The West Coast of Finland is a geographically flat region bordering the Gulf of Bothnia. Being the westernmost part of Finland, this is where western influences such as Christianity first arrived in Finland. As a result of this, here you can find some of Finland's oldest cities and towns as well as a sizable part of the country's Swedish-speaking minority. This article comprises the pre-1997 Turku and Pori as well as Vaasa provinces.

Central Ostrobothnia Central Ostrobothnia is both geographically and population-wise one relatively small. Most things of interest can be found in the region's largest city Kokkola.

Ostrobothnia The region of Ostrobothnia has a large Swedish-speaking population and a quite interesting archipelago — the Kvarken archipelago — which is slowly rising up from the sea due to post glacial rebound.

Southern Ostrobothnia This remarkably flat region is home to several music related events and the country's most famous hard alcohol brand, Koskenkorva.

Satakunta This region hosts two UNESCO world heritage sites; Rauma's old town and the Sammallahti bronze age burial site. The sand beaches of Yyteri are also quite popular in the summer.

Finland Proper The southwesternmost part of Finland is called Finland Proper for historical reasons. The largest city here, Turku, is the oldest city of Finland and hosts a castle and a cathedral that are amongst the oldest in the country. The archipelago that reaches all the way to the Åland islands is another popular destination in the region and especially beautiful in the summer.

• Turku/Åbo: the former capital city of Finland
• Naantali/Nådendal: Moominvalley, the home of the Moomins
• Rauma (Raumo), beautifully preserved old town which is on the UNESCO world heritage list
• Pori/Björneborg
• Vaasa/Vasa
• Kokkola/Karleby
• Seinäjoki
• Pietarsaari/Jakobstad
• Kristiinankaupunki/Kristinestad

• Närpes (Närpiö), tomato capital of Finland with their own special Swedish dialect

The West Coast is a region with long-standing agricultural traditions. The southwest is the "breadbasket of Finland". Vast expanses of flat land with cultivated fields characterize the Ostrobothnian (Finnish: Pohjanmaa, Swedish: Österbotten) region, in obvious contrast to the heavily forested inland Finland. Coastal traditions, fishing and boating are also a part of the tourism scene in the region. As an exception, the hinterlands of Satakunta between Pori and Tampere are densely forested, sparsely populated and can be relatively hard to reach.

In Finnish ethnography, the main division is between Pohjanmaa and the Southwest, which have distinct Finnish dialects and culture. Owing to old traditions of agricultural land ownership, both cultures place a high value on honesty, the Protestant work ethic and property ownership. Distinctively, as compared to the rest of Finland, there are many small and medium-sized enterprises that result in a high level of economic development. Religious awakening or revival movements with a lay preacher tradition, such as Laestadianism, are particularly popular in the Pohjanmaa region.

A second major feature of the region are the Swedish-speakers. Different villages often have a different majority language. Swedish-speakers are often in the majority in the countryside, and the archipelago is largely exclusively Swedish-speaking. Cities and towns are bilingual with Finnish as the majority language, with the exception of some small towns in Pohjanmaa like Kristinestad, Jakobstad and Nykarleby.

The region Ostrobothnia, as well as the southern archipelago (bordering to Åland), has a Swedish speaking majority. Also Turku is bilingual, with the only Swedish university in Finland.

After Helsinki, cities in Western Finland have the best international connections.

Turku offers flights some cheap flights on several other budget airlines. In addition there are direct flights to Vaasa from Stockholm, Copenhagen and Riga. Tampere airport is the Finnish hub for low-cost airline Ryanair and fairly close and well connected to Satakunta, Southern Ostrobothnia and Finland Proper.

Trains between the three major cities of Turku, Tampere and Helsinki are very frequent. Seinäjoki and Vaasa are also accessible by train. If you are interested in the towns along the coast, train isn't the best alternative.

Major cities are connected to each other and to Helsinki by frequent buses and most smaller towns have a couple of daily buses to the nearest major city.

There are four daily ferries from Stockholm to Turku via Åland, Silja Line and Viking Line have one day and one overnight departure each. From Norrtälje (Kapellskär or Grisslehamn) there are connections to Naantali (for those with vehicles) and via Åland. Further north Vaasanlaivat's Wasa Express brings passengers from Umeå to Vaasa.

The passages over the Sea of Åland and Kvarken (in Gulf of Bothnia) are short enough also for small boats on a fine day. From Åland one can continue through the Archipelago Sea outside Turku.

As elsewhere in Finland, driving is the most convenient way to get to remote places. Pay attention to the speed limits on highways — speed cameras are frequent!

Buses are usually the best form of intercity public transportation. The Finnish main north-south train route from Helsinki passes through Seinäjoki, Bennäs near Jakobstad and Kokkola so if you are moving about in these areas, or along the Turku–Tampere railway, consider taking the train.

• Turku castle and cathedral.
• The old town of Rauma, an UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• The Bronze Age burial site in Sammallahdenmäki, an UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Kvarken Archipelago, an UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Giant kettle Pirunpesä in Jalasjärvi, the deepest earth erosion in Europe.
• The plains of Southern Ostrobothnia.
• Kultaranta, the summer residence of the President of Finland in Naantali.
• Alvar Aalto center, the administrative and cultural center of Seinäjoki, designed by Alvar Aalto in the late 1950's.

• Sail around the archipelago near Turku.
• Go swimming at Yyteri sand beach near Pori.
• Enjoy music at Finland's oldest rock festival Ruisrock in Turku each July.
• Meet the characters from the Moomin stories in the theme park Muumimaailma in Naantali.
• Dance tango at the yearly Tangomarkkinat festival in Seinäjoki.
• Celebrate the ending of the summer cottage season with fireworks in Kokkola.
• Watch a local hockey derby in Rauma or Pori