There’s a military island fifteen minutes from the centre of Helsinki where the Russian navy stored ammunition for a century, the Finnish army locked the gates for another century, and then everyone left. The forest grew through the bunkers. Over 400 plant species colonised 30 hectares without a single human footprint. When the island finally opened to the public in 2016, it was the first time civilians had walked there in over 200 years.
Now there’s a wine bar on it. A sommelier who picks six wines every week. A DJ who plays between pours. And a sun that, from mid-June through mid-July, refuses to set.
Oliver Laiho built this because he believed a military island with south-facing sea views deserved better than abandonment. He was right.
What happens on a Friday
Here is what a Friday on Vallisaari actually looks like. You take a 20-minute ferry from Market Square. The city disappears behind you faster than you’d expect. You arrive on an island that looks like nobody has visited it in decades — which, until recently, was true.
At 1 PM, the sommelier starts pouring. Six wines, chosen by theme — Piedmont one Friday, natural wines the next, something from Etna or the Douro the week after. the sommelier goes table to table telling the story behind each producer. Not tasting notes. Stories. Between pours, the DJ plays something slow and warm — deep house, funk, whatever shifts the room without demanding attention. A hundred seats. Ninety minutes. The Baltic Sea in every direction.
After the tasting, the DJ keeps playing. The terrace becomes something between a wine bar and an evening that refuses to end. On a clear night in June, the light turns gold around 10 PM and stays that way for hours.
The Friday afternoon session at 1 PM is the one fewer people know about. Same sommelier, same terrace, same sea. But smaller crowd, more time at each table, and the sommelier tells the extra story — the one about the producer’s grandmother, or the vineyard that almost didn’t survive.
Events and tickets: iisivallisaari.fi/tapahtumat. Saturday sessions sell out 1–2 weeks ahead. Fridays are quieter and — between us — better.
The rest of the week
Vallisaari’s summer calendar runs over 40 events from May through September. Every one of them happens on an island you can only reach by boat.
Thursday — Wine Dating: For singles who’d rather meet someone over a glass of Barbera than through a screen. The sommelier guides the evening. Thirty men, thirty women, wine as the conversation starter. Small groups, June through August.
Friday & Saturday evenings — DJ Sunset: the DJ plays deep house and funk on the terrace as the light goes gold. Free entry. The thing that makes people miss the second-to-last ferry on purpose.
Sunday — Yoga: On the historic Aleksanterinpatteri — an 1800s artillery battery with sea views in every direction. All levels. The setting does half the work.
Monthly — Long Table Dinners: Thirty guests, a long wooden table on the island, five courses with wine pairings by the sommelier. The chef in the kitchen. Sells out in days, not weeks.
Full calendar: iisivallisaari.fi/tapahtumat
Where to eat
Two restaurants on the island, both open May through September. Card payment only. No reservations needed.
Cafe IISI sits 100 metres from the ferry dock — the terrace faces south, and on a clear day the light stays on it for hours. Coffee, pastries, lunch, wine, cocktails. This is where the tastings happen, where the DJ plays, where the evening starts. Oliver built it facing the sea for a reason.
IISI Bistro is a ten-minute walk to Torpedolahti harbour. The chef makes a salmon soup there that has earned a 4.7 on Google — creamy, deeply savoury, served with fresh bread on a harbour dock. Have a glass of white wine with it. This is the meal you’ll mention to friends for weeks afterward.
Getting there
The ferry to Vallisaari departs from Kauppatori (Market Square) in central Helsinki, operated by JT-Lines. Twenty minutes across. Runs roughly every 30 minutes from mid-May through September. Buy tickets online — weekend ferries fill up, especially on sunny days.
Last ferry back around 20:00–21:00. Check the time before you go. Write it down. The alternative is a water taxi that costs more than everything you drank. It’s the kind of mistake that’s only funny when it happens to someone else.
The island
Two hundred years of military isolation created something no city park can replicate. The forest grew back on its own terms. Over 400 plant species on 30 hectares — biodiversity that developed without a single human decision. Marked trails wind through forest, cliffs, and coastline. The 18th-century powder cellars — brick vaults where the Russian navy stored explosives — are the kind of ruin that doesn’t need a plaque.
On a Friday afternoon, you might have an entire trail to yourself. A tenth of the visitors that neighbouring Suomenlinna gets.
Combine with Suomenlinna
The UNESCO fortress is one kilometre away — you can see it from the terrace. Suomenlinna in the morning (Augustin Ehrensvärd’s 1748 fortress, museums, the oldest functioning dry dock in Finland), Vallisaari in the afternoon (nature, salmon soup, wine). Some ferry routes connect the islands directly. Six hours. The best day you can have in Helsinki.
What to know
Vallisaari is a car-free island open May through September. Paved paths from dock to restaurants; nature trails are rougher terrain.
- Jacket: The island is windier than the mainland. Bring a layer, even in July. This is not a suggestion.
- Shoes: Comfortable walking shoes. The trails punish anything else.
- Kids: Welcome at the cafes. Wine tastings are 18+.
- Dogs: Welcome, on leash.
Private events
Weddings, corporate events, birthdays — up to 80 guests on an island accessible only by ferry. The kind of setting that makes the invitation itself exciting.
Contact: oliver@iisivallisaari.fi or +358 40 027 8849
Oliver Laiho · IISI Vallisaari · Updated for summer 2026 with AI assistance.