How many hours should I consider allowing to visit Suomenlinna and Seurasaari islands?
I'm planning a trip to Helsinki (a quick trip indeed, just one day and a half) and I don't want to miss some spots like the Suomenlinna island (the only UNESCO site in the zone) and the Seurasaari island (the open-air museum).
Does anybody have any clue about how much time I should consider allowing in order to visit the islands and permit enough time for the rest of the city?
My guess is that both the islands are visitable in half a day but I can't find any guide that gives precise information on this point.
Best Answer
I can at least answer the question for Suomenlinna. Take the ferry over there which takes approximately 15 minutes and leaves quite regularly from Helsinki's city center (Market Square).
Then it really depends on your taste. You can easily spend a whole day on Suomenlinna. There are bars where you can get a drink, very tasty restaurants, some museums and you could also spend the whole day sun-bathing and swimming around the small beaches at Suomenlinna.
But if you just want to stroll around the island, get a drink/snack and relax quickly at the beach, I would say half a day (~4 hours) is enough.
(When I was there last year we spent around 4 hours there and in my opinion we have seen everything important, and we also spend some time at the beach and in a bar.)
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How much time do you need for Suomenlinna?
There are many walking trails, museums, parks, churches, libraries, caf\xe9s, and restaurants to wander into. So, take your time to have a look around. As a minimum, I'd say the shortest time you could spend here would be two hours.Is Suomenlinna worth visiting?
If you visit Finland, Suomenlinna is a must place to see. During summer it's the place to have a picnic and have great views, while during autumn or winter it might be rather cold. Usually it is a bit windy, so get ready for it and bring some jacket!Do people live on Suomenlinna?
Suomenlinna is home to around 800 residents and 400-500 people work in the fortress all year round. Unesco World Heritage Site is visited by approximately one million visitors yearly. Suomenlinna islands hosts for example museums, artists work rooms, naval academy and open prison.How many islands make up the fort of Suomenlinna?
Another special feature of the fortress is that in the course of its history it has served in the defence of three realms: Sweden, Russia and Finland. Moreover, it continues to be a living, tended and inhabited district of the city of Helsinki. The World Heritage Site includes seven islands.We got lost! On the Island across the Sea | Suomenlinna fortress Helsinki, Finland | Summer
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Answer 2
I wrote a blog post about my trip to Suomelinna - it's doable as a half day trip, if you want, but you could also take a picnic and enjoy the grassy areas if it's nice and sunny (beware, it was freezing with an off-shore breeze in summer when I was there).
The boat takes 15-20 minutes including boarding.
Wikitravel has several guides for Helsinki - including when you only have a certain amount of time - ranging from just two hours in Helsinki, to two days or longer. I used this as a great guide when I went around as it gives you a good route. They recommend the fortress even as a ferry ride alone, even if you only have a few hours.
For Seurasaari, they point out that you need at least half a day. Given your time schedule, you may wish to consider dropping this part of your trip and exploring downtown Helsinki more - there's a LOT to see and enjoy.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Molly Champion, stein egil liland, Nic Wood, Antony Trivet