Korkeasaari Zoo: Nights of the Cats 2026

During the Cats’ Night evenings, JT-Line’s traditional paddle steamer Vispilä and water bus Amiraali operate water bus services from Market Square to Korkeasaari Zoo according to the special timetables below.

The vessels depart from Keisarinluoto Pier at Market Square, see map >>

BUY YOUR FERRY TICKET IN ADVANCE FROM OUR ONLINE SHOP >>

Passengers must have a valid Cats’ Night event ticket when boarding the vessels. Event tickets will be checked at Market Square before boarding.
Event tickets are available from the Korkeasaari online shop and Lippu.fi. At Lippu.fi, tickets can also be purchased using cultural benefits.

Korkeasaari K18: Night of the Cats will take place on Saturday, 12 September 2026. The event is for adults aged 18 and over only. The event raises funds for the conservation of wild Pallas’s cats. Admission to Korkeasaari K18: Night of the Cats is with a separate event ticket. The event ticket grants access to the zoo from 4 pm onwards, and the last admission to the event is at 9 pm. The zoo closes at 11 pm. Experience a unique evening filled with atmosphere, memorable experiences and entertainment aimed at an adult audience.
Read more about the event here >>

The traditional Night of the Cats for the whole family will take place on Saturday, 19 September 2026, and will be dedicated to wild cats in need of conservation! Admission to Night of the Cats is with a separate event ticket. The event ticket grants access to the zoo from 4 pm onwards, and the last admission to the event is at 9 pm. The zoo closes at 11 pm. The event raises funds for the conservation of wild Pallas’s cats, and there will be plenty of programme and activities for the whole family.*
Read more about the event here >>

On event evenings, from 4:00 pm onwards, admission to Korkeasaari is only possible with an event ticket purchased for that particular day. The event ticket does not include the waterbus fare. Tickets are also available for purchase on board, but we recommend buying your ticket in advance from our online shop, where you can also reserve a seat on your preferred outbound departure (the reservation is valid as long as you arrive at the Market Square departure pier 15 minutes before the vessel’s scheduled departure time):

BUY YOUR FERRY TICKET IN ADVANCE FROM OUR ONLINE SHOP >>

For the return journey, passengers are boarded on a first-come, first-served basis, and seats cannot be reserved. However, two vessels with a capacity of more than 200 passengers each operate on the route every 30 minutes, so there is ample space on board.

Both of our vessels operating on the Korkeasaari route have cosy cafés on board, where you can enjoy a hot “Manulikaakao” (Pallas’s Cat´s Hot Chocolate) during your sea journey, along with pastries, sparkling drinks and other treats! The adult version of the hot chocolate is even spiked with “catnip” (Koskenkorva Mint). For every Manulikaakao sold, we donate 1€ to the conservation of Pallas’s cats.

Ferry tickets

RETURN:

Return tickets can be purchased either from our online shop or directly on board. Accepted payment methods are cash, Finnish bank cards, and the most common credit cards (Visa and Mastercard).

ONE WAY (from Helsinki Market Square to Korkeasaari Zoo or from Korkeasaari Zoo to Helsinki Market Square)

One-way tickets are only available for purchase directly on board the vessels.

Timetable

WATERBUS SCHEDULE ON THE NIGHTS OF THE “NIGHT OF THE CATS” EVENT, SAT 12 SEPTEMBER & SAT 19 SEPTEMBER 2026

• Departures from the Market Square on the hour, and departures from Korkeasaari at 20 and 40 minutes past the hour, are operated by the waterbus Amiraali.
• Departures from the Market Square at half past the hour, and departures from Korkeasaari at 10 minutes to and on the hour, are operated by the paddle steamer Vispilä.
• *) On Saturday 12 September, the 4:30 pm departure from the Market Square and the 4:50 pm departure from Korkeasaari will exceptionally be operated by the waterbus Ilves.
• On the nights of the “Night of the Cats” event, Korkeasaari Zoo is open from 4 pm to 11 pm.
• Admission to the zoo ends at 9 pm, and the last departure from the Market Square is at 8:30 pm.
• The journey from the Market Square to Korkeasaari takes approximately 15 minutes, and the journey from Korkeasaari to the Market Square also takes approximately 15 minutes.

Preserving the unique nature of our archipelago is important to us, and our vessels operating on this route are solely fuelled with
renewable fuel oil. As pioneers we want to take part in developing low-emission solutions. By using renewable fuel oil we reduce our carbon footprint on the route in question by up to 90% compared to fossil fuels.

We recommend arriving at the Market Square by public transport, if possible. You can find more information in HSL’s Journey Planner >>