Finland
Turku
Finland's oldest city, with its medieval castle and cathedral on one river.
Turku is Finland's oldest city and was its capital until 1812, strung along the Aura river where it meets the Archipelago Sea. Turku Castle guards the river mouth and Turku Cathedral, the country's national mother church, rises upstream, with a promenade of museums, terraces and moored boats between them. It is a bilingual student city with an unhurried pace, and the gateway to the thousands of islands of the Archipelago Sea.
Suggested stay
2–3 days
Language
Finnish, Swedish
Currency
EUR
Timezone
UTC+3
Why you'll love Turku
Medieval Finland Turku Castle and the cathedral are the country's most important medieval buildings
The Aura river a long riverside promenade of terraces and moored boats, crossed by a little free ferry
The old craft quarter Luostarinmäki's wooden workshops, the corner of town that survived the 1827 fire
The archipelago thousands of islands on the doorstep, linked by bridges and small car ferries
Best time to visit
May-Sep
16-23° days
60.452° N, 22.267° E
UTC+3 · Europe/Helsinki
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Weather & when to go to Turku
Month by month: typical highs and lows, rainfall and rain days.
✓ Best May-Sep
Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
When to avoid Turku
November to March is cold and dark, with short grey days, quiet river terraces and a sleepy archipelago. December is also when Turku, Finland's self-styled Christmas City, puts on its Christmas market and the centuries-old Declaration of Christmas Peace, so come for that, not the weather.
Top things to do in Turku
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Turku Castle - the medieval fortress at the river mouth
history 👍 PopularBegun around 1280 as a fortress guarding the Aura, it grew into a Renaissance royal residence under Duke John and Catherine Jagiellon. Today its stone halls, chapel and banqueting rooms hold the city's historical museum.
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Turku Cathedral - Finland's national mother church
history culture arts 👍 PopularConsecrated in 1300 and rebuilt after repeated fires, the brick cathedral is the seat of the Lutheran archbishop. Inside are medieval side chapels, royal and noble tombs, and a small museum on its history.
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Aura riverside - promenade, boat cafes and the Föri ferry
culture arts food 👍 PopularWalk the banks between the cathedral and the castle, past moored boats, bridges and terraces. The Föri, a small free passenger ferry, has shuttled people across the river for over a century.
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Luostarinmäki Handicrafts Museum - the quarter that survived the fire
history culture arts ⭐ Highly recommendedA hillside of 18th and early 19th century wooden homes and workshops that escaped the Great Fire of 1827, now an open-air museum with furnished rooms of printers, potters, goldsmiths and clockmakers.
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Aboa Vetus Ars Nova - medieval ruins under contemporary art
history culture artsExcavated streets, cellars and house foundations of medieval Turku lie beneath a museum of modern and contemporary art, so one visit moves between the 1300s and the present.
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Forum Marinum - maritime museum and tall ship
historyFinland's maritime museum sits on the river near the castle, with ships moored outside including the full-rigged sailing ship Suomen Joutsen. Good for families.
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Turku Market Hall - Finnish food under one roof
foodA 19th-century covered market off the Market Square, with stalls of smoked and cured fish, rye breads, cheeses and pastries, plus small places to eat.
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Ruissalo - oak forest, botanic garden and beaches
nature wildlifeA wooded island just west of the city, known for its old oak forests, painted 19th-century summer villas, walking and cycling paths, the university botanic garden and sandy swimming beaches.
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Archipelago Sea - island-hop the Archipelago Trail
scenic nature wildlife ⭐ Highly recommendedFollow the road route out through Parainen and Nagu, crossing bridges and short car ferries between rocky islands, fishing villages and small harbours. Cycling it is the classic way; it is at its best in summer.
Best areas to stay in Turku
$ Budget $$ Mid-range $$$ Premium
City centre
First-time visitors $$Market Square, shops and main hotels
Explore hotels in City centre →
Aura riverside
Couples $$Terraces, moored boats and the cathedral
Explore hotels in Aura riverside →
Kakola Hill
Something different $$$Former prison turned hotel and brewery
Explore hotels in Kakola Hill →
Ruissalo
Families and nature lovers $$Oak-forest island of villas and beaches
Explore hotels in Ruissalo →
Live nightly prices from Booking.com, Agoda and others, centred on Turku
Getting to & around Turku
Getting there
Most visitors fly into Helsinki-Vantaa and continue about 2-2.5 hr by coach or train, or sail in from Stockholm; Turku's own airport has only a few routes
Flight
Helsinki-Vantaa Airport (HEL)
Take a coach towards Turku, or the train into Helsinki and change to an intercity train for Turku, which takes about 2 hr from Helsinki.
