the Helsinki / Finland information as well.
Take care and stay safe,
Heather
Written 23 August 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Yvonne K
17 contributions
Mar 2020 • Friends
We had met Heather yesterday to do the tour. If was amazing! Its not the typical sightseeing with o lot of historical information around this church and that building (there are informations about history and stuff but it's not the main part) We literally went through finnish locals life and got answers to questions like:- where do they buy their food, what's local food, what to they cook and how to celebrate holidays,what's common in designs, musthaves in finnish kitchen and apartments, where do they go after work or relax with family....????
The best way to get in touch with Scandinavian life.
Heather its a great and friendly person. She gave us s famous time.
The food had a great variety, very good.
2/3 of the tour we were inside of buildings, markets or shops so it got not to cold While the 5 hours tour.
Worth to do it!
The best way to get in touch with Scandinavian life.
Heather its a great and friendly person. She gave us s famous time.
The food had a great variety, very good.
2/3 of the tour we were inside of buildings, markets or shops so it got not to cold While the 5 hours tour.
Worth to do it!
Written 8 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Greetings C797IGyvonnek,
Thanks for taking the time to rate and review your outing with me. I am always happy to share daily life with my guests - it's the best way to get to the heart of the matter.
Take care and travel safe,
Heather
Written 18 August 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Alanna L
12 contributions
Oct 2022
We had a great time walking around the city with Heather, she's very knowledgeable about the history of Finland & has lots of fun facts about Helsinki life & culture.
We started at the train station & had a strong shot of vitamin c to kick start a pretty long walk. Next we went to see the underground train station (could have skipped) and then had a nice breakfast taste of karjalanpiirakka! Then we went to taste some licorice (which is actually Danish made) in Stockmann, the oldest dept store. After that we cruised through the grocery store, although at that point we were all a bit tired of standing. (Good stop, but could have been revised) We carried on to a ceramic store (also could have skipped & done another tasting) until we got to the Market, where we all wanted to go. Heather introduced us to the local amazing salmon & reindeer chips, delicious! Afterwards our final stop was at Fazer for a lovely coffee & some sweets & treats.
Thank you Heather for a wonderful day in Helsinki!
We started at the train station & had a strong shot of vitamin c to kick start a pretty long walk. Next we went to see the underground train station (could have skipped) and then had a nice breakfast taste of karjalanpiirakka! Then we went to taste some licorice (which is actually Danish made) in Stockmann, the oldest dept store. After that we cruised through the grocery store, although at that point we were all a bit tired of standing. (Good stop, but could have been revised) We carried on to a ceramic store (also could have skipped & done another tasting) until we got to the Market, where we all wanted to go. Heather introduced us to the local amazing salmon & reindeer chips, delicious! Afterwards our final stop was at Fazer for a lovely coffee & some sweets & treats.
Thank you Heather for a wonderful day in Helsinki!
Written 29 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
traveldivaritagoh
Singapore, Singapore489 contributions
Mar 2023 • Friends
Best combination ever, food and sightseeing. The tour was not rushed so we took some time to really talk and get to know the city and country through Heather’s guidance and anecdotes. It’s said that once can really experience a culture through taste and food; got a deeper insight into the fabric of Finland as such. These five hours appealed to all five senses as we learnt a lot about Finland.
Written 30 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kay A
45 contributions
Aug 2022
I had one day in Helskinki on a cruise and this tour with Heather was a perfect way to spend it. Learned so much about the city and the Finnish culture and all the food was carefully chosen and delicious. Highly recommend.
Written 10 September 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Has anybody been able to get a hold of Heather? I sent an email and 2 texts via whatsapp (which show as read) but no reply. I can see bookings are open for some days online but I have a specific question. I'll give it one more try but I'm wondering if anybody had any luck. Thanks!
Written 27 June 2023
I received no reply to emails sent in April and May 2024. I then tried WhatsApp messages, as instructed on her website, which were received and read, but still no reply. That last update on the website was May 2022. I came to the the conclusion that the the tours are not being run anymore.
Written 14 July 2024
I've been attempting to get hold of Heather to book a tour, but haven't received a response. Is this company still in business?
Written 6 July 2019
I received no reply to emails sent in April and May 2024. I then tried WhatsApp messages, as instructed on her website, which were received and read, but still no reply. That last update on the website was May 2022. I came to the the conclusion that the the tours are not being run anymore.
Written 14 July 2024
Hello,
I have tried by email, website and Facebook to contact Heather to book but have not heard back. Not sure if this is an internet problem or what. Has anyone else recently had difficulties?
Written 21 April 2019
I found Heather very quickly responsive at all times. We had an extended conversation back and forth as we arranged things. Maybe she is traveling herself?
Written 23 April 2019
Hi Heather,
This tour looks awesome! How can I sign up?
Thanks,
Michele
Written 8 June 2018
Heather recently entirely revamped her website. Google "Heathers Helsinki" and it should come up. TA doesn't allow posting of website links otherwise I would have included it in this response.
Written 9 June 2018
Hi CCh p
I was wondering how you made contact with Heather.This certainly looks like a tour worth going on.
Thanks
Jenny
Written 3 May 2018
Heather here, I have had major issues with incoming and outgoing messages over the previous months. These have been resolved, and messages sent to me via the booking form arrive where they are supposed to. TA rules prohibit me from posting web or email addresses in this Q&A area.
Written 3 June 2018
I'm wondering if Heather is still offering this tour? I have tired to contact her through FB and also filled out her contact form on her website but have not heard back. We would like to book this tour for summer.
Written 22 February 2018
I have emailed Heather but haven’t heard back, really want to book a food tour! Any ideas?
Written 17 February 2018
Never heard anything back despite following up with a Facebook message. Sadly had to just book with a different company as our trip is next week. Shame, Heather’s tour looks good
Written 22 March 2018
Hi, I booked a tour one month ago and we are supposed to do it on May 17th. But since the day I paid, I did not hear anything from Heather and she doesn't answer my emails either. Is this normal ?
Written 15 May 2017
Hello Sandrine,
No, while this is not the way I try to carry on business, I am constantly working to improve the administration side of the business.
Written 8 June 2017
Yes, there are vegetarian options at all of our stops.
Written 24 January 2017
hi,
how do i book this tour & whats the costs.
How many hours is the tour & what is the pick up point?
Written 4 October 2016
The easiest way to book is through her official website. Or email
Her directly. It took us 4 hours and you get a great view of different food! She will tell you where to meet, it was really easy to find it...
Take care and say hi from me😉
Written 4 October 2016
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*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.