Vaasa, Finland

Vaasa, the sunniest city in Finland, is Ostrobothnia's window to the west. Vaasa is located at the narrowest point of the gulf of Bothnia, only 80 km/50 miles from Umeå in Sweden.

Vassa has many historically important buildings, statues and monuments, as well as valuable art and museum collections. It has a strong arts culture with many music events such as Vaasa Choir festival, Korsholm music festival and Rock Perry.

The sea with its countless islands gives Vaasa the authentic feel of a coastal town. Boating, fishing, exploring the archipelago and taking exercise along the beautiful shore are popular with visitors and townspeople alike. The most popular beach is Hietasaari. Another fine sandy beach is Paradise Beach Tropiclandia.

Things to see and do

* Town Square
* Korsholm castle
* Watertower
* The Old Vaasa museum, Brage open-air museum and Sundom village
* Wasalandia amusement park and the Tropiclandia Waterpark

Cruise Season - March - Nov
Currency - Euro (€) (EUR)
Language - Finnish, Swedish
Land Area - 188.76 sq km's
Population - 58, 620 approx
Electricity - 2 round pins European style
Time - GMT plus two hours
International Country Telephone Code - + 358

Port Location - The port of Vaasa is located on the outskirts of the city of Vaasa.

Travel Links - Both train and bus station are situated within walking distance from the centre. By air you reach Vaasa from Helsinki and Stockholm in one hour, and the airport in Vaasa is just a 10 minutes drive from the city centre. Vaasa also has a ferry connection with Umeå in Sweden all year round.