Tips for Your Visit
The Toy Museum is a Great Place for a Group Visit
Pensioner groups will find their childhood here, hobby groups will get new ideas and a corporate team may find more in common here than at work – we have all been children, haven’t we?
The Toy Museum will open its doors for groups of 10–40 people even outside of regular opening hours. Our museum is small and has hundreds of small objects to see, and that’s why it’s a good idea to split groups bigger than 40 people. We ask that bigger groups let us know beforehand, even if they come during the regular opening hours. This is to avoid a situation where we’d have several large groups in the Museum at the same time.
Group discount -10% is valid for groups of more than 20 people. Outside of season (October–April) the ticket price is fixed, and no discounts are given. We don’t charge extra for group orders outside of opening hours. Unfortunately, the Museum card is not valid when visiting outside of opening hours.
You can also order coffee and some sweet treats along with your group visit. Groups of more than 10 people should let us know about a refreshment order also beforehand so we can make sure we are well prepared. At the same time, we can accommodate dietary restrictions (everything we serve is lactose free). With larger groups, the best practise is to split the group so that some are visiting the Museum while other enjoy their coffee, and then switch. This allows everyone some elbowroom. There are seats for 25 customers inside the afé. In the summer, the terrace can hold another 25.
Enjoying The Museum with Kids
We love children here, and they are very welcome to visit us. To ensure a pleasant visit for all, please note the following tips.
The intention of the Toy Museum is to be an old-fashioned collection museum. Here you’ll see artefacts, both beautiful and strange, wonder at the changing times and reflect on your grandparents’ childhood. Suomenlinna Toy Museum is not a playground or an entertainment centre, but made for seekers romantic nostalgia.
We here behind the counter don’t know your child. A small person has their own strong personality and children grow in their own pace and character. We have met toddlers who have been so enchanted by the Museum they want to visit time and time again. For the child the experience in the Museum can be like an interesting storybook, you read the same book for days and weeks every day, until it has fulfilled a mission, we adults simply don’t comprehend. We have also met children who don’t enjoy themselves and have the patience for the visit. The Toy Museum can also be a scary place for a small person.
Since the mission of the Museum is to showcase the world of the past and the childhood of the olden times, we don’t censor history. We have suspicious playing cards, old war toys and even some material that may seem racist by today’s standards. Be prepared to discuss these subjects with your child, this is a good place to educate (even though most children won’t even notice these weird items).
We expect parents to guide their children, and not let them run or otherwise cause havoc in the museum space. Eating and drinking are also prohibited in the museum area, this includes snacks and juice boxes. Parents should also advise their children not to stand on the sofas and chairs. These instructions apply to the café as well.
In all honesty, the Toy Museum can be very boring for a small child. Much depends on the adult they are visiting with. Here are a few tips on how to get the most out of our museum with a child:
- encourage the child to be curious, be interested and excited yourself
- don’t leave the child unattended: guide them to see and focus on small details
- be inspired to tell stories about your own childhood and listen to the child when they tell their stories
- a child needs an adult to share what they experience and discuss about it together
- look through the exhibition first and take pictures afterwards. When you have seen the exhibition, you can choose together what to photograph.
We have a family bathroom with a baby changing table at the Museum/café. We take great care to ensure the cleanliness and cosiness of the bathroom. You are naturally welcome to breastfeed your baby in the Museum/café (unfortunately we have no separate nursing room for this purpose because the space is limited, but feel free to choose a place that is comfortable for you and your baby).
Most prams fit inside the Museum, though especially during nice weather, we hope you’ll leave them on the terrace. The café gets very cramped if you bring a pram in.
Visiting with a Dog
Well behaved pets are warmly welcome to us, both the museum and the café. If another customer is frightened of dogs, your dog will have to wait outside, unfortunately. From the café you’ll get fresh water and a treat for your furry friend. If we are too busy to notice, please don’t hesitate to ask for them yourself!
Own Snacks
If you have your own picnic food with you, please enjoy them on a picnic in nature, not in the café or the terrace. The tables and chairs are for the customers who pay the whole serving in the café. There are plenty of nice spots for a picnic in Suomenlinna. Eating and drinking is not allowed inside the museum for hygiene reasons. Not even chips, juice boxes or lollies.