Photos: Exploring Helsinki and Suomenlinna

It takes just two hours on the ferry, to cross the Finnish Gulf from Tallinn, Estonia to Helsinki, capital of Finland. It is a much more modern city compared to Tallinn and though our hotel seemed a little detached from a discernible city centre, it was easy to use the tram system to find our way downtown. Using the public transport system is such a great way to immediately feel like a local too.

From the harbour downtown, we caught a ferry to the nearby sea fortress island of Suomenlinna, which gave us a scenic day out, full of history. Signs of the island’s military history remain across the land, not least with the many old cannons that are still on display – 100 in total. There are also disused military buildings and tunnels cut into the rock. The island is not trapped in history though; around 900 people live on the island and it is popular place for recreation as well as tourism.

Explore the Helsinki and Suomenlinna stock photos on Shutterstock