Sveaborg is a naval fortress in Helsinki, better known in Scandinavia as Suomenlinna (Suomenlinna, “Finnish fortress”). The fortress was built in 1748, at a time when Finland was not yet an independent country and was part of the Swedish state. The fortress was renamed Suomenlinna in 1918, when Finland gained her independence. After that, for a long time it belonged to the Finnish military garrison, until 1973 when it was handed over to the civil authorities.

Now Sveaborg is undoubtedly one of the brightest sights in Finland. On its territory there are several museums, architecture lovers may be interested in buildings belonging to different architectural traditions and styles, those interested in military affairs will find a huge variety of military equipment belonging to different stages of the existence of the fortress, and the fortress itself is amazingly beautiful, so that a simple walk through it will give you pleasure.

There is a prison in the fortress, where people convicted of petty offenses serve their sentences, and they are the ones who maintain the fortress in good shape.

How to get to Sveaborg
You can get to the fortress only by water, as it is located on an island located two kilometers from the city.

From the market square Kauppatori go ferries HKL, from one to four times an hour, depending on the season. The first ferry leaves there at 9 am and the last one back at 6 pm. You can buy ferry tickets at the river station and it’s about 5 EUR for a one-way trip.

From Kolera-allas, located near the market square, from May to September there are JT-Line river streetcars that make an extra stop near the Royal Gate. Tickets can be bought either at the pier or directly on board – also for 5 EUR one-way.

There is no public transport or bicycle rental in Sveaborg, so you better choose comfortable shoes for the trip.

Hotels in Sveaborg
If you do not want to go back to Helsinki in the evening, you can stay overnight in Sveaborg, especially for this purpose there is Hostel Suomelinna, located literally steps from the pier. However, it is worth noting that the living conditions, it is strongly inferior to the hotels located in the city. On the first floor of the hostel are rooms for 6, 8 and 10 people, on the second floor – double and triple rooms, and showers and toilets for all rooms are common for one floor. One night there will cost you 25 EUR if you choose to stay on the first floor and 55-90 EUR if you choose to stay on the second floor. Breakfast in the hostel also has to be paid separately – 7.90 EUR.