Turku

Turku is located on the South-West Coast of Finland. It is one of the oldest cities in Finland and a port to the West. Hansa ships sailed to Turku already in the Middle Ages. Nowadays, it is a perfect summer destination known for its beautiful urban riverbanks and outdoors cafes. Turku is also known for high-quality restaurants. You can also take a trip to the beautiful archipelago of tens of thousands of islands.

How to reach Turku?

For climate reasons, we strongly recommend land travel instead of flying. Turku is located conveniently just one ferry ride away from Stockholm. The journey takes about 10.5 hours, and there are both day and overnight ferries. The ferries travel through the beautiful Archipelago Sea, and scenery is amazing. Ferries are operated by Viking Line and Tallink Silja.

The train from Helsinki to Turku takes a bit less than 2 hours. If you are flying, it is usually most convenient to fly to Helsinki and then take the train (even though Turku has its own airport). There are also good rail connections from other parts of Finland. You can find information on tickets and timetables on the webpage of Finnish rail services. If you are travelling from Helsinki, you should, due to railway construction work, write Kupittaa as your destination when searching for journeys. Kupittaa is a station in Turku, and there currently isn’t a direct rail connection from Helsinki beyond Kupittaa. There are also buses from the Helsinki airport to Turku.

What to do in Turku?

If you plan to extend your stay in Turku, there are plenty of places of interest:

  • Turku Castle is more than 700 years old.
  • Turku Cathedral is also more than 700 years old.
  • Aboa Vetus & Ars Nova combines an archaeological museum with modern art. Here you can visit a medieval town quarter underground.
  • Forum Marinum is an excellent maritime museum.
  • At Luostarinmäki Museum Quarter, you can visit houses of artisans and craftsmen from the turn of the 19th century that survived the great fire of 1827.
  • Ruissalo is an island known for its beautiful nature and sea views. You can reach it by bus from central Turku.
  • You can take a steamship day cruise to the city of Naantali and see the beautiful archipelago on the way.
  • See art at Turku Art Museum and WAM Turku City Art Museum.
  • You will find other things to do in Turku here, as well as information on accommodation, restaurants and so on.