Porvoo Old Town
Ideal: Ideal for romantic town routes, photography, and quiet city discovery.
Porvoo gained city status in 1346 and is Finland's second-oldest town. Those famous red wooden storehouses on the river were not accidentally this colour: they were painted with red ochre to welcome the Swedish king who came to town in 1809, and the colour stuck. In the same year the Porvoo Diet assembled here and Finland became an autonomous grand duchy under Russia. National poet J. L. Runeberg's house is a museum; the Runeberg tart his wife invented is sold nationwide in February.
Did you know?
Why are the riverside warehouses red?
They were painted red for a visit by the Swedish king in the 18th century and the colour stayed. The paint is Falu red, derived from copper mining and protective of timber.
How old is Porvoo?
It is Finland's second-oldest town after Turku, chartered in the 1380s. Its wooden old town survived the great fires that destroyed so many Finnish towns.
What happened here in 1809?
The Diet of Porvoo met here and Finland gained the status of an autonomous grand duchy within the Russian Empire — regarded as the foundation of the modern Finnish state.
Why go?
- To see Finland's historic wooden house fabric
- For a calm, photogenic walk along the river
- To add an easy day trip outside Helsinki
Travel tip
Allow time for café breaks; Porvoo's pleasure is in staying in the atmosphere rather than rushing through.
