Suomenlinna is an island fortress off the coast of Helsinki. It was built by the Swedish in the 18th century and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The island is very popular in the summer with the residents of Helsinki for its beaches. As it is only a 15 minute ferry ride away from the city it makes for a great visit even if you have only half a day, like we did!

Day 5 – Suomenlinna

We boarded the ferry at the Kauppatori just next to the Market Square. But this wasn’t our first attempt! After a relaxed breakfast, packing and check-out we walked out of Marski along the Esplanadi admiring the leafy views of Helsinki and the facades of some impressive buildings. By the time we reached the Havis Amanda, we realised we had less than 10 minutes for the next departure and rushed over to purchase our ferry tickets from the ticket machines. The ferry was ready to depart and with all our fumbling in the ticket machine we managed to miss the ferry. With just one hour on the ticket but with no ferry until 40 minutes later we took a slow walk around the Uspenski Cathedral, the Presidentinlinna and the City Hall before arriving with plenty of time to spare. 

If not for anything else this ride alone is worth a trip to Soumenlinna. With the Helsinki City skyline, the giant ships waiting to cross the Baltic to Stockholm and Tallinn and the tiny pretty islands of the archipelago, the 15 minute ride was too short! Arriving at the Soumenlinna ferry terminal, we decided to follow the blue route that starts at the Jetty Barracks and goes all the way to King’s Gate at the southern tip of the islands. Suomenlinna is made up of 3 islands connected by bridges. The entire route is pedestrian only except for some service vehicles. The island with its church, museums, fort walls, buildings and the bastion was beautiful and the walk was very pleasant on the gorgeous day we had. 

After making our way to King’s Gate we retraced the steps back to the North ferry terminal and boarded our return ferry to Helsinki savouring the views all over again. 

On our way back to pick up our bags we stopped at Cafe Esplanad for lunch. Hearty vegetarian options in addition to the famed and absolutely delicious Korvapuusti (Cinnamon roll)! We rode the train back to the airport and checked-in for our return flight to the UK.

And with that a rejuvenating, content and wonderful trip came to an end!