Discover Haukipudas

Haukipudas offers concrete attractions for a range of travel interests: Virpiniemi combines distinctive shifting sand dunes and hilly landscapes with opportunities for outdoor activities. Meriniemi Beach is also located there. If you want to choose your destination based on scenery and activity, you can use these two places as a guide when planning your trip.

Nature and activities

The landscape of Virpiniemi is characterised by shifting sand dunes and hills. It offers opportunities for outdoor activities, providing a different focus from Haukipudas’s cultural attractions. Meriniemi Beach is in Virpiniemi, so the beach and dune landscape form a named natural and scenic point of interest for your trip.

Activities on the water are another option: you can kayak on the Kiiminkijoki River in Haukipudas. The river is a Natura area and is protected under the Rapids Protection Act. Those interested in nature and water sports will find a specific river-related attraction here; these protection designations are also part of how the Kiiminkijoki is classified.

For another activity, Virpiniemi has an 18-hole disc golf course. It is suitable for beginners and somewhat more experienced players. A cross-country skiing route leads to the island of Kaasamatalan. Which option suits your trip depends on whether you want to focus on disc golf, kayaking or cross-country skiing.

Church art and cultural landscape

Haukipudas Church is an important point of interest for culture-minded travellers. It contains Bible-themed paintings created by Mikael Toppelius in 1774, 1775 and 1779. A large-scale painting in the north transept depicts the Last Judgement and covers an entire wall. Art historians have called it Finland’s most significant Baroque composition. The area surrounding the church is a nationally valuable built cultural environment.

Another cultural point of interest is Isoniemi, a nationally significant VARK archaeological cultural monument. Together with the church art, this site offers another way to explore Haukipudas: the focus here is on historical art and archaeological cultural heritage, rather than the landscape and activity options around Virpiniemi and the Kiiminkijoki River.

Performing arts and getting around

Teatterikuoppa, located in Haukipudas, provides stages for various forms of performing arts, including theatre, dance, music and visual art. Its broad programme may interest anyone planning a trip who wants to explore art as well as enjoy nature. Teatterikuoppa can be reached from Oulu city centre by bus route 20. From the bus stop at the intersection of Haukiputaantie and Haukiväylä, it is a 2–3-minute walk to Revontie.

Fish in Kiviniemi

There is also a culinary attraction: you can sample fresh fish at the fishing harbour in Kiviniemi. This adds a specific local food experience to the range of possible trip themes.

More local pages in the same directory: Pornainen, Nastola, Kiiminki, Paimio, Kesäniemi, Keskijärvi, Syötekylä and Yli-Ii.

For the main travel overview: Northern Ostrobothnia.