Suomenlinna is one of Helsinki's most interesting attractions and a great place to stroll, dine, or even spend the night. This open-air museum is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Suomenlinna, that is, the “Finnish fortress” (or, in the second official language of Finland - Sveaborg) is a sea bastion built on several islands in order to protect the entrance to the harbor of the Finnish capital. The first fortress was erected during Swedish rule - in 1748-1772. However, it could not resist the Russian troops - it fell in 1808, and after it the whole of Finland came under the rule of the Russian Empire. And much later, in 1855 - during the Crimean War - she was able to repel the Anglo-French squadron. Then the walls were completed and rebuilt, so now we see the “Russian version” of the “Finnish fortress”.
Why go to the island of Suomenlinna
Firstly, an excursion to the island is a pleasant walk along the sea, and, by the way, it will cost less than the 1-2 hour excursions offered on the embankment. From the water you can see (from an unusual angle!) most of the city's attractions.
Secondly, Suomenlinna is a great place for walking and picnics in good weather. There are a dozen establishments on the territory of the fortress, including even a restaurant-brewery.
Thirdly, to stay inexpensively, a hostel, Hostel Suomenlinna, has been opened on one of the islands.
And finally, those who are interested in history will be interested in walking through the outstanding fortification structure, visiting the preserved forts and bastions, visiting the military and customs museums, as well as on a submarine.
There is also an “open type” men’s prison on the main island of Suomenlinna, preparing prisoners for life in freedom. The prisoners work on the island or travel to the mainland, receive a salary and use it to pay for their maintenance.
How to get to Suomenlinna
Very simple! Ferries run from Market Square (Kauppatori) to the fortress from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. - 2 to 4 times an hour, depending on the day of the week and time of year. Travel time is approximately 20 minutes. Regular public transport tickets apply on these ferries. That is, if you bought a day pass, you can go to the island using it.
Forgot to do this in advance? No problem! The fortress information center (located in the first building you see from the pier) has free wi-fi.
Suomenlinna (Sveaborg) on the map
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I found out about Sveaborg when I was going to Helsinki. While researching attractions worth seeing on the Internet, I read about the fortress-museum located on the island, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and included it in my “must see” plan.
The sea fortress was built on seven rocky islands with a total area of 80 hectares and is considered one of the largest in the world. It has retained its functionality to this day. Nowadays, only the island of Iso Mustasaari is popular among visitors.
Getting to the fortress is very easy. In the center of Helsinki, opposite the Presidential Palace, there is a pier from which ferries depart regularly. At the entrance there is a machine where you need to buy a ticket for 5 euros (valid there and back for 12 hours) - and in fifteen minutes you will be on the island, which is the administrative part of the city. The Finns call these islands Suomenlinna, which means “Finnish fortress,” and the Swedes call them Sveaborg, which means “Swedish fortress.” In Russian it is pronounced Sveaborg. There are two names written on the pier board.
The ferry ride itself is also fascinating, as it offers a beautiful panorama of the city from the sea. Since there is no public transport on the island, comfortable shoes are the most important thing here. It will take almost a whole day to see everything. There are signs everywhere indicating which direction to go.
On the territory of the fortress there is a museum dedicated to the construction and history of this defense complex. Construction of the fortress began in the middle of the 18th century, when Finland was part of Sweden. After the end of the Northern War, Sweden tried to take revenge after the defeat and regain its positions in the Baltic Sea. In 1746, the architect and shipbuilder Major Augustin Ehrensvärd was tasked with strengthening the Swedish-Russian border and building a fortress that would protect the sea approaches to Helsingfors (now Helsinki).
After some time, the Swedish galley fleet was reorganized into an army fleet, and Sveaborg became the main base of the Swedish fleet. But the Swedes did not last long here. The Russian-Swedish War began (1808–09), which ended with the signing of the Treaty of Friedrichsham, according to which Finland was part of the Russian Empire under the name of the Grand Duchy of Finland. In 1918, when Finland gained independence, the fortress was renamed Suomenlinna. It served as a military base until 1973, after which it was transferred to the city authorities.
