Discover Vaasa

Vaasa combines insights into the history of the city and region with art, beaches and opportunities for outdoor activities. So, when planning your trip, it is worth first considering which experiences you would like to focus on: museum visits, beach days, cycling, or routes for walking and jogging. These different priorities may also play a role when choosing a holiday apartment in Vaasa.

City History and Regional Culture

On the ground floor of the Ostrobothnian Museum, the permanent exhibition “Vaasa 400” tells the 400-year history of the city. The Museum of Old Vaasa offers a different perspective on local history: it is housed in the Wasastjerna House, built in 1782. Those with a particular interest in the life and history of the region can also visit the Brage Open Air Museum, which features a complete 19th-century farmstead. It includes buildings and interiors from Swedish-speaking Ostrobothnia.

The work of the city museums also extends beyond individual exhibitions. They serve as the regional museum with responsibility for Ostrobothnia, preserving, interpreting and presenting the region’s science, art and history. Their permanent exhibitions cover both the history of the Vaasa region and the nature and World Heritage of the Kvarken Archipelago. This brings city and regional history together with themes that encompass nature and cultural heritage.

Art and a Well-Known Film and Television Setting

The art museums each have a different focus. Kuntsi Museum of Modern Art presents changing exhibitions of modern and contemporary art. At Tikanoja Art Home, exhibitions include historic Finnish and international art, as well as cultural-historical and collection exhibitions. If you would like to discover art in different historical and thematic contexts, these venues offer a range of perspectives rather than focusing on just one exhibition theme.

Villa Strömsö has a story of its own: the house, built in 1852, serves as the setting for the television programme of the same name. A guide must be booked to visit the interior; the tour lasts one hour. You can take this fixed time frame into account when planning your visit. Villa Strömsö is therefore especially suited to travellers interested in the house and its connection to the programme.

Beaches, Cycling Routes and Outdoor Activities

Vaasa has nine beaches, all maintained by the city’s public services. They can be reached by car, on foot or by bicycle; public transport is also an option within a reasonable distance. These different ways of getting there give you several options for including a beach visit in your stay. Nearly 200 kilometres of cycling routes and seven signposted main cycling routes running along cycle paths also provide plenty of options for planning a day out by bike.

For activities on foot, there is a connected network of around 70 kilometres of outdoor recreation routes. Vaasa also has public campfire sites that residents and visitors can use free of charge. At Öjberget, how the area is used changes with the seasons: in winter, the downhill ski slope and trails are frequently used; in summer, the slope and trails become routes for hiking or jogging. If you like to divide your days between cultural visits and time outdoors, you can take these differences into account when choosing what to focus on during your trip.

When choosing a holiday apartment, it helps to weigh up the experiences that matter most to you: city history and art offer a different focus from beaches, cycling tours or the trails at Öjberget. The railway station is in the city centre; Vaasa Airport is ten minutes from the city centre. These details provide a guide for your journey without tying your choice of accommodation location to any particular experience.

Discover More Places

For more destination pages, see Lappfjärd, Isokyrö, Ylihärmä, Vörå, Korsholm, Eugmo, Kristinestad and Jakobstad.

For the wider travel overview: Ostrobothnia.