FAM Trip Bothnian Coastal Route

Two countries united by the sea

15/16 to 19 May 2025

FAM trip for tour operators
Program & Registration

© Visit Kalajoki

Bothnian Coastal Route - Coastal pearls in the north of Finland and Sweden

We warmly invite you to get to know the destinations around the Bay of Bothnia and the Kvarken Strait on a FAM trip from 15/16 to 19 May 2025!
You will meet representatives from the various regions and local providers and they will show you what awaits you on the Swedish and Finnish coasts.

We warmly welcome you and hope that this trip will inspire for creative product development along the coastal route in Sweden and Finland!

Bothnian Coastal Route

 

Two countries united by the sea

The Gulf of Bothnia is the wide, shallow, northernmost part of the Baltic Sea. The northern part is tideless - but due to the upwelling in constant slow motion - land that slowly rises from the sea.

Nature experiences, activities, culture, food, history, cities and a natural and a cultural UNESCO World Heritage site, as well as two European Capitals of Culture. From the Kvarken, “throat of the sea” in the southmost point all the way up to the Finnish-Swedish border in southern Lapland, the coast along the Bothnian Bay offers experiences in all seasons – in two distinct, yet similar countries.

Welcome to Sweden and Finland

This natural coastal route with more than 800 km of low-traffic road passes through an area of the Nordic countries that is uncrowded, making it a perfect destination for slow travelling. The route combines urban coastal charm with the best of nature, local culture and flavours in the two different yet similar Nordic countries. A common focus in the region is sustainability - all destinations along the Bothnian Coastal Route work together to offer the most responsible and sustainable experiences. The main stops on the Finnish side are the towns of Vaasa, Kalajoki and further north Oulu, before crossing the border into Sweden via the twin towns of Haparanda and Tornio and then travelling further south to Luleå, Skellefteå and Umeå on the Swedish side. To complete the journey along the coast, there is a second border crossing by sea via the Kvarken strait on Wasaline's sustainable, year-round ferry Aurora Botnia.

The coastal region is also home to some of the least known archipelagos in Europe, consisting of thousands of islands with fascinating nature, including the UNESCO World Heritage Site Kvarken and two national parks in the archipelago south of Haparanda-Tornio. The islands are the perfect place to switch off and enjoy the relaxed lifestyle of the Nordic archipelago.

Accessibility

There are several options for travelling to the Bothnian coastal route and between destinations, by car, bus, train or plane. The ferry journey with Wasaline between Vaasa in Finland and Umeå in Sweden across the Gulf of Bothnia takes just 3.5 hours. By plane, you can reach the various cities via Helsinki and Stockholm.

This FAM trip is a cooperation between the regional tourism organisations of Visit Umeå, Visit Skellefteå, Luleå Business Region, BusinessOulu, City of Kalajoki and Vaasa Region Development Company VASEK and is being realised as part of the Bothnian Coastal Route project.

The Bothnian Coastal Route project, which includes destinations in northern Finland and Sweden, aims to promote the coastal region around the Bay of Bothnia and the Kvarken Strait as an attractive travel route for international tourists and locals.

Bothnian Coastal Route AURORA EU Logo

Contacts

Visit Umeå
Erja Back


Tel. +46 70 647 62 78
erja.back@visitumea.se

Visit Skellefteå
Bo Wikström

Tel. +46 70 597 7331
bo.wikstrom@visitskelleftea.se

Luleå Business Region
Karin Åberg

Tel. +46 70 288 26 90
karin.aberg@luleabusiness.se

BusinessOulu
Sari Kasvi

Tel. +358 40 724 9419
sari.kasvi@businessoulu.com

City of Kalajoki
Jaana Sirkiä

Tel. +358 40 359 14 57
jaana.sirkia@kalajoki.fi

Vaasa Region Development Company VASEK
Peter Källberg

+358 40 844 2058
peter.kallberg@vasek.fi

Bothnian Coastal Route Logo

Program FAM-Trip

Preliminary program, changes possible

Day 1: Thursday, 15. May 2025

Arrival day

  • Individal arrival at Helsinki Airport
  • Accommodation at Airport

Day 2: Friday, 16. May 2025

Start of the FAM trip

  • 09:00 Arrival at Oulu Airport, Welcoming of the group by NordicMarketing tour guide and destination's representative
  • Transfer to Kalajoki (ca. 1,5-2h)
  • Check-In at Santa's Hotel & Resort Sani, Seaview rooms
  • 11:30 Lunch at Lokkilinna
  • Archipealgo canoeing with Safaritalo
  • . Inspection of hovercraft and floating cottage
  • Highlights of Adventure Park Pakka
  • Kalajoki heritage tour
  • 17:30 Beer tasting in Sandy Kelt
  • 20:00 Get together dinner at Restaurant Välke
  • Overnight stay in Kalajoki

