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Varissaari from the air: a wooded island with shore rocks and a white tower, with the city in the background. Photo: Antti Ukkonen / Cursor Oy (still from a video).

Photo: Antti Ukkonen / Cursor Oy (still from a video).

Varissaari by boat – a fortress island just off Kotka

Varissaari is a fortress island just off Kotka, and its best-known sight is Fort Elisabeth, built in the 1790s. From the island's jetty you can walk to the fortress ramparts, the shore rocks and the island's summer restaurant. From Sapokka this is the shortest journey in our guides, so Varissaari also suits a trip of just a few hours.

Details checked against sources in October 2026.

See rental boats on Friilo (opens in a new tab)See the route to Varissaari

Services on site

  • Guest jetty
  • Sauna
  • Restaurant
  • Barbecue area

Many services are only open in the summer season, so check opening hours on the destination's website.

Why go to Varissaari?

Fort Elisabeth was built in 1790–1796 as part of Russia's Ruotsinsalmi sea fortress. The fortress was originally built on two small islands, and a gun road and a fortress wall were built on landfill across the strait between them. Together with Fort Slava on Kukouri, Fort Elisabeth guarded the sea lanes leading to Ruotsinsalmi from the west and the south. During the Crimean War in 1855 an Anglo-French fleet destroyed the Ruotsinsalmi fortifications, but the ruins of Fort Elisabeth can still be seen.

The shores of Varissaari offer an unobstructed view of the area where the naval battles of Ruotsinsalmi were fought, and the battle of 1790 is the largest naval battle ever fought in the Nordic countries. In 1940 a memorial to the Second Battle of Ruotsinsalmi was erected at the eastern end of the island, and the island's Ruotsinsalmi Pavilion displays wreck parts and cannons from ships sunk in the battles of 1789 and 1790, including the frigate St. Nikolai. During the Second World War an anti-aircraft battery operated on the fortress ramparts.

Varissaari is part of Kotka National Urban Park. On the island you can spend the day on the shore rocks, walk around the fortress, swim in the sea, have a barbecue or play beach volleyball. The island's restaurant building stands inside the northern semicircle of the fortress.

Thanks to the short journey, Varissaari is easy to visit even for just an afternoon. The island suits a trip that combines fortress history, lunch and sea views.

Up-to-date information

Video: Antti Ukkonen / Cursor Oy.

Who is this trip for?

The trip suits people interested in history, families and groups who want to combine a short boat trip, a walk and lunch at a restaurant. Varissaari is also a good destination for a first boat trip off Kotka, as the journey is short.

Route to Varissaari

Departure point
Sapokka departure harbour: information and travel times

Sapokka → Varissaari

Distance / one way
1 nm
Travel time / one way
approx. 10 min
Fuel / one way
approx. 1 l
Fuel / round trip
approx. 2 l

Travel times are calculated at a cruising speed of 25 knots and include the slower sections of the route. The fuel estimate is based on a consumption of 0.9 l/nm. Actual consumption depends on the boat, the weather, load and driving style.

The journey to Varissaari is the shortest in our guides. At the start of the route in Sapokka marina and right at the end as you approach the Varissaari jetty, you travel more slowly, and the slower sections are included in the estimated travel time. The jetty has a berth for the island's ferry, so keep it free and give the ferry room.

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Travel times are estimates without stops and depend on the conditions. The round-trip fuel estimate assumes you return the same way. Also allow time for the destination itself.

Wind forecast: Varissaari

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Back to the Varissaari route on the home page

Suggested plan for an island day

This is a flexible idea for a self-guided day trip to Varissaari.

  1. 01

    Book a rental boat on Friilo and agree on pick-up and refuelling with the boat's owner. Look at the route and the estimated travel time.

  2. 02

    Check the opening hours of the island's restaurant and book a table if needed.

  3. 03

    Head from Sapokka to the Varissaari jetty and moor the boat so that the ferry's berth stays free.

  4. 04

    Walk on the ramparts of Fort Elisabeth and visit the memorial at the eastern end of the island and the Ruotsinsalmi Pavilion.

  5. 05

    Have lunch on the restaurant terrace and enjoy the sea views on the shore rocks or with a swim.

  6. 06

    Start the return trip in good time, taking into account the weather and the boat's return time.

Map: Varissaari – paths and roads, the jetty and the restaurant.
The map shows paths and roads, the jetty and the restaurant. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), dashed lines and harbour location based on our routes.
The shore and piers of Varissaari from the air, with the open sea behind. Photo: Antti Ukkonen / Cursor Oy (still from a video).
Aerial view of the old fortress ramparts among the trees on Varissaari. Photo: Antti Ukkonen / Cursor Oy (still from a video).
Photos: Antti Ukkonen / Cursor Oy (still from a video).

Jetty and ferry

Both the island's ferry and visiting boats moor at the Varissaari jetty. The City of Kotka is responsible for making sure the island has a working jetty, and the jetty has a berth reserved for the ferry.

In the summer season a ferry service from Sapokka to the island is run by the island's restaurant operator, so the jetty can be busy. Approach the jetty slowly and give the ferry room.

Restaurant, services and refuelling

The island's summer restaurant is open in the summer season. Check the season's opening hours, the menu and the ferry timetable before you set off.

You can swim, have a barbecue and play beach volleyball on the island. Bring swimwear if you plan to swim.

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

Varissaari – Visit Kotka-Hamina (opens in a new tab)

Up-to-date information

A bright restaurant dining room on Varissaari: white tables, chandeliers and greenery outside the windows (photo from 2015). Photo: Cursor Oy.
The restaurant dining room on Varissaari in 2015. Photo: Cursor Oy.

Remember before you set off

  • Check the opening hours of the island's restaurant and book a table if needed.
  • Agree on the boat's pick-up and refuelling with the boat's owner.
  • Walking shoes for the fortress ramparts and the shore rocks.
  • Swimwear if you plan to swim.

Shall we take a boat trip to Varissaari?

Rental boats in the Kotka–Hamina area are listed on Friilo. Agree on the boat's pick-up and refuelling with the boat's owner.

See rental boats on Friilo (opens in a new tab)

See also

Similar destinations by theme: Harbours with saunas · Restaurant harbours · Short boat trips