Oikotie 4 10600 TAMMISAARI FINLAND
+358 40 840 76 79 info@saaritours.fi
On Land And Sea In Southern Finland – An 8-Day Panorama Of Finland
This 8 day tour will introduce you to the south coast of Finland, with boat trips, visits to the local market places, a visit to the highest light house in Scandinavia, to the finest manor in the neighbourhood and finally to the capital, Helsinki.
Turku is Finland's oldest and now the fifth biggest town with it's ca 175 000 inhabitants. It's a town where the architecture is a mixture of old and new, and it hosts one of the biggest castles in Finland. Turku also has an important harbour, with regular trips to Stockholm and to the Aland Islands. The inhabitants speak both Finnish and Swedish, there is both a Finnish-speaking and a Swedish-speaking university, as well as a theatre in both languages. The Aura river flows through the city, and many events take place on it's banks, such as the Tall Ships Race. www.turkutouring.fi
Herrankukkaro (literally – "in your Master's coin purse")is a unique village that you cannot forget once you've had the experience of spending a day in there. In the owner's words (himself a legend Finnish legend in humoristic music), "There are 75 buildings here with a door" – one of them Finland's biggest smoke sauna, seating 126 people at a time, one of them a hut up a tree with an exclusive bed with a massage option…A lovely boat trip through the Turku archipelago is part of the experience. www.herrankukkaro.fi
Kasnäs is village in the archipelago of Turku. It hosts a spa, with accommodation in buildings with a shell-formed roof, right at the sea side. From here, you will take a boat trip through the archipelago to the tallest lighthouse in Scandinavia, Bengtskär, and stop at a "Viking village" on your way. The keeper of the lighthouse is an expert in Viking history and has created a magnificent Viking manor on an island on the way to Bengtskär. www.kasnas.com
Hanko is the southernmost town of Finland, a small, idyllic town by the sea with 9.780 inhabitants, but up to 200 000 tourists per year. 30 kilometers of sand beaches, unique, big wooden "villas" built in 1880-1890, tennis courts, Finlands biggest guest marina and a variety of excellent restaurants makes Hanko a perfect summer resort. During the other three seasons, peace and serenity lie over the town. The Hanko peninsula sticks out to the sea about 40 kilometers, making it a haven for birds. The windiest beach in Finland attracts the surfers – there's something here for everyone. In 1860-1930, 250 000 Finns left Finland for America, Australia and New Zealand from the Hanko harbour – maybe also your ancestor? www.hanko.fi
Tammisaari, today part of the city of Raseborg, was founded by the Swedish King Gustavus Wasa in 1546. Tammisaari has always been the picturesque small town with all the cosy ingredients needed: Small wooden houses dating back to the 18th century, apple tree gardens, narrow alleys and garden cafés. This idyllic, tranquil town situated by the sea is also a port for great excursions out into the archipelago. 82% of the population in Tammisaari speak Swedish as their native language. Finland is a bilingual country where Finnish and Swedish are the official languages. 6% of Finland's population speaks Swedish, mainly along the coastal communities. www.raseborg.fi
The Fiskars Village is a world renown site, inhabited by more than 100 design artists, who all live, work, display and sell their products in the village. www.fiskarsvillage.fi
Founded in 1649, as one of the very first ironworks in Finland, Fiskars is today famous for its scissors with the orange handle and many other useful utensils for household and garden. The production was however moved away from the village in the 1980's, and the village was, like many other villages in industrial Europe, doomed to be another abandoned industrial village.
But the Fiskars group, who owned the land and the buildings, decided to restore it as a centre for design artists and create responsible tourism in the area. With great success: in 2007, Fiskars received the first Royal Destination Award for Sustainable Tourism. raf.ew.eea.europa.eu for it's outstanding effort in preserving the environment and introducing environmentally safe activities to ensure the livelihood of the village.
The Fiskars village is part of the city of Raseborg, situated ca 100 kms west of Helsinki.
Mustio castle is actually a manor – but the finest in the area, with an incredibly beautiful garden. The very first iron works in Finland was started here in the 1600th century, and since then Mustio history has been linked to that of Finland. www.mustionlinna.fi You'll think you're in central Europe, walking in Mustio garden – and the guided tour in the castle will leave you enchante.
Do you know anybody who can say that they are the 16th generation on their farm? The owner of Westerby Manor, a young lady called Gunilla Westerholm, is just that, and has transformed her childhood home to a thriving restaurant and a beautiful hotel, in the middle of the countryside and 800 meters from the sea. The estate is called Westerby Gård. www.westerby.fi Here, you'll find harmony, authenticity, excellent, locally produced food and excuisite wines.
Helsinki is the capital of Finland and also the biggest city in the country. The architecture of Helsinki is characterized by the many Art Nouveau buildings. There are several buildings designed by the famous Finnish architect Alvar Aalto, the most famous maybe being the Finlandia Hall.
During our tour we will introduce you to one of the most famous sites in Helsinki - the "Tempel Church" – a church built inside a rock and with 30 kilometer's of copper wire in the ceiling.
The Senate Square (picture), is dominated by Carl Ludvig Engel's architecture as a unique allegory of political, religious, scientific and commercial power right in the centre of Helsinki. Here, East meets West– from Helsinki, there are ferries to Stockholm and trains to St. Petersburg. www.visithelsinki.fi
For prices and detailed program, contact leena.immonen@saaritours.fi
