An evening at Suomenlinna island

Just a short 15 minute ferry away from mainland Helsinki, Suomenlinna is a fascinating fortress island where i wish i spent more time – an evening was definitely not enough.

Waiting for the ferry by the Helsinki harbour

I got to spend just over 2 hours on this relatively large island (i’d reckon you need an entire day to make the most of it).

View from Suomenlinna island, upon reaching by ferry

As soon as you land on the island, this beautiful gate welcomes you into what could be easily mistaken for a fairytale kingdom.

The beautiful, blush entrance to the fortress island

The island has a variety of stay and dining options to meet all kinds of budgets, including a youth hostel.

More burnt sienna against the pink of the evening skies

After spending a great evening walking around absolutely deserted paths like these, I decided to head back to mainland Helsinki for my last night in the city and continent!

One of Finland’s World Heritage Sites, the Suomenlinna fortress was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1991,  as a unique monument of military architecture.