Place · Helsinki
Pihlajasaari
A ferry-only island with two beaches, forest paths and a public sauna.
Key Facts
Reviewed information; unknowns are shown explicitly.
Public transport
- Bus or train
- Possible without a car; route details not verified
- Finland Outdoors editorialLast verified 14 Sept 2026
- Estimated travel time
- 35 min from Helsinki (editorial estimate)
- Editorial estimateLast verified 14 Sept 2026
Accessibility
- Step-free access
- Not verified
- Finland Outdoors editorialLast verified 14 Sept 2026
Facilities
- Campfire sites
- Not verified
- Source not recordedNot verified
- Firewood
- Not verified
- Source not recordedNot verified
- Toilets
- Not verified
- Source not recordedNot verified
- Drinking water
- Not verified
- Source not recordedNot verified
Total trip time
From Helsinki city centre by public transport.
About 5.75–7.5 h
- Getting there
- 35 min
- Time on site
- 4 h
- Buffer
- 30 min
- Getting back
- 35 min
Estimate, not live timetable data. Return assumed to take as long as the outbound trip. Includes a 30-minute buffer; time on site may run up to 40% longer.
- Time on site
- 4 h
- Effort
- Easy
- Season
- Summer
- Cost
- Free & paid options
Allow 5.5–7.5 hours from Helsinki. A full-day trip.
Highlights
- Two separate beaches
- Island sauna and café
- Short forest loop around the island
Practical information
Ferries run only in the summer season and stop in the evening — check the last departure before you settle in. The island itself is free; the ferry is ticketed.
Getting there
Seasonal ferry from Merisatama; no car access at all.
- Helsinki — 5.5 km
Getting there Some travel involved
Travel times are editorial estimates, not live routing.
Effort and terrain
4 h at a normal pace.
Family and accessibility
- Suitable for children
- Yes
- Stroller friendly
- Not verified
- Step-free access
- Not verified
Also nearby
Suggested by distance and day-planning fit, not an editorial pairing.
Place · Helsinki
Allas Sea Pool
5 min away and turns the hiking into a sauna afternoon.
Heated and sea-water pools plus saunas directly on the Market Square harbour.
Total trip about 2.75–3.5 h from Helsinki city centre by public transport · 5 min each way · estimate
Route · Helsinki
Helsinki Coastal Walk: Hietaniemi to Seurasaari
5 min away and turns the hiking into a hiking afternoon.
A flat five-kilometre shoreline walk linking the city beach, the bay and the museum island.
Total trip time unknown by public transport from Helsinki city centre
Place · Helsinki
Hietaniemi Beach
5 min away and turns the hiking into a swimming afternoon.
The city's main sandy beach, a fifteen-minute walk from the centre.
Total trip about 2.5–3 h from Helsinki city centre by public transport · 15 min each way · estimate