Vallisaari in early September

[u/Itsonlychips]

After Suomenlinna, I wanted to see another island.

At the Market Square, the crowds rushed onto the ferry for Suomenlinna. I went the other way, and boarded a smaller boat to Vallisaari with maybe five other people. It was still early on a Thursday morning. We had the place more or less to ourselves.

At first, Vallisaari felt somehow confined. You stick to the marked trails, and for good reason; this was a military island for generations, and apparently old explosives still turn up. The old batteries and fortifications scattered through the woods mostly date from the Russian era, when the island was heavily fortified after the Crimean War.

But the longer I walked, the less confined it felt, and the island opened up. Forest, sea, old stones, overgrown bunkers and long empty paths. Really quiet. The summer season was clearly over. Cafés and terraces were all closed, with several signs promising ‘See you in 2027!’, it felt slightly surreal while standing there in early September.

No crowds. No queues (and no coffee...). Wonderful walking, and great views across the water. It felt like somewhere I’d accidentally been allowed into after everyone else had gone home.

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[u/Guuggel]

Visited Vallisaari earlier in the summer, pleasantly surprised and higly recommond getting a guided tour if possible.

Very nice views from the Aleksanterinpatteri.

[u/Accomplished_Sun3461]

Thank you for posting these! I had a wonderful time exploring Vallisaari in 2023, and these brought back very happy memories.

[u/whose_your_daddy]

These are great. A few of them look really nostalgic, as though they were taken in the late 90s or early 00s. Maybe it's the camera you used?

[u/Itsonlychips → u/whose_your_daddy]

Thank you! I think the early morning light had a lot to do with it, it was still quite low and soft. I was using a little Sony Cyber-shot pocket camera, which might explain some of that nostalgic feel too :) Just some minor colour-temperature tweaks in Lightroom afterwards.

[u/swan5ong]

Wonderful photos. 10/12 is awesome, not sure what kind of memory it activated but it looks and feels good!

[u/HoppedBoar]

Vallisaari is quite an interesting island.
When there is the Biennale of Art, the island is filled with cool installations.
Also in summer there are a couple of nice cafès. One is turning into a wine bar with special wine tasting nights.