Prices, terms and permits

Booking terms and instructions

As a significant monumental fortress and a unique environment, Suomenlinna provides a memorable environment for conferences and banquets. The following booking terms and instructions have been prepared to ensure peace for the inhabitants and to increase the comfort and safety of visitors.

The tenant of the premises undertakes to comply with these booking terms and instructions. The Governing Body of Suomenlinna reserves the right to request additional information on the event organised by the tenant. The Governing Body of Suomenlinna reserves the right not to accept a booking request and cancel a booking if the terms and conditions are not complied with or if the Governing Body of Suomenlinna has reason to suspect that the premises are used against our terms.

General liability

The Governing Body of Suomenlinna only leases the facility. Customers are themselves responsible for arranging catering, for example. Only people over the age of 18 can rent the conference and banquet facilities in Suomenlinna.

The liability of the Governing Body of Suomenlinna as a facility lessor for any personal injury to its customers or damage to other movable property is determined according to the general principles concerning damages.

Customers are responsible for injury or damage they or their guests cause to persons, buildings, furniture or other equipment in the leased conference/banquet facility.

Fire safety and other safety issues

Customers are responsible for the safety of guests and for maintaining order in the leased premises, the adjoining routes and outdoor areas. In each location, there is a room-specific exit map with which the lessee must become familiar.

The customers must ensure that they have all the necessary permissions of the authorities and insurance policies required by the nature of the event. A prior notice of the event must be given to the police or the rescue department if this is required by the nature of the event, and the customer is responsible for having a sufficient number of security officers.

Handling fire is prohibited on 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. Arranging private fireworks on Suomenlinna is forbidden. Smoking is only allowed outdoors.

The only exception to this rule are professional catering services using fuel gel for heating chafing dishes. Professional catering services are allowed to use chafing dishes heated with fuel gel burners if the burners are supervised. Staff must always be present whenever fuel gel is used. If the customer is taking care of the catering without a professional caterer, only the use of electric chafing dishes is allowed.

The kitchens of the conference or banquet facilities are intended only for heating food. Frying is prohibited. The cooker hood must be turned on. The fire alarms in the historic premises are very sensitive, and the inappropriate use of the kitchen may trigger the alarm.

Where the customer is in breach of the rental terms and conditions stated in the booking terms and instructions document, the Governing Body of Suomenlinna has the right to invoice the customer in arrears for the breach of contract. For example, the following are defined as examples of breaches of contract: exceeding the agreed rental time and an emergency call by a maintenance person or a guard in a disturbance situation caused by the customer. Breaches related to fire safety, such as burning candles or smoking, will always be subject to a minimum charge of EUR 500.

Cancellation terms

The rent of the facility consists of a booking fee and a final payment. When the customer confirms the preliminary booking, the reservation becomes binding. After the booking has been confirmed, we will send the customer a reservation fee invoice. The final payment will be paid approximately one (1) month before the event.  In case the booking is made less than 45 days before the event, the entire rent of the facility will be invoiced at the same time.

The Governing Body of Suomenlinna has the right to cancel a booking if all the payments have not been made in full by the due date. An unpaid invoice is not a cancellation: The debt remains even if the customer decides to cancel the reservation.

If the customer cancels the booking at least six (6) months before the event, 50 % of the paid booking fee will be reimbursed. If the booking is cancelled later than six (6) months before the event, the booking fee will not be reimbursed.

If the rent, i.e. the booking fee and the final payment, has been paid in full in advance and the customer cancels the booking at least one (1) month before the event, the final payment will be reimbursed with subtracted office costs of EUR 34. In this case, the customer will lose the money for the booking fee. If the cancellation takes place later than 30 days before the event, no payments will be reimbursed.

Lease period of the event

The lease period for conference facilities is 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and for banquet facilities 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. Alarms are automatically activated based on these times, except for banquet facilities, where they are activated before 10 a.m. and after 2 a.m. Any preparations for the event must be made and the facilities emptied within the lease period. The last ferry from Suomenlinna leaves at 2 a.m., by which time the banquet facilities must be empty. It is not permitted to stay overnight in the facilities. Loud music in the banquet facilities of Pirunkirkko banquet hall, Tenaille von Fersen and Myllysali must cease at 12 midnight and in Gunpowder Magazine at 1 a.m. In Tenaille von Fersen, doors and windows must be closed by 10 p.m.

All periods deviating from these shall be agreed separately with the sales service for the conference and banquet facilities.

Keys

Some of the locks in the leased facilities are mechanical and some electrical. The lessee shall agree on the retrieval of the keys/key code with the sales service for the conference and banquet facilities of the Governing Body of Suomenlinna approximately one week before the event. The key shall be returned either to the grey key box in the facility or the tourist information at the Jetty Barracks during its opening hours. 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, rekeying) from the organiser of the event.

