World Travel Guide

City Guide  - Helsinki  - Excursions
Excursions

For a Half Day

Seurasaari:
The whole island of Seurasaari is an open-air museum (tel: (09) 4050 9660), dotted with eighteenth- and nineteenth-century houses representing the whole gamut of Finnish life. It was the brainchild of Axel Olai Heikel, who set it 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 Mon-Fri 0900-1500 and Sat and Sun 1100-1700. Admission is FIM20. 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 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) 40501), the Doll and Toy Museum (tel: (09) 668 417), Submarine Vesikko (tel: (09) 1814 6238), 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). Information from City Traffic (tel: (358) 010 0111). Motorboats also operate from May to Sept, again leaving from the Market Square. Further information is available from Suomenlinna Tourist Office (tel: (09) 684 1880; fax: (09) 6841 8812; e-mail: matkailu@pop.suomenlinna.fi; website: www.hel.fi/suomenlinna).



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