Turku

Finland's oldest city and former capital, where Turku Castle and Cathedral bear witness to the era of Swedish rule; stroll along the Aura River, island-hop by bike on the Archipelago Trail, and visit Moominworld in Naantali with the kids.

Turku sits on Finland's southwest coast at the mouth of the Aura River. It is Finland's oldest city: from the 13th century it was the centre of Finland under Swedish rule, and it remained the capital until 1812. It is still a bilingual Swedish- and Finnish-speaking city (its Swedish name is Åbo). The city centre stretches along the Aura River: on the east bank are Turku Cathedral, the Old Great Square, the Luostarinmäki Handicrafts Museum and Aboa Vetus & Ars Nova; the centre has the Market Square and the Market Hall; downstream on the west bank are Kakola Hill, the Forum Marinum maritime museum and Turku Castle, and the free Föri ferry crosses the river. Some 15 km away, Naantali has a wooden old town and Moominworld, a must for families. To the southwest lies the Archipelago Sea with as many as 20,000 islands; the Archipelago Trail can be driven or cycled, island-hopping as you go, and in summer boats run to Seili. June–August is the best season, with long days and the archipelago ferries and Moominworld fully operating; winter days are short, but there is a Christmas market in December. Turku is about 2 hours by train from Helsinki, or reachable by overnight ferry from Stockholm. Allow 2–3 days, plus 1–2 more for the Archipelago Trail.

Top sights

• Turku Castle – One of Finland's largest medieval castles, begun in the late 13th century, and the power centre during Swedish rule.
• Turku Cathedral – Consecrated in 1300, this is the national sanctuary and mother church of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. Its brick bell tower i…
• Moomin World – A Moomin theme park on a small island in Naantali Bay, where you can step inside a blue Moomin house and meet the Moomin characters.
• Old Great Square – A historic square at the foot of the cathedral, home to a medieval market each summer and a Christmas market each winter.
• Aura River – Both banks of the Aura River, which runs through the city, are the heart of Turku. Boat restaurants, cafés, and promenades link the main si…
• Föri – A free little ferry that has crossed the Aura River since 1904. One ride takes only about a minute.
• Turku Market Hall – A red-brick indoor market opened in 1896, lined with fish stalls, delis, and cafés, where you can eat authentic local snacks.
• Turku Market Square – A newly renovated market square in the city center, with open-air fruit and vegetable stalls and snacks in summer, and an Orthodox church o…
• Aboa Vetus & Ars Nova – An archaeology museum built over the remains of a medieval neighborhood, where you can walk underground through 14th- and 15th-century stre…
• Luostarinmäki Handicrafts Museum – A block of wooden houses that survived the 1827 fire, now an open-air handicrafts museum recreating the lives of 18th- and 19th-century cra…
• Forum Marinum – Finland's national maritime museum, where in summer you can board museum ships including the 1902 sailing ship Suomen Joutsen.
• Sibelius Museum – Finland's only specialized music museum, with Sibelius manuscripts and thousands of instruments. The brutalist building is itself worth a l…
• Turku Art Museum – A granite, castle-like art museum on Puolalanmäki Park hill, with masterpieces from Finland's Golden Age.
• WAM Turku City Art Museum – A riverside museum named after sculptor Väinö Aaltonen, showing his sculptures alongside contemporary art special exhibitions.
• Pharmacy Museum & Qwensel House – Turku's oldest wooden urban residence, with 18th-century aristocratic rooms and an old pharmacy display.
• Kakola Hill – A hilltop district converted from a former prison, reached by a free cable car, with a brewery, hotels, and views over the harbor.
• Ruissalo – A forested island west of the city with oak groves, 19th-century villas, beaches, and a university botanic garden. The Ruisrock music festi…
• Naantali Old Town – A well-preserved old town of 18th- and 19th-century wooden houses and a 15th-century monastery church, one of Finland's most charming small…
• Kultaranta – The Finnish presidents' summer residence, with a garden of thousands of roses. Guided tours are available in summer by advance booking.
• Archipelago Trail – A roughly 250-kilometer loop starting in Turku, linking dozens of islands and ferries. It is a classic summer cycling route.
• Seili Island – A mysterious island once used as a leprosy hospital and psychiatric hospital, now a research station and a popular day-trip destination.
• Louhisaari Manor – A 17th-century Renaissance-style noble manor and the birthplace of Field Marshal Mannerheim.
• Old Rauma – One of Northern Europe's best-preserved wooden old towns, a World Heritage district of more than 600 colorful wooden houses.

Where to eat

• Kaskis – The first Michelin-starred restaurant in Finland outside of Helsinki, renowned for its foraged ingredients and multi-co…
• Herkkunuotta – A fishmonger's bistro inside the Turku Market Hall, serving freshly made fish soup at the counter with archipelago brea…
• Mami – A neighborhood bistro by the small square with nearly twenty years of history, using local seasonal ingredients and ran…
• Tintå – A riverside wine bar by the Aura Bridge, popular for its rectangular pizzas and Korean beef pita, with a year-round ter…
• Panimoravintola Koulu – A craft brewery restaurant housed in a restored 1889 schoolhouse, claiming to be Finland's largest, serving house-brewe…

Itineraries

• Åland Island-Hopping Cycling Tour to Turku – Island-hop from Mariehamn via Föglö and Kökar, cycling and taking ferries all the way east to Turku.
• South Coast, Historic Towns & Naantali – A summer short-trip route from Helsinki along the south coast via Fiskars and Hanko to Turku and Naantali.
• Tallinn, Helsinki to Stockholm – Connect Tallinn, Helsinki, Tampere, and Turku by ferry and train, with an overnight cruise through the archipelago to S…
• West Coast, Arctic Highway & North Cape Road Trip – Drive north from Turku along the west coast, passing through Oulu, Rovaniemi, and Inari, all the way to the North Cape…