Ekenas Old Town

Ekenas, Tammisaari in Finnish, was founded in the sixteenth century on the southern coast, and its old town is a compact grid of low wooden houses in ochre, red and pale yellow along narrow streets whose names record the trades that once occupied them: hatters, smiths, tanners. It survived the fires that destroyed most Finnish wooden towns, and it is lived in rather than preserved as a museum, so the houses have gardens, cars and washing lines. The town sits on a bay with a harbour, a long shoreline walk and a bird tower over the reeds. Swedish is the majority language here, as in much of this coast.

What you actually see

• Streets named for old trades - hatters, smiths and tanners in the grid.
• Low wooden houses in ochre and red - the surviving old town.
• A lived-in rather than preserved town - gardens, cars and everyday use.
• The bay shoreline and bird tower - the water at the edge of the town.

When to go

May to September; the old town is quiet and pretty in winter but shops and cafes close. Half a day. Summer weekends bring visitors from Helsinki.

Honest expectations

It is small and an hour covers the old town. People live in these houses and gardens are private. Out of season most cafes and shops are shut. Public transport needs a connection at Karis.

Nearby

Raseborg castle is north-east; Hanko lies west.