Kaunissaari by boat – an island day on Helsinki's outdoor recreation island in Sipoo

Kaunissaari is one of the City of Helsinki's outdoor recreation islands, even though it lies in the Sipoo archipelago about 12 nautical miles east of Helsinki. The island came into Helsinki's ownership in 1959, and since then the island of about one hundred hectares has been a recreation and hiking area. The island should not be confused with Kaunissaari in the outer archipelago of Pyhtää.

The island's history includes an 18th-century utopia. The brothers Carl Fredrik and Magnus Otto Nordenberg of Eriksnäs Manor in Sipoo planned an international trading centre with canals and manufactories on Kaunissaari, and Historia Helsinki calls the project the Atlantis of Sipoo. The only part of the plan to be realised was a wind-powered sawmill at the eastern end of the island, near the present-day boat harbour, and the Russians burned it down during the Russo-Swedish War of 1741–1743.

Today, you can walk the nature trail, which also tells the story of the fishermen who once lived on the island, swim at the sandy beaches and eat at the archipelago restaurant in the island's old main building. The shores alternate between rocks, stony stretches and sandy beaches.

Kaunissaari is a good choice when you want to get from Helsinki out to the real archipelago but still have services close at hand.

The trip suits families, groups of friends and anyone who wants to spend a whole day on the island swimming, walking and enjoying the sauna. The harbour is sheltered and day visits are free of charge, so Kaunissaari is also a good choice for your first longer boat trip east from Helsinki.

Kaunissaari guest harbour is in a sheltered cove, also known as the island's lagoon, on the eastern side of the island. The harbour has 80 buoy and boom berths, and berths cannot be booked in advance. The depth of the harbour is 1.9 metres. The island has no mains electricity, so there are no electrical sockets in the harbour.

It is about a 500-metre walk from the harbour to the island's restaurant. On the northern side of the island there is also a free excursion jetty for day visitors, but mooring at the ferry pier is not allowed. The pump for emptying septic tanks is on the northern shore near the ferry pier.

In the summer season, a ferry runs to the island from Hiekkalaituri in Vuosaari. In the winter season, there is no regular service to the island.

Day visits to the guest harbour are free of charge until 18:00. After that, a harbour fee is charged, which is paid at the island's restaurant. Check the current terms and prices on the restaurant's website.

Kaunissaaren Ravintola & Retkikeskus is in the island's old main building. The restaurant has a terrace and a small shop where you can also buy drinks and light snacks to take away. The island has two saunas for hire, Niemen sauna and Perhesauna, and Niemen sauna also has public sauna sessions. Check the sauna sessions, how to book and the seasonal opening hours on the restaurant's website, as the island goes quiet for the winter.

The island has six cooking shelters with firewood and drinking water points, as well as toilets and beach showers. The water points, showers, firewood and waste management are only available in the summer season. Making fires is only allowed at the cooking shelters, dogs must be kept on a lead, and during the bird nesting season, from April until late June, take care not to disturb nesting birds on the paths and shores.

Agree on refuelling with the boat owner before you set off.

Kaunissaari has ten rental cabins and three wooden tents, which are booked for the summer season through the City of Helsinki's Varaamo service. Camping and sleeping in a hammock are allowed in the camping areas marked on the map.

The boat is moored for the night according to the harbour's instructions.