Old Rauma

Old Rauma is the biggest unified wooden old town in the Nordic region, a UNESCO-listed grid of some six hundred painted timber houses still lived and worked in. Behind the pastel facades runs a proud tradition of bobbin lacemaking, celebrated each summer at a lace week.

What to look for

• The wooden streets - hundreds of painted timber houses in a living old town.
• The old town hall - the handsome building now a local museum.
• Lacemaking heritage - the bobbin-lace tradition and its summer festival.
• Church of the Holy Cross - the medieval church with old frescoes.

When to go

Summer for open shops, cafes and the lace week festival; the town is quiet and pretty year-round. Weekday mornings are calm.

Before you go

It is a real, lived-in district rather than a museum, so it is charming but low-key, with everyday life among the heritage. It is out on the west coast, a detour rather than a convenient stop. The pleasure is wandering and detail, not big set-piece sights.

Nearby

The UNESCO burial site of Sammallahdenmaki is a short drive; the coast and archipelago spread around.

Key facts