Train
Turku station
Intercity trains from Helsinki and Tampere; the station is a short walk north of the centre, and some trains continue to the harbour
Ferry
Turku Harbour
Large ferries sail daily from Stockholm via the Åland Islands, with day and overnight crossings, docking right by Turku Castle
Coach
Turku bus station
Express coaches from Helsinki, Tampere and other Finnish cities arrive just north of the centre
Drive
The E18 motorway links Turku with Helsinki
Getting around
Walking
The centre, the river, the cathedral and Luostarinmäki are all walkable; the castle is a longer riverside stroll
Free
Föri river ferry
The little ferry across the Aura, a handy shortcut between the two banks
Free
Föli buses
City and regional buses fan out from the Market Square, including to the airport, Ruissalo and Naantali
TBC
City bikes
Shared bikes in the warmer months; flat riverside routes and the islands suit cycling
TBC
Day trips from Turku
Naantali
Full daySeaside old town
A small harbour town of wooden houses around a medieval convent church, with a busy waterfront. Moomin World, a summer-season theme park on its own island, makes it a family favourite.
Getting there
bus | car
About 30 min by bus or car
Parainen and Nagu
Full dayArchipelago islands
The first leg of the Archipelago Trail, through the old church village of Parainen to the guest harbour at Nagu. Some connecting ferries on the full loop run only in summer.
Getting there
car | bus | ferry
About 1 hr by car or bus, including short car ferries
Rauma
Full dayUNESCO wooden town
Old Rauma is the largest unified wooden town in the Nordic countries, a grid of painted houses with a long bobbin-lace tradition. The Bronze Age cairns of Sammallahdenmäki are nearby.
Getting there
bus | car
About 1.5 hr north by bus or car
Åland Islands
1-2 daysIsland province
A self-governing, Swedish-speaking island group between Finland and Sweden, with red granite shores, medieval churches, Kastelholm Castle and the maritime town of Mariehamn.
Getting there
ferry
Around 5 hr by ferry to Mariehamn
A little history of Turku
Turku grew up around a trading place on the Aura river, and in the 13th century the bishop of Finland moved his seat here, the castle went up at the river mouth and the cathedral was consecrated in 1300. Under Swedish rule it was the country's main city for more than five centuries, with Finland's first university, the Royal Academy of Turku, founded in 1640.
When Sweden ceded Finland to Russia in 1809, Turku became the first capital of the new Grand Duchy, but the capital moved to Helsinki in 1812. The Great Fire of 1827 destroyed most of the city, and the university followed the capital the next year. Turku rebuilt on a grid plan, gained two universities of its own after independence, and was European Capital of Culture in 2011.
The bishop's seat moves to Koroinen near Turku, traditionally taken as the city's founding
Turku Castle is begun at the mouth of the Aura
Turku Cathedral is consecrated
The Royal Academy of Turku, Finland's first university, is founded
Sweden cedes Finland to Russia; Turku becomes capital of the Grand Duchy
The capital moves to Helsinki
The Great Fire destroys most of the city; the university moves to Helsinki the next year
Åbo Akademi and the University of Turku are founded
Turku is a European Capital of Culture
Know before you go
Payment
Cards everywhere
English
Everywhere
Wifi
Reliable
Power
Type C / F
230 V, 50 Hz
Dialing
+358
The months our climate read flags to avoid: the wettest, lowest-rated weather of the year.
FAQs about Turku
▸ When is the best time to visit Turku?
May to September has the best weather for the river terraces, the island of Ruissalo and the archipelago ferries, with very long days around midsummer. November to March is cold and dark, though December brings Turku's Christmas market and the Declaration of Christmas Peace.
▸ How many days do you need in Turku?
Two days covers the castle, the cathedral, the riverside museums and Luostarinmäki. A third day lets you add Naantali or a drive or cycle out along the Archipelago Trail.
▸ What is the Declaration of Christmas Peace?
At noon on Christmas Eve, the Christmas Peace is read out from a balcony on the Old Great Square beside the cathedral, a tradition reaching back to the Middle Ages and broadcast across Finland. It is the centrepiece of Turku's role as the country's Christmas City.
▸ Can you take the ferry from Turku to Stockholm?
Yes. Large ferries sail daily between Turku and Stockholm, calling in the Åland Islands, with both daytime and overnight crossings. The harbour is right beside Turku Castle.
▸ Is Turku a good day trip from Helsinki?
It works as a long day trip, since trains take about 2 hr each way, but a night lets you enjoy the riverside in the evening and reach the archipelago or Naantali.
▸ Do people speak Swedish in Turku?
Turku is officially bilingual, with Finnish the majority language and a long-established Swedish-speaking community; its Swedish name is Åbo. English is widely spoken.
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