Frequently asked questions

How do you move around on the island?

You can move around Suomenlinna on foot. Some of the roads are cobblestoned, which is why wearing comfortable shoes is recommended. During the winter, the roads are snow-ploughed, gritted and lit.

How are cars and goods transported to Suomenlinna?

Suomenlinna is a car-free zone where only service vehicles are allowed. Event organisers may bring a car to the island for maintenance use. Car spaces on the ferries are booked from the office of Suomenlinnan Liikenne Oy.  Car transport should be booked as early as possible, as the night-time ferries in particular tend to be crowded. Cars can be transported to the island either on the maintenance ferry, operating from Katajanokka during weekdays, or on the Helsinki City Transport ferry, operating from Kauppatori seven days a week. You should ensure that you are at the ferry terminal at least 10 minutes before departure. Transporting cars via the Suomenlinna service tunnel is not possible, as the tunnel is reserved for emergency vehicles only.

How do the guests get to the island?

During the summer season, Suomenlinna attracts as many as 12,000 visitors every day, making the Helsinki City Transport ferry somewhat crowded. Show the guests several possible ferries from the timetable so they can reach the island in good time before the event. During the summer season, the privately owned JT-Line water bus operates to Tykistönlahti bay in Suomenlinna from the Kauppatori square. Organisers may also hire private transportation for guests.

Are the facilities heated? Are they rented during the winter? What’s the weather like in Suomenlinna in the winter?

Facilities are rented throughout the year. During the winter, Suomenlinna may be cold and windy. The facilities are heated with district heating, but in windy and wintry weather they may be slightly draughty.

Can customers use the catering service of their choice?

Customers may choose any catering service they wish. Several catering service providers operate in Suomenlinna, offering catering services for our facilities. Their contact information can be found here. Also many caterers operating on the mainland are familiar with our facilities.

How do I get to see the facilities beforehand?

We can show you round the facilities on weekdays between 8 am and 4 pm, if there are no reservations for other customers in the facilities at the time. Please book a time well in advance by either calling or e-mailing our sales service. We also organise open-house type showings a couple of times each year, when the facilities can also be viewed during the evening. Information on the evening showings is posted in the News section.

How is the facility furnished?

Various types of events, parties and conferences are organised in our facilities. The renter of the facility may arrange the furniture in the locality as they wish. Different table arrangement models for the banquet facilities can be found in the photo gallery. Ready-made models can give you ideas and tips on how to arrange the tables in the facility, easing the planning of your event.  You can also book the arrangement of tables from the Governing Body of Suomenlinna for an additional charge.

May I put up signs?

The organiser may distribute a few neat signposts along the route to the facility. However, signs and posts may not be attached to the façades of buildings. The organiser of the event must remove the signs immediately after the conclusion of the event.  There is a lit noticeboard next to the door to the Tenalji von Fersen for attaching signs. During the summer season, we recommend the use of a sign found in the facility to notify other visitors of the private nature of the event.

What about decorative outdoor lights?

Outdoor lights may be burned in front of the facility if a forest fire warning has not been issued. The customer must make sure that such lights are only lit under supervision and that they are extinguished and collected after the event. Outdoor lights may not be used elsewhere, for instance, on roads.

May candles be burned inside the facility?

Candles may be burned indoors. The customer must ensure that candles are burned under supervision and that no stearine is allowed to run onto the surfaces. Please make sure that you know the location of the fire extinguishers just in case. After the event, candles should be extinguished and collected.

Where do I pick up the keys? Where do return the keys? What are the keys for?

Usually, keys are collected from the office of the Governing Body of Suomenlinna (C 40) on weekdays from 8 am to 4 pm. Keys may also be collected from the information desk at the Visitor Centre at C 74. The centre is open from 10.30 am to 4.30 pm in October to April and from 10 am to 6 pm in May to September. Keys may be returned to the grey key box in the facility, the Visitor Centre or the office of the Governing Body of Suomenlinna. If the office is closed, the keys may be returned to the locked postbox in the door of the office.

The keys open the door of the facility, the doors of the toilet facilities in the Ruutikellari and the Tenalji von Fersen, and the storage door in the Pirunkirkko banquet hall and in Tenalji von Fersen.

How long may the party continue?

The facility is reserved for the use of the customer from 10 am to 1 am the following morning. Loud music must stop at midnight so as not to disturb the peace of nearby residents. The facility must be empty of the customer’s belongings by 2 am, when the last ferry departs for the mainland. Please allow time for the emptying of the facility and ensure that you also inform the caterers of the time limits.

Which way should goods be taken into the facility?

Goods are taken into the facility through the main door. In the Tenalji von Fersen, goods may be carried in via the kitchen stairs, but the lift for people with disabilities should never be used for transporting goods. Goods for the Pirunkirkko banquet hall may be taken through the kitchen door until 10 pm, after which the main staircase should be used for transporting goods. This ensures that the residents in the apartments on the kitchen door side are not disturbed.

Are there dishes, kitchenware, candlesticks or tablecloths in the facilities?

The banquet facilities do not have dishes, kitchenware, candlesticks, tablecloths or decorations. The conference facilities are equipped with coffee sets.

Are there markers, paper or notebooks in the facilities?

There are no markers or pens in the conference facilities, but each facility is equipped with A5-sized notebooks. We recommend bringing your own conference equipment for the meeting. There are no laptop computers in the facilities. For more information on facility-specific equipment, please see the equipment list for each facility.

Why am I not allowed to attach anything to the walls?

The walls in the banquet facilities have been renovated as faithfully to the original look as possible. Old lime paints and tile surfaces are delicate and cannot take tape, Blue-Tack or other fixatives.

Is smoking allowed in the facilities?

Smoking is only allowed outdoors in all of our facilities. The platform of the lift for disabled persons in the Tenaille von Fersen should under no circumstances be used for smoking.

Is the customer responsible for the cleaning of the facility?

The customer must remove their belongings and decorations from the facility and take the waste bags outside to the waste containers. The customer will be charged for any goods and waste left in the facility, vomit, stearine stains or damaged or missing furniture after the event.

Is there any cleaning equipment in the facility? What about soap and toilet paper?

There is cleaning equipment available for the use of the customer in the kitchen or cleaning cupboard. The toilets have toilet paper, soap and a hand dryer.

Where are lost and found goods taken?

Lost property found in the facilities is taken to the Visitor Centre and can be requested from the sales service during office hours.

Where do I book the Suomenlinna Church?

Reservations for the church are made from the Helsinki Cathedral Parish.

Where does the bride change into her wedding dress? How do the bride and groom get from the church to the banquet facility?

Sometimes brides get dressed in advance at home and sometimes they dress at the banquet facility, from where they walk to the church. You can also use the crypt of the church for dressing. For more information, please contact the Suomenlinna Church.

From the church, the bride and groom usually walk to the banquet facility. Often the organisers of the party bring a car to Suomenlinna for the trip. There are no longer any horse stables on the island.

Is there a photographic studio or similar in Suomenlinna for the weddings photographs?

Unfortunately there are no photographic studios in Suomenlinna, so wedding portraits have to be taken in the city. You may of course bring a photographer with you.