King's Road
The King’s Road route runs through the southern coastal region between Helsinki and Turku. The total length is 253 km, but with some extra kilometres if you take the deviation to Hanko, which is certainly worth doing.
In addition to several interesting sights along the route there are also all the relevant services cyclists would need, such as accommodation and refreshment places. The countryside around Helsinki is ideally suited to cycling. The terrain is surprisingly varied and within easy reach of the capital by bike. Our routes take mainly country roads with light traffic. Along the route there are medieval churches, historic manor houses, picturesque old ironworks, charming villages, rolling hills, lakes and thick forests – classic Finland.
The King's Road - Detailed desription of the route
The King's Road is the most significant travel route in the Nordic countries, and follows an old postal route. The road has been used by kings and their couriers, bishops and townsmen, artists and armies ever since the 1300s. Binding the eastern and western borders of the Greater Swedish Kingdom together, the King's Road starts in Bergen by the Atlantic coast and runs through Oslo and Stockholm, onwards through the archipelago to Turku and southern Finland to Vyborg and St. Petersburg, nestled in the nook of the Bay of Finland.
Mansions, farms, taversn, alehouses and inns that housed and accommodated travellers arose all along the King's Road, Swedish kings and Russian czars alike spent the night at stately homes owned by powerful families of the nobility. This meeting of east and west created a unique cultural hotbed, the riches of which can easily be spotted even today. Medieval churches, beautiful stately homes, picturesque inronworks villages, idyllic harbour towns and charming country villages speak volumes about the King's Road's vibrant past.
Today the King's Road is a network of fascinating travel services, the historical background forming only parts of its treasures. Some stretches of the original road are still in use, but the King's Road lives firmly in the present, offering science, art, technology, international cultural events, the beat of city life, pedestrian streets, boutiques and shopping malls, trendy clubs and cafés, culinary experiences, adventures in the nature, and a lot of excitement.
The route takes you from Helsinki along the southern coast to Turku. The first stage is from Helsinki to Siuntio (54 km) via Espoo and Kirkkonummi. Then the route continues via the idyllic costal towns of Tammisaari and Hanko to Salo (101 km). From Salo you will continue through Finland proper - the grain chest of the country - to Turku (58 km).
Route Difficulty
The route profile is varied. Its recommended to keep daily journeys within reasonable levels, as the height differences can make some parts more demanding. In planning the route, the aim was to keep to quiet country roads with less traffic, avoiding the main roads with heavy traffic. Some roads can be quite narrow and without hard shoulders, so caution should always be exercised. Most of the route is on surfaced roads. The occasional gravel roads have been marked on the map. There are plenty of interesting sights to visit along the route and distances covered in a day can easily be kept within certain limits as accommodation can be found every 30km or so.
Accessibility
The route can be followed either from Helsinki to Turku or from Turku to Helsinki. If you wish, you can also break the journey into shorter cycling trips as Helsinki to Hanko or Turku to Tammisaari.
The Kingsroad Cycling Route guide contains road maps for the Helsinki - Espoonlahti route on a scale of 1:30 000, Espoonlahti - Turku on a scale of 1:100 000 and city maps on a scale of 1:20 000. There are separate cycling maps available for Helsinki and Turku. The page for the city in question contains a list of addresses for ordering the maps.
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