Eating in Helsinki: Old Market Hall, Food Tours and Salmon Soup
4 min read
Go to the Old Market Hall on your own for a snack, and book a food tour only if you want tastings explained and several stops in three hours. For salmon soup in a local setting, the Kallio tour is the one whose page names it; for sights plus the hall, take the city walk with tastings. Two of the three pages say outright that lunch is not provided, so plan a proper meal around them.
The Old Market Hall on your own
The Old Market Hall’s official page lists opening hours of Monday to Saturday from 8:00 to 18:00 and notes that vendors may keep different hours. Sunday is not among the opening days it lists. The hall stands on Eteläranta by Market Square, a short walk from the centre, and the same page says tram 2 also stops there. You pay each vendor directly; the prices on this page are for the guided tours only.
The Kallio tour with salmon soup
The Kallio foodie walking tour costs €106.89 and lasts 3 hours, with 50 reviews and a rating of 4.9. It is run in English. The page lists Karelian pies, cold cuts that may include bear, reindeer and moose depending on the season, salmon and fish toasts, a bowl of lohikeitto (salmon soup), a small glass of Finnish lager and a long drink, with non-alcoholic choices, and coffee, tea or glögi. It gives Siltasaarenkatu 18 as the address. Transport to the meeting point and extra food and drinks are not included. Tell the guide about allergies or dietary restrictions in advance.
The city walk with tastings
The city tour with food tasting costs €169, lasts 3 hours and has 64 reviews. It starts at Aleksanterinkatu 26 and takes up to eight people. The route covers Senate Square, Helsinki Cathedral, Katajanokka, Allas Sea Pool, Market Square, the Old Market Hall and Esplanadi Park. Tastings listed are fish, smoked reindeer, rye bread, pastry, caviar, cheese, Blue Chocolate and a non-alcoholic drink, and they change with the season. The page says lunch is not provided, and its list names a Cathedral entrance fee of 8 euros for June to August without marking it as included, so expect to pay it yourself in summer. From December to February it does not recommend the tour for wheelchair users or parents with strollers because of snow and ice.
The rooftop-bar tour
The food tour with rooftop bar visit costs €159 and lasts 3 hours, in English or Russian. It starts at Robert’s Coffee Jugend on Pohjoisesplanadi and visits the Jugend Hall, the Old Market Hall and a chocolaterie before ending at a rooftop bar. Baby strollers are not allowed. The page says lunch is not provided but can be ordered on site, and its list has alcoholic drinks only as a separate line next to one non-alcoholic drink, so expect to pay for anything alcoholic at the rooftop bar yourself.
| Option | Duration | Best known for |
|---|---|---|
| Kallio foodie tour | 3 hours | Salmon soup, Karelian pies, lager |
| City tour with food tasting | 3 hours | Sights plus the Old Market Hall |
| Food tour with rooftop bar | 3 hours | Jugend Hall and a rooftop view |
Our recommendation
Take the city tour with food tasting if it is your first day and you want sights and tastings together. Take the Kallio tour if you want to eat the salmon soup away from the centre. See all food tours in Helsinki for the rest.
