My son has repetedly asked to get on board of a boat this summer so I decided to take the kids to one of the beautiful islands of Helsinki that we visit far too rarely, Pihlajasaari.
We hopped on the boat from Cafe Carousel in Merisatama but there is a connection from Ruoholahti too. A return ticket for an adult was 6e, kids were free.
Pihlajasaari actually consists of two small islands. The best beaches are right next to the ferry, but we started with a lovely walk to the second island were the camping area and cooking shelters are. We are hoping to do some camping there still this summer but we’ll see of the weather will cooperate with us on a free weekend (camping on Pihlajasaari only allowed on weekends). There is a restaurant on the island as well as a sauna to rent too but I’ve never tried them. This time we had packed food along and ate watching big cruise ships pass us. That and enjoying the nature and beach play (despite of clouds) made a great day out!
Free But Fun 
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Interesting that we are also on the cruise ship route that heads to Alaska.
A bit of a longer cruise for you 🙂 enjoy!
That’s so neat!
What a great idea for a boat trip on the cheap! Z sometimes wants to go on boats and I have never thought of just taking a ferry. They are much cheaper than hiring a long tail boat.
Easy and fun, I recommend it!