| Uusimaa | |
 | |
Location  | |
Coat of arms and flag   | |
| State | Finland |
|---|---|
| Capital | Helsinki |
| Surface | 9,567.71 km² |
| Inhabitants | 1.600.131 (2014 estimate) |
| Institutional website | |
Päijät-Häme (Nyland in Swedish) is a region of the Southern Finland.
To know
Background
The historical region of Uusimaa had been divided into present-day Uusimaa, eastern Uusimaa, and western Kymenlaakso. In 2011, the eastern Uusimaa region was suppressed and merged with Uusimaa.
Spoken languages
The Uusimaa and especially its coastal area have traditionally been speaking areas Swedish, but from the transfer of the capital of the Finland in Helsinki, on Finnish it gradually became the main language, and nowadays it is spoken by most of the inhabitants of the region.
Territories and tourist destinations
Urban centers
Other destinations
How to get
If you arrive in Finland by air or sea, your first foot is likely to be put on Helsinki, where the largest airport and the main naval ports are located.
By plane
All passenger airports in Finland except Lappeenranta have a flight to Helsinki (for many of them it is the only destination)
On the train
Most of the longer railway lines end at Helsinki. For other destinations in Uusimaa, both trains and buses usually stop on their way to Helsinki in the cities they meet. So it is for example possible to go down to Porvoo if you are coming from the east or a Järvenpää if you come from the north; otherwise you would most likely be forced to take a second vehicle once you get to Helsinki.
By bus
Direct buses connect Helsinki with all larger cities in Finland, and to get there from smaller ones you usually only need to transfer once. Like the trains, buses heading towards Helsinki stop in the various cities encountered along the way.
How to get around
On the train
Local trains go north to places like Kerava, Järvenpää, Mäntsälä is Hyvinkää and west towards Kirkkonummi, Siuntio is Raseborg.
By bus
Helsinki is the center of the region and there is generally no form of public transport outside the city. However, there are at least a couple of buses a day to every city in the region that shuttle from Helsinki.
What see
- The ruins of the medieval castle of Raseborg.
- The Suomenlinna fortress outside Helsinki.
- The old town of Porvoo.
- The Finnish Aviation Museum of Vantaa.
- The Finnish Railway Museum of Hyvinkää.
- World War II sites along the coast between Helsinki and Hanko.
What to do
- Enjoy blues music at Puistoblues, the biggest festival inEurope dedicated to blues in Järvenpää.
- Take a short ride into Finnish nature Nuuksio National Park to Espoo or at the Uutela nature park in the eastern part of Helsinki.
- Have fun at the Linnanmäki theme park a Helsinki.
- Descend into the limestone cave of Torhola in Lohja.
- Go skiing in the ski center of Vihti.
Recreational activities
The coast of Uusimaa is relatively densely populated and large areas along the coast are privately owned. Visitors can sometimes find themselves struggling to find a place for recreational use.
In the Uusimaa region, the Association of Recreational Areas ((SV) Föreningen Nylands friluftsområden, (FI) virkistysalueyhdistys Uudenmaan) buys and rents scenic areas suitable for recreational use or outdoor activities. These areas are often located on the coast (and islands) and are free to be used for camping, barbecues, canoeing, berry and mushroom picking, swimming and other free activities (FI) jokamiehenoikeus).
The list of these areas can be found at the web page of the association (only in Finnish is Swedish).
