Ingå (Swedish; Finnish: Inkoo) is a municipality in Uusimaa.
Understand
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Ingå (EENG-oh, [ˈiŋːo]) is a rural municipality with a vast archipelago. The population (about 5600 people in 2011) is bilingual with 55% Swedish speakers and 42% Finnish. Commuting to Helsinki is quite common.
Porkkala parenthesis
[edit]Between 1944 and 1956 large parts of Ingå, Siuntio and Kirkkonummi on and near the Porkkala peninsula were leased to the Soviet Union as a naval base, as part of the pease agreement. The lease for was for 50 years; however in 1955 an agreement was reached to return it earlier.
Villages
[edit]- 1 Ingå kyrkby. The largest village and the administrative centre of the municipality, with shops, pharmacy, library etc.
- 2 Degerby. A small village, the centre of an independent municipality until 1946. It has a museum on 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
[edit]- Visit Ingå, Strandvägen 2, 10210 Ingå, ☏ +358 50-464-3374, [email protected].
- Degerby Tourism, Furuborgvägen 6, 10160 Degerby, ☏ +358 40-541-8526, [email protected].
Get in and around
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Ingå lies 20 km east of Karis, 20–25 km south of Lohja (Lojo) and 60 km west of Helsinki (Helsingfors), on national road 51.
Long-distance trains stop in Karis, regional trains from Helsinki mainly in Kirkkonummi (Kyrkslätt). The metro of Helsinki reaches Matinkylä (Mattby) in Espoo. Buses (or minibuses) drive along road 51 and connect to some arrivals, or can be used for all the journey. In workdays there are some services also from Lohja (Lojo).
Ingå, the main village, lies 1 km south from road 51. The pharmacy, supermarket and church are in the north end of the village. Some services stop by the crossroads, others go to the "bus station" in the southern end of the centre half a kilometre farther, by the marina, close to the tourist information and the library. Some drive part of the leg between Degerby and the bus station along smaller roads.
Degerby village is a few hundred metres north of road 51, 10 km east of Ingå. Most coaches stop at the crossroads, some services drive through the village (stop: "Degerby Deli").
Fagervik is 12 km west-south-west from Ingå.
Barösund is on the main yacht fairway from Helsinki westward, so easily reached by boat. There are also a few buses per day to Barösund, and a boat from Ingå harbour in summer. By road it is 7.5 km south-south-east from Fagervik.
Services from Lohja pass through some villages off the thoroughfares.
By public transport
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Connections to Ingå were improved in 2021, as the municipalities took a greater role, see Ingå page on the traffic (summary winter 2021–2022[dead link]).
See also Matkahuolto and the Matkahuolto route planner.
The services from Helsinki to Karis and beyond drive along road 51. Some of the services are minibuses, not necessarily clearly marked to be public transport.
From Helsinki (Kamppi; about 1 hr) lines 192, 192T and 192V drive via Espoo (Matinkylä/Mattby, the western terminus of the Helsinki Metro) and Kirkkonummi (with regional trains from Helsinki) along road 51, then to Ingå, back to road 51, to Karis, and onward to their destination. In weekdays they drive about hourly from early morning to early evening, with one late service. In weekends there are a handful of services. For transferring from trains, walk to the stops at road 51 (Mattknuten in Mattby, Munkkulla in Kirkkonummi). Some of the services, especially in weekends, drive just part of their route, starting from Mattby (Biskopsplatsen, in front of the metro station) or Kirkkonummi railway station.
From Karis (25 min), the services either start from the railway station or from the "Resecentrum" platforms across the railways (use the underpass, turn to the right for the bus stops). Some services are the same 192x lines, some terminate in Ingå centre. There are services more or less hourly in workdays until early evening, last service 21:35, a handful services in weekends, connecting to some of the trains.
From Lohja, the services are mostly school buses, going via either Virkby or Siuntio, some driving only from there. No services in weekends.
There are some services also to other parts of the municipality, such as Barösund.
Ingåket is a call shuttle in Ingå that serves (locals?) M–F 09:00–12:00 in the Ingå municipality area, starting 6 June 2022. Ingåket's routes are based on customers' orders, to be booked the preceding working day from the taxi driver (☏ +358 50-573-2257, +358 50-343-5313). You can pay with the "Ingå ticket". Tickets are €3/2.
By car
[edit]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.
By boat
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There is a boat between Ingå and Barösund operated by the municipality of Ingå. In 2022: twice per Saturday June–July, in addition once daily Tu Th 28 June–14 July. €10/5. See Skärgårdstrafiken (which includes timetables for a bus connection).
