The Archipelago Trail – a two-day archipelago adventure

Come and explore Turku archipelago, unique on a global scale, with its charming local destinations and eye-catching scenery on a two-day Archipelago Trail tour.

Wednesday, June 24th

Departure: Turku bus station, charter bus platform number 10 at 9:20 a.m.

We drive to Kustavi Handicraft Village, where we stop for shopping and enjoy morning coffee with a roll. Here you can find unique items from a diverse selection of craftsmen’s wares, including candles, ceramics, glassware, blacksmith-forged iron products, silver jewelry, and much more. We continue by ferry to Iniö and drive across the island to the ferry pier in Dalen. The journey continues by sea to Houtskari – the longest sea voyage of the day in stunning scenery.

In Houtskari, we will visit the church, which is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and it was built under the direction of Erik Nilsson from Ostrobothnia in 1703–1704. Here we will also have lunch together.

In the afternoon, the trip continues by ferry to Galtby (Korppoo), which takes about half an hour. We visit Korppoo’s medieval grey-stone church, whose most unusual detail of its interior is the only surviving choir loft railing in our country. We will stay at Hotel Korpoström by the sea and visit the exhibitions at the Archipelago Center. In the evening, there will be free time to relax in the sauna and enjoy the peaceful sea views of Korppoo.

Thursday, June 25th

After breakfast, we set off at 9:00 a.m. and stop in Korppoo to shop at Amalias Hem, the most beautiful lifestyle store in the archipelago, which offers fashion, interior design products, and natural cosmetics. From here, our journey continues by ferry to Nauvo and Parainen.

We will visit the largest and most popular harbor in the Archipelago Sea, the Nauvo guest harbor, which is a very popular and lively summer destination. The harbor offers numerous services and interesting sights within short distances.

We drive to Parainen, where one of our destinations is the Nordkalk’s limestone quarry viewpoint. Not many places in the world has a quarry this close to the city centre. We also have lunch together in Parainen. Our last shopping destination is Jordkällaren, a cheese and delicatessen shop. This paradise for foodies sells over 40 different types of cheese, its own juice, ginger shot, and marmalade ranges, as well as yogurt and high-quality Birka knives. We get to taste small cheese samples during our visit.

Guiding: An archipelago guide will accompany us throughout the trip, telling us interesting stories about the local areas and the lives of the archipelago inhabitants. (Guiding is provided in Finnish, with summary in English during sea voyages and meals. A brief written summary of the trip will be provided in English).

Return: We will return to Turku at around 5 p.m.