Kotka

Kotka [1] (Finnish for eagle) is a city in Southern Finland.

Culture and History

Kotka is located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the Kymenlaakso region. The municipality has a population of 54,860 (2005) and covers an area of 750 km² of which 478 km² is water. The population density is 204 inhabitants per km². Kotka is the largest town in Kymenlaakso region. The city centre of Kotka is located at Kotka's Island (Kotkansaari).

Travel to Kotka - Visa Requirements

By train

Unfortunately there are no fast InterCity or Pendolino trains to Kotka, but slower yet acceptably quick trains connect Kotka to Kouvola where you can change trains to get into Helsinki and numerous other destinations.

By car

Route E18 connects Kotka to Helsinki, Hamina and Saint Petersburg. Also highway 15 connects Kotka to Kouvola.

Buses to Kotka

Bus companies operate frequently to Helsinki and other cities, even Saint Petersburg in Russia.

Tours and Getting around Kotka

Centre of the city, Kotkansaari (Island of Kotka) is small enough to get around by feet. However if you need to go to other parts of the city you should use bus, take a taxi or rent a car. Check bus schedules from www.kotka.fi/aikataulut. You can call a taxi from number 10041.

Kotka tourist attractions and sightseeing

• Maretarium Aquarium. Almost all Finnish fish species.
• Sapokka Park. Ponds, trees, flowers, a waterfall, a rock exhibition.
• Langinkoski Imperial Fishing Lodge and Nature Reserve. This old fishing lodge was made of timber in 1889 for Russian Emperor & Grand Duke Alexander the Third. It is situated in beautiful surroundings with rapids, trees and small rivers. The area of the nature reserve consists 28 hectares (60 acres). There is also a small Orthodox Chapel on the area. The entrance to the nature reserve is free and the entrance to the Fishing Lodge about 4 euros (children 2 euros). Langinkoski is situated about 7 kilometers from the city centre.
• Maritime Centre Vellamo is an architectural masterpiece in the old port of Kotka. In addition to the exhibition, work, teaching and seminar facilities of the Maritime Museum of Finland and Museum of Kymenlaakso, the building will house a 200-seat auditorium, museum shop, restaurant and an extensive library with emphasis on maritime topics.
• Orthodox Church of St Nicholas. The present Church of St Nicholas was built between 1799 and 1801 in accordance with drawings by Jakov Perrin, architect of the St Petersburg Admiralty. The columns at the three entrances together with the belfry and dome of this church representing Neoclassicism form an impressive facade. The icons and several objects inside the church are very beautiful. One of the most extraordinary icons depicts St Nicholas in Kotkansaari, with a view of the area of the Ruotsinsalmi naval battle behind him. Outside the church, there is a statue of Maria Purpur, who is reputed to have prevented the destruction of the church during the Crimean War. The church is the oldest building in today’s Kotka. 

Kotka city tours

• Cruises to Kaunissaari Island. Kaunissaari (literally Beautiful Island) Island is a traditional, small but still lively fisherman village. Boats from Sapokka Harbour (in front of Maretarium Aquarium) about 2-3 times a day in the summer. Tickets are sold on boats. On the island you find a very small museum, a restaurant (good fish dishes) and accommodation. Remember to taste extremely delicious salmon pastries which are sold at a kiosk near the museum.

• Cruises to the islands of Tammio (only one permanent inhabitant!), Ulkotammio and Haapasaari (10 inhabitants, 25 kilometers from Kotka).

Learn

• Kymenlaakso University of Applied Sciences. [2] is a multi-disciplinary institute right next to to the capital region: in Kotka, Kouvola and Kuusankoski.

Work

Kotka souvenirs and shopping

• Pasaati shopping centre, Keskuskatu 10, 48100 Kotka, [3]. Pasaati is a large shopping centre right in the centre of Kotka. It has shops for every taste and is particularly full of Russian shopping tourists. 
• Jumalniemi, Jumalniementie 7-10. Jumalniemi shopping area can be found from the E18 road. It's full of different automarkets. 

Kotka Restaurants: cheap, moderate and expensive

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Kotka nightlife, bars, clubs and pubs

Kotka cheap and luxurious hotels, youth hostels and lodging

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Contact

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This page was last edited by Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel. Based on work by Wikitravel user(s) Ypsilon and Mikko-Petteri and Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel. - Content on this page is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 1.0 license