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).
- Ingå guest harbour, Strandvägen 2 (in the centre of the main village), ☏ +358 50-354-1909. Also fuel station and repairs. €20 (1 Jun–15 Aug), €10 (May, rest of Aug, Sept); self service laundry €10.
- Schola guest harbour, Valhallavägen 18 (Barösund), ☏ +358 50-323-3882 (port office/Café Magasinet), +358 40 531 1390 (restaurant). Fuel, shop, laundry. €20, electricity +€5.
- Jaakoshamn (on Jakobramsjö), ☏ +358 40-370-4333. €20, electricity +€5; sauna (private) €30/h, SUP-boards €10+€10/h.
By taxi
[edit]- See Uusimaa#By_taxi for information about other companies.
Local taxis:
- Taxi station, Strandvägen 8 a1, Ingå parish village, ☏ +358 100-84090.
- Taxi, ☏ +358 100-3344 (€1.25/call + €1.5/min+lna).
- Taxi Högström Hege, ☏ +358 400-216-136.
By bike
[edit]The European biking route 10 (around the Baltic Sea) passes through Ingå by minor roads. However, locals drive quite fast also on the small roads, so keep to the right and be careful if you have children. Road 51 has speed limits of 80 and 100 km/h, and while the shoulders are wide, they may still not feel safe by the traffic.
See
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- 1 Gammelgården. Local house museum, showcasing the daily life in former days. Gammelgården also hosts market events around the year.
- 2 Ingå church (Ingå kyrka, Inkoon kirkko). Medieval church, with a well preserved Danse Macabre-themed fresco.
- Fagervik historical ironworks and manor.
- 3 The Cannons at Torp (Kanonerna vid Torp, Torpin tykit), Kanonvägen 4 (hamlet of Torp, a few kilometres north-west of Ingå parish village). Military museum with cannons, but also other military hardware (at least Finnish, Soviet and American) on display.
- 4 Lomamäen Lemmikkipuisto, Torbackavägen 213 (bus stop "Degerby", 2.5 km walk), ☏ +358 40 900 9181, [email protected]. 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
[edit]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, [email protected]. 1 June–17 August Tu–Sa 11:00–16:00, other times by agreement. Stories of Finnish and Soviet people affected by involuntary re-settling due to the Porkkala lease. €5.
Do
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Recreation areas
[edit]- 1 Kopparnäs (turn to the south from road 51 at Degerby, to Kopparnäsvägen). 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 (4 km drive from Barösund). This small recreation area (11.5 ha) has 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.
- 3 Älgsjölandet (Elisaari), ☏ +358 40-701-6301, [email protected]. Ca May–Sep. Recreation area (380 ha) owned by the city of Helsinki, reachable by boat, car or bike. Large guest harbour. Café. Rowing boats and SUP boards for hire. Free; rowing boat €5/hr, SUP board €10+€10/hr.
Buy
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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 (by the harbour of the main village). A small shopping mall with shops and places to eat and drink.
- 2 Degerby Deli, Degerbyvägen 6 (in Degerby centre). M–Th 13–18, F–Sa 12:00–18:00, Su 12:00–16:00. Food store and café, owned by pop singer Kisu Jernström and specializing in local produce.
- 3 Barösundsboden, Valhallavägen 20 (Barösund), [email protected]. M–Sa 09:00–18:00 Su 10:00–18:88. Village shop. Groceries etc. Fuel.
Eat and drink
[edit]- 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.
- 2 Sågen, Strandvägen 3. "The saw" is as close you get to fine dining in Ingå. Mediterranean, American and Finnish cuisine.
Sleep
[edit]- 1 The Barö, Barösundsvägen 679 (Barölandet, 350 m before the Barösund ferry), ☏ +358 50-551-7022 (M–F 09:00–15:00), +358 40-129-0033 (restaurant), [email protected]. Small luxury cottages.
- 2 Mangs Gård, Solbergsvägen 667 (15 km north from Ingå), ☏ +358 9 221-7737, [email protected]. Bed and breakfast at a farm. They also have a shop with local products and a big yearly farmers market takes places there in late September.
- 3 Westerby Gård, Västerbyvägen 95, ☏ +358 9 295-2589, [email protected]. An small estate that has been converted into a hotel.
Connect
[edit]Go next
[edit]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.
| Routes through Ingå |
| Turku ← Raseborg ← | W  E
|
→ Siuntio → Helsinki |