Equipment in the facilities

The Finnish website includes a list of equipment for each facility. The list also includes dimensions of equipment as well as brand or model data. It is not permitted to move furniture from one facility to another (e.g. from the Tenaille von Fersen banquet hall to Myllysali) or take it outdoors. Please note that no dishes are offered in the banquet facilities. Coffee sets are available in the conference facilities. Should you need equipment information in languages other than Finnish, please contact the sales service.

Equipment and services provided on order against additional fee

Additional services provided against a fee include, among others, the setting of furniture, which has to be ordered from the sales service no later than three weeks before the event. Other additional services, equipment and pricing information are available in the price list on our website. In Tenaille von Fersen, the price includes the staircase lift for the physically disabled, which must be ordered from the sales service in advance (only for the transport of persons).

Cleaning

The rental of the facilities includes basic cleaning after the event. Customers must take away with them everything that they have brought in and place trash in refuse sacks in the waste bins outdoors.

If the facility is left in considerable disorder, the customer will be charged according to our valid price list (starting from EUR 65 per hour) for its additional cleaning. A penalty charge of EUR 150 will be charged for moving things or trash left in the facility by the customer. This also applies to the storage rooms provided for the customer on the premises. If the surroundings of the premises require considerable cleaning because of the event, the customer will be charged according to our valid price list (starting from EUR 65 per hour) for the additional cleaning required.

Protection of facilities and surfaces

All buildings on Suomenlinna are protected under the Antiquities Act. In Tenaille von Fersen, hanging ornaments, etc., on the bars on the walls is allowed. Additionally, the hooks on the walls of the Pirunkirkko banquet hall and on the ceiling can be utilised for decoration. Any ornaments as well as their attachments must be removed after the event.

Any use of attachments or tape or hanging anything on the exterior and interior walls of the buildings is strictly forbidden. Any decoration of indoor facilities is only permitted if the wall surfaces are not damaged. Any use of sellotape, blu-tack or similar is strictly forbidden. The use of smoke machine is prohibited in all facilities.

Prohibited substances in the facilities include, amongst others, rice, rose petals, soap bubbles and party streamer. In unclear cases, please contact the sales service for conference and banquet facilities.

Outdoor facilities

No outdoor facilities are related to the lease of a conference or banquet facility. All activities organised outdoors on Suomenlinna are subject to a permit; additional information is provided by the sales service for the conference and banquet facilities. You can apply for a permit for outdoor activities connected to a rented conference or banquet facility using the form available on our website under Prices, terms and permits. The permit should be applied for at least one month before the planned event. Arranging additional space by erecting tents is not permitted.

Arranging private fireworks on Suomenlinna is forbidden.

Taking inhabitants into consideration

The nightly peace of the nearby inhabitants (from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.) must be taken into consideration when spending time outdoors, playing music and packing and transporting goods away after the event. Windows must be closed by 10 p.m. The door to the disabled lift platform of Tenaille von Fersen must be locked for the entire duration of the event. The yards of houses and nearby vegetable gardens are private areas that are not for use by the lessees of conference or banquet facilities.

Guidance signs

The lessee must guide their guests to the banquet/conference facilities primarily by using maps. Maps are available in the For visitors section of the website. If guidance cannot be arranged by means of just a map, a few small signs may be placed on the signposts along the entry route. The signs and their attachments must be removed from the posts by the lessee immediately after the end of the event. Attaching signs to facades or to objects other than the signposts is strictly forbidden.

Cars in Suomenlinna

The speed limit in Suomenlinna is 20 km/h. Only service traffic is allowed in Susisaari and Kustaanmiekka. The service traffic routes and parking places are marked on the service traffic map, which is available on our website. Unless otherwise agreed, the parking spaces of the conference and banquet facilities are available during the lease period. It is recommended that a place is booked for a car on the ferry in advance. The bookings are made with Suomenlinnan Liikenne Oy.

Any disputes or matters related to damages will be dealt with in the Helsinki District Court.

We reserve the right to change or modify any of these terms.

The land and water areas of Suomenlinna belong to the state and are administered by the Governing Body of Suomenlinna, operating under the Ministry of Education and Culture. In order to preserve the fortress and the sensitive nature under the protection of UNESCO, the restrictions in Suomenlinna are stricter than in other areas of Helsinki.

Suomenlinna is managed following the high-quality standards required from a world heritage site. Events organised outdoors must respect these principles and must not disturb the peace of residents and visitors nor harm the nature on the islands. Events and functions may not be organised and canopies, structures or task points may not be erected in Suomenlinna without the landowner’s permission. You can apply for a use permit for outdoor areas with the form below if the activity is connected to a rented conference or banquet facility. The conference and banquet facilities sales service will issue the permit in writing. The permit should be applied for at least one month before the planned event. For more information and instructions, please contact the sales service.

Apply for a permit here.

You can find Suomenlinna’s maps here.