Vaasa

Vaasa (Swedish: Vasa) is the capital of the administrative region Ostrobothnia, Western Finland. The surrounding municipality of Korsholm (Finnish: Mustasaari) is also handled in this article.

Understand
Vaasa was an important place of governance when Finland was part of Sweden. It started in the 14th century when Korsholm castle was built near the village of Korsholm (Finnish: Mustasaari). In 1606 the village was granted city status and five years later it was renamed Wasa in honor of the Swedish royal lineage. The old names live on in the municipality that surrounds Vaasa.

The old town of Vaasa burned to the ground in 1852, and when it was rebuilt it was relocated closer to the sea some six kilometers northwest from its original location. In the same process the town was renamed Nikolainkaupunki (Sw: Nikolaistad) in honor of Russian Czar Nikolai I, as Finland at that time was a Grand Duchy under Russian rule (1809–1917). In its new location the town became an important sea-faring city and a local businessman named Carl Gustaf Wolff (1800–1868) was at one point the biggest shipowner in the Nordic countries. When Finland proclaimed its independence in 1917 the name of the town was again reverted to Vaasa. The town was made capital of the white side (conservative, bourgeois) during the civil war (1918), when Helsinki was occupied by the red side (socialist, communist). It has since then been known as The White City; the support for the whites was very strong in the area.

Around 25% of Vaasa's population is Swedish-speaking and even more are bilingual in Finnish and Swedish. In the area surrounding Vaasa the majority of people are Swedish-speaking; Korsholm has a 70% Swedish majority. The ties to Sweden are strong among the Swedish-speaking of the region, including those in Vaasa itself. The city is shielded from the open sea by the many islands in the archipelago. The nature of this area is nearly unique in the world as it continuously rises from the sea as the sea level due to post-glacial rebound. The Kvarken Archipelago, which is a UNESCO world nature heritage site, is lies off Vaasa.


 * Vaasa and Korsholm Municipal Government websites

By car
Highway 3 (also E12) from Helsinki through Tampere to Vaasa (419 km). The coastal main road 8 (E8) goes from Turku through Rauma and Pori to Vaasa (332 km) and continues through Kokkola to Oulu (318 km).

By train
All trains from Helsinki to Oulu and Rovaniemi via Tampere stop at Seinäjoki. From there you can take connection trains, which head to Vaasa. There are also trains that go straight to Vaasa via Seinäjoki. Three of these trains also go from Vaasa to Jyväskylä via Seinäjoki. Check timetables at VR's web site.



By bus
There are west coast bus connections from Oulu to Turku, which go through Vaasa. Buses connect Vaasa also to Helsinki, Tampere, Pori, Kokkola and Hämeenlinna. Coming via Tallinn, there may be coach connections with arranged transfer from the port, mostly via Kamppi. Coming via Stockholm, there may be direct coaches from Turku harbour. Check Matkahuolto and Onnibus for timetables and such.

By boat
A ferry line called Wasaline crosses daily between Vaasa and Umeå, Sweden (with the port in Holmsund at the mouth of the river). One way tickets are 350–390/270–300/150 kr (children 6–17). Normal cars add an extra 550–570 kr to the price, a booked seat 70–120 kr, a cabin 330–480 kr. You can also do a day cruise (six days a week from Vaasa and once weekly from Umeå) which is 410–440 kr return. There are also campaign prices, at least off season. There is a transfer bus from Holmsund to Umeå (15 km; 70/30 kr, children 7–19). Vaasa also has its own transfer bus between the ferry terminal and the city centre.

People arriving with their own motor- or sailboat can make use of Wasa Segelförening (one of Finland's oldest yacht clubs) on the island of Vaskiluoto (Swedish: Vasklot). They run the official guest harbour of Vaasa and offer good services for the occasional boat crew. There's a good view over town from the harbour and it's a two-kilometre walk into the centre.

By plane


Local bus lines 4, 10 and 40 operated by Vaasan paikallisliikenne go to the city centre; a one-way ticket on these buses costs €2.50. Local buses from the airport operate only during weekdays of the school-year, not on weekends or in the summer holidays.