If you have time and desire, you can see the Customs Museum, the Manege Military Museum, the Ehrensvärd Museum or the Toys and Dolls Museum. At the beginning of the twentieth century, Russian soldiers built the largest bathhouse in Finland, designed for 100 people. By the way, it still works. There is also a real submarine "Vessico", which also works as a museum. Vissarion Belinsky, a Russian writer, literary critic, publicist and philosopher, was also born on the island in 1811.
Despite the fact that the fortress is a historical reserve, people live here, about 900 people; The Naval Academy of the Finnish Fleet operates. In addition, there is a small city prison where prisoners convicted of minor offenses are kept. They can move freely around the island and work on the territory of the fortress, helping with cleaning and construction. This fact surprised us very much, but the Finnish punishment system is one of the most humane and fair in the world. We are still very far from this.
Nikolai Semenkevich wrote the historical story “Sveaborg”, on the basis of which a film of the same name was shot in 1972 in the genre of historical drama. The plot tells about the uprising of the soldiers of the fortress in 1906, which was brutally suppressed. Although now this film is shown on TV very rarely.
You can visit the fortress at any time of the year. In the summer, of course, it’s more pleasant to walk, but in the off-season there are much fewer people here. This is a big plus, since in the photo you will have a fortress, and not groups of foreign tourists.
In Scandinavia, it is better known as Suomenlinna (Finnish Fortress). The fortress was built in 1748, at a time when Finland had not yet become an independent country and was part of the Swedish state. For more than half a century, the fortress was a valuable naval fortification protecting Helsinki, but in 1808 it finally fell under the pressure of the Russian army and became Russian possession for the next 110 years. The fortress received the name Suomenlinna in 1918, when Finland gained independence. After that, it belonged to the Finnish military garrison for a long time, until in 1973 it was transferred to civilian administration.
All the cannons located on the territory of the fortress were cast in Russia and the inscriptions on them are only in Russian.
Now Sveaborg is undoubtedly one of the brightest attractions in Finland. There are several museums on its territory. Architecture lovers may be interested in buildings belonging to different architectural traditions and styles. Those interested in military affairs will find a huge amount of various military equipment dating back to different stages of the fortress’s existence, and the fortress itself is amazingly beautiful, so a simple walk it will give you pleasure.
There is a prison in the fortress where people convicted of minor offenses serve their sentences - they are the ones who are responsible for maintaining the fortress in proper condition.
How to get to Sveaborg
You can only get to the fortress by water, as it is located on an island located two kilometers from the city.
HKL ferries operate from Kauppatori Market Square, one to four times per hour, depending on the season. The first ferry leaves there at nine in the morning, and the last one back at 6 in the evening. You can buy ferry tickets at the river station; a one-way trip will cost you about 5 EUR.
From Kolera-allas, located near the market square, the JT-Line water bus departs from May to September, making an additional stop near the Royal Gate. Tickets for them can be bought both at the pier and directly on board - also for 5 EUR one way.
There is no public transport or bike rental in Sveaborg, so it is best to wear comfortable shoes for the trip.
Search for flights to Helsinki (the nearest airport to Sveaborg)
Sveaborg Hotels
If you don’t want to return to Helsinki in the evening, you can stay in Sveaborg for the night; Hostel Suomelinna, located just a stone’s throw from the pier, was built there especially for this purpose. However, it is worth noting that in terms of living conditions it is much inferior to hotels located in the city. On the first floor of the hostel there are rooms for 6, 8 and 10 people, on the second there are double and triple rooms, and showers and toilets for all rooms are shared on one floor. One night there will cost you 25 EUR if you decide to stay on the first floor, and 55-90 EUR if you choose rooms on the second floor. Breakfast at the hostel will also have to be paid separately - 7.90 EUR.
