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Ingå (Swedish; Finnish: Inkoo) is a municipality in Uusimaa.

Understand

Fagervik church

Ingå is a municipality with a vast archipelago situated approximately 60 km west of Helsinki. The population (about 5600 people in 2011) is bilingual with 55% Swedish speakers and 42% Finnish.

Porkkala parenthesis

Between 1944 and 1956 the large parts of Ingå, Siuntio and Kirkkonummi areas at and around Porkkala peninsula were leased to the Soviet Union as a naval base. The Soviet lease for Porkkala had been contracted for 50 years originally, however in 1955 an agreement was reached to return it earlier.

Villages

  • 1 Ingå kyrkby. The largest village and the administrative centre of the municipality. It has a guest harbour. 
  • 2 Degerby. A small village, the centre of an independent municipality until 1946. It has a museum of the Porkkala Parenthesis. 
  • 3 Täkter (Tähtelä). 
  • 4 Solberg (Päivölä). 
  • 5 Fagervik. A castle and a former iron works. 
  • 6 Barösund. The area of the village consists of several larger islands (Barölandet, Orslandet, Elgsjölandet) and hundreds of smaller islands and islets. 

Tourist information

Get in

By public transport

There are a handful of coach connections in schooldays, fewer in summer, usually between Helsinki and Karis (most continuing to Ekenäs, Hanko or elsewhere) via the crossroads of e.g. Degerby and Ingå centre. In Karis the coaches usually go via the bus station in the centre, a few also via the train station. They tend to be late, so beware if trying to catch a train.

There is a minibus (VR bus) connecting to some trains, with the stop at the train station, run on behalf of VR between Karis and Kirkkonummi via Ingå. It does not stop at intermediate coach stops (although you could try nicely asking the driver). Search for "Ingå apotek" to get to the main village ("Ingå" in VR parlance signifies Ingå railway station, some kilometres away) and book together with the train ticket (no ticket sale on board). The minibus connection can be used also without a train leg, still booking through the VR pages.

There are local "taxiline" buses or minibuses (line number 191) between Kirkkonummi and Ingå centre stopping also at intermediate coach stops. See here for more information. The bus goes to to Kirkkonummi train station. Fare to Ingå €3.

There is a route planner for bus trips.

Municipal Dial-a-Ride service can also be used for trips within Inkoo. A taxi ride along the scheduled routes, possibly with a detour to pick you up, costs €3/person.

Ingå municipality publishes a combined timetable on most of the connections (which seems not to be linked from the tourism pages). General information and links on this page (in Swedish).

In the school year 2019–2020 there is an experiment with free public transport from Lohja hospital once daily on school days (taxiline, stopping at intermediate stops).

By car

Road 51 between Helsinki and Karis goes through Ingå. The distance from Helsinki is about 60 km. For Fagervik, Barösund or more quiet driving, you could instead follow the historic King's Road.

Barösund

By boat

As Ingå has a nice archipelago and the main yacht fairway between Helsinki and the Archipelago Sea passes through it, yacht is a natural way to get in (or around).

Get around

Map
Map of Ingå

Scheduled transportation is sparse, mainly the above mentioned connections. You can get around by car, bike, or taxi. The main village, the Ingå parish village, is 1 km from the main road (road 51). The VR bus stops at the pharmacy (Ingå apotek) close to the supermarket and the church, most coaches have stops also somewhat farther. The tourist information, library and marina are half a kilometre south from the pharmacy.

Degerby village is a few hundred metres north of road 51. Most coaches stop at the crossroads.

The other villages are farther from the main roads, so you need connections specifically to those. Barösund is on the main yacht fairway from Helsinki westward, so easily reached by boat.

