Porvoo is a city surrounded by water and forest. I explored the woods as long as I could, but I was interested in the waterside. Even though it was September, one of the goals that I had in mind once I went to Finland was to swim in the Gulf of Finland. I know it is silly, but that is how I roll.
A visit to the Porvoo Archipelago is the best tour off the beaten path around this small finnish city.
Back to the Porvoo Archipelago. On one of our last days at Travel House Porvoo, I knew we would do a day trip to the archipelago and I was quite excited about that. Back then, I didn’t know much about Finland but I knew I had to see the islands there.
A little before lunch time, everybody went to where the boat would takes us to the islands and my fun day started there.
I don’t think I ever had a boat trip like that. It wasn’t my first time in a boat like that but i was in Finland! Everything felt so special that nothing could ruin my day and my experience there.
After taking pictures of everything, the boat arrived at a group of small islands after a few minutes. Äggskär is the name of where I was, and it was beautiful. This is a small rocky island surround by a blue sea, and I seriously believed I could live my life there.
I walked around for a while, taking pictures of everything. And even trying my Sony Action Camera
underwater features, and everything was great. There was some cooked Salmon ready for our group at one of the tiny houses on the island. We ate and, after less than an hour, I had to say goodbye to this beautiful place and go to the next island.
The next stop was at Sandholmsvägen, where the boat stopped. There I managed to grab a beer at Benita’s Café, a place that seemed to me like a community centre for everybody that lives around the Porvoo Archipelago. I even saw a tiny snake there, and it made the day even better.
Our final stop of the fantastic day through the Porvoo Archipelago was at Martin Tillman’s restaurant. He was the guy driving the boat for us and, since he is famous for his salmon, Travel House Porvoo managed to find a way for our group to visit his restaurant. There we would enjoy the Finnish sauna, swim for a while and eat fish like crazy.
It was here that I managed to get too excited and lost my Sony Action Camera in the sea. I still have no idea how that happens, but it made me appear when divers rescued the camera in the local newspaper. Yes, my action camera was recovered by divers, and it was still working after more than two weeks underwater. One day I going to write the history behind this, but it won’t be today.
After more food than I should have, our group had to say goodbye to Pellinki Archipelago. The day was coming to an end, and we crossed by ferry to Tirmo on our way back. That was an experience in itself since it is one of the only ferries in Finland.
That day was one of the reasons Fotostrasse loves Porvoo so much. The nature, the food and the people there are exceptional, and you can agree by the pictures above that everything looks fantastic. For the rest, you have to visit Finland to see how it is, and I’m pretty sure you will love the country as much as I did.
Tove Jansson and Moomin at the Porvoo Archipelago
Too bad the weather didn’t help us to see Klovharun, where Tove Jansson spent her summer days. You might know her for creating Moomin, one of the most famous Finnish exports to the world. I didn’t manage to go there, but you should try to do that! From what I saw, the tiny island is beautiful.
If you happen to find yourself in Porvoo, you need to head to the archipelago for an experience that you shouldn’t miss. There you will enjoy the unique atmosphere and all the nature Finland can offer.
There are a few ways of getting to the Porvoo Archipelago and below you can see a few companies that do this.
- Martin Tillman was the one that took Fotostrasse there and you should get in touch with him.
- Bo and Tua Uddström do this boat trip as well.
- Stefan Svaetichin has some beautiful boats on his website and you should see them live.
- If you want to charter a cruise, you need to get in touch with Alexandra Yacht.
- Another company that can be hired for a cruise is Mirelle and their boat looks cool.
If you need more information about Porvoo Archipelago, you should check out Visit Porvoo’s website because they have everything you need to know about the place.
Porvoo Archipelago
Porvoo Archipelago: A Piece of Paradise in Finland
Fotostrasse visited Porvoo as a part of Travel House Porvoo. It was magical and we loved the time we spent there. You can believe in this.
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