Day 3: Saturday, 17. May 2025

  • Breakfast and Check-Out
  • Meeting the group in the lobby
  • 8:30 Transfer to Kokkola - ca. 70km (1h)
  • Visit to Kokkolas old wooden town Neristan
  • Transfer to Kalles Inn Resort, Kvarken Archipelago, ca. 160km (2h)
  • 12:30 Info & Lunch at Hotel Kalles Inn Resort
  • Transfer to Vaasa (ca. 45min)
  • Check-In at Sokos Hotel Royal
  • Meeting with Sokos Hotel Royal, Ann-Mari Hietala, Sales manager and Wasaline Niina Jansson, Head of Sales
  • Free time in Vaasa
  • Transfer to Wästinn (ca 45min)
  • 17:30 Sauna & Dinner at Wästinn
  • Transfer to Vörå/Vöyri, ca. 40km (35min)
  • Visit of Vörå/Vöyri, to get an impression of the village of KAJ, who are competing for Sweden in this year's Eurovision Song Contest
  • Transfer back to the hotel in Vaasa, 35km (30min)
  • Joining the public party on the Vaasa square, if you are interested to follow Eurovision together with the crowd.
  • Overnight in Vaasa

Day 4: Sunday, 18. May 2025

Day 5: Monday, 19. May 2025

Departure day

  • Breakfast in Hotel und Check-out
  • Meeting in the lobby
  • 08:40 Site inspection Stora Hotellet
  • 09:00 Transfer to Tavelsjö - 27 km (ca. 30 min)
  • Visit at Reindeer Ranch: Get to know Jon Krista (owner) and some of his reindeers
  • 10:30 Transfer back to Umeå and Airport - 30 km (ca. 30 min)
  • Return flights back home via Stockholm-Arlanda

Anbieter entlang der Bothnian Coastal Route

Västerbotten_Sweden_Höjdpunkten Norrsken Chris

Aussichtspunkt Höjdpunkten

Wir nehmen Sie mit auf einen Motorschlittenausflug zum beliebten Aussichtspunkt Höjdpunkten, wo Sie die Stadt Lycksele von oben sehen können. Dort oben werden wir ein paar heiße Getränke zu uns nehmen und der brisanten Geschichte lauschen, wie und warum diese Attraktion gebaut wurde.

General conditions

Our Bothnian Coastal Route FAM trip is aimed at a limited number of selected tour operators from the DACH and Benelux markets whose customers are interested in quality travel experiences in the coastal regions of northern Sweden and Finland and place great value on sustainability.

FAM trips with NordicMarketing
NordicMarketing's FAM trips are realised together with the partners and clients and are aimed exclusively at selected tour operators. After receiving the registrations, the destination makes the final selection of participants.

The number of participants is limited, so please register as soon as possible. If the number of participants has already been reached, we will of course put you on our waiting list.
 

Flight connections:

For this FAM trip, the flights to and from the destination must be paid by the tour operators themselves. The overnight stay at the airport in Helsinki is covered by our partners.

The following flight connections are suitable for participation in our FAM trip:

Thursday, 15 May 2025: Arrival in Helsinki and overnight stay at the airport
For example:
BER-HEL: 18:10-21:15
AMS-HEL: 18:45-22:05
BRU-HEL: 19:05-22:35

Friday, 16 May 2025: Flight HEL-OUL 8:00-9:00

Monday, 19 May 2025: Departure from Umeå via Stockholm Arlanda
UME-BER: 12:45-19:15
UME-AMS:12:45-18:15
UME-BRU: 12:45-18:50

Registration closed

Die Anmeldung für diesen FAM Trip ist geschlossen, da die Deadline zur Rückmeldung abgelaufen ist. Melde dich gerne per E-Mail bei uns, dann setzen wir dich auf unsere Warteliste.