paulos tours

Has anyone used Paulos Tours? How was it and do you recommend it? Where you able to customize a little? How much in advance did you get back to ship?

We used Paulo's Tours (http://www.paulostours.com) on May 31 of this year--my full description is in the earlier thread. I liked it quite a lot, given that there isn't just a whole lot to see from a historical perspective in Helsinki. (I mean, even the famed Rock Church is less than 50 years old.) We chose the Helsinki/Porvoo option, though I am certain that he would be flexible to just about anything. He told us that some people before us had planned to do Helsinki/Porvoo, but asked if they could go to a national park and do some hiking instead. So they ditched Porvoo and went hiking.

I liked him and felt he gave an appropriate introduction to Helsinki--nothing too in depth, but he answered every question we asked. We got back to the ship 2 or 3 hours before departure--we weren't cutting it close at all.

Again, I would recommend him as long as you realize that the tour you get here isn't like Stockholm, St. P, or Berlin, where there is history and stories at every turn and you are busy every minute. It's very relaxed--take a stroll, have a pastry, enjoy the air. In some ways it felt a little out of place on this tour-intensive itinerary; in other ways, it was very much welcomed.

We used Paulo's Tours (www.paulostours.com) on May 31 of this year--my full description is in the earlier thread. I liked it quite a lot, given that there isn't just a whole lot to see from a historical perspective in Helsinki. (I mean, even the famed Rock Church is less than 50 years old.) We chose the Helsinki/Porvoo option, though I am certain that he would be flexible to just about anything. He told us that some people before us had planned to do Helsinki/Porvoo, but asked if they could go to a national park and do some hiking instead. So they ditched Porvoo and went hiking.

 

I liked him and felt he gave an appropriate introduction to Helsinki--nothing too in depth, but he answered every question we asked. We got back to the ship 2 or 3 hours before departure--we weren't cutting it close at all.

 

 

Again, I would recommend him as long as you realize that the tour you get here isn't like Stockholm, St. P, or Berlin, where there is history and stories at every turn and you are busy every minute. It's very relaxed--take a stroll, have a pastry, enjoy the air. In some ways it felt a little out of place on this tour-intensive itinerary; in other ways, it was very much welcomed.

Thank you, I saw your post on the other thread. In fact right after I posted this and sent him an email asking a question, he called me. I was stunned! I like the idea of a deposit with Paypal as I use it being a seller on Ebay so I do not have to give out a credit card. He recommended Porvoo first after a short tour of Helsinki and then afterwards a walk around Helsinki due to traffic and that way we are close to the ship. I like that idea a lot and he certainly is less by 200 euros over Ahta who I am sure is also very good.

We booked with paulotours and he was very nice to deal with. Easy deposit with Paypal which I use all the time for selling on ebay. Very comfortable paying through them rather than giving my credit card out to anyone. He even told me 4 weeks ago his wife gave birth to a little girl. Must remember to bring a little gift.

Paulo called me this afternoon to confirm the time and schedule of our tour to Helsinki and Porvoo. Very nice to speak to him and get a verbal confirmation.

Paulo called me this afternoon to confirm the time and schedule of our tour to Helsinki and Porvoo. Very nice to speak to him and get a verbal confirmation.

I agree with you. Something that most people do not do. Enjoy. When are you going with him?

August 27th.

So the ports we will be doing on our own are Copenhagen, Tallinn and Stockholm.

Paulo just called me to confirm our May 16, 2011 tour with him. He answers my emails so quickly. Thanks to all who posted information on Paulo's tours.

So glad we all had a good experience with Paulo so far. I think it was a good choice.

We are also doing Copenhage, Talinn and Stockholm ourselves.

My Bride and I were fortunate to have booked Paulo de Frietas (Paulos Tours) for our stop in Helsinki, Finland, on July 18, 2010. We had never been to Finland and didn't know quite what to expect. Paulo, made us feel right at home from the instant we met him just outside the ship. His personality is absolutely glowing, and his knowledge of the area and the people is amazing. You could not do better in Helsinki for a private tour than to book Paulos Tours. His English is very, very good! We learned so much about Helsinki and about Finland, both the present and the rich history. I only wish we were going back to Helsinki next year just to visit with Paulo again. David and Bernice Burchfield

Hi. We are travelling to Helsinki on a Costa tour in August. I was wondering which of Paulo's Helsinki tours you took. Just the City? Porvoo? Do you have recommendations about which tour would be best? Thanks so much. Stephanie

Can't say enough about Paulos tours. We just came back from a Baltic cruise with a stop in Helsinki. Paulo was great to deal with and very knowledgeable about Finland. It is obvious that he loves his job and his adopted country. Enjoyed hearing all the info about life in Finland especially from the perspective of a newcomer to Finland. Paulo's English is very good and he loves to talk. Very personable.

Can't say enough about Paulos tours. We just came back from a Baltic cruise with a stop in Helsinki. Paulo was great to deal with and very knowledgeable about Finland. It is obvious that he loves his job and his adopted country. Enjoyed hearing all the info about life in Finland especially from the perspective of a newcomer to Finland. Paulo's English is very good and he loves to talk. Very personable.

Paulo did a great job on our May 2011 tour of Helsinki and Porvoo. I only wished we had spent more time in Helsinki by adding another hour to the tour. I was impressed with his ethics. He isn't like most of the guides who book you and then pawn you off on another guide without telling you. He was so much fun and so professional. Helsinki was better than I expected thanks to Paulo.

We took the 6-hour tour of Porvoo and Helsinki with Paulo on July 25th, 2012. It was wonderful. He met us at the pier at the time we had arranged by e-mail. He got us back to the ship an hour before the time we had to be there (as previously agreed). There were 6 of us in his mini-van and the total cost was 350 euros ($430. total at today's exchange rate = $71.67 per person). Princess offers the same tour in a bus with 40 passengers charging $169. per person. In all fairness the Princess tour lasts 7 hours and includes a 1 hour lunch. It was so nice to be able to visit in a small group with our own personal guide. Paulo is very knowledgeable and professional; he also has a great personality. If there is something you want to see and do, simply talk it over with him. He can modify any of his tours to accommodate you. When he doesn't run his own tours, he works as a tour guide for a large tour company. For more information, check his website www dot paulostours dot com. You can also do a google search with Paulos Tours in Helsinki. I would recommend him without any hesitation.