Welcome to the living Archipelago

The “largest” archipelago town in the world has become reality, when five municipalities in Finland became one in 1.1.2009.

With more than 10 000 islands and islets outspread over 5500 square kilometres, of which 80 per cent is water, the beautiful, Archipelago Sea is a pearl for the inhabitants, summer guests and tourists. Come and see yourself!

Pargas - the gateway to the archipelago

Pargas is located in South West Finland, between Helsinki and Stockholm, with an easy and fast access to Turku. It is a dynamic town with a population of  15 500.

Pargas offers its residents high quality services in both official languages, Finnish and Swedish, and is a peaceful and safe environment to work and live in.

Pargas

Pargas (Parainen in Finnish) is the only town in Finland surrounded by water on all sides. This vigorous, idyllic town in the archipelago is known particularly for its lime works and Genuine Island Ginger Biscuits.  Coffee shops with an atmosphere, and restaurants for the epicure all guarantee a taste experience. One guest boat harbour is situated right in the middle of the town. At the boat harbour you can enjoy mini golf, or why not play a full 18 hole round on the Archipelago Golf Course?

You can see the largest open quarry in the Nordic countries, one hundred meters deep, from which limestone has been mined continuously since the 1300's. Get acquainted with the district museum, the industrial museum, or the narrow alleways in Gamla Malmen (the old city), enjoy a bun with coffee in Fredrikastugan or the Sattmark coffee shop. Why not spend a quiet moment in the sturdy grey stone church, or you could drop in to one of the special shops on the pedestrian street or visit the local vineyard or a sheepfarm?

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Nagu

Nagu (Nauvo in Finnish) is a popular tourist municipality. In addition to the two main islands, there are 3000 smaller islands and skerries in Nagu's unique archipelago. You can come to Nagu on the Archipelago Trial using the spacious ferries from Pargas.

Accommodation and a wide range of things to do is offered throughout the year.  In Nagu you can take part in fishing and canoe trips and archipelago safaris. Several natural harbours offer a fine holiday setting for boat people.

The historical sight in Nagu is the grey stone church from the middle ages.
The island of Själö is also worth visiting. Today the Archipelago Research Institute operates from here. The picturesque wooden church reminds us of the time when the island was a place where lepers used to be banished. Your visit will be enriched by a sales exhibition by a large number of handicraft artists and the display by ship model builder Åke Sandvall. From Nagu the archipelago Trial continues on to Korpo by ferry.

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Korpo

Korpo (in Finnish Korppoo) is situated in the middle of the archipelago. Only one tenth of the surface area is land, the rest is water. The largest island is Kyrkland, another central island is Norrskata. Ferries take you to the Archipelago National Park and to Jurmo and Utö in the outer islands.

See the grey stone church on Korpo that originates in the 1200's, the wooden church on Norrskata and the chapels on Aspö and Jurmo. Visit the district museum or the weather radar, and get a good view of the national park from the interesting look out tower on Rumar. The light house on Utö is the oldest in Finland. Jurmo is at the end of the Salpauselkä ridge that runs across the whole of Southern Finland finishing in the Baltic. The island of Jurmo is known for its flatfish.

For those arriving with their own boat there are several guest harbours. You can get to Korpo from Nagu by ferry, and from the main island there are ferry connections to Norrskata and Wattkast. From Helsinki and Turku there are direct bus connections. From Korpo you can continue your journey on the Archipelago Trial to Houtskär.

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Houtskär

Houtskär is a combination of forested islands and barren outer skerries. You can go on a boat trip to the islands of Jungfruskär, which were formerly a military zone where landing was prohibited. The Jungfruskär group of islands is one of the most beautiful and mysterious in the Archipelago National Park. Alternatively you can enjoy things cultural on Houtskär, visit the district museum and the boat museum. Or you can relax and take it easy and breathe the pure island air.

Houtskär offers a wide range of tourist services: restaurants, cottage villages, fishing trips, boat trips, and cultural events. The Näsby guest harbour is centrally located.  And you can tie up for a short while to the jetties on Björkö and Kittuis. During time of open water there is a ferry connection that allows you to travel from Houtskär onwards on the Archipelago Trial route to Iniö, and from there throughout the year to Kustavi.

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Iniö

Iniö is a small municipality, but it has a shore line of 700 kilometers in length. Toughness is represented by the wild violet, which with the tufts of chives spreads into the crevices in the rocks.

The island of Iniö is an attraction in itself, but you might also visit the Sofia Wilhelmina church, take a stroll in the old picturesque village, or a walk along the nature trails, as well as go and see the wind mill and saw mill on Åselholm. There are tourist services available: a lunch restaurant, coffee shop, and B & B accommodation. Fishing trips and guided walks on the nature trail can be arranged.

There are several ferry connections between Iniö and Kustavi daily throughout the year which allow you to continue on around the Archipelago Trial. During time of open water it is also possible to get connections to the Archipelago Trial from Houtskär. Boat people can tie up in the guest harbour on Norrby or drop in at the village harbours at Söderby, Jumo or Åselholm.

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