Raseborg & Hanko
A Swedish-speaking seaside region on Finland's south coast, with the wooden old town of Ekenäs, the Fiskars design village, Hanko's seaside villas and an archipelago national park.
Raseborg and Hanko lie in the western part of Uusimaa on Finland's south coast, where Swedish is the main language (Ekenäs is Tammisaari in Finnish, and Hanko is Hangö in Swedish). About 1–1.5 hours' drive from Helsinki, the area is one of Finns' favourite summer seaside getaways. The town of Raseborg was formed by merging Ekenäs, Karis, Pojo and others. Ekenäs has a colourful Nordic-style wooden old town and a seaside park; to the east are the ruins of 14th-century Raseborg Castle, and to the north are three historic ironworks villages: Fiskars, famous for design and crafts, Billnäs, and Mustio, with its manor house. Off the coast of Ekenäs is Ekenäs Archipelago National Park, which you can explore by boat or kayak. The Hanko peninsula is the southernmost point of mainland Finland. In the late 19th century Russian aristocrats built seaside villas here, and the wooden villas of the Eastern Harbour, white sandy beaches, the Casino restaurant and the water tower lookout make up its classic resort scenery. Boats run to Bengtskär, Finland's tallest lighthouse, and the fortress island of Russarö. The best time to visit is Jun–Aug, when summer days are extremely long, and the Hanko Regatta takes place in early July; after September most boat services and summer shops close, and winters are quiet and cold. Getting there: take the train from Helsinki to Karis and change to the branch line to Hanko (via Ekenäs), or drive; Fiskars and the castle require a car or regional bus. Allow 2–3 days: one day for Ekenäs, the castle and Fiskars, and one day for Hanko and the lighthouse out at sea.
Top sights
- Ekenäs Old Town – A wooden-house old town founded in the 16th century, where colorful timber houses, narrow lanes and the harbour meet. It is one of Finland'…
- Raseborg Castle Ruins – A medieval castle ruin built by the Kingdom of Sweden in the 14th century, standing on a rocky hill, with an open-air theatre and a medieva…
- Fiskars Village – An ironworks village founded in 1649, now a hub of Finnish design and craftsmanship, with studios and galleries filling the red-brick facto…
- Bengtskär Lighthouse – The tallest lighthouse in Northern Europe (about 52 m), standing alone on a rock far out at sea. Visitors can take a boat to the island, cl…
- Hanko Eastern Harbour & Villas – Hanko's most resort-like harbour, where red old warehouses turned restaurants meet the yacht marina and wooden villas built by Russian nobi…
- Billnäs Ironworks – An ironworks village founded in 1641, with yellow neoclassical factory buildings lining the river. It is calm and elegant, with design shop…
- Mustio Manor (Svartå Castle) – A rococo-classicist timber manor completed in 1792, regarded as one of Finland's most beautiful manors, set in an English-style garden.
- Ekenäs Church – A 17th-century stone church in the centre of the old town, whose tall bell tower is the emblem of the Ekenäs skyline.
- EKTA Museum Centre – Home of the Raseborg Municipal Museum, presenting local history and works connected with the painter Helene Schjerfbeck.
- Ekenäs Archipelago National Park – An archipelago national park stretching from sheltered inner bays to bare rocky skerries in the open sea. Explore by boat, kayak, or camp o…
- Russarö – A former military fortress island off Hanko, with a red-and-white lighthouse and coastal guns. Long a restricted zone, it now opens for gui…
- Hanko Water Tower – A water tower dating from the 1950s on Church Hill. Its top viewing platform offers a 360-degree panorama of the Hanko peninsula and the ar…
- Hanko Church – A red-brick neo-Gothic church completed in 1892, standing on a rocky knoll in the town. Together with the water tower, it is a landmark of…
- Tulliniemi (Hanko Cape) – The southernmost point of mainland Finland, where granite shores and pine-forest trails meet. It is also a famous birdwatching spot.
- Hanko Casino & Beaches – Hanko boasts about 30 km of sandy beaches. The white 1930s Casino restaurant stands in a seaside park beside the town-centre beach.
- Café Four Winds (Neljän Tuulen Tupa) – A seaside cottage where Field Marshal Mannerheim spent his summers in the 1920s. It is now a summer café famous for its waffles.
- Hanko Front Museum – A World War II open-air museum on the site of the Hapaskog Line, displaying front-line fortifications from the period of Soviet lease of Ha…
- Hanko Fortress (Gustavsvärn) – The remains of a sea fortress built by Sweden in the 18th century on a small island outside Hanko harbour, with stone bastion ruins and a l…
Where to eat
- Segel – A modern Nordic tasting-menu restaurant in an old warehouse in Hanko harbour, with a cellar of about 600 wines.
- Pa Kroken – A year-round café-restaurant by the passenger ferry harbour in Hangonkylä village, Hanko, known for fish, shellfish and…
- Knipan – A long-established seaside restaurant built on a small boat harbour pier, where you can eat herring and fish soup while…
- Ekta Bryggeri – A food pub in central Ekenäs serving its own craft beer, with well-reviewed open sandwiches and porter.
Itineraries
- South Coast, Historic Towns & Naantali – A summer short-trip route from Helsinki along the south coast via Fiskars and Hanko to Turku and Naantali.