Services for Visitors

Suomenlinna is not only a UNESCO World Heritage Site but also a maritime district of Helsinki. The sea fortress is home to about 800 residents, and around 400-500 people work there. Popular attractions and the site’s diverse services await visitors year-round, just a short sea trip from the Market Square, the heart of the capital.

There is no entrance fee to the fortress, all you need is a valid ticket for the ferry or the water bus that operates from May to the end of September.

Cafés, restaurants, and bars

Suomenlinna’s many restaurants, cafés, and bars are charming places to stop during your visit. There is a selection ranging from small idyllic cafés and cozy lunch spots to gourmet dinner restaurants.

All restaurants, cafés, and bars are open during the summer season with their terraces, and many of them serve visitors also during the winter season or seasonally and at events outside the summer.

The fortress also has its own microbrewery, Suomenlinna Brewery.

Open all-year-round:

Open seasonally:

Museums

Suomenlinna has five museums. Two of them, the Military Museum and the Suomenlinna Museum, are open year-round. The Ehrensvärd Museum, Submarine Vesikko, and Customs Museum are open during the summer.

The museums are located throughout the fortress, and tickets can be purchased separately at each museum. The Museum Card and Helsinki Card are valid for all museums in Suomenlinna. The Customs Museum has free admission.

Guided Tours and Digital Guide

On a guided walking tour, you will visit historical sites in the key points of the fortress and you will hear about the fortress’s fascinating past.

• Public tours in English are open to everyone and are held weekly throughout the year.
• Guided tours are also available by request year-round in over 15 languages. The duration of the requested tours is usually 1 – 1.5 hours. In addition to the basic tour, various themed tours can be booked.
• By downloading the Suomenlinna Audio Guide to your own smart phone, you can explore the fortress independently according to your own schedule.

Accommodation

Staying overnight in Suomenlinna is a wonderful experience. You can stay year-round in the cozy Hostel Suomenlinna or Villa Silo. Additionally, a beach cabin is available for booking from early summer to late autumn.

Culture, Art, and Craft

Many artisans and artist live and work in Suomenlinna, and you can buy their unique products at the fortress.

Art and design shop b34

From May to September, you can buy products made in Suomenlinna in the charming art and craft shop. At B34, you will find high-quality art and design made in the fortress, as well as a fantastic selection of crafts made elsewhere in Finland. The shop is located on Susisaari, near the Great Courtyard and Ehrensvärd’s grave, in an old log granary.

Galleries and Exhibition Spaces

HAA Gallery is open year-round, and its exhibitions change monthly. The Nordic Culture Point’s Gallery Augusta hosts cultural and art events throughout the year. HIAP Helsinki International Artist Programme organizes HIAP Open Studios a few times a year, where visitors to the fortress can get acquainted with the works of international resident artists.

Summer Theatre

The popular summer theatre is located on Susisaari in the Bastion Hyve, where the summer theatre has been operating since 1968. The performances are produced by Ryhmäteatteri. The theatre has nearly 550 seats.

Suomenlinna library

The Suomenlinna Library has been operating since 1957. It is an important part of the cultural life of the sea fortress. The library organizes events, exhibitions, and author meetings. You can also read newspapers and use computers there.

The Suomenlinna Library is the smallest branch of the Helsinki City Library. The library’s own collection is small, but materials can be ordered from all libraries in the metropolitan area.

Artist studios

Glass Studio Hytti is located in the heart of the fortress, in bastion Hyve. Glass Studio Hytti is managed by glass artist Anna Schroderus, but other glass artists also blow glass in the studio. Glassblowing can be observed during open studio days. It is also possible to arrange a studio tour and glassblowing demonstration in advance.

Pot Viapori ceramic workshop started its operations in Suomenlinna already in 1973. The workshop occasionally organizes open house days and exhibitions. Products made in the ceramic workshop are also sold in the B34 art and craft shop.

Textile Workshop Lilli & Ninja is a workshop for two artists in bastion Hårleman, near Piper Park. There, Lilli Unkari prints textiles using silk screen technique. Home textiles and practical products made from natural materials are also part of the Lilli U brand. Lilli also creates individual and unique clothes together with costume designer Ninja Pasanen for the four fictional sisters in the SISKO collection. The textile workshop often participates in open house days and the products are also sold in the B34 art and craft shop.

The workshop of artist Esa Toivanen is a fascinating place in bastion Hårleman. Esa Toivanen primarily uses wood and nails as materials to create impressive artworks. Esa is happy to tell visitors about his work and life in Suomenlinna during open studio events.

Other Services

Picnic Shelter

From early May to mid-October, you can enjoy your own picnic food in the picnic room, which is open every day from 9 to 19. The room is located in a yellow building from the Russian period along the Blue Route, near Suomenlinna’s beach.

• From the main pier, it is about one kilometer to the picnic shelter.
• From May to the end of September, the water bus operates to both Tykistölahti and King’s Gate (Kuninkaanportti) piers. It is about 500 meters from both of the piers to the picnic room.
• The picnic room has long tables and benches for about 60 diners.
• The room also has toilets that can be used as changing rooms for the beach.

The room cannot be reserved, but it is open to all visitors. Users of the picnic room should respect other users and give them the opportunity to enjoy their meals.

Lonna Island

Almost a stone’s throw north of Suomenlinna main pier is the separate island of Lonna, whose restaurant, café, bar, and public sauna serve from late spring to late autumn. Lonna’s mine magazines can be rented for groups.

• From early May to the end of September, the water bus also operates to Lonna. You can also take the water bus from Lonna to Suomenlinna and from Suomenlinna to Lonna.
• In Suomenlinna, the water bus to Lonna departs from Tykistölahden or Kuninkaanportti piers.

Lonna Island is part of the Suomenlinna fortress area. Lonna’s log sauna has loft saunas that are heated with large wood-fired stoves. Both sauna rooms can accommodate 24 guests at a time. Lonna sauna is a public sauna that cannot be reserved for private events.

Guest Harbor

Suomenlinna’s guest harbor, located at the edge of the dry dock on Susisaari, is a popular stop and overnight spot. The guest harbor serves boaters from May Day to the end of September. In the renovated premises of the old ammunition warehouse is the harbor restaurant Valimo, and all harbor services are found in the same building.

• The guest harbor is accessed by water via the channel between West Mustasaari and Susisaari, and on foot via the route starting next to the bridge on Susisaari.
• The harbor has about 40 dock spaces with boom mooring. Mooring is chargeable and occurs in order of arrival. The guest harbor does not accept reservations. No fuel is sold in Suomenlinna.
• Suomenlinna’s guest harbor is very popular. To ensure that as many boats as possible can get a berth and access to harbor services safely, it is important to follow the mooring instructions at the docks.
• Please note that the nearby dry dock is a work area where access is prohibited for safety reasons.

The guest harbor is the only landing place for visitors in Suomenlinna. The other docks in the fortress area are used by authorities, the defense forces, ferry and water bus traffic, or residents, and mooring at them is not allowed. Due to the busy maritime traffic, such as the waves caused by Swedish ferries, mooring elsewhere may cause dangerous situations.

Saunas

Bastion Bistro’s sauna can accommodate eight bathers at a time, and the Fireplace Cabinet can hold 16 people. It is possible to arrange food and drink service from the restaurant to the space.

The Officers’ Club sauna can be rented for up to 15 bathers. The space also includes a fireplace room. The sauna is rented to outsiders on Wednesdays and Thursdays and to club members every day. Food and drinks can be ordered from the club restaurant to the sauna.