Accessibility

The Suomenlinna maritime fortress is a challenging environment for people with impaired mobility because of the fortifications and rocky terrain. Public facilities restored in recent years have been designed to be accessible.

Footpaths in Suomenlinna are paved with cobblestones, gravel or sand. Uneven sections cannot be avoided completely.

The terrain is hilly and difficult in parts, so wheelchair users should be accompanied by a carer/companion. The weather may also make the footpaths uneven and slippery.

There are five accessible toilets in Suomenlinna. They are marked in the map. Many restaurants and museums also have accessible toilet facilities. The facilities in accessible toilet vary, as do their sizes. The route leading to the accessible toilet facilities in bastion Virtue, for example, is not level.

Getting around

Getting around in Suomenlinna is discussed here mainly from the perspective of visitors with impaired mobility. Perceiving where the footpaths run may be hard for visually impaired people. There are also several places where there is a real danger of falling from cliffs. Navigating through the tunnels may also be difficult for visually impaired people. The pages which introduce the various sights and places of interest include accessibility information.

Footpaths

The Suomenlinna terrain makes getting around a challenge. Steep hills and uneven footpaths cannot be avoided completely. The blue route from the main pier to the King’s Gate (Kustaanmiekka) is marked with signposts. A slightly less challenging wheelchair route follows the main route; however, it has no separate signposts. There are also less steep routes near the shoreline on the eastern parts of Iso Mustasaari.

Description of the wheelchair route

Map of the wheelchair route (link to map)

The wheelchair route is not fully accessible but it does help visitors to avoid some of the steep hills and difficult paving materials on the blue main route. The route does include some steep hills. The length of the route from the main pier to the tip of Kustaanmiekka is about 1.5 km (0.9 miles). Benches have been placed along the route for resting. The distances between the resting places vary. The benches are on the side of the footpath. Paving and gutters may make it hard for people using a mobility aid equipped with wheels to reach the benches.

The route runs through areas with various paving materials. The sand-covered footpaths are quite hard and even, making them accessible for wheelchair and Zimmer frame users. Uneven cobblestones and longitudinal and sideways inclination may make the route difficult to navigate. Cobblestones are slippery when wet. In some places wheelchairs can be pushed on the edge of the paved area, where the path is smoother, or on the edge of a hard lawn, to avoid the roughest sections.

Unlike the main route, the wheelchair route starts from the main pier and passes the Jetty Barracks from the right (west). There is a small slope from the pier to the footpath (inclination 13%). The first hill is at the corner of the Jetty Barracks. The footpath is cobblestoned, but does include smoother sections where progress is easier. However, manual wheelchair users will find the hill hard to climb (inclination 11%).

The route between Hostel Suomenlinna and the Suomenlinna church is gentler (maximum inclination about 5%). After the church, the route continues through the Crownwork Ehrensvärd defences. The paving in this section of the route is very uneven and extremely difficult for wheelchair users. The cobblestone paving, however, only covers about 10 metres (32.8 feet). The inclination (13% at maximum) at the end adds to the challenge.

After the library, the route winds down to the Visitor Centre. The inclination of the sand-paved footpath is about 8%. The cobblestone paving in front of the Visitor Centre makes wheelchair passage difficult. Depending on the weather and path maintenance, there may be smoother (gravel) sections at the edge of the path.

The inclination of the bridge between Susisaari and Iso Mustasaari ranges from three to five percent. The railing gives adequate cover but there are no handrails.

The area in front of Café Chapman (where the path bends) is paved with cobblestones. The sideways inclination makes passage difficult for people using mobility aids equipped with wheels. The paving on the edge is smoother and the lawn is sometimes sufficiently hard for wheelchair access.

Hilly terrain starts at Tykistönlahti Bay. The footpath is paved with sand but the steepest sections (inclination 14%) have uneven cobblestones. In Susisaari, on the east coast, there is a sharp drop at the edge of the footpath (just before the Vesikko submarine).

In Kustaanmiekka, differences in elevation pose the hardest challenges. The maximum longitudinal inclination is about 13%. Hills are long and there are no flat sections for resting. The sand-paved footpath is usually hard but may be softened by weather conditions.

The main route terminates at the King’s Gate pier in Kustaanmiekka. However, because there are stairs on the route it is better to terminate the wheelchair route at Kustaanmiekka and enjoy the magnificent view onto the sea.