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Att göra i Närpes i Finland

25 July 2023 / 14 Comments

What to do in Närpes - 12 tips for the tomato town in Finland

What to do in Närpes, Finland? This interesting Ostrobothnian town offers everything from tomato farms and delicacies to war history and a unique dialect. Here are all our top tips for things to see and do in Närpes.

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Närpes in Finland

Närpes is a predominantly Swedish-speaking town in Finland, and is also known for its unique Swedish dialect. You may not understand what is being said here, even if you speak Swedish yourself. At least not if the locals speak their most pronounced version of the dialect.

Närpes is also known for its large tomato farms, and one thing you see when driving into the town is all the large greenhouses.

Att göra i Närpes

Närpes is located in Ostrobothnia, Finland, about 50 miles south of Vaasa.

What can you do in Närpes?

So what can you do in Närpes? Well, apart from eating tomatoes and listening to dialect, there are also a lot of interesting sights. Here are our top tips.

1. Admire Närpes church

Närpes Church is a very beautiful medieval church. The oldest parts of the building date back to 1435, and the church was expanded several times until 1770. In the church there is a crucifix from the 15th century, a pulpit from the 1730s and six tombstones from the 17th century. Outside we could see, among other things, the graves of wartime heroes, decorated with flowers.

Att göra i Närpes - kyrkan
Att göra i Närpes - kyrkan

2. Check out the church stables in Närpes.

Just outside Närpes church you can see around 150 small red buildings without windows. What are these? Well, they are the unique church stables. In the past, there were nearly 400 of these, and they were used to house the horses during church services. The oldest are from the late 18th century, but some may date back to the early 20th century.

Att göra i Närpes - kyrkstallarna

3. Experience the open-air museum Öjskogsparken

Öjskogsparken is an open-air museum in Närpes that is well worth a visit. There are about 20 historical museum buildings, such as the 18th century farm Bengtsgården, a school cottage and a few different museums. If you come here in the summer, as we did, there is a guide on site. We got a very nice guided tour of the area, which of course made the visit even more interesting.

Att göra i Närpes - Öjskogsparken
Att göra i Närpes - Öjskogsparken

One of the most charming places we peeked into was the old country store ...

Att göra i Närpes - Öjskogsparken

In Öjskogsparken, you can also check out the lovely revolving stand, which can be rotated so that the audience can see new scenes all the time. In the summer, the stage is used by the Närpes Theatre, which of course performs in the Närpes dialect.

4. see the Pharmacy Museum

In Öjskog Park you can take a look at the Pharmacy Museum, which is an interesting experience. The museum was created when pharmacist Karl-Erik Källström decided to collect a wide range of pharmacy artefacts and documents. Today, the museum provides a great insight into the history of medicine and drug production.

Att göra i Närpes - Apoteksmuseum

5. Visit the Stella Polaris Museum

Operation Stella Polaris was a secret operation at the end of the Continuation War, during Finland's fight against the Soviet Union in 1941-1944. The operation was based in the small fishing village of Nämpnäs in Närpes, and its purpose was to move sensitive intelligence material from Finland to Sweden so that it would not fall into the hands of the Soviet Union. Today there is a small museum in Öjskog Park that tells the story of the operation.

Att göra i Närpes - Stella Polaris

6. Take a trip to Finland's smallest town Kaskinen

Located on the island of Bockholmen just outside Närpes, Kaskinen is Finland's smallest town with less than 1300 inhabitants. Kaskinen was granted town rights by Gustav III in 1785 and has two bridge connections to the mainland. Here is a nice wooden town with beautiful houses you will find, at least in summer, several cafes. We also saw motorhomes parked with nice views.

Kaskö
Kaskö
Kaskö

7. Have lunch at Lind's Kitchen

One thing you won't want to miss doing in Närpes is eating at Lind's Kitchen. This greenhouse restaurant is located along highway 8 and offers a very special experience. Inside the lovely greenhouse you are surrounded by intense greenery, in the form of budding vegetables and herbaceous plants.

Linds kök
paprika
Att göra i Närpes - lunch på LIndsk kök

The summer lunch, served buffet-style, is exciting, beautiful and a real injection of vitamins. It combines home-grown tomatoes (so good!) with strawberries, melons and green beans, but also with fish, chicken and meat. Many of the dishes are decorated with edible flowers and the buffet is accompanied by a lovely red strawberry drink.

Att göra i Närpes - lunch på Linds kök
Att göra i Närpes - lunch på Linds kök

8. Try Närpes' delicious tomatoes

Here is a zoomed-in picture of the tomatoes, and not without reason. Närpes good tomatoes only must can be tried during a visit to the city. You can try them at Lind's Kitchen, or find a shop where you can buy them. However, the tomatoes we liked the most, the small oblong green ones, were unfortunately out of stock when we tried to find them...

gröna tomater

9. Eat tomato ice cream from Närpes ice cream factory

If you want to try tomato in a different way, don't miss eating tomato ice cream. Närpes Glassfabrik makes handmade ice cream from scratch, with Ostrobothnian milk, cream and eggs and some surprising flavours.

