Things to do in Raahe, Finland - 10 tips

Writer: Helena Bergström

Updated: September 2026 | What to do in Raahe, Finland? The small coastal town surprised us with its charming wooden houses, exciting maritime history and several really interesting museums. Here you can also see the world's oldest preserved diving suit! Here we have collected our 10 best tips for things to see and do in Raahe.

Raahe in Finland

Raahe was founded in the mid-17th century by Governor General and Count Per Brahe. In the 19th century, the town was transformed into an important maritime town, which at one time had the largest merchant fleet in Finland. Today, Raahe is a quiet little town on the coast, which attracts visitors thanks to its historic and beautiful wooden town centre and several interesting museums.

The municipality is monolingual Finnish so you can't expect to speak Swedish here. However, we had a guided tour in Swedish at one of the museums we visited.

Raahe is located on the west coast of Finland, about 7.5 kilometres southwest of Oulu.

What can you do in Raahe?

So what can you do in Raahe? First of all, you might want to check out the charming wooden neighbourhoods. But maybe you also want to see the world's oldest diving suit? Here are our top tips.

1. walking in the wooden house town

The Old Town of Raahe is one of the best preserved 19th century wooden towns in Finland. You can take a guided walk here to learn more about the history, but it's also nice to wander around on your own. The houses are wonderfully charming, with lovely light colours and a lot of carpentry.

2. Check out Finland's longest (?) wooden house wall

No, it's probably not Finland's longest wooden house wall if you want to be strict, but in some places you can still see this wall mentioned. Maybe it's because it's so undulating and almost windowless, and because it offers a different element to the wooden house town. If nothing else, it could make for a great photo!

3. Look inside Brahestad's church

Brahestad's old church was built on the highest hill in Brahestad in 1655, but was unfortunately destroyed in a fire in 1908. The new church, designed and built by Josef Stenbäck, was inaugurated in 1912. The interior of the church is beautiful, with bright colours and details reminiscent of seafaring.

4. look into Brahestatyn

When you're in Raahe, you have to check out the Brahe statue, which depicts the Governor General and Count Per Brahe. The statue was erected in 1888 and was made by Walter Runeberg.

The statue is located in the centre of Pekkatori Square, which is a central part of Old Raahe. Incidentally, the square was built according to the ideals of the Italian Renaissance, shortly after Raahe burned down in 1810.

5. Visit the Packhouse Museum

Down by the quay, in a light blue and charming wooden house, is the Packhus Museum. Here you can learn more about the famous age of shipping in Raahe. There is also a small church hall with fantastic and colourful wooden sculptures made for the old church of Raahe.

6. Join a guided tour of the Sovelius House.

In the centre of Raahe there is a green house called Soveliushuset. This house, built in 1781, is probably the oldest preserved residential building in the entire city. On the lower floor there is a photo exhibition and on the upper floor you can see an entire home, decorated as a wealthy bourgeois home.

To see the home, you have to go on a guided tour. We were lucky and got the guided tour in Swedish. You probably can't count on that, but drop by and ask if a guided tour can be given in Swedish or English. A visit here is very interesting!

7. Fascinated by the Old Pharmacy

The Old Pharmacy is a really cool museum that you don't want to miss when you visit Raahe. At Kauppakatu 31 you step straight into a time bubble. Here you will find a well-preserved pharmacy that looks exactly as it once did. When we were here, the museum was free to visit and there was also a guide on site, who could answer questions and tell more about the history of the pharmacy. A very nice and interesting visit!

8. See the world's oldest diving suit

Kronans magasin is another interesting museum in Raahe, where you can learn a lot about the history of the area. By far the most interesting thing about this museum is that they display "The Old Gentleman of Raahe", which is the oldest preserved diving suit in the world.

The diving suit dates from the early 18th century and is made of calfskin, which was made waterproof using pork fat, tar and pitch. The person crawled in through a hole in the stomach and got air through wooden tubes attached to the top of the head. The diving suit was then used to work on boat hulls, for example.

In fact, a modern replica of the suit has been made, in the same material but in a slightly larger size, for testing. And yes, some brave people have tested the diving suit - and it works!

9. go on a boat trip in the archipelago

Raahe is located on the coast, and outside it is an archipelago with many small islands, such as Tasku, Iso-Kraaseli and Kalla. In the summer, archipelago cruises and island hopping tours are organised, where you can visit several islands in a few hours. The tours leave from the quayside next to the Packhouse Museum and should be booked in advance.

10. Discover the Matti Lepistö sculpture park

One thing we missed doing in Raahe was visiting the Matti Lepistö Sculpture Park, just north of the centre of Raahe. With hindsight, we would have liked to see this special park, so we recommend it so that you don't miss it if you visit Raahe.

The sculptures in the park were created by Brahestad's self-trained artist Matti Lepistö (1948-2020) and the park appears to be a unique and very special place. There are almost 300 sculptures, with many different themes. The park is also featured in the Finnish film Susikoira Roi, shown on C More.

More to see and do in Brahestad

Of course, there is even more to see and do in Raahe beyond our suggestions. You can find some more tips here.

• Koskipuisto Park is located in Pyhäjoki south of Raahe and offers beautiful nature with a rapids.
• Pattijoki stone arch bridge is a beautiful old bridge from 1896-1897.
• Saloinen Museum is a museum south of Raahe with 18 buildings that tell the story of the old days of fishing and agriculture.
• The Automobile Museum showcases a bunch of old cars from the Raahe area.

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

In Raahe there are several different hotels, guest houses and apartments to choose from. You can check the website of the tourist office, for example, to find the right one. We are travelling by motorhome, but did not stay overnight and continued north. If you want to stay overnight with a caravan, there is the campsite SF-Caravan Lohenspyrstö, just north of Raahe. Of course, you can also check the app "Park4Night" for free campsites.

More to do near Brahestad

If you want to continue exploring the Finnish coast further north, you can head to the city of Oulu, or perhaps out to the island of Karlö (Hailuoto in Finnish). Here are even more tips:

• Things to do in Oulu
• The sandy beaches of Kalajoki