Naantali Finland
Frequently Asked Questions
On Finland's south-west coast, next to Turku and its archipelago of thousands of islands. Ships calling in the region set passengers down a short distance from the old town.
Its pastel wooden houses sloping gently down to a basin full of sailing boats, and its narrow lanes lined with dwellings from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Finns have made it their summer destination of choice.
Because street addresses did not exist. Each house still carries its own name, painted beside the door. The buildings now hold craft studios, galleries, cafés and shops, with the old fabric left intact.
The conventual church of a Bridgettine monastery founded in the fifteenth century, around which the town grew. Massive and white on its rise, it dominates the water; the interior, plain and bright, regularly hosts concerts.
Muumimaailma, on an island linked to the shore by a pedestrian bridge. A blue house on several floors, costumed characters, an open-air theatre: the park brings Tove Jansson's world to life and is aimed above all at families.
Not necessarily. Adults without children can simply admire the island from the promenade. With young passengers, though, it is the obvious activity of the call, and it takes half a day.
The manor that has served as the official summer residence of Finland's presidents since 1923, on the island of Luonnonmaa, directly opposite Naantali.
An hour or two covers the old town and the marina on foot. It is a call to be savoured slowly rather than ticked off.
Yes, and many passengers do: the morning in Naantali's lanes, the afternoon in the busy streets of Turku, the country's former capital, a short drive away. Turku's medieval castle rounds off the day naturally.
Beyond the basin, the sea breaks into a constellation of islands and islets: the south-west Finnish archipelago, one of the largest in the world. Marked trails and local boat links let you sample a fragment of it.
