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municipality in the region of Uusimaa in Finland
Europe > Nordic countries > Finland > Southern Finland > Uusimaa > Sipoo

Trail in Sipoonkorpi National Park

Sipoo (Swedish: Sibbo) is a municipality in Uusimaa, about 25 km east of Helsinki. It includes the towns of Nikkilä (Nickby) – which is also its administrative centre – and Söderkulla, plus a couple of smaller villages.

Understand

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The character of Sipoo varies a lot, some is suburbs of Helsinki, some is traditional countryside and some archipelago.

The area is traditionally Swedish speaking, like most of coastal Uusimaa. In the countryside and archipelago the great majority is still Swedish speaking, while in suburbs Finnish dominates.

Get in

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See Helsinki#Get around for information about HSL public transport fares and tickets

You can get in by car, bus, boat or bike from Helsinki and Porvoo.

Regional buses 785 through 788 of HSL run from the Rautatientori square in central Helsinki to Nikkilä in central Sipoo. You will need to buy an ABCD ticket, as Sipoo is part of zone D. The trip between Rautatientori and Nikkilä takes about an hour per direction.

Söderkulla and the rest of southern Sipoo are served by coaches to Porvoo via Highway E18 (from Helsinki bus station, Kamppi), see Matkahuolto. You could take the metro for part of the voyage.

There is a cycleway along the old Porvoo road from Helsinki, through Söderkulla and ending in Box. An other cycleway leads via Korso in Vantaa to Nikkilä. The road from Östersundom through the national park to Nikkilä may also be bikeable.

Get around

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By bus

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By taxi

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See also: Uusimaa#By taxi

By boat

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  • Pörtö line, ☏ +358 50-322-1610 (the ferry). Pörtö line services a few routes in the archipelago spring to autumn, calling a few times a day to a few times a week at each of the islands served (timetables 1 Jun–7 Aug 2024). The quays on the mainland are at Kalkstrand and Gumbostrand. As of 2024, services need to be booked the preceding day before 18:00 ("y") or at least 3 hr before departure ("x"). 

Sipoo has two main churches, an older one and a newer one, located almost next to each other just outside Nikkilä, and some smaller churches:

  • 1 Old church (Sibbo gamla kyrka, Sankt Sigfrid) (Nikkilä). Medieval "grey stone" church, built 1450–1454. Sibbo Old Church (Q10667219) on Wikidata 
  • 2 Sipoon uusi kirkko (Sibbo nya kyrka) (Nikkilä). Gothic Revival red tile church from 1885. Sipoo New Church (Q10667223) on Wikidata 
  • 3 Norra Paipis bykyrka (Paippisten kyläkirkko) (Paipis). Wooden village church Northern Paippinen Village Church (Q97011188) on Wikidata 
  • 4 Söderkullan kirkko (Söderkulla kyrka) (Söderkulla). Modern church, inaugurated 2018, including several functions of the parish. Söderkulla Church (Q62030565) on Wikidata 

There are a number of mansions:

A cave, also known as the entrance of the Temple of Lemminkäinen, in Gumbostrand

Other local attractions include:

  • 7 Temple of Lemminkäinen (Lemminkäisen temppeli), Vainuddintie (in Gumbostrand). A cave belonging to the nature reserve, which is said to contain an underground temple depicted The Bock Saga written by the mystic Ior Bock (1942–2010). Archaeological excavations have also been carried out in the area. Lemminkäinen's Temple (Q104685865) on Wikidata Temple of Lemminkäinen on Wikipedia 
  • 8 Stone Artwork of Söderkulla (Söderkullan kivitaideteos) (in Söderkulla). A stone structure by Pertti Linna created on a forest hill. There are seven tall stone cones and one castle-like structure. 
  • 9 Shiva Temple Finland, Paippistentie 592 (in Paippinen), ☏ +358 44-237-3320, . F 17:00–20:00. A Shiva temple. (updated May 2024)
Kayaking in the archipelago

Rent a boat or canoe (or join a tour) to explore the archipelago. There is also a ferry from Kalkstrand to some of the distant islands.

