Accompanying Persons Tours

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A half-day sightseeing tour is included in the Accompanying Persons registration package. IFLA and the National Committee are delighted to offer two options for the Accompanying Persons Programme. Tickets for one half-day guided bus tour can be reserved during the online registration process or when registering onsite at the Congress. Please note these tours are subject to availability.

Accompanying Persons Tour 1

Helsinki Sightseeing Tour

Date: 13 August, 2012
Time: 10.00

This guided Helsinki city tour by coach will present you with the highlights of the city of Helsinki. An inside visit (if possible depending on services) is made to Temppeliaukio, the famous "Rock Church". The church is built into solid rock, with the inner wall left raw and unfinished, and is crowned with a solid copper dome. In Sibelius Park leave the coach to view the Sibelius Monument before moving on past the Olympic Stadium, built for the 1952 Olympic Games. Next is the city's main street Mannerheimintie, along which there are many fine buildings such as the modern Opera House, the Alvar Aalto designed Finlandia Hall, the National Museum, and the Kiasma Modern Art Museum. Nearby is the main Railway Station, an architectural show piece in its own right. Next is Esplanade, an elegant boulevard with exclusive shops and a leafy parkland in the centre. It is a popular sitting area with occasional live concerts and buskers. At the base of Esplanade is the bustling Market Square and harbour, overlooked by the imposing red brick onion-domed Uspenski Russian Orthodox cathedral. Rounding off the tour there will be time to walk around Senate Square and the green-domed Lutheran Cathedral the symbol of the city.

What's included:

• Guided coach tour of Helsinki metropolitan area for 3 hours

Accompanying Persons Tour 2

Helsinki Design Tour

Date: 14 August, 2012
Time: 10.00

This private guided tour by coach will present you with the highlights of Helsinki, the World Design Capital for the year 2012. Design is manifested in the everyday lives of Helsinki citizens in many ways, ranging from home furniture and items that represent old Finnish design traditions to modern urban solutions and contemporary interior design. Depart from the Congress venue for a city tour focusing on the design highlights of Helsinki and find out how design is part of the Finnish people's daily life. The tour includes a stop at the Design District Helsinki. There will be an opportunity to visit shops such as Iittala, Marimekko and Artek for shopping. The tour also includes a visit to the Helsinki Design Museum. Founded in 1873, the Design Museum is a specialist museum which selects and maintains a design collection. The museum is responsible for research and documentation in its field, and for holding exhibitions on design history and contemporary products. Exhibitions vary over time, but there are always temporary exhibitions which feature alongside the permanent exhibitions. The Design Museum's comprehensive and varied collections tell the history and development of Finnish design.

What's included:

• Guided coach tour for 3 hours
• Entrance into the Design Museum
• Stop at various shops for shopping