Hidden Helsinki: Suomenlinna/Sveaborg Island Fortress
Tucked away, a ferry ride from Central Helsinki, Suomenlinna, or Sveaborg in Swedish, transports you to a different pace of life in Finland that is unlike that in the metropolis. Suomenlinna is an group of eight islands connected together with a maze of bridges and tunnels built by the Swedish Crown in the mid-18th century to protect it's Eastern merchant hub from Russian invaders - which remained the case until the 1970s. Today, the islands are home to a very small number of residents and touristic attractions. Why didn't I include it on my "Top 10 Helsinki" list recently? Because it is such a unique island to visit and I felt it deserved an article all to itself.
How to travel to Suomenlinna
The archipelago is not connected by any physical means to the Finnish mainland - meaning all travel must be completed via one of the ferry services operated by HSL (Helsinki Region Transport Authority). Services operate year-round but frequencies will vary - when we visited in summer, the service operated four times per hour making it easy to get back and forth. You can catch the ferry from the east side of Helsinki Market Square and perhaps pick up a snack whilst passing the market.
There are a couple of options for buying tickets:
- Purchase an AB/ABC/ABCD zone HSL public transport card which includes coverage on all transport forms, including the Suomenlinna the ferry. The cost is EUR 8/11/15 for each one day zone banding respectively, however if you are only transporting around Helsinki City and Suomenlinna, AB zone will be sufficient. More information can be found at HSL.fi and day tickets with a QR code can be purchased on the HSL app (iOS, Android & Huawei devices).
- Private operators, including JT Line, run services to the island. JT Line offer a return ride at an advance fare of EUR 8, however services are less frequent.
Personally, I would advise opting for the HSL option as it gives far greater flexibility and you are likely to be using the ticket for more than just taking the ferry to Suomenlinna.
So you're at Suomenlinna, now what?
Once you're off the ferry and step foot on Suomenlinna, you've got a few options but I'll boil them down to a couple of key focusses - taking in it's natural beauty and museums.
Like most of the Nordic region, Suomenlinna is very picturesque and can be walked around easily across a range of paths, dirt tracks and grasslands. The island's governing authority recommends a "Blue Route" from the north to south side of the island which takes in most of the key attractions, however feel free to deviate from this at any moment to take one of the other routes on the island.
As per the map, Suomenlinna is split into eight islands:
- Kustaanmiekka (A), Susisaari (B), Iso Mustasaari (C), Pikku Mustasaari (D) and Lansi-Mustasaari (E) are all connected via bridges. I advise visiting all five, however Lansi Mustasaari does not particularly have much to look at.
- Sarkka (F), Lonna (H) and Vallisaari are not connected to the main grouping of islands but can be reached via Ferry - however I did not manage to reach them during my visit.
Once you're walking around, you can take in the fresh Nordic air and beautiful natural views that Suomenlinna has to offer. Take it on at a slow pace to really embrace the island and you will not be disappointed.
Besides the natural wonder of the islands, it is home to a vast array of museums. I am a bit of a history buff and learnt a lot during my visit to the Suomenlinna museums. Options include:
- Customs Museum (visited)
- Manège of the Military Museum (visited)
- Suomenlinna Museum (visited)
- Ehrensvärd Museum
- Vesikko Submarine (visited - not suitable for people with a fear of enclosed spaces)
- Toy Museum
We visited a few of the museums on the island - note that some are free of charge and others are paid entry. The Manège of the Military Museum and Vesikko Submarine particularly peaked my interest due to their emphasis on the history of Finland and it's military affairs over the past couple hundred years through to the present day. Most interestingly, Finland was allied to the Axis powers for part of the Second World War and later switched to support the Allied powers due to the presence and enduring pressure of it's large Soviet neighbour to the East - something I had not known about prior to visiting Suomenlinna. Vesikko Submarine is particularly interesting for those who love history that they can touch and feel - although the cramped, unventilated space is unlikely to be suitable in the age of Covid.
As per any tourist attraction, Suomenlinna does have a number of cafes and bars, as well as K Store, which you may wish to frequent for a coffee, snack or something more substantial. We opted just for an ice cream from K Store since the offerings on the islands were expensive and pretty standard - which was unfortunate considering how nice the islands as a whole are.
What I took most from visiting Suomenlinna was that if this is just a short 15 minute ferry ride from the City Centre then what else, even more beautiful, is there to see in Finland. Granted, we did manage to visit in late August with warm summer weather with it likely not being quite as nice in the middle of a long, dark winter's day. If you're visiting Helsinki, be sure to set aside at least half a day to visit this beautiful archipelago to experience something a little different. For myself, thinking back of the memories of Suomenlinna and Helsinki make me want to explore more of the Finnish or Nordic natural beauty.