  • Lake beaches
    • 1 Möträsk Beach (Möträskin uimaranta), Möträskinkaari 4 (in Söderkulla; on the shores of Lake Möträsk). 
    • 2 Pilvijärvi Beach (Pilvijärven uimaranta), Pilvijärventie 70 (in Söderkulla; on the shores of Lake Pilvijärvi). 
    • 3 Taasjärvi Beach (Taasjärven uimaranta), Talvikintie (in Söderkulla; on the shores of Lake Taasjärvi). 
  • 4 Sipoonjoki (Sibbo å). Cruise the river Sipoonjoki with a small boat or canoe. From the sea, there is a 5-km bay, then 1 km of river for Söderkulla. The centre of Nickby is 10 km farther upstream, not reachable by any real boat. 
  • 5 Sipoonkorpi National Park (Sipoonkorven kansallispuisto, Sibbo storskogs nationalpark). Get out in the Finnish nature without venturing further than 20 km from central Helsinki. 
  • 6 Söderskär (from Kalkstrand ferry quay), . Weekends May–Sep, daily 1 June–12 Aug, start 9:15, return 13:30. Skerry in the outer archipelago with tall lighthouse (which may have inspired Tove Jansson's Moominpappa at Sea) and bird reserve. €45, children 6–12 €23; landing without a tour is allowed in late summer and in autumn. (updated Jun 2019)
  • Recreation areas on islands
    • 7 Fagerö (Kaunissaari) (in the southern part of Sibbofjärden, with views to the open sea; 9.5 km south-southwest from Kalkstrand). Recreation island of City of Helsinki. Free. 
    • 8 Möholmen (1 km south-west from Kalkstrand). Recreation island: cliffs, wood and a few small beaches. Free. 
    • 9 Storsand (northern south-east shore of Norrkullalandet, 2 km south-west from Kalkstrand). Several beaches with views to seascapes of Sibbofjärden. Barbecue sites (mind wildfire warnings!) and outhouse toilets, no other services. Free. 
  • 10 Siverfjärden and Insjön (east from Kalkstrand). Nice sheltered boating (or canoeing) route between the mainland and the islands Löparö and Kitö (depth 0.8 m) 
  • 11 Nevas Golf, Sprängmanintie 79 (in Söderkulla), ☏ +358 10-400-6400, . 
  • 12 Talma Ski, Talmantie 341, ☏ +358 400-716-894, . A pocket-size ski centre. Activities in the summer under the brand Talma Active Park. 

Events

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  • Simsalödagen (Simsalö, off Gumbostrand). Rowing competition around the island; art exhibition in the former school, handicraft for sale, flea market, outdoor café, axe throwing. See archipelago dwellers and summer guest gathered. Free, but reserve some cash for coffee and impulse purchases. 

There are shops in the main villages and suburbs.

  • 1 Lidl Sipoo Söderkulla, Uusi Porvoontie 1143 (in Söderkulla). M–Sa 08:00–21:00, Su 10:00–20:00. 
  • 2 K-Supermarket Basilika, Kaskikylänkuja 2 (in Nikkilä). M–Sa 07:00–21:00, Su 09:00–21:00. 
  • 3 K-Supermarket Söderkulla, Rautatiekuja 4 (in Söderkulla). M–F 06:30–21:00, Sa 07:00–21:00, Su 10:00–21:00. 
  • 4 S-Market Nikkilä, Pornaistentie 2 (in Nikkilä). M–Sa 06:00–00:00, Su 09:00–00:00. 
  • 5 S-Market Söderkulla, Amiraalintie 2 (in Söderkulla). M–Sa 06:00–00:00, Su 09:00–00:00. 

For a different experience, if you are out in the archipelago, check the timetables of m/s Christina and do your grocery shopping on board, or just buy an ice cream to eat on the pier while chatting with locals and summer guests, like many of those who come by foot or boat to wait for the shop to arrive (it is notoriously late, as there are long queues on sunny days).

  • m/s Christina, ☏ +358 9 877-1095 (landline), +358 400-490-849 (Enska), +358 50-552-7250 (Dockan), . 2022: 18 June–6 August. Shop in a boat, visiting some thirty piers at least weekly in season. Think before you board, as the space is cramped; you have to grab any purchase in passing, with a queue behind you. Don't worry, just enjoy. If you have a local friend (or there are two of you) you might want to do your round first, and ask them to take anything you missed. The prices are a bit inflated to cover costs, but no rip-offs. If you need something special, you can probably call the shop and have them bring it for you. Fuel requires your leaving an empty container for filling (mark it with your name) and fetching it the next time. (updated Jun 2022)

Drink

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Sleep

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Connect

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Go next

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Routes through Sipoo
Turku ← Vantaa (sidetrip Helsinki) ←  W King's Road E  → Porvoo → Vyborg
Turku ← junction Helsinki ← Vantaa ←  W  E  → Porvoo → Saint Petersburg
Helsinki's downtown ← Helsinki's eastern suburbs ←  W  E  → Porvoo → Loviisa → Kotka


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