Visitors to the fortress

Suomenlinna is one of the most popular attractions in Finland. Over the past 20 years, the number of yearly visitors has risen from 600,000 to one million. At the same time, the visitor profile has changed. Initially, most visitors were Helsinki residents spending a pleasant summer day at the fortress, but now the majority come from other countries.

Suomenlinna received around one million visitors in 2018. Most visitors arrive in the summer season stretching from May to September. In recent years, Suomenlinna has also drawn more and more winter-time visitors—nearly 300,000 in 2018. Suomenlinna’s visitor figures are tracked on the basis of the passenger volumes of ferries and waterbuses. Visitors arriving on their own vessels are added to this figure, and resident and commuter traffic is deducted from the total.

Visitors come from all corners of the world. According to the latest visitor survey, the five largest nationalities, apart from Finland, were Germany, the USA, the UK, Russia and Spain. The ratio between foreign and Finnish visitors varies in the winter and summer. In the winter, the share of foreign nationals increases. Of the total number of visitors, foreigners account for 67%.

The sea fortress’s appeal lies in its sights, nature and cultural heritage as well as its setting, which is ideal for spending time together.

Services open throughout the year

Suomenlinna has some 30 tourism service providers catering to visitors. They include restaurants and cafés, museums and exhibition services, water traffic services as well as one accommodation provider. Several artisans and art-world representatives also operate in Suomenlinna. The sea fortress also houses public operators and associations, such as the Naval Academy and Suomenlinna Prison as well as the Viaporin Telakka and Suomenlinnaseura associations. Read more about the services available in Suomenlinna.

Visitor survey every four years

Visitor surveys that provide more comprehensive data on visitors and their experiences in Suomenlinna are conducted once every four years. The latest survey, conducted in 2018, was carried out in cooperation with all the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Finland.