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group travel, Sea and archipelago
7 Days / 6 nights
Please check prices directly with the hotels and book your own accommodation.
The Archipelago Trail is one of the most famous and popular routes in the Finnish Archipelago. It is approximately 250 km long and some of the way is travelled by ferries. The Archipelago Trail is accessible only during summer season and is a truly wonderful way to explore archipelago, its towns and sights along the way.
Arriving to Naantali and accommodating to the Hotel Palo in the old town.
You can take a tour in the old town and have a dinner in one of the fine restaurants located in the old town. It is possible to visit the monastery church (open 10am-06pm) or just take it easy and chill out in one of the many terraces at beach front. The thing for today is to get the bikes and get yourselves familiarized with them. You will have them from Visit Naantali, located in the beginning of Nunnakatu (red wooden building). Breakfast for the next early morning can be done the way that you will be given meal-bags in the evening, (let reception know early enough).
Hotel Palo, address: Luostarinkatu 12, Naantali.
Naantali
Departure day of your biking journey. You will go from Naantali via Merimasku to Velkua and Teersalo. After that with two yellow ferries to Archipelago Hotel Vaihela, where you stay overnight. This beautiful biking way shows you thrilling views of seaside Naantali. Route is 35km long with various up and down hills. It starts from Visit Naantali’s office located in the old town, where you pick up the bikes. First the route goes via Kaivokatu which you continue until right turn to Kuparivuorentie (goes uphill). You follow that until you come to Ukkopekka bridges (Ukkopekan sillat in Finnish). From the rocks before the bridge you can catch the unbelievable views towards Kultaranta Presidential Garden. This is also a good place to have a picnic, not forgetting the sunsets in the evening time.
After the bridge you go about 200 metres and turn right to Luonnonmaantie, you follow that until you come to crossroad. You cross the road and street name changes to Särkänsalmentie. You continue the way 1,8km and arrive to Kultaranta Golf Resort. You can look at the green fields and views while enjoying coffee or refreshments at the Heineken House’s terrace. From Kultaranta Resort you continue the way forward until it takes you to Rymättyläntie (road 189), (in the beginning of the Särkänsalmi bridge, steep uphill leading to this point). You cross the bridge and turn right (in a small island). There is a kiosk where you can also have snacks and refreshments. You can leave bikes there and take a walk to the rocks (there is a path starting from kiosk). It’s beautiful sceneries from between the rocks and trees. When continuing again from the island you go few hundred meters and turn right to Merimaskuntie (road 1930, 27km to go from this point).
When you continue there is a food market in the right if you need something, elementary school of Merimasku on the left side, after that you arrive to Kirkonsalmi bridge. Just before the bridge the road turns left to Merimasku village centre and to church (sixth oldest wooden church still in use in Finland, open from 15th of July, Wed to Sun 12pm-4pm). There are also two restaurants at the beach front, where you can have lunch from local ingredients (Rantamakasiini, Naapuri). When you continue to bridge direction, you continue (the road name changes to Rauduistentie, number stays same 1930) until you arrive to crossroad with road 1931. There you turn left towards Velkua, (road 1931, 17km to go).
You go forward this road until you arrive to Teersalo. There is one small bridge on the way. Some up and down hills. Beuatiful farming fields cover the land in most places along the way. In Teersalo there is a restaurant and a shop just next to the ferry. You might have to wait a little bit, but enjoying the views pays the wait.
From Teersalo you take a yellow ferry (free of charge) to Palva island, it is going every half an hour. In the island you will find an old wooden church that is been built on 1793, it is not open daily, but you can admire outside. After that you just follow the main route couple of kilometers until the next ferry (free of charge) to Velkuanmaa. This ferry is also going every half an hour. From ferry harbor you follow main road about 2km and on the left side is the main house of Archipelago Hotel Vaihela. In the afternoon and evening, you have good time to explore the surroundings; nature path, boat cruise, sauna or having a local dinner in the restaurant. Staff can also introduce their wine cellar for you before the dinner. The nature and the environment around are stunningly beautiful, this place really rocks!
Archipelago Hotel Vaihela, Velkuanmaantie 168, Velkuanmaa, Naantali.
Archipelago Hotel Vaihela
On this day you have two options, either take the 08.00am or 03.00pm ferry from Teersalo to Hakkenpää. By this decision you need to start to bike from Hotel Vaihela either around 06.30am or 01.00pm. Teersalo-Hakkenpää ferry takes about one hour, it is free of charge. From Hakkenpää you take road 1961, at Taivassalo you turn left to road 192, continue that until you come to crossroad with Iniöntie road 1922 and turn left towards Iniö. Follow this road 5+km and turn right to Parattulan rantatie, you will see Peterzens Boat Houses in front of you. There is a nice restaurant by the sea and a boutique. Just chilling out the rest of the day.
Peterzens Boat Houses, address: Parattulan rantatie 16, Kustavi.