Restaurants and cafes in Sveaborg
The sea air, coupled with long walks, whets your appetite like nothing else, so you will definitely want to visit one of the restaurants located in the fortress. Fortunately, there are enough of them out there that anyone can find something that suits their tastes and financial capabilities.
The Café Chapman restaurant is located in the very center of the fortress, in the Traverse Adlerfelt built in 1770, and by visiting it you can fully immerse yourself in the atmosphere of those times. The average bill there will be 35-40 EUR.
Beer lovers should definitely visit Suomenlinna Brewery, which serves beer prepared in the fortress's own brewery. In the summer, the restaurant offers a buffet with various national dishes, among which the amazing smoked fish stands out. The restaurant is located in pink barracks next to the pier.
If you are planning to visit Sveaborg with children, you should take them to the Toy Museum Café, where you can have tea and cake inside a real toy museum. And for real gourmets in Sveaborg there is the Walhalla restaurant, offering a huge selection of dishes and a rich wine list. The cost of the a la carte menu starts from 50 EUR.
You can also try Café Vanille, which offers excellent desserts, Café Piper, where in the summer you can promise an English-style garden, the Klubi 20 restaurant or Café Bar Valimo, located in an munitions depot from 1870.
Sveaborg
Entertainment and attractions in Sveaborg
There are six museums inside the fortress.
The Suomenlinna Museum has a rich exhibition covering the 260-year history of the fortress. Here you can see items used in everyday life, tools, weapons and ammunition found during the excavations of Sveaborg. The museum is open all year round, from May 2 to September 30 it is open from 10:00 to 18:00, the rest of the time it opens half an hour later and closes at 16:30, the entrance ticket costs 7 EUR, for students - 5 EUR, pensioners and children from 7 to 17 years old pay 3 EUR, for children under 7 years old admission is free.
The Ehrensvärd Museum displays miniature ship models, weapons, antique furniture and paintings by Sveaborg artist Elias Martin. The museum is open throughout the summer season from 11:00 to 18:00, and in spring and autumn - only on weekends, from 11:00 to 16:00, a ticket for adults will cost 5 EUR, for children under 17 years old - 2 EUR .
In the Toy Museum's collection you will find thousands of antique dolls, teddy bears, cars and children's games, the oldest of which were made at the very beginning of the 19th century. The museum also has a separate room with military toys. However, be careful when visiting the museum with children - in addition to the cafe mentioned above, there is also a shop, and who knows how much they will lighten your wallet if you don't get them away in time. The museum is open to visitors only from March to October, from 11:00 to 17:00, for adults the ticket price is 6 EUR, for students and pensioners - 4 EUR, for children under 18 years old - 3 EUR, family ticket ( 2+2) costs 15 EUR.
The Manezh Military Museum is located in a building that was previously used by the Russian army as an artillery depot, but now displays Finnish military equipment since Finland gained independence. The museum is open from mid-May to September, from 11:00 to 18:00, for adults and children from 7 to 17 years old the entrance ticket costs 5 EUR, for students and pensioners - 3 EUR, family ticket (2+2) - 12 EUR , for children under 7 years old admission is free.
Maps of Sveaborg
You can also visit the submarine Vesikko, which was used during World War II. Almost all rooms inside the boat are open to visitors. Entrance to the submarine is also open from mid-May to September, from 11:00 to 18:00, the cost of admission for adults and children from 7 to 17 years old is 5 EUR, for students and pensioners - 3 EUR, family ticket (2+ 2) - 12 EUR, for children under 7 years old admission is free.The Customs Museum houses exhibits dedicated to Finnish customs; the permanent exhibition tells about various smuggling methods and the activities of customs at the present time, and the temporary exhibition changes annually. The museum is open from June to September, from 12:30 to 17:30, admission is free.
You can visit all these museums for free if you get a Helsinki Card.
While walking around Sveaborg, pay attention to the Royal Gate, built in 1754 on the site where the Swedish king Adolf Frederick stayed while overseeing the construction of the fortress, and served as the main entrance to the fortress.
