A few months in Vaasa

Sport and wellness

• Gyms: in the city centre and the suburbs, many 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.
• 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 for skiing.

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

Outdoors

• The sea: there are 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. Weekday lunch buffets, 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 have more.
• Bars: most close at 2 at night, some at 4 on weekends. You need a photo ID.
• 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.

Links: Catering and restaurants in the directory.

Practical things

• Money: cards work everywhere, including buses. Cash is rarely needed.
• Mobile phone: prepaid SIM cards are sold in kiosks and supermarkets without registration.
• Getting around: local buses cover the city and the airport area. 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 that the meter is on.
• 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.
• Recycling: sort waste into paper, cardboard, plastic, glass, metal, bio and mixed. Bottles and cans carry 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.
• 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.
• 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. Complaints are handled 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