Things to do in Hanko, Finland
Finland’s southernmost city, Hanko, has become a place where thousands of visitors gather on those hot summer days. Learn more about what Hanko has to offer.
Finland’s southernmost city, Hanko, has become a place where thousands of visitors gather on those hot summer days.
It’s a place near the sea which makes it the perfect visit for anyone who wants to take a look at what the finnish archipelago has to offer.
Activities
With a 130 km (80 miles) long shoreline, and with about 30 km (20 miles) being beautiful white beaches, you can really experience the southern finnish nature at its best.
This makes it the perfect place to visit if you’re into surfing, sailing or maybe going on a little fishing trip.
The city also offers a wide variety of activities for those who prefer keeping their feet on dry land.
You can find museums, cafés and even multiple festivals that take place in the summer every year.
For the sports fan, there are frisbee golf trails, tennis courts and gyms that are placed around the city.
This article is written to give you a taste of some of the most interesting activities that you just can’t miss if you’re visiting Hanko.
Please note that the activities are listed in no particular order and won’t favor anyone over another.
The path of love
Let’s start out strong with one of the most beautiful nature trails you can visit in the city of Hanko.
The path of love is a nature trail that takes you on a 1.5 km walk along the cliffs of Puistovuoret, which is located in the central parts of Hanko.
On this trail you will not only get some good exercise as well as a beautiful view of the sea, you will also experience quite a few interesting and probably a bit surprising things along the way.
The first experience you’ll probably see on The Path of Love is known as a “Jättegryta” in Swedish.
It’s basically an enormous cavity in a cliff, created by water flowing through the stones over a really long time, which makes for an unusual sight.
Later on you’ll get to experience a glimpse of the war that was taking place in Hanko in the early 40’s.
Right by the trail you’ll see some bits and leftovers of coastal batteries as well as machine gun bunkers that have stood the test of time ever since the war ended.
The Path of Love is a definitive trail to take a look at if you want to spend a couple of hours walking through the beautiful Finnish nature.
Tulliniemi Nature Path
Let’s keep going strong with another nature trail.
The Tulliniemi Nature Path will take you to the absolute southernmost part of the mainland, Cape Tulliniemi.
This nature path is a bit longer than The Path of Love and is estimated at about 3 km in one direction, which means you’ll walk 6 km in total.
While getting to see great views of the sea and the Finnish archipelago, you’ll algo get a glimpse of the war.
On the path you’ll probably see a couple of barracks that were left empty in the 40’s.
These barracks were first owned by the Russians, and later on by the Germans according to hmm at tripadvisor.
The end of the Tulliniemi Nature Path is part of a nature reserve, in which you’ll find some really unique and unusual plants, butterflies and even birds.
Here you’ll have the perfect setting for having a picnic with a loved one before returning back the same path.
Some say that the best part of this trail is at the end.
Hanko water tower
The Hanko water tower is a prominent view in the sky that’s visible from most of the city.
It’s an old red water tower sitting at a height of 60 m, and was designed by the Finnish architect Bertel Liljequist in 1943.
In the summer you’re able to go inside the tower and take an elevator to the top.
Here you’ll probably get the best view that the city has to offer.
With the free telescope on the top you’ll be able to take an even closer look at different parts of the city that you can’t see from the ground.
This is a really popular view to see for people visiting Hanko. It’s even listed as the top activity to do in Hanko by Tripadvisor.
The price to go to the top is around 2 euros in the summer. Please note that this price may change.
Bellevue Beach
Let’s continue with one of the most popular beaches around Hanko; Bellevue Beach.
It’s a beautifully long beach with white sand with shallow water, which makes it the perfect spot to take a break for both the younger and older generation on a long summer day.
Around the beach you’ll find old beautiful guest house villas and big pine trees that makes the visit so much better.
Somewhere along the beach you’ll find a carousel placed a few 10’s of meters out in the water.
This carousel is driven by a motor which lets anyone swing along the many ropes that are tied to its roof. It’s usually pretty crowded in the summer, so make sure to be careful while swinging.
At the end of the Bellevue beach you’ll find another nature trail taking you to a famous café; “De Fyra Vindarnas Hus” (in Swedish) which was owned by Mannerheim himself until 1933.
The Hanko Front Museum
If you’re interested in learning more about the Finnish — Soviet continuation war in Hankoniemi Cape, this is definitely the place to visit.
The Hanko Front museum will take you on a trip through some of the worst times in Finnish history.
When entering you’ll get to see old authentic leftovers from the war that have been saved in various conditions.
You’ll get information both inside the museum, as well as behind the main entrance where there’s a nature trail taking you through some of the real paths where the war took place in Hanko.
If you’re visiting with kids, they can get their own guided tour as well.
When you feel like you’ve learned enough about the war, there’s a café in which you can get yourself some coffee and something sweet.
The museum is located just along the highway a short distance before entering the city of Hanko, so getting there is pretty straight forward.
Conclusions
As you can see, there’s quite a lot of interesting places to visit and things to do in Hanko, especially in the summer.
If you’re interested in learning more about Hanko and its many acitivies, I would suggest visiting some of the following websites:
- Visithanko.fi (English, Finnish, Swedish & Russian)
- Hanko.fi (Finnish & Swedish)
- Tripadvisor about Hanko (Multi-language)
Have a great day ✌️
