Excursions
For a Half Day
Seurasaari: The whole island of Seurasaari is an open-air museum (tel: (09) 4050 9660; website: www.nba.fi), dotted with 18th- and 19th-century houses representing the whole gamut of Finnish life. One of the islands located immediately off Helsinki’s coastline, this was the brainchild of Axel Olai Heikel, who set the museum up in 1909, to preserve the traditions of Finnish life. The oldest building on the island is the wooden Karuna Church, which was completed in 1686. The island can be reached by bus 24 from Erottaja and is open daily from 1100-1700. Opening hours for the buildings are Monday-Friday 0900-1500, Saturday and Sunday 1100-1700. Admission is €4. Tourist Board officials are on site to provide information.
For a Whole Day
Suomenlinna (Sea Fortress): Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this sea fortress, lying approximately one mile off the coast of Helsinki, was once the bastion of the Swedish empire, with a larger population than Helsinki itself. Work began on the huge complex in 1748, when Augustin Ehrensvärd designed a system of bastions, a dock and barracks. It is made up of two islands connected by a small bridge and includes the Suomenlinna Museum (tel: (09) 4050 9691; website: www.nba.fi), the Doll and Toy Museum (tel: (09) 668 417), Submarine Vesikko (tel: (09) 1814 6238) and the Coastal Artillery Museum (tel: (09) 1814 5295), as well as restaurants and bars. There is a regular ferry connection to Suomenlinna from the Market Square (free with a Helsinki Card). Travel information is available from City Traffic (tel: 010 0111). Motorboats also operate from May to September, again leaving from Market Square. Additional information is available from the Suomenlinna Tourist Office (tel: (09) 684 1880; fax: (09) 6841 8812; e-mail: matkailu@pop.suomenlinna.fi; website: www.hel.fi/suomenlinna). Guided tours of the island, in English, take place at 1030, 1300 and 1500.
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