Ferry from Heponiemi (just close to Peterzens) to Kannvik (Iniö) leaves many times a day (10.10, 11.45, 15.20), free of charge. You won’t stay overnight in Iniö but you have plenty of time to explore the island. You can for example visit the Museum of maritime equipment or go to a silent and “secret” beach to have a swim. Nice hiking path starting point is about 1km from Norrby village center. I recommend that you just take it easy and enjoy the silent corners of this beautiful island and have a picnic at some seaside rocks. Ferries from Iniö to Houtskär leaves 11.15, 13.15, 15.15, there is a cost for this ferry, 10€/adult, 5€/child (4-11 years old) and 15€/bike (this ferry is own cost). Ferry takes you from Dalen (Iniö) to Mossala (Houtskär). In Houtskär there is Mossala Island Resort just next ferry harbour, perhaps a lunch!
Anyway, in Houtskär there are plenty of things to do. Saint Maria’s church, Saint Andreas culture path (starts from the church), Archipelago navigation museum complex, restaurants, Nässby’s midsummer flagstaff and mill, Hyppeis is one of the most beautiful villages in Houtskär and the road going there is also worth of seeing, Borgbergs lookout spot where from you can see, in clear conditions, to Ahvenanmaa (Åland). If you leave early in the morning from Peterzens, there will be enough time to explore both islands, Iniö and Houtskär. From Mossala harbour you continue the main road. There are two short ferries on the way before you arrive to Träsk village. From there you turn right and follow signs to Hyppeis and the Hotel.
Hotel Hyppeis, address: Hyppeisvägen 540, Houtskär.
Breakfast in the morning at hotel’s restaurant before starting your day outside. After exploring you can go the ferry harbor at Kittuis in the afternoon, ferries (free of charge) go approximately one per an hour in the morning, fewer in the afternoon and evening, so it is quite easy for you to plan the day. It is recommendable that you spend half of this day in Houtskär going through places described previous day. After the ferry voyage you can start going around the mysterious places of Korpo. The island of Korpo has grey stone church that is originally from 1200’s and wooden church on Norrskata (island north of Korpo). There are also some animals in the archipelago possible to see fox, swan, sea eagle, seal, and roe deer. When you go a little bit off the road the atmosphere changes to even more natural and you can hear and feel silent voices everywhere. In Archipelago Centre Korpoström you can experience the science, art, nature, and culture from local perspective. There is a restaurant (terrace) and shop by the hotel.
Archipelago Hotel Korpoström, Korpoströmsvägen 832, Korpo (following the road 1801 till the end). (Breakfast included)
After the breakfast you continue exploring Korpo a little, it is wiser to have anyway more time in Nagu because it is little bit more versatile with what to see. Ferry from Korpo to Nagu is leaving basically every 15 minutes, free of charge. Then you follow the main road 180, until turning right to Högsarvägen. Following signs to Hotel Stallbacken. Nagu centre and beach front are few kilometres away. They are idyllic and busy and it’s easy to hop on. This small village gives you a feeling of south European town because there are so many people from all over. Also, many restaurants and boutiques enliven the atmosphere. In Nagu you must see at least few spots. Jatulintarha at Finby, it is a small rock labyrinth formation dating back hundreds of years, no one knows when and by whom this has been built. 15th century greystone church and Seili island’s church from 18th century. Navigation museum of Nagu in the centre is showing seafaring history.
Hotel Stallbacken, address: Grännäsvägen 14, Nagu. (Breakfast included)
You can take m/s Östern ferry from Nauvo to Hanka (takes 1hour, 7€/adult, 3€/child (4-11 years old) + 3€/bike, this ferry is own cost, cafeteria on board). The ferry goes 08.40am and 12.10pm. From Hanka, Rymättylä, the distance to Naantali is about 33km, this main road numbers are first 1890 then it changes to 189. There is still one ferry (free of charge) from Aaslaluoto to Airismaa, going about every 20 minutes. The way is more comfortable compared to via Pargas, but there are some hills. You can stop at Rymättylä center to have lunch or coffee. Restaurant Pohjakulma serves delicious local food so that is also good place to stop before Naantali. If you take this one you don’t have to be rushing that much to be enough early back in Naantali. This one is recommended!
OR OPTIONALLY
Nagu-Pargas-Kaarina-Turku-Naantali, 74km
This option is a bit longer road to cover so it is good start at least on midday from Nagu (I’d say to start earlier). There is one ferry from Nagu to Pargas that is going every 20 minutes, free of charge. First stop could be on Sattmark Café in Pargas, there you can have lunch or coffee. That is located around 8km from ferry harbor. After that you will ride towards Turku. Interesting stop is Kuusisto Castle’s ruins, few kilometers from the main road (180). Then you will arrive to Turku where you find so many things to see and do that you will need extra days to cover it. But you can for example visit the Turku Cathedral and have a dinner in one of the many riverboats. Then continue back to Naantali (still 15km to go), or it is also possible to end your journey to Turku.
Distance covered by bike when you go from hotel to hotel is about 170-190km. When you explore the islands and take different routes the distance will grow. With ferry voyages the route is about 230-250km. The route is mostly flat but there are some steep up and down hills with longer and shorter distances.
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