FAQ

How do you move around on the islands?

Suomenlinna is primarily a pedestrian zone. Some of the roads are paved with cobbled stones, which is why it is recommended to wear comfortable shoes and only put on your high heels when you are at your destination. The roads of Suomenlinna are snow-ploughed, gritted and lit also in the winter.

How are cars and goods transported to Suomenlinna?

Suomenlinna is a car-free zone where only service traffic is allowed. Event organisers can bring a car for service traffic. Ferry places for cars are booked via Suomenlinnan Liikenne. You should book a place for your car as early as possible, because night-time ferries in particular tend to be crowded. You can take a car to the fortress either on the maintenance ferry operating on normal business days or the passenger ferry departing from the Kauppatori Market Square; it also carries cars during weekends. You should be at the ferry terminal a minimum of 10 minutes before the ferry departs. Cars cannot be driven via the Suomenlinna district heating tunnel; it is exclusively reserved for use by emergency vehicles and the authorities.

The service traffic map shows the driving routes in Suomenlinna. The speed limit in Suomenlinna is 20 km/h (12 mph) and parking is allowed only in designated areas. The parking spaces of the facilities are available during the lease period; at other times cars must be left on public parking spaces.

How do guests get to the fortress?

Suomenlinna attracts up to 12,000 visitors a day during the summer, so the HSL ferry can be crowded. You should check several services for the guests in the ferry timetable so that all of them will certainly have room on the ferry and reach the fortress on time before the event. The waterbus also has regular service from the Kauppatori Market Square to Tykistölahti in the summer season (May–September). Organisers of events can also rent their own transport from the water traffic operator.

Are the facilities available for rent during the winter? Are they heated? What is the weather like in Suomenlinna in the winter?

The facilities are rented all year round. The rental facilities are heated by district heating, but draught is possible during windy weather and winter. The Gunpowder Magazine is closed in January–March due to the difficult access route.

Where can I pick up the keys and where do I return them?

Most of the locks of the rental facilities are electronic, except for those in the Gunpowder Magazine and a few bathroom and storage facilities. The door code is sent to the person who booked the facilities a few days before the event, and the pick-up of keys is agreed upon at the same time.

The keys to the Gunpowder Magazine and storage rooms are picked from the pink Jetty Barracks at the ferry pier, where the Visitor Centre is located. You can check the opening hours of the Visitor Centre in the footer of our website. The keys are returned either to the Visitor Centre or the grey key box in the kitchen of the facilities. The lessee is obligated to lock the doors of the facility they have leased and close the windows when they leave. We will charge any costs incurred by lost keys (such as changing locks and rekeying) from the lessee.

Can customer use a catering service of their own choice?

The customers can choose any caterer they want. We warmly recommend the caterers operating in Suomenlinna, as they are used to working in our facilities and have their own kitchens in the fortress. You can also bring your own beverages to our facilities.

How can I get to see the premises beforehand?

We can show our venues as agreed on normal business days between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. on days when the venues are not booked.

What is included in the rent?

Banquet facility: The rent includes the use of the venues and their equipment during the rental hours from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The rent includes the facilities, furniture, AV equipment and kitchen for heating food. See the facility-specific list of equipment of each facility on our website.

Conference facility: The rent includes the use of the facility and their equipment during the rental hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for full-day reservations and from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. or 3 to 8 p.m. for half-day reservations. The rent includes the facilities, furniture in their basic form (varies by conference room), AV equipment, coffee set and kitchen for making coffee. See the facility-specific list of equipment of each facility on our website.

How are the banquet facilities furnished?

Our facilities host a variety of events, both festive occasions and conferences. The lessee may furnish the facilities as they wish. Example floor layouts are provided in the presentation of each banquet facility. The floor plans make it easier to plan the event by giving ideas and tips for arranging the tables in the facility. You can also order the arrangement of furniture from us for a surcharge. You can find the prices on the price lists.

For how long may the party go on?

The banquet facility is at the lessee’s disposal from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. Doors and windows must be closed by 10 p.m. and loud music must end by midnight in order to not disturb the sleep of the nearby residents. The last hour from 1 to 2 a.m. is reserved for tidying up the premises and making it to the last ferry that leaves at 2 a.m. You should reserve enough time for emptying the premises and also inform the caterer of these time limits.

Can I bring goods and beverages to the facility already the previous day?

The facilities are rented every day, so you cannot bring goods to the actual facility. In the banquet facilities (except for the Gunpowder Magazine), the lessee has access to a storage room from 3 p.m the day preceding the event until 3 p.m the day following the event.

What is the route to use for taking goods to the facilities?

In Tenaille von Fersen, goods can be carried via the kitchen staircase.

Myllysali hall and Gunpowder Magazine are located at ground level, so goods can be carried directly from the car to the facility.

In Pirunkirkko, goods are taken via the back door, where the storage rooms are also located. There is a flat and work rooms in the same corridor with the kitchen.

Please remember to move silently without disturbing the residents when emptying the facility after 10 p.m.

Must the customer clean by themselves?

