Coastal Route

Coastal Route runs all the way up from Turku to Oulu. Along the way, you´ll find many charming coastal towns and villages.

The tour starts from Turku and follows the coastline through villages and towns all the way to Oulu. Some of Finland’s best beaches lie along the route, for example at Pori and Kalajoki. Typical of the landscape in the southern part of the route are rolling fields, historically important towns and the coast. In northern parts rural villages are common and the landscape is more flat. There are many things to see and do along the route!

Coastal Route - Detailed description of the route

Turku – Pori 253 km
Your journey begins in Finland proper, the grain chest of the country, and takes you to Turku, Finland’s oldest city. The city’s national importance as a port, commerce centre and site of events is still significant. Turku is a fascinating mix of old and new as life has been lived out here on the banks of the River Aurajoki from medieval to modern times. The number of significant sights is large enough to require an extended stay and include Turku Castle and the medieval Cathedral. North of Turku lies Naantali, a traditional spa town and home to the President’s summer residence Kultaranta. The young and young at heart alike are drawn to Naantali’s Moomin World. The region makes for excellent and varied cycling, with both flat and rolling terrain. Dazzlingly beautiful landscapes comprise sea views and fields, leafy forests, gorgeous country villages and old mansions.

Other towns located along the route are Uusikaupunki, the centre of Finland’s automotive industry, and Rauma, famous for its wooden houses. UNESCO included Old Rauma on its list of World Heritage sites in 1991. The accolade is well deserved as Old Rauma is the largest, most representative, comprehensive and lively wooden town area dating back to the Middle Ages that can be found in the Nordic countries. The route continues to Pori, the provincial centre of Satakunta, known by music lovers everywhere for its annual jazz festival.

Pori – Vaasa 265 km

You have arrived at the traditional port and industry town of Pori, to which friends of jazz music gather from all over the world in July every year. Close to Pori lies Yyteri, with six kilometres of sandy beaches and blue sea, good seaside restaurants and opportunities to enjoy water sports. The journey then continues through a breathtakingly beautiful archipelago and back to the mainland in a cyclist’s paradise: quiet, winding side roads lined by small villages, single farms and forest, with recurring glimpses of the sea.
When the hills have stopped rolling, you know you have arrived in Swedish-speaking Ostrobothnia. The flatness is a characteristic of the landscape here. The fishing and farming culture of Finnish-Swedish coastal Ostrobothnia is presented at the Kiili open-air museum, which was formerly a fishing harbour. Kristiinankaupunki, with its narrow lanes lined with wooden houses, and Kaskinen, Finland’s smallest town, both add much to our understanding of old town culture. Närpiö offers a perspective on life in the countryside in bygone years in its Öjskogsparken museum area in the vicinity of the historic church surroundings. The journey continues through flat fields and peaceful countryside to Vaasa, the provincial centre offering visitors a wide variety of services. Why not treat yourself to a visit to Tropiclandia, or the Wasalandia fun fair? Close to Vaasa is the Raippaluoto archipelago, which in itself makes a perfect destination for a day trip.

Vaasa – Oulu 437 km

Vaasa is the largest city in the region, where traditional and modern times meet and mix: the Ostrobothnian entrepreneurial spirit, a unique culture, two languages, international industries and the peace and quiet of a small town. The landscape around Vaasa is typical of the region: large open fields, a multitude of hay barns, well-kept farms. Cycling is easy on the flat terrain. The Vänrikki Ståhl centre at the Oravainen battlefield displays guns and weapons from Napoleonic times. After visiting Pietarsaari and its Arctic museum, NANOQ, the journey continues to the Seven Bridges archipelago before arriving at Kokkola, the service-minded seaside town that is also the provincial centre of Central Ostrobothnia.

From Kokkola the route continues through a flat Ostrobothnia traversed by rivers towards the unbelievably beautiful sandbanks of Kalajoki: kilometre upon kilometre of sand and shining sea, offering many recreational opportunities and enticing beach restaurants. Central Ostrobothnia then becomes North Ostrobothnia, complete with large fields and picture-perfect country landscapes. The nature centre at Liminganlahti gives you an opportunity to become acquainted with the various birds of the area. The route finishes at the “white city of the North”, Oulu. This regional capital is a centre of science and technology, and invites visitors to learn more at the Tietomaa Science Centre.

Route Difficulty

The route is suitable for those who have not been cycling before and for families, if the children have done some cycling already. Along the route there are several suitable places for families to visit and daily distances can be kept to a reasonable level as there are generally accommodation places every 30km or so. There are no major altitude differences, but the wind can be surprisingly strong in places. The route has been carefully planned by choosing mainly surfaced roads with little traffic. These country roads can be quite narrow in places, so proceed with caution. The roads are mainly surfaced with occasional gravel roads that are marked on the map.

Accessibility

You can cycle the length of the route either from north to south or south to north. Turku is the starting point in the south. Other places that make excellent starting or finishing points are the larger cities of Pori, Vaasa, Kokkola and Oulu, each of which has a railway station, good bus connections and an airport. If you wish, it is also possible to divide the route into smaller parts and cycle from Pori to Vaasa or Kokkola to Oulu, bridging other distances by either bus or train.
The Coastal Cycling Route guide contains road maps for the entire Turku-Vaasa route on a scale of 1:100000, Vaasa-Oulu on a scale of 1:200000 and city maps on a scale of 1:20000. There are separate cycling maps available for Turku, Vaasa, and Oulu.