© Veikko Venemies・Unsplash License

Finland

Helsinki

A Baltic capital of design and sea air. Green trams loop the city, and no station has a ticket gate.

Suomenlinna ferry (HSL route 19)

The Suomenlinna boat is HSL public transport, not a cruise - the same AB ticket as the buses covers it. Nothing is sold on board, so buy before the pier card readers. The private water bus next door takes no HSL tickets.

Updated on August 2, 2026

How to ride

  1. 1
    Sort out your ticket before you board
    Tickets are not sold on board. Buy first at the pier's ticket machine or card reader, or in the HSL app.
  2. 2
    Board on the east side of Market Square
    Ferries leave from the eastern side of Market Square, in front of the Presidential Palace. Follow the signs to the pier.
  3. 3
    Show your ticket before the card readers
    The payment area starts at the card readers on the pier - tap or show your ticket before you walk past them.
  4. 4
    Buy the return at the pier too
    Same on the Suomenlinna side - buy the return at a card reader or the ticket machine on the pier, or in the app.

Fares

Single fares3

AB single ticket (app, HSL card, sales point)
Enough for Market Square to Suomenlinna, and the same ticket covers HSL on land.
3.3 EUR ≈ $4
AB single ticket (ticket machine or contactless)
What you pay at the pier - 20 cents more than the app or an HSL card.
3.5 EUR ≈ $4
Water bus, one way / return (May-Sept)
A different company's boat that takes no HSL tickets; the lower price is one way, the higher a return.
4.95〜9.9 EUR ≈ $6–11

Passes & multi-ride1

AB day ticket (1 day)
Each extra day adds 5.30 euros, up to 13 days. Tickets of 2-13 days are app-only; none load onto an HSL card.
10.6 EUR ≈ $12

Children & discounts1

AB single ticket (children 7-17)
Half the adult fare, and the same price at a ticket machine.
1.65 EUR ≈ $2

Estimates use exchange rates as of September 5, 2026

Payment

Tap to ride
VISAMastercard
Pick the zones and tap at the pier reader; it only sells adult singles.
IC card
Buy from the pier reader with value on an HSL card; day tickets excluded.
App tickets
The HSL app - the ticket must be on your phone before you reach the pier.
Paper tickets
From pier ticket machines and sales points; show the QR to a reader.
Cash
Never on the boats; some machines take cash, the pier ones unconfirmed.

Tap for where to get the app

Quick facts

Frequency
Several an hour in summer, hourly in winter
Fares from
3.3 EUR+

Heads-up

  • The water bus is another company - HSL tickets are not valid

    HSL's ferry and a private water bus leave from neighbouring piers on the same corner of Market Square. HSL tickets are not valid on the water bus at all - you buy the operator's own ticket on the spot. The year-round, roughly 15-minute crossing to the island's main pier is the HSL ferry (route 19); the water bus runs only from May to the end of September.

  • You cannot buy the return ticket on board

    On the Suomenlinna side there are only three ways to buy: contactless at the pier's card readers, the HSL app, or the ticket machine at the pier. Nothing is sold on board. If the machine is out of service you fall back on contactless or the app, so if neither will work for you, HSL itself advises buying a day ticket on the mainland before you go.

Timetable

Typical duration About 15 minutes from Market Square; the water bus takes 25-30 and the Kruunuvuorenranta route about 20
Check the official site for the latest times and service status