The construction work making Hakaniemi look so untidy certainly seemed to go on forever. After all the building sites, diversions and unfinished streets, I had been eagerly waiting to enjoy the results. And now we finally can: tram services across Kruunuvuorensilta Bridge began two days ago, on Saturday, 7 November 2026. This new connection brings Korkeasaari ZOO and Kruunuvuorenranta closer to central Helsinki in a whole new way.
It also opens up a new scenic route through Helsinki. Through the tram window, you can watch the sea and the city’s waterfront as you travel from one neighbourhood to another. The views alone make this journey worth taking.
Watch my attached video, filmed during the day and evening of 7 November 2026, when tram services across Kruunuvuorensilta Bridge were launched!
Getting from Helsinki Center to Korkeasaari ZOO Is Now Easy
One of the most practical benefits of the new connection is that you can now take a tram directly from Helsinki center and Hakaniemi to Korkeasaari. Tram 12 runs from Rautatientori, Helsinki’s Railway Square, via Hakaniemi and Korkeasaari to Yliskylä in Laajasalo. A visit to Korkeasaari ZOO can therefore be easily combined with a scenic ride across the new bridge.
For many people, Hakaniemi is a convenient starting point for a tram ride to Korkeasaari, replacing a ferry trip and the wait for departure.
Kruunuvuorensilta Bridge connects Palosaari, on the Korkeasaari side, with Kruunuvuorenranta. The bridge was built for trams, pedestrians and cyclists. There are no lanes for cars.
What makes the crossing particularly impressive is the maritime setting: the views open up around you, revealing Helsinki from a perspective that will still be new to many visitors. An ordinary journey on public transport becomes a little sightseeing trip.
In my video, we travel from Kruunuvuorenranta via Korkeasaari to Hakaniemi in daylight, then make the return journey from Hakaniemi to Kruunuvuorenranta after dark. You can experience the same route in two different lights and see how beautifully the city lights shine across the water towards Kruunuvuorenranta.
A Trip to Kruunuvuorenranta for Light Art
The new connection is also a good reason to explore Kruunuvuorenranta. Combine your tram ride with a waterfront walk and stop to admire Kruunuvuorensilta Bridge from the shore. Travelling across the bridge and seeing it as part of the seascape are two different experiences that are well worth including in the same photography outing.
Kruunuvuorenranta is also home to Olafur Eliasson’s Long Daylight Pavilion. Follow the link attached to watch my video from the day this work by the Icelandic artist was inaugurated. Located on Wiirinkallio, the light installation consists of 24 steel columns whose heights trace the sun’s path across Helsinki’s sky on the longest day of the year. After dark, lights shining from the tops of the columns form a ring following that path.
In late autumn, you could time your visit to enjoy the bridge views in daylight, then stay in Kruunuvuorenranta as dusk falls. That way, you can experience both maritime Helsinki and light art on the same outing. And who knows — perhaps some lovely restaurants will eventually find their way to the waterfront, too. For now, there is at least a K-Market grocery shop and a couple of tables outside it, by the terminus of bus 87. The ferry connection to the waterfront beside Katajanokka will also continue for a few more months!
Watch my music video of a tram ride across Kruunuvuorensilta Bridge!
Read and subscribe to my guide, INDIVUE – Trip to Helsinki, for travel inspiration for your Helsinki adventures!
Leave a Reply