Making the most of Vaasa
Use these notes to shape a realistic day ashore, then confirm any time-sensitive information for the date of your call.
Arriving at the port
From the harbor it is about 10 km to Vaasa. Taxis are available.
Printable map to take along.
The city is quite compact and most things to see are within walking distance. The commercial center and nightlife is concentrated in the area around the market square.
Market place and Finlands Statue of freedom. The market place is the center of the city life in Vaasa. Finlands Statue of Freedom, unveiled in the summer of 1938 is in the northern end of the market square.
Old Vaasa (Vanha Vaasa, Gamla Vasa) is situated about 6km south east of the todays town featuring ruins from the first town of Vaasa that burned down in 1852 and a 18th century court building that survived the destruction but was redone into the Church of Korsholm when the town was rebuilt at a new location closer to the sea. The banks of the 14th century Korsholm castle are still visible and can be found west of the Church of Korsholm.
Getting around
Taxis can be obtained by telephone or from taxi ranks. Payment can be made using major international credit cards as well as cash. The usual basic fare is 4.50 euros. The fare rises gradually on a kilometer basis, as indicated by the meter, and depending on the number of passengers.
Finnish Railways operates the fairly extensive railroad network.
Car rental is possible in Finland but generally expensive, with rates generally upwards of € 80/day.
Nearby places
Stundars, Stundarsvägen 5, Solf (fi: Sulva) is a large open-air museum in the next municipality of Korsholm (fi: Mustasaari) made up of about 60 buildings. It is a living center for culture and art.
Food and shopping
There are three shopping malls in Vaasa of which two are found by the market square. On the western side of the square is Rewell Center (named after architect Viljo Revell who planned the modern city block that was built in 1962) and on the eastern side is the smaller HS center. Along Pitkäkatu there is a small shopping mall called Galleria Wasa
The gothic style Market Hall (built in 1902) offers meat, fish, cheese, sweets, art and souvenirs. It is situated on the southern end of the market square.
Money
The Finnish currency unit is the euro (EUR), divided into 100 cents. Finland does not use the 1 and 2 cent coins; instead all sums are rounded to the nearest 5 cents.
Staying connected
Finland has two official languages, Finnish ( 93%) and Swedish (7%), but also English is widely spoken in Finland.
112 is the national phone number for all emergency services, including police.
Cafes which offer free WiFi for customers are sparse on the ground in this country where everybody logs on at home and in the office, but nearly every public library in the country has free Internet access. WiFi hotspots are also increasingly common.
Opening Hours and
Weekdays
from 07.00 - 09.00 to 20.00 - 21.00
Saturdays
from 09.00 to 15.00 - 18.00
Sundays
closed