The Great Courtyard, located next to the administrative center of the fortress, makes an amazing impression - the buildings around it have concave facades and distort the perspective. The docks of Sveaborg are considered the oldest in Finland and one of the oldest in all of Europe. At the Zander Bastion you can walk along the thick stone walls and look at old defensive weapons. In addition, it is worth visiting the Ehrensvärd crownwork, the church and the memorial in honor of the Red Guards imprisoned in the fortress.
Address: Suomenlinna C74, Helsinki
Prices on the page are for April 2019.
- Where to stay: The capital status of Helsinki gives you every right to say that if you want to travel around southern Finland, you can base yourself here for your entire vacation. The benefit of hotels and inns - for any choice. Close to the capital, but quieter - this is about Espoo. Porvoo has a peaceful and intimate semi-rural atmosphere, and local hotels match the mood. Vantaa hotels are a good choice for those who are flying through Finland with a stopover for a couple of days, but have already been to Helsinki. Lohja - “the city of a thousand apple trees”. It's worth traveling here in September
Some attractions of the Finnish capital can only be reached by water. Among them is the Sveaborg Fortress (Suomenlinna), located on the islands off the southern tip of Helsinki. The defensive structure, built in the mid-18th century, is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. And for tourists with children, Sveaborg is interesting with the opportunity to spend the whole day in the fresh air, peer from the fortress walls into the sea, touch old cannons and explore underground passages.
History of Suomenlinna Fortress
During this time, you probably managed to find out that the country has two official languages - Finnish and Swedish. The fortress in Helsinki also has a name in both languages, but the names have different meanings. The Swedes built a fort on the islands: until 1809, Finland was under Swedish rule. Having lost and recaptured Helsinki (then Helsingfors), Sweden decided to defend the city from the sea in 1748. This is how the Sveaborg fortress, or “Swedish fortress,” appeared on the rocky islands of the Wolf Skerries.
In 1918, Finland became an independent state, and the fortress received a name in Finnish - Suomenlinna, that is, “Finnish Fortress”. The defensive structure was used very actively, survived several wars, and passed from hand to hand. Only in 1973 the fortress was sent to rest - now it has become a tourist attraction.
To learn more about the history of the fortress, use an audio guide for smartphones or join a guided tour. In summer, excursions are conducted in different languages, including Russian.
Fortress Museums
Actually, if the weather is good, there is no need to rush to visit museums. Use the map provided by the fortress's official website to walk around the islands. The most convenient route for walking is the blue route. It runs from north to south near the main attractions, including the Royal Gate and the bastions with cannons. The route is approximately 1.5 km long and has some steep and rocky sections. But along it you will come to massive walls resembling the rays of a star - they are visible in all photos of Sveaborg.
For families with children there is an easier route. And if you make stops at playgrounds, then none of you will get tired during the excursion.
Are restless people ready to explore every corner of the fortress? Take them down into the underground passages on the island of Kustaanmiekka and walk around the artificial hills, which are actually disguised fortifications for the defenders of the fortress. And for a snack, leave the Zander Bastion - one of the oldest buildings in the capital.
The main museum of Suomenlinna is dedicated to the 260-year history of the fortress. The exhibition is organized traditionally - personal belongings, tools, weapons, and documents are stored in display cases. To prevent the excursion from seeming too dry, watch a short film about what the fortress experienced during different periods of its history. And after that, climb the fortress wall and look at the peaceful city in the distance - it is quiet and calm, but here the waves crash against the rocky shore, as if reminding that military fortifications know no peace. But inside the fortress walls, grace reigns - tourists have picnics on the green lawns.
The theme of the battles in which the garrison of the Sveaborg fortress took part is continued by the exhibition of the Manege Military Museum. The central part of the building is occupied by samples of military equipment and weapons from various years, and mannequins in uniform line the walls. After the excursion, you can try on a modern uniform and estimate the weight of a full combat outfit by putting on a bulletproof vest and picking up a portable radio weighing about 20 kg.
