Vaasa is on the west coast of Finland, and is a meeting ground for Finland -- Swedish culture, with about 70% of the population speaking Finnish, and about a quarter of the population speaking Swedish as their first language.
In studying the cities of Scandinavia, a common thread with many seems to be that at some point in history the city was burned to the ground by a great fire. Vaasa is no exception, with their great fire being in 1852, apparently starting in a barn belonging to a District Court judge. Out of the 379 buildings that comprise the town, only 24 private owned buildings withstood the fire. One benefit of this catastrophe is in the new master plan devised for the town to prevent a repeat event. Vaasa is now divided into sections which are divided by five broad avenues.
One thing that does still exist in Vaasa is an abundance of wooded growth, leafy avenues and parks. The center of town features the busy Market Square. Another bustling place to go is the Rewell Centre, a large and abundant mall located between the Market Square and the Gulf.
Summer is definitely the time to visit Vaasa, when the days are endlessly long. In fact, Vaasa boasts being Finland's sunniest city, and you'll find that most of the recreational activities are based around the open-air and the water. Fishing, sailing, boat tours and excursions around the island archipelago in the Gulf, along with seal and birdwatching fill the long summer days with outdoor pleasure. Vaasa also features the Waslandia amusement park, where you can have a full day of family fun, with all sorts of rides and various activities. Tropiclandia is a water park with both indoor and outdoor water slides, saunas and even bubble baths.
Of course you can spend a lot of time enjoying the architecture, castles and museums. You can start with the 18th century Old Vaasa Museum, and go from there!
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