Ekenäs (Tammisaari) Old Town

Ekenäs, known in Finnish as Tammisaari, is a seaside town in the municipality of Raseborg, about 100 km west of Helsinki on the Uusimaa coast. The usual route is a VR train from Helsinki to Karjaa, which takes about 55 minutes with roughly hourly departures, followed by the 12-minute local train on the Karjaa-Hanko line to Ekenäs. The total is about 1 hour 15 minutes, and tickets can be bought through vr.fi or the VR app. A bus is slower at 1.5-2 hours; the OnniBus Helsinki-Hanko route also stops in Tammisaari. Driving takes about 1 hour 15 minutes via E18 and Highway 25. The town's main attraction is one of Finland's best-preserved wooden old towns, with mostly 18th and 19th-century houses that are still lived in by locals, centred on streets such as Linvävaregatan. A stone church stands nearby and is open daily 11-17 in summer. The Ramsholmen woodland park lies about a kilometre from the centre and offers shaded walking paths and shoreline views, and an old water tower can be climbed by 164 steps, with the key collected from the library. A relaxed day begins with a morning train, a slow walk through the old town lanes, and a visit to the church. Lunch can be taken at a cafe or restaurant in the centre or at the harbour. The afternoon suits a walk to Ramsholmen and, if the library is open, the water tower climb before the return train. The best season is May to September, when the church and cafes keep summer hours and the gardens are in bloom. Visitors in other months should expect reduced opening hours. The town is compact enough to explore entirely on foot. The tourist information site visitraseborg.com has seasonal updates and events.