The sea fortress of Suomenlinna/Sveaborg became the final mooring site. This is the only submarine that served in the Finnish fleet during World War II. Now there is a museum inside the ship. Externally, the boat does not seem big at all, and a tour of the engine room, cabins and cockpits only confirms the first impression.
With children tired of the abundance of historical facts, you can relax in the toy museum. The old wooden building with pale pink walls looks like a dollhouse, and inside it are toys that were in use two centuries ago. Plump dolls in exquisite outfits, brave tin soldiers, shabby (and therefore once very beloved) bears, board games - ask the children how much the toys have changed over so many years.
Perhaps a visit to Ehrensvärd's house can also be considered a vacation. Despite the fact that in the residence of the founder and first commandant of the fortress there is an exhibition of weapons and ship models, it still looks like a residential and quite cozy house - you just want to check whether the white Dutch stove is lit in winter.
A tour of Suomenlinna Fortress can take a whole day. We recommend bringing food for a small child, and older children can dine in cafes and restaurants on the islands.
The sea fortress of Sveaborg is located near the capital of Finland - Helsinki. Only there it is better known under its other name - Suomenlinna or translated as “Finnish Fortress”. The construction of this fortress took place back in 1748, that is, at a time when Finland was still part of the Kingdom of Sweden and had not gained complete independence.
In the next fifty years after its construction, the fortress served as a valuable sea fortification, protecting the city from attacks from the sea. However, already in 1808 it submitted to Russian troops and for the next 110 years was part of the Russian Empire. But the fortress received its current name Suomenlinna only after Finland gained independence.
Then for a short time it was part of the Finnish military garrison, and then finally in 1973 it was transferred to the civilian administration of the city. During a tour of the fortress, you may notice that all the inscriptions on the cannons located in the fortress are in Russian, since they were all brought from Russia.
Today Suomenlinna is one of the most popular attractions in the city of Helsinki. On its territory there are several museums, several interesting buildings belonging to a wide variety of architectural trends and traditions.
Fans of viewing military equipment will find here a huge number of relevant exhibits, which also relate to various periods of the fortress’s existence. And in general, the Suomenlinna fortress itself is amazingly beautiful, so the simplest walk through its territory is an undoubted pleasure. 
On the territory of the fortress there is also a functioning prison with convicts serving sentences for minor crimes. It is these people who constantly monitor the restoration of order in the territory of the fortress. You can get to the fortress exclusively by water, since it is located on a secluded island, located two kilometers from the city.
Ferries run from the city market square to the island, depending on the season, from once to four times an hour. The very first ferry to the island leaves at nine o’clock in the morning, and the last one in the opposite direction leaves at 18 o’clock. Tickets are sold at the box office of the river station, and the cost of a one-way ticket is five euros.
Not far from the market square, water buses depart from Kolera-allas to the island, making an additional stop near the Royal Gate. Tickets for them can be purchased either directly on board the tram or at the pier. The cost is the same - five euros. 
There are no bicycle rentals or any public transport on the territory of the fortress itself, so you should try to wear comfortable shoes when walking around it. A stone's throw from the pier there is a special hotel where you can safely stay overnight. However, you must take into account that the conditions here are far from luxurious. On the first floor, 6 to 10 people sleep in rooms and the cost of an overnight stay is 24 euros, while on the second floor the conditions are better and you will have to pay from 54 to 89 euros for an overnight stay. Here at the hostel you can have breakfast for 8 euros.
You can also have a snack in the restaurant and cafe located on the territory of the fortress. Among the museums you can visit here are the Suomenlinna Museum, covering the 260-year history of the fortress, the Ehrensvärd Museum with miniature models of ships, the Toy Museum, the Military Museum, the Vesikko submarine, preserved from the Second World War, and the Customs Museum. Then you can stroll through the Great Court, see the Royal Gate and Sveaborg Docks, as well as the Zander Bastion and the Ehrensvärd Crownworks. Finally, take a look at the church and memorial. You can visit all museums in the fortress for free if you purchase a Helsinki Card in advance.