Loviisa (east coast)
Loviisa has the most of our Uusimaa cottages. The town has a grid of old wooden houses and a harbour, and in summer boats run out to Svartholm, an 18th-century sea fortress on an island offshore. Strömfors, to the east, is an old ironworks village with a river, a cafe and craft shops. Most cottages are on the shore or among the islands. Helsinki airport is around an hour away.
Best for: Families who want a sea cottage and a small wooden town nearby
Not for you if: You want lake swimming: the water here is the brackish Baltic, cool and shallow.
Lohja, Karjalohja and Vihti (the lakes west of Helsinki)
Lohjanjärvi, the largest lake in Uusimaa, is ringed with cottages, orchards and farmland, and Karjalohja to the west has quieter, smaller lakes. Lohja town has a medieval stone church with wall paintings and the Tytyri mine, where tours go deep underground. Vihti is near the forest trails of Nuuksio National Park. Helsinki is about 50 minutes to an hour by car.
Best for: Lake swimming and rowing within an hour of Helsinki
Not for you if: You want the sea: these cottages are on freshwater lakes inland.
Porvoo and Sipoo (east of Helsinki)
Porvoo's old town has cobbled lanes, a hilltop cathedral and red wooden storehouses along the river, and it is about 50 minutes from Helsinki. Sipoo lies between the two, with Sipoonkorpi National Park, a patch of old forest and bog with marked trails, and an archipelago of small islands. Cottages here are close to the motorway, which makes Helsinki an easy day out.
Best for: Couples who want an old town for dinner and the sea nearby
Not for you if: You want quiet summer weekends in town: Porvoo's old town is a favourite day trip from Helsinki.
Raasepori and Fiskars (west coast)
Raasepori takes in the seaside town of Ekenäs (Tammisaari), the ruins of Raseborg castle and the Ekenäs Archipelago National Park, reached by boat in summer. Fiskars is an old ironworks village turned home for designers and craftspeople, with shops, cafes and a summer antiques market. The sandy beaches at Hanko are around half an hour away. Helsinki is about an hour and a quarter by car.
Best for: Sailors, cyclists and anyone who wants craft villages and islands
Not for you if: You want lots of shops and restaurants: Ekenäs is a small town and the villages have little more than a store.
Kirkkonummi, Espoo, Inkoo and Siuntio (nearest Helsinki)
The coast just west of Helsinki has rocky shores, small bays and the Porkkala peninsula, which the Soviet Union leased as a naval base until 1956. Hvitträsk in Kirkkonummi is the lakeside studio-home of three Finnish architects, including Eliel Saarinen. Nuuksio National Park straddles Espoo and has lakes and forest walks. Helsinki's centre is 20 to 50 minutes away.
Best for: First-timers who want sea cottages and Helsinki days
Not for you if: You want empty roads: commuter traffic into Helsinki is heavy on weekdays.
Mäntsälä, Hyvinkää and Askola (inland)
North of Helsinki the land flattens into farms, forest and small lakes. Hyvinkää has the Finnish Railway Museum, with old locomotives and imperial carriages. Askola is known for its potholes, deep round holes ground into the rock by the last ice age. Choice is limited here. Helsinki airport is 30 to 45 minutes away, which suits a first or last night.
Best for: Short stays close to the airport with farmland and forest
Not for you if: You want water views: most cottages here are among fields and woods.
