Confusingly, the town of Pietarsaari is also known by its Finnish name Jakobstad. The town stands on Finland's west coast facing Sweden across the Gulf of Bothnia, 29 miles North West of Helsinki, it claims to be 'in the middle of Scandinavia'. Visitors who hire a car in Pietarsaari can tour the surrounding area of islands, inlets and lakes. Highlights of this watery landscape include the coastal university town of Vaasa 6 miles south, and the pretty waterside village of Nykarleby, dubbed 'Finland's happiest place', which is just 12 miles south.
Pietarsaari/Jakobstad grew up around its harbour, and it's still a busy port today. If you hire a car in Pietarsaari you'll find surprisingly colourful gardens for this latitude. The town centre School Garden with 1,000 plant species is among the world's most northerly botanical gardens. And the baroque-style Aspegren Garden is a Finnish National Monument. A short walk from the centre is the area of Kittholmen, where you'll find a public woodland and a beach. Elsewhere look out for the old sailor's houses of the Skata quarter, the grand 19th-century town hall, the Nanoq Arctic museum and the museum of maritime history and shipbuilding.
