Archipelago Trail

Understand

The Archipelago Trail was opened as a tourist route in 1996, with the additional ferries needed to complete the circuit, and is now well established. It is regarded as a corner stone for the tourism in the region. The Archipelago Sea on the south-western coast of Finland is one of the biggest archipelagos in the world, by count of islands and islets. It is a popular area for summer cottages and yacht cruising; the Archipelago Trail allows you to experience some of it without a boat – and without backtracking. The trail is some 250 km (160 mi) in length, 120 km (75 mi) with the Rymättylä shortcut), linking many of the main islands of the archipelago via bridges and inter-island ferries. Along the way you will find local food, local history museums and village churches from the Middle Ages as well as comfortable accommodation. You might want to stay a day somewhere by the sea, with a beach and a boat in reach. The route is usually begun and ended in Turku, although other starting points are possible. The complete route goes from Turku via (clockwise) Kaarina, Pargas, Nagu, Korpo, Houtskär and Iniö to Kustavi and Taivassalo in the north and continues back to Turku via Velkua or Askainen, and Merimasku and Naantali. The shortcut goes from Nagu via Rymättylä to Naantali and Turku. Most of the archipelago through which the itinerary goes is a UNESCO biosphere reserve. The Archipelago National Park lies in the outer archipelago south of this itinerary. The side trips by the Utö route from Pernäs, Nagu south route from Kirjais and possibly the transversal route between Kirjais and Pernäs go through the national park and its "interest area". Services such as nature trails, tent sites and campfire places on minor islands on those routes are provided by the national park, while lodging, taxi boats and activities are mostly provided by inhabitants living on private ground in or near the interest area. Cruise ships and cruise ferries that call in Turku or Naantali pass through the archipelago; see Cruising the Baltic Sea and Baltic Sea ferries.

Season Most people in Finland have their summer vacation between Midsummer and mid-August, when schools start. Most summer cottag

Prepare

The archipelago communities are well organised; this is not the wilderness but inhabited rural Finland. Thus you should be able to get most of what you need on the route, but opening hours and shopping options are limited. Planning where to eat and sleep and making reservations where appropriate can be wise. Bring some cash, as ATMs are sparse in the archipelago and not all businesses out there take cards. There are restaurants, cafés and kiosks dotted all over the islands, but as the area is sparsely populated, it is often not useful to try to look for other options once an acceptable restaurant has been found. Basic spares and repair tools should be brought, so that you can cope with minor breakdowns or flat tyres. On the other hand, people out here are used to handling most situations by themselves, so even severe problems can often be fixed with the help of locals. Check the ferries between Houtskär and Iniö or between Nagu and Rymättylä, and the one between Hakkeenpää and Teersalo if going by that route: there are only a few daily departures and perhaps none off season. Off season there are still ferries between Houtskär and Iniö, but these primarily serve the minor islands in the area and might not take cars. With a bigger-than-usual car, such as a caravan, the ferry options may be limited also in season. Check whether there happens to be some kind of festival or other event in some of the villages you pass by: a concert in the church, a jazz festival, the potato festival, a terrain running competition, social dancing, what have you. It can be chilly at sea and in the evenings. Have a decent coat so that you can admire the seascapes from the ferry decks, even if you otherwise move by car. If you go on a trip with a small boat, you might need real outdoor equipment, including rain gear (for the spray), sweater, cap and gloves. Have some quite light long-sleeved clothing for sun protection and possibly warm evenings with mosquitoes. If camping wild, you need some means to carry water for your cooking. Binoculars can come in handy to watch birds or archipelago landscapes. There are weather forecasts for five days, which probably covers your stay. Get one that

Get in

1 Turku is well connected, with some aeroplane connections, daily ferries from the Stockholm region via Åland, trains from Helsinki and Tampere, and coaches from most anywhere in Finland. You can use (part of) the itinerary when coming from Sweden to Finland: get to Åland and continue with some of the smaller ferries. The leg from Eckerö or Mariehamn to the smaller ferry quays is nice and should be (but is not yet) covered in the Åland article. For a return trip by car from Helsinki, see also Helsinki itineraries: Archipelago excursion. Ferries connect Åland with Korpo, Kustavi, Houtskär and Iniö. The main ferries go from 1 Långnäs on the Åland mainland to Galtby in Korpo and from 2 Åva in Brändö to 3 Vuosnainen in Kustavi. The smaller ferries connecting remote islands to Houtskär and Iniö also have services via 4 Torsholma in Brändö, see ferries from Houtskär onward. In season (in 2022: 7 May–18 September) there is also a ferry from Turku to Nagu (m/s Vitharun), allowing exchanging part of the trail for a cruise. Coming from Helsinki you might want to turn out on the Skärgårdsvägen road already in Kaarina, bypassing Turku on the way out (or on the way back, if going counterclockwise). See Turku and Kaarina below. In the Kustavi end, a possible shortcut is to take the Turku ring road to Raisio and drive from there directly to Taivassalo and Kustavi along highway 192, bypassing Naantali, Merimasku and Askainen. Coming from the north (or by ferry to Naantali), you could likewise turn towards Kustavi or Rymättylä before reaching Turku. From Uusikaupunki the straightest route to the complete ringroad goes by Lokalahdentie to Taivassalo, to the small ring road by Lokalahdentie and Y-tie via Askainen and Merimasku to Rymättylä, bypassing also Naantali. From Pori you could turn towards Taivassalo or Askainen in Mynämäki.

Go

The route can be taken clockwise or contraclockwise. The former is more common and is what is described here. You could also turn back at any point. Turning back you have to mostly use the same road, but saving some (or most) attractions for the return this is not too bad an option. Except for side trips, the Nagu–Rymättylä, or Korpo–Houtskär, Houtskär–Iniö Iniö–Kustavi and Taivassalo–Velkua legs, and the night, you do not have to worry about ferry timetables; there are usually departures at least every half an hour. You should still note that the ferry passages do take some time.

Do not be afraid to explore the smaller side roads. Often you will end up in the backyard of somebody's summer cottage, but you may also find breathtaking scenery, wild raspberries, a farm selling fresh produce straight from a barn, a tiny picturesque fishing community or many other things. After the ferry to Nagu and until the one to Kustavi it is almost impossible to get lost, since there are only a few roads, and all of them will eventually lead either to the sea or to the main road. In a few cases the road will lead through private yards, check your map or ask if it seems you might have reached a dead end and you are uncomfortable just continuing. Distances from Turku are given in parentheses. If you are going contraclockwise they tell the distance that is left. Visits to the main villages, adding at least 15 km, are not counted, as these distances depend on what places you visit.

By bike A common way to experience the Archipelago Trail is from the saddle of a bike. The distances are not too great and the bike gives you flexibility while at the same time letting you experience the landscape you are driving through better than by car. The rou