Kalajoki Dunes
Long Sandy Beach And Dune Area On The Gulf Of Bothnia, One Of Finland'S Best Known Seaside Holiday Resorts · Kalajoki, North Ostrobothnia
The Kalajoki Dunes, in Finnish Kalajoen Hiekkasarkat, are a long stretch of fine sand beach and wind-shaped dunes on the Gulf of Bothnia, a few kilometres south of the small town of Kalajoki in North Ostrobothnia. The sand was laid down as the land rose after the last ice age, and the land is still rising, slowly pushing the shoreline out to sea. For generations this has been one of Finland's best-known seaside holiday resorts, with holiday cottages, hotels, a spa and water park, golf, campsites and a summer events scene built along the dunes behind pine forest. Finns come in July for shallow, gently warming water, long evenings of low sun over the sea and family holidays. Boat trips run out to the old fishing islands of Maakalla and Ulkokalla in summer. The honest caveat: this is a domestic summer resort. The sea is brackish and cool by southern standards, the season is short, and outside roughly June to mid August it is very quiet, with many places closed.
Hiekkasarkat, Kalajoki, on the Gulf of Bothnia, Kalajoki, North Ostrobothnia, Finland
The beach and dunes are open at all times and free to walk. The resort season runs roughly from Midsummer in late June to mid August, when cafes, beach kiosks, boat trips and outdoor attractions are open daily; in May, early June and late August many run weekends only or shorter hours, and from September to April most summer businesses are closed. The spa and indoor water park, long known locally as Sanifani, is open for most of the year with its own schedule - check current hours. Reach Kalajoki by car on the main coastal road between Oulu and Kokkola, by long-distance bus, or by train to Kokkola or Ylivieska and then a bus or taxi. Book cottages and hotels for July well ahead, and boat trips to the islands a few days ahead in peak weeks.