Sauvo

Sauvo is a rural municipality in Finland Proper, by the Archipelago Sea.

Understand

Sauvo occupies a peninsula of the mainland, south of Paimio and south-west of Salo, by the innermost part of the Archipelago Sea. Sounds separate it from Perniö to the south-east, Kimitoön to the south (connected by bridge), Pargas to the west and Piikiö to the north-west.

The municipality has some 3,000 inhabitants. Most shores are full of summer cottages, increasing the population significantly in summer.

Karuna in the south-west was an independent municipality 1869–1969. It was officially bilingual with Swedish until 1933 – Pargas and Kimitoön still have Swedish-speaking majorities.

Get in and around

The main road to Sauvo is road 181, with junctions in Paimio from highways 1 (E18) and 110 between Helsinki and Turku. The road continues to Kimitoön and thus buses to Kimitoön pass the parish village of Sauvo (see Matkahuolto for the services). There are also smaller roads from Salo (Halikko). Road 181 is Sauvontie from the highway to the municipal border, where it changes names to Sauvon-Kemiöntie; Sauvontie in Sauvo is a road in the centre.

In 2023, road 181 is being reworked in and near the centre, so you may have to use (signposted) longer alternative routes.

The parish village is compact, but for other locations you will want to have a bike or car. The coaches are usable along Sauvon-Kemiöntie, if their timetables happen to suit you.

Locations at the shores, including Karuna, are reachable by boat (arriving from the west, note the bridge works in Rävsundet 2023–2025). The parish village, in the middle of the peninsula, is 6 km from the sea. There is a small archipelago off Karuna and a few islands in the sounds, but otherwise Sauvo is a mainland municipality.

By taxi
See also: Finland Proper#By taxi

See

Churches

Services in Sundays in either church, times vary. Enquiries M–Th 09:00––13:00 ☏ +358 44-737-3500.

  • 🌍 Saint Clement's Church (Sauvo Church), Sauvontie 48 (Sauvo centre). Summer: M–F 12:00–16:00. Medieval grey stone church, inaugurated 1472. Celebrating 550 years in 2022. 
  • 🌍 Karuna Church (Karuna, 2.3 km south-west from Rantola). In June M–F 12:00–16:00, otherwise open for tourists before and after the services. Built 1908–1910 in National Romantic style. The former wooden church is now part of the Seurasaari open-air museum in Helsinki. 

Do

Beaches
  • 🌍 Marjaniemi, Marjaniementie 64 (8.5 km south-east from Sauvo centre, opposite Angelniemi). Beach. Barbecue sites. 
  • 🌍 Rantola, Paavolantie (Rantola centre, Karuna). Small swimming site. 

Buy

Eat and drink

Sleep

Lodging
  • 🌍 Aitta Guest House, Sauvontie 38 (Sauvo centre). 
  • 🌍 Hännilän Tila, Hakalantie 70 (1.5 km north-west from Rantola, Karuna), ☏ +358 50-331-8642, . Check-in: 14:00, check-out: 12:00. Farm. Horse riding. Vegetables for sale. Lodging: separate house with four bedrooms, shared facilities. €80, extra bed €20; all house €280, weekend €395, week €495; breakfast in the fridge €8.50/person; linen included; pets €20. 
  • 🌍 Rantolan Puoti, Karunantie 1205 (Rantola centre, Karuna), ☏ +358 40-738-8853, . Summer café, summer shop, catering and lodging (three rooms, shared facilities including sauna). By the shore, for swimming, use the public Rantola swimming site 300 m away across the road. 

Camping
  • 🌍 Sarapisto, Nokantie 3 (10 km south from Sauvo centre; turn from Rajalahdentie to Nokantie), ☏ +358 50-466-1282, . June–Aug; sauna 1 Jun–15 Aug 14:00–20:00. Camping site. Shallow and child-friendly beach. Beach and sauna available also for non-guests. Caravan €25, tent €16, harbour fee €80; shared sauna free, private sauna €20. 

Backcountry

Woods are available for wild camping according to the right to access. Keep your distance to houses and cottages, keep away from fields and nature reserves, don't disturb wildlife, and leave no trace. No camp fires. Carry your own water (no guarantee about the water in the wild).

Go next
  • Kimitoön further south, with wide archipelagos
  • Perniö (part of Salo) to the south-east, with Teijo National Park and a few old ironworks, now tourist attractions.
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