Helsinki faces the sea, and a short ferry ride from the waterfront gets kids onto an island. Out there: fortress walls and old cannons, sandy beaches with playgrounds, trails past old military buildings, and fire pits for a picnic lunch. Most boats run only in the warmer months, while Suomenlinna's ferry runs all year, so check each card for the season. Here's what we checked, from Suomenlinna to Uunisaari.
Suomenlinna is a sea fortress and UNESCO World Heritage Site that is a lived-in district of about 800 residents. Its 80 hectares hold some 200 buildings, about 6 km of walls and over a hundred cannons.
The Blue Route runs about 1.5 km from the pink Jetty Barracks at the main pier to the King's Gate, passing the church lighthouse, the Great Courtyard and Finland's oldest dry dock.
Vallisaari is a former military island between Suomenlinna and Santahamina, open to the public since 2016. Two marked trails loop past old fortifications, varied plant life and sea views: Alexander's tour (3km) and the Kuninkaansaari Island tour (2.5km). Visitors are asked to stay on the trails.
There are water points, dry toilets, picnic tables and a café. It suits kids who can walk a few kilometers.
Lonna is a 150-meter island between Market Square and the Suomenlinna fortress, once a base for storing and clearing mines. Today it has a restaurant serving local, organic food, a bar with a sea-view terrace, and a public sauna with two wood-fired loft saunas.
Distances between buildings are short and the terrain is mostly easy, so small walkers can roam the whole island.
Two islands in the southern archipelago, joined by a footbridge. The main beach has sand, a playground, changing rooms and showers, with no lifeguard.
Sand roads and a marked nature trail of about 2.8 km loop past cliffs, a rock gorge, herb-rich woods and old wooden villas. Three cooking shelters come stocked with firewood and drinking water, so families can grill lunch.
Uunisaari is a small island just off Kaivopuisto, made of two islets joined by a wooden bridge. Its sandy-bottomed public beach has a playground, changing room, toilets and showers, with a fire pit and picnic table nearby.
Sand roads loop the island, and a walking path leads across to neighboring Liuskasaari. A restaurant, a seasonal café and two seaside saunas sit by the shore.
Helsinki faces the sea, and a short ferry ride from the waterfront gets kids onto an island. Out there: fortress walls and old cannons, sandy beaches with playgrounds, trails past old military buildings, and fire pits for a picnic lunch. Most boats run only in the warmer months, while Suomenlinna's ferry runs all year, so check each card for the season. Here's what we checked, from Suomenlinna to Uunisaari.
Suomenlinna is a sea fortress and UNESCO World Heritage Site that is a lived-in district of about 800 residents. Its 80 hectares hold some 200 buildings, about 6 km of walls and over a hundred cannons.
The Blue Route runs about 1.5 km from the pink Jetty Barracks at the main pier to the King's Gate, passing the church lighthouse, the Great Courtyard and Finland's oldest dry dock.
Vallisaari is a former military island between Suomenlinna and Santahamina, open to the public since 2016. Two marked trails loop past old fortifications, varied plant life and sea views: Alexander's tour (3km) and the Kuninkaansaari Island tour (2.5km). Visitors are asked to stay on the trails.
There are water points, dry toilets, picnic tables and a café. It suits kids who can walk a few kilometers.
Lonna is a 150-meter island between Market Square and the Suomenlinna fortress, once a base for storing and clearing mines. Today it has a restaurant serving local, organic food, a bar with a sea-view terrace, and a public sauna with two wood-fired loft saunas.
Distances between buildings are short and the terrain is mostly easy, so small walkers can roam the whole island.
Two islands in the southern archipelago, joined by a footbridge. The main beach has sand, a playground, changing rooms and showers, with no lifeguard.
Sand roads and a marked nature trail of about 2.8 km loop past cliffs, a rock gorge, herb-rich woods and old wooden villas. Three cooking shelters come stocked with firewood and drinking water, so families can grill lunch.
Uunisaari is a small island just off Kaivopuisto, made of two islets joined by a wooden bridge. Its sandy-bottomed public beach has a playground, changing room, toilets and showers, with a fire pit and picnic table nearby.
Sand roads loop the island, and a walking path leads across to neighboring Liuskasaari. A restaurant, a seasonal café and two seaside saunas sit by the shore.
