A few months in Vaasa

Sport and wellness

• Gyms: there are gyms in the city centre and in the suburbs. Many are open 24 hours with a key card. A monthly pass costs about 30 to 60 euros.
• Swimming and sauna: the city swimming hall has pools, a gym and saunas. Public saunas are cheap and a good place to relax.
• Football: there are outdoor pitches in most districts. Pickup games happen on summer evenings. Ask at your housing; crews often play together.
• Ice hockey and skating: outdoor rinks are free in winter. Bring your own skates or rent them.
• Running and cycling: lit trails go through the forests and along the sea. In winter some are kept open for skiing.

Links: Exercise and outdoor activities (City of Vaasa), Leisure, sports and wellness in the directory.

Outdoors

• The sea: Vaasa has beaches close to the centre. The water is warm enough to swim in July and August.
• Kvarken Archipelago: a UNESCO World Heritage site, 30 minutes from the city. Nature trails, a lookout tower, boat trips in summer. Kvarken Archipelago (City of Vaasa)
• Fishing: with a rod and hook it is free. Other fishing needs the fisheries management fee. Fisheries management fee
• Nature trails and hiking: Activities and nature (City of Vaasa)
• Winter: ice fishing, skiing, walking on the frozen sea when the ice is thick. Ask locals before you go on the ice.

Eating and going out

• Restaurants: the centre has restaurants from many countries. Lunch buffets on weekdays, from about 11 to 14, are the cheapest hot meal.
• Late food: pizza and kebab places stay open late, especially on Friday and Saturday.
• Familiar food: supermarkets have sections with Polish, Baltic, Balkan and Asian products. Small ethnic shops in the centre sell more.
• Bars: most bars close at 2 at night. Some are open until 4 on weekends. You need an ID card with a photo.
• Alcohol: grocery stores sell beer and cider until 21. Stronger drinks come only from the state alcohol monopoly shop, which is closed on Sundays. Drinks are expensive compared with most of Europe.

Links: Catering and restaurants in the directory.

Practical things

• Money: shops and buses take cards everywhere. Cash is rarely needed.
• Mobile phone: prepaid SIM cards are sold in kiosks and supermarkets. No registration is needed.
• Getting around: local buses cover the city and the airport area. Check the timetable, buses are less frequent in the evening and at weekends. Local buses (City of Vaasa)
• Taxi: order by app or by phone. Taxis are expensive. Agree the price or check the meter first.
• Night: there is no night bus service in Vaasa. Plan the way home before you go out.
• Winter clothing: from November you need a warm jacket, a hat, gloves and shoes with good grip. Supermarkets and workwear shops sell them.
• Daylight: in December the sun sets before 15:30. In June it is light almost all night.
• Pharmacies: medicines are sold only in pharmacies. Painkillers and cold medicine are sold without a prescription.
• Churches and prayer rooms: Vaasa has Lutheran, Orthodox and Catholic churches, a mosque and free churches.
• Post: Posti delivers parcels to lockers in supermarkets.

When you are sick or injured

• Emergency: call 112. Say where you are. The operator speaks English.
• Urgent but not an emergency: call 116 117 first. They tell you where to go. The emergency clinic in Vaasa is open around the clock. Emergency care
• Not urgent: your employer must arrange occupational healthcare. Ask which clinic to use. Posted workers have the same right. Occupational healthcare for posted workers (Occupational Safety Administration)
• Accident at work: tell your supervisor at once. Work accidents are insured in Finland. Accident insurance for posted workers
• EU citizens: bring your European Health Insurance Card. EU healthcare in Finland

What is normal here

• Quiet hours: keep noise down after 22, in housing and outside. Neighbours complain quickly and the police come.
• Recycling: sort waste into paper, cardboard, plastic, glass, metal, bio and mixed. Bottles and cans have a deposit; return them to the machine in the supermarket.
• Sauna: you go in naked, men and women separately, unless everyone agrees otherwise. Shower before you go in. Nobody talks about it afterwards.
• Everyman’s right: you can walk, cycle, ski, pick berries and mushrooms almost anywhere in nature, but not in gardens, near houses or on fields. You cannot make a fire or cut trees without permission. Everyman’s rights
• Tipping: not expected. Round up if you want.
• Punctuality: people arrive on time. Meetings and buses start at the stated minute.
• Talking: silence is normal. People are friendly but do not make small talk with strangers.

Where to get help

• Emergency: 112
• Problems at work, unpaid wages, unsafe housing: the occupational safety authority. They handle complaints in confidence. Occupational Safety Administration, Wages and working hours (InfoFinland)
• Trade unions help members with pay and contract problems. Trade unions (InfoFinland)
• Questions about living here: the Welcome Office of the City of Vaasa, free, in several languages. Welcome Office
• Police, non-urgent: Police of Finland
• Everything else in twelve languages: InfoFinland