By taxi

Local taxis:

  • Lähitaksi, ☏ +358 100 7300 (extra charge: €1.92+€2.5/min+pvm). Traditionally the main taxi dispatch service in the capital region outside of Helsinki. Smartphone app: Taksini Daytime M–Sa €3.90+€1/1.45/km+0.90/min, nights and holidays €7.90+1.05/1.55/km+0.99/min; prebooking €7/14; the lower km and prebooking fees for 1–4 persons. (updated Jul 2020)
  • Menevä Inkoo. Smart phone app offers address based routing and calculates price according to them. Pricing told on the web. (updated Mar 2020)
  • Smartphone apps: Valopilkku, 02 Taksi

See

  • 1 Gammelgården. Local house museum, showcasing the daily life in former days. Gammelgården also hosts market events around the year. (updated Oct 2018)
  • 2 Ingå church (Ingå kyrka, Inkoon kirkko). Medieval church, with a well preserved Danse Macabre-themed fresco. (updated Oct 2018)
  • Fagervik historical ironworks and manor (see #Villages above).
  • 3 The Cannons at Torp (Kanonerna vid Torp, Torpin tykit), Kanonvägen 4 (hamlet of Torp, a few kms northwest of Ingå parish village). Military museum with cannons, but also other military hardware (at least Finnish, Soviet and American) on display. (updated Jun 2020)
  • 4 Lomamäen Lemmikkipuisto, Torbackavägen 213 (road to Torbacka), ☏ +358 40 900 9181, . Lomamäen Lemmikkipuisto is an adventurous mini zoo for the whole family. There is a peaceful playground for the little ones. €17 per person, family (max. 6 persons) €60. 

Historical remains of Porkkala parenthesis

There are still traces of the Soviet lease period to be seen in Ingå. A natural start of your exploration can be the Igor Museum in Degerby.

  • 5 Igor Museum in Degerby, Furuborgsvägen 6, 10160 Degerby, ☏ +358 40-541-8526, . 1 June–17 August Tu–Sa 11:00–16:00, in winter Sa 12:00–16:00 and other times by agreement. Stories of Finnish and Soviet people affected by involuntary re-settling due to the Porkkala lease. €5. 

Do

Archipelago view from Kopparnäs

Recreation areas

  • 1 Kopparnäs (Turn from Helsinki-Hanko road 51 at Degerby to Kopparnäs Road to the south). The recreation area (450 ha mainland, 67 ha islands and 195 ha of water area) comprises of a rocky shore, forest, meadows and agricultural land. Several islands are part of the area, the largest one Stora Halsö with a pier for fixing boats (depth about 1.5 m). There are several car parks with compost toilets and sheds (fireplaces) for making BBQs. 
  • 2 Gölisnäs. This small recreation area (11.5 ha) can be reached after a 4 km drive from Barösund. A scenic shore, forest, car park, dry toilets, picnic huts and mosquitoes. Gölisnäs can also be reached by larger boats, as the water depth is 8 feet at the dock. 

Buy

The main village has a supermarket and some other shops. During the warmer half of the year fishermen sell their catch in the harbour, and sometimes there are also local farmers selling their produce.

In the other villages the shops may have short hours, be limited to the summer season, be closed in vacations or not cover what you need. Check in advance.

  • 1 Strand. A small shopping mall with shops and places to eat and drink. (updated Oct 2018)
  • 2 Degerby Deli, Degerbyvägen 1. M–F 12–18, Sa 11–18, Su 11–16. Food store in the village of Degerby, owned by pop singer Kisu Jernström and specializing in local produce. (updated Sep 2019)

Eat

  • 1 Delta Café, Småbåtshamnen. Café and restaurant in the yacht harbour. Mostly fast food (hamburgers, pizza, kebab), but also does two "proper" dishes of the day, one with fish and another with meat. (updated Jun 2020)
  • 2 Sågen, Strandvägen 3. "The saw" is as close you get to fine dining in Ingå. Mediterranean, American and Finnish cuisine. (updated Jun 2020)

Drink

Sleep

Connect

Go next

You can for instance travel east or west along the King's Road. Going east the next town along the road is Siuntio, to the west it's Karis.

This city travel guide to Ingå is a usable article. It has information on how to get there and on restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.
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