We each tried an ice cream in the small kiosk Glasstrutin, with the flavours tomato, aronia, apple pie and gooseberry. Very good! And yes, even tomato ice cream worked unexpectedly well.

Att göra i Närpes - Närpes glassfabrik

10. Shopping for fish at Polarfilé

In Nämpnäs, just northwest of the centre of Närpes, is the fish shop Polarfilé where you can find fresh, smoked and frozen fish from the area, as well as herring and other fish products.

Polarfilé

You can also find cheese and some other delicacies here.

11. Shopping for eggs in an egg kiosk

Along the roads in Ostrobothnia you can find small 'egg kiosks' in some places. We found one near Nämpnäs pavilion, just northwest of Närpes. Here there were good prices on the eggs, and the eggs were partly really big and with double egg yolks. You can pick yourself and then pay with cash in a box or with Apple Pay. Very nice!

äggkiosk

12. Fascinated by the Närpes dialect

Last but not least we have to mention the unique Närpes dialect. This is a Swedish dialect, but so special that it can be difficult for other Swedish speakers to understand, and even for other Swedish speakers in the Ostrobothnia.

Swedish linguist and broadcaster Fredrik Lindström has taken an interest in the dialect, claiming that the Närpes language is similar to the Swedish spoken in Stockholm in the 16th century. Interesting, isn't it?

Att göra i Närpes
"Welcome" is written first in local Persian at Öjskog Park and only then in Swedish, Finnish and English.

The people of Närpes may not speak Närpesian with you - they may adapt to make you understand - but many are proud of their unique dialect and are happy to give you a taste. Or maybe you overhear a conversation going on next to you! Curious already? Then check out this Youtube film, where Lasse Eriksson entertains in local Persian ...

More to see and do in Närpes

There is of course even more to see and do in Närpes than our suggestions. Here you will find some more tips.

  • Fishing villages on the coast offers environments with old fishing huts, archipelago nature, bathing places and sometimes summer open cafés.
  • Goosebumps is an island in the archipelago with a pilot house and nature centre.
  • Pörtom local history museum includes various buildings, such as Ahlholma Farm with artefacts from Berga Glassworks.
  • Pörtom church was completed in 1783, and contains several old artefacts.
  • Tomato carnival is a summer event in Närpes organised during the month of July.
  • Övermark local history and postal museum showcases a farmhouse, a windmill and a post office museum.
  • Övermark church was built in 1875-1878 and has a three-metre high altarpiece painted by Axel Haartman.
Småbåtshamn

Where can you stay in Närpes, or park your campervan?

In Närpes there are several different hotels to choose from. We are travelling by motorhome and chose to go to Fagerö Folkpark, just north of Närpes. This place offers a nice environment with charming boathouses (top picture in the post), and there is also a restaurant. Here we free camped with a fantastic view of the water.

Fricamping

More to see and do near Närpes

From Närpes it is not too far to the beautiful wooden town of Närpes. Kristinestad. If you head north instead, you can visit the interesting city of Vaasa. Below you will find even more tips about Finland.

Even more tips for things to do in Närpes?

Have you visited Närpes? Do you have any other tips on what to see and do in Närpes? Please tell us!

Facts about Närpes

  • Country: Finland
  • Landscape: Ostrobothnia
  • Population: Just over 9 500 (2021)
  • The name: Närpes in Swedish and Närpiö in Finnish
  • Language: Swedish 78.9 % and Finnish 5.5 %. The Swedish dialect is unique and can be difficult to understand even for Swedish speakers.
  • Currency: Euro
  • Neighbouring municipalities: Kaskinen, Korsnäs, Kristinestad, Kurikka, Malax and Östermark.
  • Read more: You can find more information at tourist office website.

Travelling to Närpes

  • Flight/train: The nearest airports and railway stations are in Vaasa, Seinäjoki and Pori.
  • Car/caravan: You can of course drive to Närpes, for example on the road called Riks-Åttan.
  • Bus: Buses run from Vaasa and Pori, among other places.
  • Boat: If you come with your own boat, there are guest harbours in Närpes, Kaskö and Kristinestad. Wasaline also runs a ferry between Vaasa in Finland and Umeå in Sweden.

Getting around in Närpes

  • Walking/cycling: You can of course walk/cycle to some extent, but the city is large and in many cases it may be more practical to use a car.
  • Car/caravan: It is possible to drive a car or camper van in the city and it is relatively easy to find parking spaces.
  • Bus: The Ingves-Svanbäck bus company operates in Närpes.