Get around
The city is quite compact and most things to see are within walking distance. The commercial centre and nightlife are concentrated in the area around the market square. The distance to much of Korsholm, on the other hand, is some 12 km. Replot is 20 km away, Björköby 35 and Panike 45, the latter north and north-west of Replot.

By bus
Information about local buses can be found from Wasa Citybus. You can use the Digitransit route planner to seek local bus routes between given locations and addresses. Waltti mobile app can be used for ticket purchase. You can also use NFC payment with Visa, Mastercard or Eurocard (Diners Club and American Express do not work) or a mobile device with Apple Pay, Pivo or Google Pay: the payment card or mobile device is displayed to the reader device, which then says "Lähimaksu hyväksytty" ("Proximity payment accepted").

The local bus traffic to other parts of the city and the surrounding municipalities leaves mainly from the southern end of the market square or from the western side of the Rewell Center shopping mall. Bus lines typically have intervals of one hour or half an hour per line. The office for the city buses, Vaasan Paikallisliikenne, is situated on the second floor of the Rewell Center.

Local transport to surrounding localities around Vaasa is provided by Wiik & Ström.

By electric kick scooter
German Tier rents electric kick scooters for use in the centre.

By taxi

 * Smartphone apps: Valopilkku, 02 Taksi
 * Smartphone apps: Valopilkku, 02 Taksi
 * Smartphone apps: Valopilkku, 02 Taksi

By boat
For the archipelago, you might want a boat cruise or a kayak. See Kvarken Archipelago for some options.

See



 * The campuses of Vaasa. Vaasa has three university-level educational institutions with campuses that make use of Vaasa's industrial past. has a unique campus that combines modern architectural elements with an old Cotton Mill in the neighborhood of Palosaari. The campus is on the waterfront and has park areas all around. Some say it is the most beautiful campus in Finland. South from that campus, closer to the city centre but still along the waterfront is, a former grain mill that houses two faculties of Åbo Akademi university in Vaasa. In the northern end of Kauppapuistikko you will find the , also known as Hanken, which is housed in a former clothing factory.Söderfjärden Landsat.jpg
 * Contemporary architecture. There are some interesting buildings to see if you are an architecture buff of the modern sort. One interesting area is the Campus of Vaasa university already mentioned above, another is the city's Center City Block, also called, which was designed by architect Viljo Revell and finished in 1963. In the neighbourhood of Huutoniemi (sw: Roparnäs) you'll find , a modernist building finished in 1964 and designed by Aarno Ruusuvuori. Significant industral architecture is well represented in and the City Library, also mentioned above, is an interesting meld of old and new.
 * The campuses of Vaasa. Vaasa has three university-level educational institutions with campuses that make use of Vaasa's industrial past. has a unique campus that combines modern architectural elements with an old Cotton Mill in the neighborhood of Palosaari. The campus is on the waterfront and has park areas all around. Some say it is the most beautiful campus in Finland. South from that campus, closer to the city centre but still along the waterfront is, a former grain mill that houses two faculties of Åbo Akademi university in Vaasa. In the northern end of Kauppapuistikko you will find the , also known as Hanken, which is housed in a former clothing factory.Söderfjärden Landsat.jpg
 * Contemporary architecture. There are some interesting buildings to see if you are an architecture buff of the modern sort. One interesting area is the Campus of Vaasa university already mentioned above, another is the city's Center City Block, also called, which was designed by architect Viljo Revell and finished in 1963. In the neighbourhood of Huutoniemi (sw: Roparnäs) you'll find , a modernist building finished in 1964 and designed by Aarno Ruusuvuori. Significant industral architecture is well represented in and the City Library, also mentioned above, is an interesting meld of old and new.
 * Contemporary architecture. There are some interesting buildings to see if you are an architecture buff of the modern sort. One interesting area is the Campus of Vaasa university already mentioned above, another is the city's Center City Block, also called, which was designed by architect Viljo Revell and finished in 1963. In the neighbourhood of Huutoniemi (sw: Roparnäs) you'll find , a modernist building finished in 1964 and designed by Aarno Ruusuvuori. Significant industral architecture is well represented in and the City Library, also mentioned above, is an interesting meld of old and new.
 * Contemporary architecture. There are some interesting buildings to see if you are an architecture buff of the modern sort. One interesting area is the Campus of Vaasa university already mentioned above, another is the city's Center City Block, also called, which was designed by architect Viljo Revell and finished in 1963. In the neighbourhood of Huutoniemi (sw: Roparnäs) you'll find , a modernist building finished in 1964 and designed by Aarno Ruusuvuori. Significant industral architecture is well represented in and the City Library, also mentioned above, is an interesting meld of old and new.
 * Contemporary architecture. There are some interesting buildings to see if you are an architecture buff of the modern sort. One interesting area is the Campus of Vaasa university already mentioned above, another is the city's Center City Block, also called, which was designed by architect Viljo Revell and finished in 1963. In the neighbourhood of Huutoniemi (sw: Roparnäs) you'll find , a modernist building finished in 1964 and designed by Aarno Ruusuvuori. Significant industral architecture is well represented in and the City Library, also mentioned above, is an interesting meld of old and new.
 * Contemporary architecture. There are some interesting buildings to see if you are an architecture buff of the modern sort. One interesting area is the Campus of Vaasa university already mentioned above, another is the city's Center City Block, also called, which was designed by architect Viljo Revell and finished in 1963. In the neighbourhood of Huutoniemi (sw: Roparnäs) you'll find , a modernist building finished in 1964 and designed by Aarno Ruusuvuori. Significant industral architecture is well represented in and the City Library, also mentioned above, is an interesting meld of old and new.
 * Contemporary architecture. There are some interesting buildings to see if you are an architecture buff of the modern sort. One interesting area is the Campus of Vaasa university already mentioned above, another is the city's Center City Block, also called, which was designed by architect Viljo Revell and finished in 1963. In the neighbourhood of Huutoniemi (sw: Roparnäs) you'll find , a modernist building finished in 1964 and designed by Aarno Ruusuvuori. Significant industral architecture is well represented in and the City Library, also mentioned above, is an interesting meld of old and new.

