Helsinki - suomenlinna

[englander]

HELSINKI ...

 

I found online we will be docking at the West Harbor berth LMA, which is a ways from the Market Square (Kauppatori). Any of you been here before? I think we will be at West Harbor Terminal #1?

I sure hope there is a shuttle - hopefully free? - that takes us to Market Square. My impression ( as I have not been here before) is the Square is the most - or one of - popular places in Helsinki.

We get about 7 hrs on land and it looks like 1 hour of that will be shuttle riding.

 

DH and I want to go see Suomenlinna Sea Fortress. The plan is to get the Waterbus from Market Sq to Suomenlinna island. Will be walking around checking out the submarine VESIKKO, and the Military Museum (

7€ pp)

; and maybe King's Gate, if there's time. There's a suggested walking tour - the BLUE LINE on their map (see the 3rd link below). On the map we will walk from # 19 to # 16, the military museum; then get on the BLUE LINE self walking tour heading south, checking out tunnels and cannons etc. Will detour east to #37, the submarine Vesikko; then back onto the BLUE trail, ending at King's Gate. From here we catch the Waterbus back to Market Square and wander around there a little bit before getting the shuttle back to the ship.

The waterbus is 7€ roundtrip. There's also a ferry for 5€ RT to Suomenlinna. But they go to different piers. The waterbus goes right to the Suomenlinna Center (Museum etc) and also stops at King's Gate.

Edited March 27, 2018 by englander

[anthonyy7]

In 2016 princess shuttle wasn’t free and didn’t drop you off near the market square. I would take tram #7 to senaatintori stop and walk the block to market square. You can catch the tram from LMU berth by walking towards the main terminal building from the smaller building the ship berths at. There is a pathway with a blue line going through the parking lot. It takes 5-7 min walk and purchase tickets outside at the kiosk. The tram turns around here so can’t miss it coming.

 

building you walk through with shops

 

 

kiosk is where the bus is at to left in street and where the tram tracks turns around. The stop is behind the camera another 100 ft. The Regal princess in background

 

 

 

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[GradUT]

+1 Anthony’s excellent advice. That’s exactly how we did it when we were in Helsinki a couple of years ago.

 

There will not be any free shuttles. And, if you buy an all-day tram ticket, it will cover the tram to and from the port (and any other trams you may ride in the city) PLUS your ferry to Suomelinna Island.

[Ultima Thule]

Note that this year it is not possible anymore to buy a ticket from a tram driver. You need to have a ticket when you step onboard.

 

Shuttle buses usually stops somewhere near the Swedish Theater (white semicircular building) at the west end of the Esplanade park.

So if you take a shuttle be prepared to walk along the Esplanade park to the Market Square at the east end of the park.

 

Your plan for the fortress seems ok to me. A few suggestions:

 

If you are decent walkers, at #41 you take the road up to the cannons instead. It's very steep uphill but there are wooden steps. Then at the south end of the island you'll need to return to the blue line somewhere at the fourth or fifth gun on the picture (There are more guns than the map indicate) before the wall gets too high i.e before you reach "WC" at the map.

 

On the way back over Susisaari (Wolf Island) consider an alternative route cross the main fortress.

After Piper's park go to #36, then left though the gate and right to #35 (Or you can enter where the map shows a "tunnel" between #34 & #38. Its where the wall turns away from the road. Its just a very short tunnel, say 6 meters).

Then left and downhill exiting through a gap in the wall about halfway between "#35 and #26 on the map. On the way down you'll have the highest wall of the fortress on your left side.

 

I suggest you check it all out at Google Maps.

 

Fortress Map:

https://frantic.s3.amazonaws.com/suomenlinna/2014/06/suomenlinna-2016-en-map.pdf

Edited March 29, 2018 by Ultima Thule

[englander]

Note that this year it is not possible anymore to buy a ticket from a tram driver. You need to have a ticket when you step onboard.

 

Shuttle buses usually stops somewhere near the Swedish Theater (white semicircular building) at the west end of the Esplanade park.

So if you take a shuttle be prepared to walk along the Esplanade park to the Market Square at the east end of the park.

 

Your plan for the fortress seems ok to me. A few suggestions:

 

If you are decent walkers, at #41 you take the road up to the cannons instead. It's very steep uphill but there are wooden steps. Then at the south end of the island you'll need to return to the blue line somewhere at the fourth or fifth gun on the picture (There are more guns than the map indicate) before the wall gets too high i.e before you reach "WC" at the map.

 

On the way back over Susisaari (Wolf Island) consider an alternative route cross the main fortress.

After Piper's park go to #36, then left though the gate and right to #35 (Or you can enter where the map shows a "tunnel" between #34 & #38. Its where the wall turns away from the road. Its just a very short tunnel, say 6 meters).

Then left and downhill exiting through a gap in the wall about halfway between "#35 and #26 on the map. On the way down you'll have the highest wall of the fortress on your left side.

 

I suggest you check it all out at Google Maps.

 

Fortress Map:

https://frantic.s3.amazonaws.com/suomenlinna/2014/06/suomenlinna-2016-en-map.pdf

 

Thanks for the suggestions!. I am thinking we will be using the 1-day tram ticket to get to Senate Square and walk to Market Square. Haven't decided but am considering the Water Bus because it comes in at the Suomenlinna Center and we can walk south from there ending at King's Gate and get the water bus back from there. We are average walkers (in our 60s) and I am guessing we will need about 3 hours of walking around to see the cannons and tunnels and some of the wall. We also want to see the Vesikko and the Military Manege.

Our cruise stop allows us about 6 hrs max incl the tram ride to/from the West Harbor.