Finland –west-coast (chapter)
©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
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