Finnish west coast - Costa occidentale finlandese

Finnish west coast
State	Finland
Surface	54,235 km²
Inhabitants	1.616.718 (2009 census)

Finnish west coast is the region bathed by the Gulf of Bothnia.

To know

Geographical notes

The territory borders on the Lakeland Finland, Southern Finland, Oulu province and overlooks the Gulf of Bothnia.

Background

Its territory is included in what was once Western Finland, one of the six great provinces of the Finland.

With the administrative reform of 1997, the old provinces of Turun ja Porin lääni, Vaasan lääni, Keski-Suomen lääni and the northern part of Hämeen lääni merged in Western Finland. It was suppressed with the other provinces in 2009.

Spoken languages

The region of Ostrobothnia, as well as the southern archipelago (bordering the Åland Islands), has a majority per language Swedish. Also Turku it is bilingual, with the only Swedish university in Finland.

Territories and tourist destinations

      Central Ostrobothnia - Central Ostrobothnia is relatively small both geographically and for its population. Most of the things of interest are found in the largest city in the region: Kokkola.

      Ostrobothnia - The Ostrobothnia region has a large speaking population Swedish and a very interesting archipelago, the Kvarken archipelago, which is slowly rising from the sea due to a glacial phenomenon.

      Southern Ostrobothnia - This decidedly flat region is home to numerous musical events related to the country's most famous spirits brand: Koskenkorva.

      Satakunta - This region hosts two World Heritage SitesUNESCO: the historic center of Rauma and Sammallahti, the Bronze Age burial site. In summer, the sandy beaches of Yyteri a Pores they are very popular.

      Varsinais-Suomi - The southwestern part of Finland is called literally Own Finland for historical reasons. The largest city, Turku, is the oldest in the country and houses a castle and a cathedral which are themselves among the oldest. The archipelago that reaches up to Åland islands it is a popular tourist destination particularly popular in summer.

Urban centers

Other destinations

How to get

After Helsinki, the cities of this region have the best international connections.

By plane

Saab 2000 from Blue1 at Tampere

Turku has some cheap flights on several other low cost airlines. Plus there are non-stop flights to Vaasa from Stockholm, Copenhagen is Line.

The airport of Tampere is Ryanair's Finnish hub with flights from Bergamo is Pisa. Although outside the region it is still close and well connected with the territories of Satakunta, Southern Ostrobothnia is Varsinais-Suomi.

By car

As elsewhere in Finland, driving is the most convenient way to reach remote places. Pay attention to speed limits on motorways as speed cameras are frequent!

On boat

There are four daily ferries from Stockholm to Turku Street Åland. Silja Line and Viking Line have one departure per day and one at night. From Norrtälje (Kapellskär or Grisslehamn) there are connections with Naantali (for those with vehicles) and via Åland. Further north the Vaasanlaivat Wasa line takes passengers from Umeå to Vaasa.

The passages on the Åland Sea and Kvarken (in the Gulf of Bothnia) are quite short and passable even by small boats on a beautiful day. From Åland you can continue across the archipelago sea off the coast of Turku.

On the train

Jakobstad

Trains between major cities of Turku is Helsinki they are very frequent. Also Seinäjoki is Vaasa are accessible by train. If you are interested in cities along the coast, the train is not the best alternative.

By bus

The main cities are connected to each other and to Helsinki by frequent buses and most of the smaller cities have a couple of buses a day to the nearest large city.

How to get around

Old Town Hall of Rauma

On the train

The main Finnish railway route that crosses the country longitudinally passes through Helsinki through Seinäjoki, Bennäs close Jakobstad is Kokkola so if you move up in these areas, or along the railroad Turku-Tampere, you can consider the train option.

By bus

Buses are usually the best form of intercity public transport.

What see

Inside the castle of Turku

• Turku castle and cathedral.
• The historic center of Rauma, a world heritage ofUNESCO.
• The Bronze Necropolis in Sammallahdenmäki, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• The archipelago of Kvarken, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• The giant Pirunpesä a Jalasjärvi, the deepest earthly erosion ofEurope.
• The plains ofSouthern Ostrobothnia.
• Kultaranta, the summer residence of the President of Finland a Naantali.
• The Alvar Aalto center, which is the administrative and cultural center of Seinäjoki, designed by Alvar Aalto in the late 1950s.

Itineraries

Supposing we proceed along the coast of the Gulf of Bothnia, from south to north, we will meet the following locations: Turku, Naantali, Uusikaupunki, Rauma, Pores, Kaskinen, Kristinestad, Närpes, Vaasa, Jakobstad is Kokkola.

What to do

Yyteri Beach a Pores

• Sail around the archipelago near Turku.
• Go swimming in Yyteri sandy beach near Pores.
• Enjoy music at Ruisrock, Finland's oldest rock festival in Turku every July.
• Meet the characters from Moomin tales in the Muumimaailma theme park a Naantali.
• Tango dancing at the Tangomarkkinat festival, every year in Seinäjoki.
• Celebrate the end of the summer season in a cottage with a fireworks display Kokkola.
• Watch a local hockey derby in Rauma o Pores.

At the table

Safety