Experience Imperial City of Kotka from Sea
Now you have a great chance to see and experience Kotka from the sea and cruise on the nostalgic M/s Tuula.
The hour-long scenic cruise takes you around Kotkansaari, where you can see the old main harbour, the current maritime centre Vellamo area, see the imposing silhouette of the Alvar Aalto designed Sunila pulp mill from the sea, sail under the bridges leading to Kotkansaari, see the Hirssaari island housing fairground and admire the Catrerine Maritime Park from the sea. And, of course, along the way you can get an idea of the area of the Svensksund sea battles. The cruise includes an explanation by the ship's captain of the surrounding scenery and the different historical periods in the Kotka region.
Price: 20 €/adult, 10 €/child (3-12 years) including a one-hour guided scenic cruise.
You are welcome to join us for guided landscape cruises on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 19:00 from 24 June to 7 August 2025.
We can also organise tailor-made cruises for groups at a time to suit you (min. 20 people and max. 50 / 80 people).
Customer service contact: Petri Luotio, NaviKotka, +358 50 465 4188, petri.luotio@navikotka.fi
M/s Tuula
The Tuula is the oldest wooden waterbus in Finland, the only wooden waterbus from the 1950's and the only wooden waterbus that has been accepted in the Finnish Heritage List. The vessel was built in 1951 and has been kept and preserved in its original form and condition. The regulations and accessibility requirements in 1951 were quite different from today and therefore the vessel is unfortunately not suitable for people with reduced mobility. Wheelchair users are not allowed on board, nor are pushchairs (one or two pushchairs can be taken on deck). There is a staircase leading to the interior passenger compartment, which can be used with assistance.
The shipyard is a member of the Finnish Passenger Ship Association, the vessel has been surveyed in accordance with Finnish Traficom regulations, has a maintenance and repair programme and keeps records. The choice of fuel and lubricants is based on the preference for environmentally friendly products. No solid waste or waste water is discharged into the sea from the vessel.
All activities are carried out in cooperation with local producers/suppliers.
Destinations Along Cruise
Sapokka Water Garden
Sapokka is the centre of the maritime summer activities in Kotka. The small boat harbour and berths for island traffic are located on the south-western shore of the city centre, in Sapokka Bay, well protected by breakwaters.
Port of Kotka
The history of the port of Kotka (Kantasatama) is closely linked to the founding of the city of Kotka. Before Kotka was granted city rights on 16 July 1879, the harbour area had already been used for years, when the development of the wood processing industry in Finland had begun.
The sheltered harbour grew over the decades, taking up space from the sea as the shore was filled with sawdust and ships' ballast. The railway, built as an extension of the South-East railway from the city of Kouvola to the quayside quays of the port of Kotka, was opened in the late 1890's. Around the same time, Kotka was dubbed "the America of the Savonians". Between years 1898 and 1910, a total of 770 people emigrated from Kotka to the ocean, but many more settled in Kotka, as there were plenty of jobs available in the factories and at the Gutzeit sawmill at that time.
The first Kotka Maritime Festival was organised in the 1960's and soon became an annual tradition. The rich programme and events of the Maritime Festival attracted people from all over Finland to explore maritime themes, including in the harbour area. Since 1999, the Maritime Festival have been held in the harbour of Kotka (Kantasatama).
Today, the harbour area has been turned into a museum and many maritime activities have been concentrated there. The impressive figure of the Vellamo Maritime Centre crowns the northern tip of the harbour.
Sunila by Alval Aalto
Before the pulp mill, Sunila was home to a sawmill and associated settlement. The sawmill was founded in 1875 and was one of the 9 sawmills established in the Kymijoki river estuary during the great sawmill boom of the 1870s. During the pulp mill era, this part of Sunila was called 'Old Sunila'. The houses were mainly clustered on either side of a single track leading north from the sawmill. On the west side of the track were the houses of the sawmill manager, sawmill operators, foremen, machine operators, teacher and manger, and the elementary school. This side was called the 'Swedish side'. On the eastern side of the track were the workers' houses, the fire brigade house, the police house and the sawmill office. This side was called the 'Russian side'. The houses were also given nicknames such as the workers' houses 'Rauhala', 'Siberia' and 'Pappila', the unmarried men's house 'Härkätorppa' and the widow's house 'Onnela'. In the northern part of old Sunila, Koivuniemi, there was a sports field and houses for single people. The sawmill naturally had its own farmland with its own barns, barns and sheds.
Sunila Ltd was a unique phenomenon in the history of Finnish industrialisation. The company was founded in 1928 as a joint venture between seven wood processing companies. It bought the Sunila sawmill and the surrounding land. The international recession halted the project at the beginning. The sawmill closed and Sunila went quiet for a few years. In the wake of the next boom, the five remaining owner companies decided to set up a joint pulp mill to secure the supply of raw material for their paper mills.
