Things to do in Kokkola
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Wanha Lyhty & Kellari
This cellar restaurant is a testament to the nautical history, bedecked with model ships and ropes, but the traditional Finnish food is first rate. Upstairs the more casual bar does irregular live music.
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Neristan
This delightful area of wooden houses known as Neristan is what remains of the working class area of Kokkola (Neristan means 'lower town') where the sailors and fishermen lived. Until relatively recently, the river was wide and navigable up to here, and fishing boats docked to unload their finny cargo and sell it in the kauppatori.
It's a pleasure to wander around these streets (one of the most picturesque is Läntinen kirkkokatu), which have a range of antique shops as well as a couple of cafés and restaurants. The tourist office publishes a good walking tour of town.
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Taidemuseo
The Taidemuseo is in a large 19th-century merchants' mansion. It contains the collection of the portly Karl Herman Renlund (1850-1908), a shopworker who made good and left his art collection for the benefit of 'students and the working class'. He tipped the scales at 160kg when he died, but his collection is less heavyweight, although a Victor Westerholm canvas depicting the savage beauty of the Voikkaa rapids is memorable.
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Mineraalikokoelma
The Mineraalikokoelma will surprise with an amazing assembly of natural beauty. Resident geologists have been known to give emphatic tours through the exhibits, which include stunning but fragile crystals and meteorite fragments. In the same building, the Luontomuseo (natural history collection) has a collection of stuffed mammals and birds, plus traps and other hunting devices.
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Halkokari
Beyond Neristan, the Suntti stream continues down to the harbour. There is a beach here, Halkokari, where a British attack was repelled during the Crimean war. One of the gunboats was captured, and can be seen in the 'English Park' on the river just north of Neristan. The event is commemorated in the town's festival in early June, when people dress-up 1854-style, and there's a theatrical re-enactment.
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Tankar Island
This lighthouse island once offered safe passage through the tangled waters surrounding it but has become a popular day trip (adult/child €17/7) for nature walks and a leisurely lunch at the pierside Café Tankar. Kokko Line departs from the camping ground in summer (4½ hours, noon and 8am June and August, noon and 6pm July).
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KH Renlund Museo
KH Renlund Museo is in a large 19th-century merchant’s mansion. It contains the collection of Karl Herman Renlund, a shopkeeper who left his art collection for the benefit of ‘students and the working class’. The collection is unexceptional, but for a Victor Westerholm canvas depicting a raging torrent of the Voikkaa rapids.
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Vesi Veijari Swimming Centre
In winter or if you need a sauna, the newly remodelled Vesi Veijari swimming centre has waterslides, Jacuzzi and three different kinds of sauna (infrared was a little too weird for us).
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Krunni
The best spot for a drink in town is the deck of this old Danish fishing boat around and dominating the market square. There’s also a terrace and indoor seating where snacks are served.
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Vanhankaupingin Ravintola
Set in a Neristan townhouse, this elegant spot does great Finnish cuisine. Try the reindeer entrée that’s set off with Lappish cheese or sample local seafood Arctic char with scallops.
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Historiallinen Museo
The Historiallinen Museo consists of two proud old wooden buildings; the old school dates from 1696, making it one of the oldest secular buildings in situ in the country.
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Old English Pub
Thirsting for the British Isles? This boozer slakes with UK beers that have made it a hit with a local cross-section of young and old, suits and Goths.
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Home of Anna and Fredrik Drake
The Home of Anna and Fredrik Drake, originally built in the 1830s, is one of the few homes that’s open to the public.
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Luontokokoelma Kieppi
The Luontokokoelma Kieppi is not very compelling, with a collection of stuffed animals, antlers and traps.
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Kokkolinna
An art nouveau cafe with an excellent salad selection and staffed by an adjoining restaurant school.
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M/S Jenny
The M/S Jenny does day-trips to Tankar island. On Thursdays, it sails down the coast to Jakobstad.
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Bailiff’s House
Magnificent grounds that make for a good place for coffee and cake.
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Mustakari
One of Finland’s oldest yacht clubs that’s celebrated for seafood.
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