Kaunissaari Island, Kymenlaakso, Finland

5TravellingCloudberry 5:00 PM Jun 12, 2011

Beautiful day outing from Kotka
In the summer time you can take a boat from Sapokka area of Kotka (Kotka is approximately 120kms east of Helsinki). The boat leaves at 10:00am and 12:30pm bound for Kaunissaari ("Beautiful Island" in Finnish) and costs 10 euros per adult each way. The journey takes you out into the beautiful archipelago of the Eastern Gulf of Finland which is home to some 400 islands. The boat journey to Kaunissaari from Kotka takes about an hour. You can pick up a map of the island on the boat and also at information points and stores. There is a cafe and a restaurant, a small convenience store and a few handicraft shops. For more information about what's on the island go to www.kaunissaari.fi/ (in Finnish) or the Outdoors.fi site page at http://www.luontoon.fi/page.asp?Section=10673 (in English). You can hire a bicycle to get around the island or venture out on foot. If you want to stay longer than a day (the boat returns to Kotka at 4:00pm) there are cottages you can rent. Be sure to take sunscreen, mosquito repellent and some water. There are barbecue facilities (grilli hut) you can use if you want to cook your own sausages (makkara). We ate at the (fully licenced) restaurant which has some moderately priced items and the food was good. They have a lovely outdoor terrace area with views to the garden and to the sea. Taking a boat cruise to Kaunissaari is a great way to spend a summer day :)

4John W 5:00 PM May 5, 2013

Kaunissaari means Beautiful Island
And it is! I took the boat from Kotka which is not a too long a journey. The island is neat and tidy, has amenities and is lived on with all that this implies - don't go wandering onto people's gardens. If you have more than a few days in Finland, this is a really worthwhile trip in the summer.