What to do and see in Northern Ostrobothnia, Finland: The Best Places and Tips

March 16, 2018 Concepcion Newsome

Northern Ostrobothnia (Finnish: Pohjois-Pohjanmaa; Swedish: Norra Österbotten) is a region of Finland. It borders the Finnish regions of Lapland, Kainuu, Northern Savonia, Central Finland and Central Ostrobothnia, as well as the Russian Republic of Karelia.
Restaurants in Northern Ostrobothnia

1. Ruka

Rukatunturintie 9 | Rukatunturi, Kuusamo 93830, Finland +358 3 5888600200
Excellent
70%
Good
24%
Satisfactory
4%
Poor
1%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 291 reviews

Ruka

Reviewed By Fionag399 - Manchester, United Kingdom

Great little resort.
Lots of skiing on wide uncrowded pistes, good variety of pistes too
Non skier activities include snow mobiling, snow shoes, reindeer sleigh ride, northern lights hunt, ice fishing, ice Karting, river floating, bowling, hiking.
Range of restaurants in ruka village at various budgets, off license, supermarket, spa, shops and several excursion operators
Regular bus service to accommodation outside of the village but everything in walking distance

2. Nallikari Beach

Oulu, Finland +358 44 7031353
Excellent
37%
Good
52%
Satisfactory
9%
Poor
1%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

4 based on 151 reviews

Nallikari Beach

Reviewed By AdventureUnlimited01 - Washington

I wouldn't go out of the way to see this beach unless you had NEVER seen a beach before or unless it's very warm outside. We went on a cold windy day and only stayed about 10 minutes. There were three ice cream stands open and nobody was waiting in line.

Kauppatori, Rantakatu, Oulu, Finland
Excellent
35%
Good
49%
Satisfactory
15%
Poor
1%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4 based on 170 reviews

Kauppahalli

Reviewed By Berninatraveller - Switzerland

Little beautiful market hall constructed 110 years ago. The architecture is remarkable with a lot of light. Unlike the Old Market Hall in Helsinki, that is nice but has become almost exclusively a touristic attraction, the clients I saw in Oulu in a November day were locals buying local products: meat (including smoked reindeer), fish, bread... . Also a good place to have a light lunch or a coffee.

4. Ainolan Puisto

Oulu, Finland
Excellent
54%
Good
44%
Satisfactory
2%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 72 reviews

Ainolan Puisto

Reviewed By MosseTurku - Turku, Finland

The park is centrally situated just By the river. It was still snow in the park when I visited, but I can imagine that it must be very popular in the summer time as there's a nice play ground for the kids. Even in the winter I was happy to see that they'd kept thee main tracks free from snow so I could have a pleasant Morning run there. There's several Bridges from the park leading over the river from where you could admire the surrounding.

5. Oulu Cathedral

Kirkkokatu, Oulu 90100, Finland
Excellent
46%
Good
31%
Satisfactory
23%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4 based on 60 reviews

Oulu Cathedral

Reviewed By Ana L - Boliden, Sweden

Very similar to the rest of the cathedrals we find in Finland. A lot of light inside due to the large glass windows.

Rantakatu | Oulun Tori, Oulu 90100, Finland
Excellent
52%
Good
28%
Satisfactory
16%
Poor
2%
Terrible
2%
Overall Ratings

4 based on 71 reviews

Toripolliisi

Reviewed By Halkidis - Naantali, Finland

This funny little statue standing in Market Place, is landmark in Oulu. Toripolliisi actually means Market Place's Police in local dialect. Worth of little stop and pic, because you probably will be near this anyway

7. Kiutakongas Rapids

Liikasenvaarantie 132, Kuusamo 93900, Finland +358 40 7325615
Excellent
77%
Good
19%
Satisfactory
4%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 21 reviews

Kiutakongas Rapids

Reviewed By JariJK - Kouvola, Finland

Our whole family loved this place: beautiful Kiutaköngäs rapids between red bedrock walls!
Kiutaköngäs Rapids are easily accessible. You have to walk only one kilometer from the parking place and cafeteria (address Liikasenvaarantie 132) along the marked trail. On the way you will see a wartime action station which was used for monitoring the traffic on the River Oulankajoki. There were no major battles in Oulanka during the Second World War but the region's residents lived in constant fear of partisan attacks.
Kiutaköngäs Rapids are 325 meters long and extremely beautiful. If you still go on walking after these rapids, you find stairs and after that (only 200-300 meters from the rapids) you come to a campfire place. It is a nice place to take a rest. After that you can walk the same route (about one kilometer) back to your car.
There are also several other trails on the area. If you want to walk a bit more than only to Kiutaköngäs Rapids and back, I recommend the Hiiden hurmos circle trail (5 kilometers). On the way you will see Kiutaköngäs Rapids, nice swamps, small lakes, an old barn, a small observation tower and a reindeer fence. This is a very easy route also for the beginners. It is marked with cone signs and the trail is quite flat. However, take at least two hours time so that you have enough time to admire all views.

8. Turkansaaren Ulkomuseo

Turkansaarentie 165, Oulu 90310, Finland +358 44 7037191
Excellent
56%
Good
40%
Satisfactory
4%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 22 reviews

Turkansaaren Ulkomuseo

Reviewed By Arqh - Oulu, Finland

Very atmospheric museum island on the Oulu River highlighting some of the history of the area, such as tar trade in the beginning of the 20th century. Admission's cheap and the place is definitely worth a visit on a nice summer day - in fact they are only open during summer. You might need some planning to get there though, especially if you don't have a car, since the island is a bit remotely located.

9. Pohjois-Pohjanmaan museo

Ainolan Puisto, Oulu, Finland
Excellent
25%
Good
75%
Satisfactory
0%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 24 reviews

Pohjois-Pohjanmaan museo

Reviewed By ExpTravellerOulu - Oulu, Finland

If you are interested about the local history, this museum is the place to visit. On a nice weather I suggest also a walk at the nearby Ainola park.

10. The Predator Center in Kuusamo

Keronrannantie 31, Kuusamo 93700, Finland +358 8 861713
Excellent
48%
Good
31%
Satisfactory
11%
Poor
4%
Terrible
6%
Overall Ratings

4 based on 45 reviews

The Predator Center in Kuusamo

Reviewed By JaanaS682 - Finland

Tänne pitää vartavasten ajella, mutta kyllä kannatti. Suomen suurpedot, karhujen lisäksi ilves teki muhun vaikutuksen. If you want to see Finnish brown bears, saved by a family after thei mother had died, and thus very friendly still towards their carer, this is the place to visit. I was also impressed with lynx lynx. Please note that bears sleep during the winter

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