The construction project started in 1936 and was led by Lauri Kanto, the technical director of the Halla pulp mill, an engineer who also became Sunila's first managing director. His team included Aulis Kairamo, a graduate engineer, who was responsible for the technical design of the mill and became its technical director. Harry Gullichsen, Managing Director of Ahlström Ltd, was elected Chairman of the Board of Sunila Ltd. He nominated his friend Alvar Aalto as the project architect. Aalto had already achieved world fame with his pioneering modernist works, the Paimio Sanatorium, the Turun Sanomat office building and the Vyborg Library. He had already participated in the design of a pulp mill in Toppila, Oulu.
Hovinsaari island
Hovinsaari is a lively residential area just north of the city centre, Kotkansaari island.
As a former working-class district, it has a rough and charming outward appearance. Hovinsaari and Kotkansaari are separated by the narrow Kivisalmi strait. Hovinsaari offers a variety of distinctive residential environments, from old wooden quarters to areas of small villas and the well-kept surroundings of new apartment buildings. Residents are served by schools, shops and lively public transport. Maritime services, marinas, maritime businesses and a small marina are also an integral part of Hovinsaari's character.
The history of the area is complemented by the early 19 th century fortress of Kyminlinna at the northernmost tip of the island, close to the motorway.
Kivisalmi
A narrow strait that separates Kotkansaari from Hovinsaari and the mainland. The cruise passes through the strait and under two bridges.
Hirssaari
The Hirssaari maritime exhibition area was created (2002) on an island opposite Kotkansaari island, just outside Kotka's city centre. The design of the area, especially the landscaping, was based on the spirit of the place and the natural values of the inner sea island. Large colonial boulders and the use of natural stone to finish streets and parks give the area its own character.
There were 43 different types of buildings on display: 28 detached houses, 7 semi-detached houses, 3 terraced houses, an apartment building and a kindergarten. The sea and the coastal landscape were also the starting points for the housing design, while the actual house design was characterised by the various terraces, balconies and towers.
The waterfront development culminated in a marina and a terraced house built on infill land near the marina, with each apartment having its own beach sauna and jetty.
Mussalo Island
Mussalo is an old seafarers' and fishermen's residence. The building stock in the area is a fascinating mix of narrow lanes and gridded village landscapes and modern new housing estates. Mussalo's residential areas are surrounded by a beautiful seaside landscape, rocky beaches and lush forests. There are excellent opportunities for recreation and sport.
The waterbus traffic in Kotka has largely originated from traffic from the islands around Kotka. There were hardly any roads, let alone cars, so people came to the city by water. Mussalo was one of the main destinations from which there was a very busy tide boat service.
Santalahti camping site with its facilities, a full-scale golf course and built beautiful nature trails are available to islanders.
Today Mussalo is a prestigious residential area. A direct road was opened in 1985, when the Norssalmi Bridge was completed.
Catherine's Maritime Park
Located at the southernmost tip of Kotkansaari island, Catherine's Maritime Park, a park and recreation area of more than 20 hectares, is a highly varied activity park for all ages. As well as stunning cliffs and seascapes, there is plenty to see and do in Catherine's Maritime Park. The park has a large grassy area, which is free for sunbathing, playing ball or even flying a kite. There is plenty of equipment for play and exercise, as well as a mummy playground. There are seating areas on the cliffs for sunbathing and lounging.
A cave has been built at the southern tip of the mountain, where a metal bridge can be heard "singing" in stormy weather. The anchor in the cave is from a 19 th century sailing ship. The anchorage is an official ash disposal site.
Going around the contemplation maze is also said to be a spiritual experience, which a person can feel calming or refreshing, depending on the situation. The walking distance to the centre of Kotka's meditation labyrinth and back is 1050 metres. By clapping your hands together at the centre, you can test whether the labyrinth echoes. Next to the labyrinth you will find an information board that tells you more about the origins of this structure and the history of labyrinths, which goes back up to 3000 years.
In Catherine's Marine Park, 28 mammoth soldiers are on display to look out over the old battlefield. In the 1789-1790 battle of the Strait of Svensksund it is estimated that up to 80 ships were sunk as the Swedish and Russian fleets battled it out off Kotka. In the early 20th century, pieces of the wreckage of the mammoth were recovered from the sea. The museum offered this unique wood material for use in the park and now the massive oak parts of the ship live on in sustainable reuse as a culturally valuable work of art called the Oak Warriors.
The lighthouses guard maritime traffic. The Maritime Park features miniature models of the lighthouses of the Eastern Gulf of Finland, from Porkkalanniemi to Seiskari Island.
