Welcome to Helsinki Biennial! This page contains information about Helsinki Biennial’s accessibility. You will find details about the biennial sites’ accessibility on Vallisaari Island (threshold heights, doorway widths), information about arriving at Vallisaari (detailed ferry information, pier information), toilet information, and a slope map.
You can experience the biennial on Vallisaari, at HAM Helsinki Art Museum, Helsinki Central Library Oodi, Helsinki Market Square, and in various public spaces around Helsinki. See the map here.
The information is continuously updated, and we are happy to receive feedback:
helsinkibiennial@hamhelsinki.fi
HAM Helsinki Art Museum
HAM Helsinki Art Museum’s accessibility information is available here.
Vallisaari
Ferries to Vallisaari leave from Lyypekinlaituri at Helsinki Market Square. The departure pier is accessible via a wooden ramp. The routes leading to the pier are accessible, and the inclines vary according to the water level.
Arrival at Vallisaari
Vallisaari is accessible by water using ferries of three sizes. The ferry operator recommends travelling with an assistant. The assistant travels free of charge on the ferry.
On Vallisaari, an accessible pier is located in Torpedolahti. The ferry stops first in Luotsisatama and continues to Torpedolahti, where accessible landing is possible.
The metal ramp at the bottom of the Torpedolahti pier has 20 degrees of incline. The angle varies according to the water level. At the top end, the incline is 14.5 degrees.
Ferry schedules are available here.
VIAPORI
People using mobility aids are recommended to use the Viapori ferry. The Viapori ferry’s services are marked with dark-green colour on the ferry operator’s schedule. Viapori travels to Vallisaari from 11 June to 17 September only on Saturday and Sunday.
There is a 20-cm gap between the ferry and the pier, but a ramp can be used for boarding. The ferry and the pier are on the same level on the departure pier. The doorway is 1.3 metres wide and has a 3-cm threshold. The ferry has indoor space for turning with a mobility aid and enough space for several people using mobility aids.
KAJAVA
You can access Kajava via a curved ramp of approximately 75 cm in width. The ramp has a steep incline of 35 degrees. The ferry entrance has a 10-cm threshold.
KOSKELO
Compared to Kajava, Koskelo has a gentler slope with less curve, which helps when moving on the ramp with a mobility aid. However, the entrance doorway is only 75 cm wide, it has a 10-cm threshold, and there is no proper indoor space for mobility aids.
The routes are paved mainly with sand and partly with stone. Uneven paved stretches cannot be avoided. The biennial’s route has no outdoor stairs, but there are stairs at the entrances and indoors. The terrain is rough and hilly in places. Weather conditions also influence how even, hard, or slippery the routes are.
Guide and assistance dogs are welcome.
See Vallisaari’s slopes on this map.
Vallisaari does not have induction loops.
Helsinki Biennial’s works are marked with signs. The signs have QR codes that take you to the biennial website for more information. Additionally, the Metsähallitus signs direct visitors on their route on the island. See the Metsähallitus map here.
Toilets on Vallisaari
Vallisaari has accessible toilets, which are marked on the service map.
PICNIC AREA TOILET
The toilet has free space for moving, 68 cm on the toilet seat’s left and 75 cm on the right side. The toilet seat is 45 cm high. There is 1.3 m of free space for turning with mobility aids. A horizontal handle is at the height of 90 cm. The threshold is over 2 cm. A coat hook is installed at a height of 1.4 metres
TORPEDOLAHTI AND LUOTSIPIHA TOILETS
Threshold 2.5 cm, doorway width 93 cm. Toilet seat height 45 cm. Toilet rail height 80 cm. Basin height 83 cm, knee-room depth 40 cm, but a waste bin is placed below the basin. The turning radius is 1.3 metres. There is no space for moving on the left side of the toilet seat.
Approximately 16 works are on display on Vallisaari. Six of them are located indoors in cellars. Please note that the cellar spaces are dim.
If necessary, Helsinki Biennial’s exhibition attendants will help with the exhibition entrances’ stairs and thresholds.
The numbers refer to site numbers on the biennial map.
The sculptural installation includes approximately 15 works placed in trees and other places along the Alexander’s tour.
The work is located on top of an old foundation, which is accessed via a rough and inclined stony slope. The work includes sand gardens in bins. The ground around the bins is covered with wood chips. The route to the site is not accessible.
The work is located on a pond on Vallisaari. The work can be seen from the walking path.
This is an augmented reality (AR) work at the tip of Kustaanmiekka, which you can access along a path.
This work consists of sculptural characters placed in five spots along the route. The sculptures can be seen from the walking path.
The path from the walking route to the site is rough and inclined. On the way to the work is a natural embankment with an incline of 25 degrees on the work’s side and 15 degrees on the path’s side. The route from the embankment to the work is covered with wood chips. The entrance to the work is 2.25 metres wide.
The installation is located inside an old fire station. The ramp leading to the space is steep (28 degrees), and the ramp has deep grooves. There are thresholds on both sides. The inside threshold is 4 cm high.
The work includes a wooden building with an installation inside. The route to the site from the walking path is rough and inclined. The route to the work is via a passage covered with wood chips. The entrance to the work is 115 cm wide.
The work is located on the isthmus leading to Kuninkaansaari. The route is rough and in poor condition in places. Surrounding the building is a square wooden platform measuring approximately 1 metre on each side. Between the platform and isthmus route are some holes of 5–10 cm in size.
Indoor works
The route to the work is inclined.
The space is only accessible via stairs. The doorway threshold is 13 cm high, and the corridor is 92 cm wide. The exit is a different doorway with a threshold of 13 cm and corridor 92 cm. A ramp to the space is inclined at 13 degrees.
The works are located in an ammunition dump that has a 6-cm threshold. The doorway is 1 metre wide. Inside the building are steep ramps, and the doorways have thresholds.
Two works in different spaces inside the same ammunition dump. The route to both works is similar. The entrance door’s threshold is 11 cm, and the doorway width is 1 metre. Entrances to both spaces have 6-cm thresholds and 20-degree ramps. Ramps have thresholds at the bottom.
The entrance to the gunpowder cellar is accessible with a 5-cm threshold.