RIB boat, island lunch and sauna

The opposite of a sightseeing loop: three and a half hours in a speed boat that actually lands. Life jacket and goggles supplied, out into the archipelago at speed, ashore on an island for a snack lunch and a public sauna, with a guide talking about the plants and the birds along the way. It meets at Café Marina Bay, Kanavaranta 4, 00160 Helsinki — not on the Market Square quay. Rated 5.0, from 29 reviews. Guided in English, Finnish and Swedish.

Rating5.0 out of 5

Reviews29

Duration3 hrs 30

Meets atCafé Marina Bay, Kanavaranta 4

LandingYes, island lunch and sauna

LanguagesEnglish, Finnish, Swedish

Why this one is different

Every other sightseeing boat in Helsinki takes you out through the channels and brings you back to the quay without your feet ever touching an island. This one does not. Of the six products on this site, only two put you ashore: this and the ferry to Tallinn, and one of those is in a different country.

It is also fast. A rigid inflatable is not a cruise boat with a sundeck and a bar — it is a hull, a large engine and a row of seats you sit astride. You get a life jacket and goggles because you need them. Spray is part of the deal.

The sauna

The sauna on the island is a public one, and it is the part people write home about. Finland takes this seriously and so should you: it is not a spa treatment bolted onto a boat trip, it is the normal way of ending a day on the water here. Bring a swimsuit and a towel unless the booking page says otherwise for your date. More on the habit generally on the sauna and swimming page.

Included

Three and a half hours in a rigid inflatable boat
Life jacket and goggles
A guide, in person, on the plants and the birds
A landing on an island
A snack lunch and a public sauna
Guiding in English, Finnish and Swedish

Not included

A departure from Market Square — you meet at Café Marina Bay instead
A sheltered deck. This is an open boat and you will feel the wind
A swimsuit and towel, unless your booking says otherwise
A quiet, seated, look-at-the-city experience — that is the ninety-minute loop
Suitability for everyone: see the accessibility page

What works

It lands, which nothing else here except the Tallinn ferry does
5.0 is the top score on this site, alongside the private boat
A guide in person, answering questions, rather than commentary over a loudspeaker
Sauna and lunch turn a boat trip into an afternoon with a shape to it
Three and a half hours is long enough to get past the city and into real archipelago

Worth knowing

29 reviews is a small sample compared with the 625 behind the archipelago loop
A RIB is a physical ride. Backs, necks and pregnancies are a genuine consideration
The meeting point is not where people expect, and Kanavaranta is a walk from Market Square
Spray and wind mean waterproofs, not a nice coat
It runs in the summer season only, like everything else that is not the public ferry

What people say about it

Jennifer, from the United States: “Such a beautiful way to see this city and the surrounding islands. Great tour guide, good food.” Sylvia, from the Netherlands: “The real Finnish life experience, nature and sauna combined with a beautiful RIB trip.” Kim, from the United States: “We had such a memorable day. We felt safe and in good capable hands.” The longer assessment is on the review page.

Local tip

Go to the meeting point the day before if you can, or at least look it up properly. Café Marina Bay is at Kanavaranta 4, on the Katajanokka side of the water, and it is not the Market Square quay where every other boat on this site leaves from. I lost count of the people who turned up at my kiosk fifteen minutes before a departure that was not happening there.

Book the RIB trip

Live availability is below. If you want the water without the speed and the spray, the sightseeing loop is the gentle version, and the island boats will land you somewhere on a public timetable.

Check dates & book

If this one is not right

Six people maximum

Those dates don’t work?

Browse the other boats leaving Helsinki — the short archipelago loops, the evening cruises and the crossings to Tallinn — and pick a day that suits you, with instant confirmation.

Live availability & other boats

We are an independent guide, not a boat operator and not a ferry company. Booking links go to GetYourGuide and are affiliate links — if you book through them we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. See our affiliate disclosure.

Frequently asked questions

Does this tour really land on an island?

Yes. It goes ashore for a snack lunch and a public sauna. It is the only sightseeing product here that lands anywhere in Finland: see all six.

Where does it meet?

Café Marina Bay, Kanavaranta 4, 00160 Helsinki. Not the Market Square sightseeing quay and not the HSL ferry gate: the piers, one by one.

What should I bring?

Waterproofs and warm layers, and a swimsuit and towel for the sauna unless your booking says they are provided. The checklist is on what to bring.

Is a RIB rough?

It is fast and open, so you feel the water in a way you do not on a cruise boat. The archipelago is sheltered, but this is the bumpiest ride on the site: is the sea rough?.

What languages is it guided in?

English, Finnish and Swedish, from a guide in person rather than a recording.