Catherine's tar-oak grove on the eastern side of the open part of the park is typical of the original nature of the eastern Gulf of Finland. The area was protected in 1964 by a decision of the City Council.
The black locust grove is completely different from the open sand and rocky area surrounding Fort Catherine. The park complex is very diverse in terms of its natural values, especially in terms of vegetation and birdlife. The Blackthorn Grove is located in a creek valley with an evergreen atmosphere. In addition to its biodiversity, the grove has a rich history. The area contains some of the structures of the Svensksund fortress complex, such as the foundations of the gunpowder cellar and the stone footing of the brick tower.
In 2012, Catherine's Maritime Park received the ELCA Trend Award and the Environmental Structure of the Year Award. Catherine's Maritime Park was awarded the Green Flag Award in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022.
Catherine's Maritime Park is an easily accessible area, with many walkways built and therefore barrier-free.
Varissaari Island
Varissaari is a historic fortress island just off Kotka and a popular outdoor destination, part of National Urban Park in Kotka.
About 200 years ago, Varissaari was the site of Fort Elisabeth, which protected the fortress town of Svensksund, and the ruins of which can still be seen. A new pavilion has also been opened on the island to display the wreckage of the Svensksund sea battles. The latter is the largest naval battle fought in the Nordic countries. The beaches of Varissaari offer an unobstructed view of the battlefield. In addition, the parts of the sunken frigate St. Nikola and the cannons from the ship are on display on the island.
Sea Battle of Svensksund
In August 1789, the Swedish navy was on standby at the narrowest point of Svensksund when Russia attacked. Soon the Swedes found their ammunition alarmingly depleted and the Swedish fleet was ordered to retreat.
A chaotic rout ensued and the first sea battle ended in Sweden's defeat in the face of Russian superiority. After the battle, the Swedes frantically set about strengthening their navy. The war was not yet over.
For a year the war was fought on land. In the summer of the following year, the Russian Empress Catherine, fed up with Swedish intimidation, ordered her navy to destroy the Swedish fleet.
In the summer of 1790, the fleets met again in Svensksund The heavy gunfire began early on a July morning and continued throughout the day, with gunpowder smoke occasionally obscuring visibility completely. The weather conditions were not on the Russian fleet's side, as the wind pushed some of the ships towards the reef. As night fell, it became so dark that it was impossible to see any more firing and eventually it became completely quiet.
By daylight the next morning, the devastation of the battle was evident. The wind had driven the Russians into chaos and many ships had fled. Russian ships were captured, sunk or burned. King Gustav III of Sweden had emerged victorious in the second sea battle of Svensksund.
M/s Tuula Vessel
Tuula is Finland's oldest wooden waterbus still in professional use. On 15.10.2021, the ship turned 70 years old and the summer of 2022 was the 70th season of the Tuula's cruises. The bow of the Tuula ship has been crossing the blue surface of Höytiäinen for 40 years. Tuula is also the only wooden waterbus in Finland built in the 1950's, all the others were built in the 1960's, 1970's or 1980's. Tuula is also the only wooden waterbus that has been accepted in the Finnish Heritage List. Tuula was added to the Heritage List in 1996.
Built in Summa village near by Kotka by Nestori Seppälä's carpenter's workshop, Tuula is a perfect representation of the 1950's style with its 'piggy-back' exterior. The ship was ordered by Jussi Tolkki, who had distinguished himself as a fighter pilot in the Continuation War, and who had become a shipowner for inland waterways after the Continuation War and needed a modern, large passenger ship for the Koli - Vuonislahti service on lake Pielinen. The vessel was completed in the autumn of 1951 and was first transferred by rail to Lappeenranta and lowered into the lake Saimaa. From Lappeenranta, the vessel was driven via Puumala, Savonlinna and Joensuu to Pielinen and Tuula arrived on the shore of Koli just before the ice came in early November 1951.
The Tuula started sailing on lake Pielinen in 1952, the year of the Olympic Games, and on the deck of the ship, during the first summer, the future national landscape of Finland, Koli, was visited by the sports leaders participating in the Olympic Games. The ship's route on lake Pielinen was Vuonislahti - Koli - Lieksa. Over the decades, thousands and thousands of tourists have cruised on the ship. The ship's routes on lake Pielinen were even part of VR's ring trips.
The Tuula was transferred to Höytiäinen village in 1981 and the ship immediately gained great popularity. In the summer of 2023, the ship was moved back to the Eastern Gulf of Finland, to Kotka. The ship has been preserved in its original form and condition. A cruise on the Tuula is a journey back in time to the 1950s.
The ship is not accessible and wheelchair access is not possible.
