HSL Ferry M/S Tor to Suomenlinna Sea Fortress (Suomenlinnan lautta) | Helsinki Archipelago, Finland

HSL:n M/S Tor lautta Kauppatorilta Suomenlinnaan heinäkuussa.

HSL Ferry M/S Tor from the Helsinki Market Square to the Suomenlinna Sea Fortress in July.

Suomenlinna on töydellinen päiväretkikohde lähellä Helsingin keskustaa. HSL:n lautta liikennöi Kauppatorilta Suomenlinnaan ympäri vuoden. Kesällä ja syksyllä Suomenlinnaan pääsee myös vesibussilla. 15–20 minuuttia kestävän lauttamatkan aikana on hyvä tilaisuus ihailla Helsinkiä mereltä ja nauttia kauniista maisemista.

Unescon maailmanperintökohde ja maailman suurin merilinnoitus Suomenlinna on kulttuuriaarre. Suomenlinnasta löytyy mm. yli kuusi kilometriä suojamuureja, 100 tykkiä ja mielenkiintoisia tunneleita sekä kuusi museota, lukuisia kävelyreittejä ja ihastuttavia puistoja.

The Suomenlinna sea fortess is a cultural treasure and a Unesco World Heritage site. Suomenlinna is the biggest sea fortress in the world.

Suomenlinna a perfect daytrip spot for recreational and outdoor activities. It’s really easy to make Suomenlinna one of your day trips from Helsinki.

Suomenlinna is accessible only by water. A ferry service runs from the Helsinki Market Square (Kauppatori) to Suomenlinna throughout the year. During summer and autumn, a water bus service to Suomenlinna is also available.

The ferry departs from the east side of the Market Square (Kauppatori), opposite the Presidential Palace (Presidentinlinna), close to Allas Sea Pool. In Suomenlinna, the ferry arrives at and departs from the main pier of Iso Mustasaari island, on the north shore of Suomenlinna.

Depending on the season and the time of day, ferries run 1 to 4 times per hour from the morning until the night throughout the year. The journey to Suomenlinna takes approximately 15 minutes. It offers magnificent views of Helsinki and the surroundings from the sea.

The ferries accept HSL Helsinki’s internal tickets and regional tickets. Tickets must be purchased in advance. If you have a valid HSL ticket (AB, ABC or ABCD) you can use it in the ferry. Suomenlinna is in the HSL ticket zone A.

The ferry service is operated by the Helsinki Region Transport Authority (HSL). Suomenlinnan Liikenne Oy (SLL) operates ferry traffic to Suomenlinna according to HSL’s transport service plan as a part of public transport system.

The ferries operating between Kauppatori and Suomenlinna main dock are the passenger ferries M/S Suomenlinna II and M/S Tor and M/S Suokki.

The ferry operating between Katajanokka and the service dock of Suomenlinna is the service ferry M/S Ehrensvärd. Ehrensvärd provides Suomenlinna residents with, for example, mail and groceries.

Suomenlinna is the biggest sea fortress in the world. Suomenlinna is situated on a group of small islands off the coast of Helsinki. Suomenlinna (originally called Sveaborg in Swedish or Viapori in Finnish) was built during the Swedish era as a maritime fortress and a base for the Archipelago Fleet by Augustin Ehrensvärd. Work on the Suomenlinna fortress began in 1748.

https://www.suomenlinna.fi/en/

The Suomenlinna fortress is vast. There are a total of six kilometres of defensive walls still standing, 100 cannons and exiting tunnels. The Suomenlinna walls surround numerous walking trails and parks, several restaurants and cafes, six museums, local art and craft studios, an art gallery, a playground and a summer theater.

Suomenlinna was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1991. During the Finnish era, the fortress has developed into one of the most popular tourist attractions in Finland. In addition, Suomenlinna is one of Helsinki’s districts, a home to approximately 800 residents and a workplace for about 400 people.

The high ramparts of Kustaanmiekka, once described as “The Gibraltar of the North”, offer fine views over the sea and the islands.’, The area is also a popular spot among locals for its beauty and for recreational activities such as boating, sailing and paragliding.

Kustaanmiekka is the heavily fortified southernmost part of the historic island and sea fortress complex of Suomenlinna. It was originally a separate island. Its main attractions include the famous King’s Gate (Kuninkaanportti or Kungsporten). Today the name Kustaanmiekka is also often used to describe the narrow channel of water, just 81 metres wide, between Suomenlinna and the Vallisaari island. Large passenger ships entering or leaving from Helsinki’s South Harbour have to carefully pass through this narrow strait, making quite a sight.