History of Närpes

  • 1331: Närpes was first mentioned when Klas Bengtsson in "Nærpes" pledged his estate in Finby to Bishop Bengt of Turku.
  • 1348: King Magnus Eriksson gave everyone who lived in Närpes parish the right to trade in food, making the town a marketplace.
  • 1867: The municipality of Närpes was formed.
  • 1973: The municipalities of Övermark, Pörtom and parts of Korsnäs became part of the municipality of Närpes.
  • 1993: Närpes became a city on 1 January through the Presidential Decree.

You might also like:

Things to do in Rauma - 15 tips for a Finnish UNESCO city Att göra i Kristinestad i FinlandThings to do in Kristinestad - 15 tips for a Finnish wooden house idyll What to do in Jakobstad, Finland - 20 tips Things to do in Raahe, Finland - 10 tips What to do in Turku - 30 sights and experiences Att göra i Vasa i FinlandThings to do in Vaasa in Finland - 20 sights and experiences

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25 July 2023 6:00
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14 Comments

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  1. Gunn says:

    You made it really brilliant! If you want to see more nature and get into more smaller villages on the way up from Turku, you can instead take a road from Pori, which goes west of the R8 motorway, all the way up to Kristinestad.

    25 July 2023 - 7:46

    Reply

  2. Åsa Häggblom says:

    Oh...you missed the theatre "Vridin" which is an open air theatre in Öjskogsparken. The audience sits on a large round stand that spins around and thus takes the audience to new scenes and acts in the big room, which of course are played in the Närpes dialect. Mostly self-written plays with lots of humour and music.

    25 July 2023 - 7:48

    Reply

    • Comment by post author

      Helena says:

      Hi Åsa! Thanks for writing, but wow, we saw it!!! I now realise that it was not included in the report, do not know what happened there ... I add a few sentences (and maybe a picture) in the text about Öjskogsparken!!! Thanks again!

      25 July 2023 - 7:59

      Reply

  3. Lisa Dahl says:

    I love Närpes❤️ You have really found the pearls, really good reportage.

    25 July 2023 - 8:51

    Reply

  4. Gun-Lis Angsell says:

    Great!
    Can be complemented by the Strandhem summer farm and Cornelia cafe with museum and flea market.

    25 July 2023 - 9:04

    Reply

  5. Tove says:

    But why advertise Kaskinen on a page about Närpes? Let Kaskö have its own page!
    And informing people that Kaskinen is located on an island called Bockholmen can easily be confused with the Bockholmen campsite in Kristinestad.
    Then there are so many hiking trails, e.g. on Vargberget where you can see giant pots, and other things worth seeing, so the language, egg kiosks and such feels a bit superfluous.
    Where does your information come from? Have you had contact with someone in Närpes who can give you tips on what to see?

    25 July 2023 - 10:33

    Reply

    • Comment by post author

      Helena says:

      Hi Tove! We run a travel magazine and write articles about different destinations. Of course we would like to write about every destination in the world, but travelling takes time and costs money, so we have to prioritise. We are travelling in Finland for about 6 weeks in total and unfortunately there is not enough time to write about all destinations. Why do we mention Kaskö in an article about Närpes? Well, we often tell about nice excursion destinations in the neighbourhood, because it can be interesting for the tourist. But if it is confusing to mention Bockholmen, can I remove it? We are happy to improve when possible! Thanks for the tips on the hiking trails! Egg kiosks are something that many of us motorhomers like and therefore we want to recommend it. These are our personal tips. We have gathered information and tips from various sources, including the Visit Närpes website, guides at Öjskogen and Ostrobothnians on site and on Facebook. Then we write based on our own experiences.

      25 July 2023 - 11:32

      Reply

  6. Johanna Bergfors says:

    Same comment here. Strandhem in Nämpnäs, nice and popular place for all ages with café, lunch, playground, farm animals, swimming beach etc. Very child-friendly and at the same time a place for peace and quiet. Several 1000 visitors in the summer.

    25 July 2023 - 10:42

    Reply

  7. Maria's memoirs says:

    Great article, I haven't visited Kaskö yet 😊 Note, however, that the singer in the video mixes Finnish and local Persian, so it's not just local Persian you hear there. But you can probably guess what is Swedish and Finnish when you read the text? 😊

    29 July 2023 - 8:37

    Reply

  8. Monica says:

    How I ended up here today I do not know😄but I know I read about your Finland trip partly last year. And so interesting, I see that Sune Mangs was born in Kaskö and came with his mother (then divorced) during the winter war to Södermalm as a little boy. They were given a studio flat to live in and I think that it was possible to organise life and living for them here.
    Frank Mangs comes from Närpes, another very famous person who moved to Sweden. He wrote many books and was very interesting and unique in his preaching in the church world. Mangsgården is a museum and memorial in Sweden.

    03 July 2024 - 14:12

    Reply

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