What does Uunisaari offer?
Uunisaari is located in southern Helsinki, south of Kaivopuisto Park, about 2 minutes by sea from the mainland.
Waterway transport connections
From April to November, there is a boat connection to Uunisaari from the Merisatama square (Merisatamanranta 8). The operator is Aava Lines (Link leads to external service) The ferry takes visitors to Uunisaari and Liuskaluoto. You can travel to all of these islands with the ticket from Merisatama. The boat picks up passengers when the flag is hoisted.
There are no safe berthing places or a guest harbour on Uunisaari. The adjacent Liuskaluoto has a harbour managed by Helsingfors Segelsällskap (HSS), whose berths are located in the pontoon pier.
The island can be reached from the mainland via a walking pontoon bridge from November to April. The pedestrian bridge is removed around mid-April so that boat traffic on the Kaivopuisto fairway can pass by the island.
The island has sand roads, along which you can walk around the island. Uunisaari comprises the northern and southern islands, which are separated by a narrow strait and connected by a wooden bridge. There is also a walking connection from the adjacent Liuskasaari to Uunisaari.
Fire making places
There is a fire making place and a picnic table near the beach. Please bring your own firewood. Do not take firewood from nature. When the wildland or forest fire warning is in effect, fire making is prohibited. Check the warnings from the Finnish Meteorological Institute’s website(Link leads to external service).
Toilets
There is a service building at the beach with toilets and a shower (from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.) and a shower on the beach.
Restaurant Uunisaari
Restaurant Uunisaari is a cozy restaurant with full alcohol licences, a café with a sunny terrace and two saunas. The main building of the Uunisaari restaurant was renovated in 1999 under the supervision of the Finnish Heritage Agency. The restaurant can be booked for meetings and private events. The saunas are traditional Finnish saunas and their Aito stoves are heated with natural gas. The walls and benches of the saunass are made of Finnish wood, aspen and alder.
Restaurant Uunisaari (Link leads to external service)
Public beach
Uunisaari public beach has no lifeguard on duty. There is a changing room, a shower, a toilet and a playground on the beach.
There are 22 rentable swimming booths in Uunisaari. All booths have been rented with contracts valid until further notice, and no new customers are currently accepted in the queue.
Uunisaari beach, location on map (Link leads to external service)
During the summer season, you can find up-to-date information on the condition of the beaches in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, the blue-green algae situation and the water temperature on the Outdoor Exercise Map.
Outdoor exercise map(Link leads to external service)
Winter swimming facility
Uunisaari winter swimming club(Link leads to external service) operates the swimming facilities in winter
Uunisaari winter swimming facility, location on map(Link leads to external service)
History of Uunisaari
Uunisaari used to host an oil cookery and a paint factory, and coffins have also been made on the island. However, industrial activities on Uunisaari ceased more than a hundred years ago. The island’s history can be seen in the former factory building, which nowadays houses the restaurant Uunisaari. The building was renovated in 1999 under the supervision of the Finnish Heritage Agency.
During the late 19th century, the island was home to a famous sea spa, and in 1934, the Helsingfors Simsällskap Swimming Centre was opened on the island, which attracted up to 125,000 swimmers during its first two months. Thanks to its long sandy beach and high-quality services, Uunisaari is a popular recreational island and picnic destination.
Uunisaari is a small rocky island formed by a narrow strait connecting the southern and northern islands. The area of the island is about 3 hectares. Both islands have some geologically significant sheepback rock areas that show traces of ancient glaciers. Maritime Helsinki is one of Finland’s 27 national landscapes. Officially, the maritime national landscape of Helsinki includes views between Suomenlinna and the Market Square, but the same scenery is found on the cliffs of Särkkä, Harakka and Uunisaari.
Species observations on Uunisaari
The iNaturalist application allows you to easily record your species observations on your phone. The artificial intelligence and other application users can help you to identify the species. The confirmed observations are recorded at the Finnish Biodiversity Information Facility (FinBIF), where they serve researchers, authorities and nature enthusiasts.
Species observations on Uunisaari (inaturalist.laji.fi) (Link leads to external service)
Species observations on Uunisaari (laji.fi)(Link leads to external service)
General rules
In all outdoor recreation areas, observe everyman’s rights and rules and move responsibly in nature:
Accessibility information for Uunisaari’s services is still incomplete.
Links to accessibility information will be available here when the analysis is completed.
Uunisaari’s services on the map
Uunisaaressa on kahvila ja ravintola, uimaranta ja sauna.
