Info
Opening hours and prices
Welcome around the year!
Info: info(at)merikeskusvellamo.fi, +358 40 350 0497
Opening hours
Museums and museum shop
Tue, Thu-Sun 10am-5pm
Wed 10am-8pm
Mon closed
Ticket sales end half an hour before closing time.
Restaurant
Tue, Thu-Sun 10am-5pm
Wed 10am-8pm
Mon closed
Maritime Centre Vellamo is closed Jan 23-Feb 5 2023 due to maintenance.
Museum Icebreaker Tarmo
The Tarmo is closed during the winter season and will open in May 2023.
Lightship Kemi
The Kemi is closed during the winter season and will open in May 2023.
Getting here
Kotka is located on the coast of the Baltic Sea in south eastern Finland. It lies 130 km from Helsinki and 279 km from St Petersburg. By car, the easiest way to reach Maritime Centre Vellamo is via the E18 motorway from both the west and the east. The train stop at the Port of Kotka is located just 400 metres away, and the distance to the bus station is approx. 1.5 kilometres.
There is free parking space outside for both cars and charter buses. Accessible parking spaces are located near the main entrance and they are marked with the international symbol of access. There is also a charging station for electric vehicles.
You can find the Google Maps link at the bottom of this page. Welcome to Vellamo!
Ruuma
Ruuma is an open space dedicated to cultural events and small exhibitions. At Ruuma you can also find the offices of Kotka Cultural Services as well as reference libraries and archives of the Maritime Museum of Finland and the Kymenlaakso Museum.
The opening hours of the exhibition space are Tue, Thu-Sun 10am-5pm, Wed 10am-8pm, Mon closed. The reference libraries are open Tue, Thu-Fri 10am-5pm, Wed 10am-8pm, Sat-Mon closed. Free entry.
All archive customers are asked to contact the personnel by telephone or email. More information here.
Contact info for Kotka Cultural Services:
Director Tomi Purovaara, + 358 40 668 2747, tomi.purovaara(at)kotka.fi
Events Manager Tiina Salonen, + 358 40 060 8997, tiina.salonen(at)kotka.fi
Office, +358 40 635 1764, kulttuuri(at)kotka.fi
Admission fees
- Adults €12
- Students, pensioners, conscripts, persons undergoing non-military service and unemployed €9
- Group ticket (at least 15 adults) €9 per person
- Under 18-year-olds and personal assistants free admission
- On Wed 5pm-8pm free admission for all
- Icebreaker Tarmo and lightship Kemi are open in the summer. Admission €8/5, under 18-year-olds for free.
Vellamo accepts the Museum Card, Smartum, Epassi (mobile app), Eazybreak and Edenred. Ticket sales end half an hour before closing time.
Safe space for everyone
Maritime Centre Vellamo is for all of us. Together, we make sure that everyone feels safe.
We are considerate, kind and helpful. We respect and listen to others.
We give everyone space and peace to enjoy the exhibitions in their own way.
No one is bullied, harassed or discriminated against. For any reason.
Everyone is welcome as they are. Everyone is valuable.
We at Vellamo are here for you. We will do our best to make sure you feel seen and heard. Please let us know if you need help or notice that someone else could use a hand.
Guided tours
Guided tours are available in Finnish, Swedish, English, German and Russian according to availability. The price for the guided tour does not include museum admission fees. The maximum recommended group size is 15 persons.
General tour (1h) €70/guide
Icebreaker Tarmo €70/guide
Groups intending to explore the museum without a guide are still asked to inform the Vellamo customer service of their visit. In the case of a queue, priority will be given to groups that have booked a guided tour or informed us of their visit.