The island of Vallisaari is a popular holiday destination for its natural, cultural and historical attractions. Go sightseeing and rent outdoor equipment from Natura Viva in Vallisaari.
Vallisaari is a scenic and cultural island just 20 minutes by sea from Helsinki's Market Square. Located next to Suomenlinna, the peaceful island is a wonderful place to relax and stroll along the island's sandy paths, taking in the interesting historical sights.
Vallisaari is a family destination with plenty to see and do for all ages. Hire a Fatbike from Vallisaari and explore the island's many attractions by bike. The island's one-kilometre guided Alexander Tour takes you to the sights. The route is also comfortable to walk.
Fortifications of the island of Vallisaari
The island of Vallisaari has been used by the military for most of its long history. As early as the 1550s, when Helsinki was founded, there may have been a small fortress on Vallisaari. However, it is thought that the first fortifications on the island were built in the 17th century.The island has some interesting old wartime gun batteries, gunpowder cellars and protected historic buildings.
Vallisaari's war history attractions are an interesting journey into the past. During the First World War, a gunpowder cellar was built on the island and soon a brick barracks for officers was erected. Until 2008, the island of Vallisaari was under the control of the Defence Forces.
Vallisaari Alexander Battery
In the 19th century, one of the island's most popular historical attractions of the present day, the Alexander's Battery, was built on Vallisaari. The Alexander's Tour of Vallisaari, about a kilometre long, is a marked route around the island to the spectacular Alexander's Battery.
Visit the fascinating historic Alexander's Battery on Vallisaari and admire the stunning sea views from its observation deck.
Vallisaari pilot house
Vallisaari was once inhabited by soldiers and pilots who steered ships. Pilots lived on the island from the 1700s onwards, first in pilot huts and later in the Pilot House, built in 1878. Later, the military personnel and their families also lived in the pilot house.
Vallisaari's pilot house is a well-preserved attraction and part of the island's colourful settlement history. The maximum number of people living on Vallisaari in the 1950s was around 300. Vallisaari was a small community where children attended the island's own school, played on the cliffs and in the woods. The island had its own subsistence farming and a shop for the islanders.
Vallisaari's dark valley of death
In 1937, a devastating explosion occurred at the site known as Vallisaari Death Valley. Thousands of kilos of explosives were hurled along Vallisaari, all the way to Suomenlinna. The islanders were forced to flee for their lives, and death was not spared.
The cause of the explosion is not known, but it is thought that careless handling of the explosives caused the blast. For more information on the events in Death Valley, see the signposts along the Alexander Roundabout.
Visit King's Island
From Vallisaari, it's also worth a visit to the adjacent Kuninkaansaari. You can walk along the embankment to see the gun batteries on Kuninkaansaari. Along the marked trail on Kuninkaansaari you will also find an officer's house, where a concrete bunker sauna in the courtyard has been used by Defence Forces personnel and their families on the island since the early 1940s.
A state-of-the-art air surveillance radar, known under the alias Raija, was located on Kuninkaansaari. A plaque dedicated to Raija is located along the marked route. The trail also runs alongside a sandy cove on Kuninkaansaari, where you can swim and kayak to the shore.
Easy access to Vallisaari
A water bus runs to Vallisaari from Helsinki's Kauppatori. The short ferry ride takes only 20 minutes. You can also arrive at Vallisaari by boat or kayak. The Vallisaari marina welcomes visitors and you can dock your kayak next to the harbour café, for example.
Vallisaari can be easily reached on foot or even by bicycle. At the Natura Viva Vallisaari Harbour House, you can hire a Fatbike from the outdoor equipment hire shop, which will take you to the sights of Vallisaari in comfort. You can paddle and SUP board Vallisaari and the island's beaches from the sea.
