©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd
West Coast
Why Go?
Uusikaupunki ................ 218
Rauma ...........................220
Around Rauma .............. 223
Puurijärvi-Isosuo
National Park ................ 223
Pori ................................ 223
Around Pori ...................226
Kristinestad .................. 227
Kaskinen .......................228
Närpes...........................229
Seinäjoki .......................229
Vaasa ..............................231
Jakobstad .....................236
Around Jakobstad.........239
Kokkola .........................239
Kalajoki ..........................241
The West Coast oﬀers 500km of charming seashore, along
with historic towns and fantastic summer festivals. Tiny
Kaustinen hosts the north’s biggest folk-music aﬀair, and
hardworking Seinäjoki and Pori let their hair down at huge
rock, tango and jazz festivals.
Heading north from Turku, the coast is lined with venerable old wooden towns like Uusikaupunki, Kristinestad
and Unesco-recognised Rauma, founded at the height of the
Swedish empire. The western shore still shares more with
neighbouring Sverige (Sweden) than Suomi. Newsstands are
packed with Swedish gossip magazines, Stockholm’s radio
and TV fill the airwaves, and you’ll hear Swedish spoken
almost everywhere.
Seaside Vaasa, known for its arty atmosphere and an island-full of kids’ theme parks, is super-accessible by budget
airline. The area is popular with families, boasting expansive sandy beaches at Kalajoki, and cosy holiday cottages
dotting the dunes and woods.
When to Go
Best Places to Eat
»
Gustav Wasa (p234)
»
Athens Palace (p231)
»
Bucco (p225)
Vanhankaupingin Ravintola
(p240)
WEST COAST
°C/°F Temp
Rainfall inches/mm
30/86
6/150
20/68
4/100
10/50
»
0/32
2/50
-10/14
Best Places to
Stay
»
Hotel Kantarellis (p234)
»
Hotel Astor (p234)
»
Spa Hotel SaniFani (p241)
» Sokos Hotel Vaakuna
(p225)
0
-20/-4
J
F
M
May Windsurfing
season starts at
Finland’s most
popular beach,
Yyteri.
A
M
J
J
A
Jun Water babies
delight as outdoor waterparks
open their slides
and turn on the
wave machines.
S
O
N
D
Jul Some of
Finland’s biggest
festivals – Pori
Jazz, Seinäjoki’s
Tangomarkkinat
and Vaasa Rock.
217
SWEDEN
0
0
West Coast
Highlights
To Oulu
(115km)
50 km
30 miles
Kalajoki
27
Sävar
Himanka
Kokkola
Luoto
Jakobstad
tijok
Bennäs
Nykarleby
Ånt
13
ki
ki
njo
pua
La
Björkön
Replot
Brändövik
njo
ävä
Kvarken
Archipelago
i
Kaustinen
Oravais
Replot
Södra Vallgrund
Vaasa
Vanha
Vaasa
Lappajärvi
Kauhava
16
8
Korsnäs
Seinäjoki
Kuortane
ki
jo
on
r
Ky
Nä
rpe
så
Ilmajoki
Kurikka
Närpes
5 Viewing modern
art at Vaasa’s
impressive Kuntsi
museum (p232)
Alavus
Ähtäri
Jockå
Kaskinen
Karijoki
Kristinestad
Kauhajoki
LÄNSI-SUOMI
KauhanevaLauhanvuori Pohjankangas
National Park National Park
Sarviluoma
Isojoki
Sideby
Virrat
23
E12
3
Lauhanvuori
(231m)
8
Parkano
Honkajoki
Helvetinjärvi
National Park
Isojärvi
whisper you back to
the Bronze Age at
Sammallahdenmäki
burial site (p223)
Kyrösjärvi
Mäntyluoto
11
43
Vammala
Kokemäki
Puurijärvi-Isosuo
National Park
12
Korpi
Uusikaupunki
Kalanti 8
To Turku
(30km)
Säkylä
Puurijäri
LÄNSISUOMEN
Vläne
E63
9
Hämeenlinna
Alastaro
Kurjenrahka
National Park Oripää Loimaa
Mynämäki
12
Vanajanselka
Vampula
41
Kangasala
E63
2
43
3
Pyhäjärvi
Huittinen
Sammallahdenmäki
Lappi
Tempere
12
44
Harjavalta
Kiukainen
Pyhäranta
Kiikoinen
Leineperi
2
Luvia
8 Paddling,
E63
Kullaa
Pori
Rauma
Näsijärvi
Lavia
Noormarku
Yyteri
Beach
Forssa
6 Joining jolly
crowds at Pori’s
fabulous Jazz
Festival (p225),
or pitching a tent
at the fiddletastic
Kaustinen Folk
Music Festival
(p239)
7 Letting the forest
Seitseminen
National Park
23
3 Exploring the
scattered Kvarken
Archipelago (p237)
by bike or canoe
4 Seeing a city as a
symphony with Alvar
Aalto’s masterful
town centre in
Seinäjoki (p229)
Solf
Bergö
respects to genius
inventor Per Bonk at
Uusikaupunki’s Bonk
Dynamo Centre
(p218)
WEST COAST
Pohjanlahti
the picturesque
wooden Old Towns
of Rauma (p220),
Jakobstad (p236),
Kokkola (p239) and
Kristinestad (p227)
2 Paying your
KokkolaPietarsaari
Airport Les
8
1 Wandering
windsurfing or
flashing your bits in
the naturist section –
Finland’s favourite
beach Yyteri (p226)
has space for
everyone