Raahe has many wonderful beaches and places to bake sand cakes, some of which I will present in this blog. All beaches in the Raahe area can be found here. Information on the quality control of bathing waters in the area can be found from Kalajoki website. There is one freshwater swimming spot near the urban area, which is the tiny Squirrel Lake. It is less than 4.5 kilometers from the city centre.

Siniluoto beach, Siniluodontie 176, Arkkukari, Raahe

Sea water was very low in Siniluoto on 1.6.2024. It was therefore easy to see how gently and child-friendly the sandy beach deepens. The water will probably warm up nicely as the summer progresses. If, for some reason, water games start to bore the youngest sledders, you can take a new boost from the swing on the beach! In early summer 2024, a new wooden toilet painted in cheerful colours had been made on the beach at the edge of the forest.

Varvi beach, Varvintie 51, Raahe

Varvi’s plush sandy beach invites you to grab a shovel and sand molds! Due to its deepening beach, Varvi is suitable not only for swimmers, but also for SUP paddlers. The beach has all the basic elements of a beach, i.e. a swimming booth, a campfire site and a homely named outhouse.

Varvi is a popular place to celebrate Midsummer and the Venetians. The Varvi-Välikylä village association has built a Pooki hut on the beach, which can be rented. The memory of shipbuilders has been cherished by building a 20-metre-high mast in Varvinranta in 2021.

Oravajärvi beach, Kukkulatie 14, Saloinen, Raahe

Oravajärvi was a new acquaintance for me, which I found while going through the list of beaches in Raahe. On the drive, I had time to doubt getting there once or twice, because the lake is cleverly hidden behind a detached house.

At the beginning of June, it was still so cool that all I tried was wading by Lake Oravajärvi. It was easy and pleasant to walk on the sandy beach. The beach area had a campfire site with tables and fun clumps of rocks.

Pikkulahti beach, Ulkofantintie 18, Raahe

Pikkulahti beach is probably the most popular swimming spot in Raahe due to its conditions but also its easy accessibility. In summer 2024, Pikkulahti will host the beach café Raikas and equipment rental in Lapland.

The picture below was taken near the museum beach. The live camera Raahe, on the other hand, broadcasts continuous images from a height of 50 metres from the roof of the tower block. Pikkulahti can also reach the moving field of images, but not in such a way that individual people can be identified.

The sandy beach has its own swimming booth. Another swimming booth can be found on the pedestrian and bicycle route from the city just before the sandy beach. From there, you can descend the stairs into the water, which deepens quite quickly to the swimming depth.

You can spend time in Pikkulahti in other ways than just swimming.

There are six beach volleyball courts in total. Behind them you will find a well-equipped outdoor gym. There’s also a beach soccer field in between!

Kylmäniemi beach, Kylmäniementie 2, Raahe

The distance from the centre of Raahe to Kylmäniemi is less than 1.5 kilometers. The beach is popular with morning swimmers and other swimmers alike, as is Pikkulahti.

Kylmäniemi also has excellent conditions for SUP canoeing. The canal is easily accessible by canoeing or even by hiking to the tip of Mikonkari. SUP Siniaalto organises canoeing courses and rents equipment in Kylmäniemi.

Mikonkari beach, Lohenpyrstöntie 22, Raahe

The water in Mikonkari was also low at the beginning of June 2024. Of course, there is plenty of sandy beach to frolic in Mikonkari even when the sea level is high. A 1.7-kilometre-long nature trail, Mikonkari Circle, runs through the beach, along which there is also a bird tower.

It has been nice to do a kind of DIY triathlon in Mikonkari: I have cycled to Mikonkari, walked around the nature trail and swam on the same trip – without timekeeping!

Olkijokisuu beach, Uimarannantie 133, Pattijoki, Raahe

The sandy beach of Olkijokisuu is so gentle that getting into the water and further into the swimming depth is a kind of hike. On the other hand, watch out for dune-like depressions, where there may be surprisingly more water. At the beginning of June 2024, there were dozens of swans near the waterline, which I didn’t want to disturb.

Kirkkojärvi beach and Mäntylampi beach in Vihanti

Vihannissa on useampiakin uimapaikkoja, joista merkitsin kartalle punaisella täplällä kaksi.

With a green spot, I marked the West Shore recreation area, where there is no beach. There are plenty of other things to do in the recreation area. Read more about the Läntisranta nature and heritage trail or the bird towers in the Raahe area, one of which is located in the Läntisranta recreation area on Lake Rantasenjärvi.

Mäntylampi beach, Mäntylammentie 106, Vihanti, Raahe

In the Mäntylampi recreational area you can find a variety of activities from swimming to beach fishing and rainbow trout fishing. In June 2024, a total of 146 rainbow trout were released into the pond for catch. According to the Facebook page of the Mäntylampi recreational area, fishing permits can be purchased using the instructions on the wall of the kiosk.

Kirkkojärvi beach, Kirkkotie, Vihanti, Raahe

Near the center of Vihanti there is a very diverse summer activity area with large piers and various places for playing, climbing and playing. The area also provides access to the trails of the Vihanti trails.

Raahe has a wide variety of beaches, where you can find many other things to do besides swimming or water games. In addition to the city, it is thanks to the active village associations that develop and maintain such wonderful and free recreational services!