Ostrobothnia

A bilingual region on Finland's west coast, known for the city of Vaasa and the distinctive landscape of the Kvarken Archipelago, a UNESCO natural World Heritage site.

Ostrobothnia lies on Finland's west coast facing the Gulf of Bothnia and is one of the regions with the highest proportion of Swedish-speaking Finns. The capital, Vaasa, is a seaside university city, and the nearby Kvarken Archipelago has a unique landscape shaped by post-glacial land uplift; together with Sweden's High Coast, it is a UNESCO natural World Heritage site. Coastal towns such as Jakobstad (Pietarsaari) preserve old streets of wooden houses. Summer is good for archipelago sightseeing, cycling and boating. Vaasa has an airport and a railway, and ferries run to and from Umeå in Sweden.

Destinations

• Vaasa

Itineraries

• West Coast, Arctic Highway & North Cape Road Trip – Drive north from Turku along the west coast, passing through Oulu, Rovaniemi, and Inari, all the way to the North Cape…