Discovering the magic of a mökki in Finland
Finnish summer lore, and a guide to making the most of a quick trip to Helsinki.
Mökki is Finnish for cabin. If you’re doing it right, your mökki will be in the woods, by a lake, with a sauna.
If you get as lucky as we did, your mökki experience will land on a clear, cool night, with not another soul to be seen as you run from the sauna to the lake and back again, the wooden planks of the pier creaking under your feet until you dive into the water, bare skin tingling with the exhilarating sensation - hot to cold, hot to cold, hot to cold.
Spending time in a mökki is a summer ritual in Finland, as Mark and I learned from our dear friend Pia. One of the most beautiful things about travelling as much as we do, is collecting friends in all corners of the world. Pia and I lived together for a while in Australia, before she returned home to Finland and I moved to the US.
Pia insisted that we couldn’t visit Finland in the summer without experiencing the wonder and magic of a mökki.
And aren’t we glad we did.
Pia and Mark worked their magic over the fire, preparing a meal of smoked herring, rye bread, foraged mushrooms and new potatoes cleaned by hand in water from the lake.
There was still light in the sky at midnight, and the sun rose before 4am.
It was a dreamy experience that I’ll never forget.
Kiitos, Pia.
How to find a mökki
Our mökki was an easy one hour drive from Helsinki, near the town of Porvoo. It had the bare essentials - think camping, but your tent is a charming wooden cabin.
I found similar listings on airbnb here and here.
Don’t skip Helsinki
We also spent two nights in Helsinki, and were oh-so-charmed. It was raining while we were there, so we leaned hard into sauna culture. Allas Pool is in the middle of Helsinki, so you can soak in the sauna while taking in the city skyline. There’s also an ocean pool, if you fancy jumping from a sauna into the icy Baltic. (Highly recommend!)
Loyly is another public bathhouse, with stunning architectural design, and located on the outskirts of town, if you’re looking for something a little quieter.
Even our room at Lapland Hotel was equipped with a sauna. We booked this hotel after hearing it had the best Finnish breakfast in town, and it didn’t disappoint. Think cured reindeer, malted rye bread, cloudberry jam… All the Finnish flavours and delights.
We enjoyed a beautiful meal at Shelter, perched right on the water’s edge.
And of course, I’d be remiss not to mention the architecture in Helsinki. Simply take a stroll down Esplanadi for a taste of the art nouveau grandeur.
I would love to return to Finland one day soon… This time in the winter.
Jess x