The customer must leave the facility in a tidy condition after the lease period. It is not necessary to move the furniture, wipe the tables or do the washing up (except for spilled drinks etc.). Cleaning is included in the rent. You must take all goods brought to the premises away or to the storage room, sort the trash and collect it into plastic bags and take the bags out to sorting containers (mixed waste, biowaste, plastic, cardboard, paper, metal). See the service traffic route map for the locations of the sorting points. Bottles and cans with a deposit can be left in a bag next to the waste containers. In the event of any items or rubbish bags left in the premises, vomit on or damage to the furniture or equipment of the hall or their removal from the facilities, we will charge in accordance with our price list.

Are there cleaning supplies in the premises? What about toilet rolls and soap?

There are cleaning supplies in the kitchen or cleaning cabinets for the customer’s use. Toilet rolls, hand soaps and hand driers are available in the bathrooms.

Are there tableware, decorations or tablecloths in the facilities?

There are no tableware, decorations or tablecloths in the facilities. You should ask the caterers or tableware rental agencies for options.

There is coffee set in Piirtämö meeting room and Ballast room. Pajasali hall and Tynnyrintekijä meeting room also feature plates, forks and knives.

What supplies can be found in the meeting rooms?

Notepads and markers for the flipchart can be found in the meeting rooms. For the equipment in each facility, see the equipment list for the facility in question.

May candles be used in the facilities? What about outdoor candles?

Due to fire safety reasons, all handling of fire is prohibited in Suomenlinna. Outdoor candles may not be used, and candles may not be lit indoors. Only electric lanterns and electric candles are allowed. The prohibition also applies to all pyrotechnics, smoke machines and sparklers. Breaches related to fire safety will always be subject to a minimum charge of EUR 500.

Is smoking allowed in the facilities?

No. Smoking is only allowed outside our facilities. Ashtrays are provided in the vicinity of the entrances. The platform for the Tenaille von Fersen disabled lift must never be used as a smoking space. Breaches related to fire safety, such as smoking in the facilities, will always be subject to a minimum charge of EUR 500.

May I post guide signs?

The lessee should guide their guests to the facilities primarily by using maps or Suomenlinna digital guide. See all maps here, open Suomenlinna digital guide here.  If guidance cannot be arranged by means of just a map, a few small signs may be placed on the signposts along the route. The signs and their attachments must be removed from the posts immediately after the end of the event. Attaching signs to facades or to objects other than the signposts is strictly forbidden.

Why is it not allowed to fix anything to the walls of the facilities?

All buildings on Suomenlinna and the cultural environment are protected under a government resolution. Any use of attachments or tape or hanging anything on the exterior and interior walls of the buildings is strictly forbidden.

Effort has been made to restore the surfaces of the banquet and conference facilities to their original appearance. Old lime paint and brick surfaces do not withstand tape, Blu-tack etc. Any decoration of indoor facilities is only permitted without damaging the wall surfaces. The hooks and bars in the premises can be utilised for decoration. Any ornaments as well as their attachments must be removed after the event.

Is it possible to arrange a wedding ceremony or toast outdoors?

Yes, but renting the premises does not include any outdoor areas. For using outdoor areas, you should fill in the application for permission to use the outdoor area.

We keep a calendar of all outdoor activities. This allows us to ensure that the area is safe and there are no overlapping events in the same place at the same time. The permit can be granted for e.g. 1–3 hours, and use of the area is free of charge. It is not intended for the festive occasion to spill outside of the banquet facility.

How do I book the Suomenlinna Church?

Reservations for the church are made from the Helsinki Cathedral Parish.

Where can I put on my wedding dress? And how does the bridal couple travel from the church or ferry to the banquet facility?

Bridal couples can change their clothes in the additional rooms of the banquet facility (Tenaille von Fersen: kitchen downstairs room, Myllysali hall: upstairs cabinet and shower facility lobby, Pirunkirkko banquet hall: cabinets and storage room). The above-mentioned banquet facilities also feature a shower.

Usually, the bridal couple walks with their guests from the church or ferry to the reception location. Some also bring a car for transporting the bridal couple.

Is there accommodation available in Suomenlinna?

The fortress offers year-round accommodation at the Hostel Suomenlinna. The hostel has 40 beds, divided between both smaller private rooms and larger group rooms. The hostel is located close to the main quay.

Villa Silo is located in the Russian merchants’ quarter in a charming wooden villa, built in 1880. The interior design at Villa Silo breathes Suomenlinna history with a touch of archipelago style. The apartment is well equipped and up to four adults can find accommodation there. Click here to go to the Airbnb page of Villa Silo.

Is there a photographer in Suomenlinna?

Dorit Salutskij, a local photographer, offers photography services in Suomenlinna.

Where do I inquire about lost and found?

Items left in the premises are taken to our office. We can only keep the items for two weeks due to shortage of storage space. For inquiries, please contact our sales service during office hours.

If you did not find the answer to your question on this page, we are happy to help: you can contact us by telephone +358 (0)295 338 420 or by sending an e-mail to tilavuokra@suomenlinna.fi.