Museums




Do
The archipelago off Vaasa is a : the Kvarken Archipelago.



Venue
If you want to experience live music on a regular basis in Vaasa then there are two venues to keep in mind.

Sports

 * Football:
 * Vasa IFK share that stadium, playing soccer in Kakkonen the third tier.



Buy


There are three shopping malls in Vaasa of which two are found by the market square. On the western side of the square is (named after architect Viljo Revell who planned the modern city block that was built in 1962) and on the eastern side is the smaller. A big mall can be found on the northern end of the market square. In, eastwards from the city center, you'll find a big area with various big shops, a smaller shopping mall and two big supermarkets. Best reached by car.



Budget
There are numerous cheap hamburger, kebab and pizza joints. At lunch time there is a huge variety of places to eat for around. For the cheapest lunches head to a student lunch restaurant. A Finnish student card is required for the subsidised price, but even without it prices are very good value at around €5.



Drink


There are several bars and nightclubs in Vaasa.

Bars and pubs
Most restaurants have bars or pubs in connection to them and especially the summer restaurants have popular terraces to start the evening on.

Go next



 * Kvarken Archipelago (Merenkurkku, Kvarken). The archipelago outside Vaasa is a UNESCO world nature heritage site. The whole archipelago is an experience in itself but the parts under UNESCO protection are mainly in the municipalities of Korsholm, Korsnäs, Malax and Vörå.
 * The coastal towns of Ostrobothnia. Vaasa is the perfect base to go out on daytrips to the smaller towns of Kristinestad (Kristiinankaupunki), Kaskinen (Kaskö) and Närpes (Närpiö) in the south or Nykarleby (Uusikaarlepyy), Jakobstad (Pietarsaari) and Kokkola (Karleby) in the north.
 * Provinssirock is a good rock festival in the city of Seinäjoki, some 80 km east of Vaasa. As most hotels are fully booked in the area during the festival, Vaasa could provide a comfortable base for a musical visit. The annual festival is organized in the middle of June.
 * Or why not take the boat over to Umeå in Sweden.