What Is Suomenlinna?
A place, not a monument
This is the thing visitors are least prepared for. Around 350 people work on Suomenlinna year round and about 900 live there, so the ferry in the morning carries residents going to the mainland and the ferry in the evening brings them home. There is a school. There are bins and bicycles and washing lines. You are walking through a neighbourhood that happens to have eighteenth-century bastions in it, and it is much better for that.
The fortifications themselves run along the seaward sides: walls, gun emplacements, tunnels, courtyards and dry docks, with grass growing over most of it. The Finnish submarine Vesikko, the last surviving Finnish submarine, sits on the island, and there are several museums. In 2009 a record 713,000 people visited, most of them between May and September.
Getting there
The ferry is run by HSL as part of the city's public transport. It leaves from the eastern side of Market Square, directly in front of the Presidential Palace, crosses in 15 minutes, runs every day of the year from early morning until late at night, several times an hour in summer and at least once an hour in winter, and takes an ordinary AB ticket valid 90 minutes — the same ticket as the tram. There is no tour, no commentary and no bar, because it is a commuter boat. All of that, and the queueing, is on the ferry page.
How long to allow
Half a day is the right answer. An hour is not enough to get past the first island and a full day is more than most people want unless they are doing the museums. Take food with you or eat there, and work out your return crossing before you settle anywhere — the queue for the last ferry back on a July Sunday is a Helsinki institution and not a pleasant one.
Seeing it from the water instead
The fortress walls look completely different from the sea, which is the angle they were built to be seen from. The sightseeing loops from Market Square go out past them through the channels and come back without landing, in about 90 minutes. That is a different experience from walking the island, not a substitute for it — the decision page sets out which one you want, and the island hopping page covers what else is out there.
Go early. The first crossings of the day are quiet, the light on the walls is better, and you avoid the two worst queues — the middle of the morning going out and the end of the afternoon coming back.
Frequently asked questions
What is Suomenlinna?
A sea fortress on eight islands in front of Helsinki, begun in 1748 as Sveaborg, renamed in 1918, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991.
Do people live on Suomenlinna?
Yes. About 900 people live there permanently and around 350 work there year round.
How do I get to Suomenlinna?
By HSL ferry from the eastern side of Market Square, in 15 minutes, on an ordinary AB city ticket. It runs every day of the year.