Population 200,000 / 60.2 degrees north

Turku, Finland

Turku is the oldest city in Finland and was the original capital of the country. The city is at least 800 years old, though it is believed to be considerably older than that. Therefore, if you are interested in history, Turku is a must-visit.

Fun Facts About Turku

Latitude: 60.2 degrees north

Population: 200,000

Hottest month: July

Coldest month: February

Wettest month: August

Windiest month: December

Annual precipitation: 333mm

Turku coat-of-arms

Things to See & Do

Here’s an overview of some of the best things to see and do in Turku

Turku Castle

Turku Castle was founded around 1280 at the mouth of the river Aurajoki that runs through the city.

Aboa Vetus & Ars Nova

These museums take you underground to Turku’s medieval streets, showing 37,000 artefacts that have been found here.

Luostarinmaki Handicrafts Museum

This museum is located in a quarter that survived the Great Fire of 1827. These wooden houses now have workshops and handicrafts.

Hikes, Day Trips & Experiences

Looking to go for a hike or take part in a unique experience? Here are our recommendations!

Walk the Esplanade

The Esplanade is a beautiful park area that was designed by C.L. Engel and opened in 1818. Along the Esplanade you’ll find beautiful shops, cafes and restaurants.

Road-Trips

Follow our road-trip guides for scenic trips around Turku

Self-Guided Walks

Turku on YouTube

Watch our YouTube videos featuring Turku

Uniquely Turku

Here are some things that you must do and try in Turku

Turku Cathedral

Turku Cathedral was consecrated in 1300 and is designed in Gothic architecture.

History of Turku

It is believed that people have lived in the area around Turku since at least the Stone Age. The city was founded around the year 1229, when Catholics began to settle in the area. Turku developed as the Finnish capital under Swedish rule as well as an important trade port.

After Finland came under Russian rule, Turku lost its status as capital as Helsinki was built up as the new capital. Additionally, Turku suffered a massive fire in 1827, destroying most of the town. The town has been rebuilt since then and is today Finland’s second city.

Turku Today

Today Turku is a cultural capital. It was the European Capital of Culture for 2011, and in 1996 the city was declared the “Christmas City” of Finland.

Turku is also a university town, with two universities located here.

Businesses here work in maritime, IT, entertainment and sustainable development industries. The dockyard is the leading industrial employer.

Travel Information

Getting Here

Fly: Turku Airport has direct flights to Stockholm, Riga, and Gdansk. There are occasionally flights to Helsinki, but they are not frequent.

Drive: Turku has many highway connections linking the city to other places in Finland. The E18 connects Turku to Helsinki. There are buses that connect the two big cites, too. Drive time is 2.5 hours.

Train: There are many trains connecting Turku to Helsinki and the journey only takes 2 hours. You can also take the train to Oulu and Tampere from here.

Ferry: There are regular ferries connecting Turku to Sweden and Åland.

Getting Around

Turku is very walkable. To get to the castle, you can take a bus from the city centre.

Shops

Places to Eat

Turku has been officially declared the Food Capital of Finland as it is home ot some of Finland’s oldest and highest quality restaurants, as well as a historically famous fish market held twice a year. Additionally, Turku’s canteen and cafe culture has often been compared to French Food culture. Turku is known as the “Paris of Finland” and there is a Swedish saying: “Varför Paris, vi har ju Åbo!” (“Why Paris, we have Turku!”)

Cafes & Bakeries

Quick Bites

The historic Market Hall is a great place to head fro a quick bite.

Reasonable Restaurants

Blanko is a great bistro, as is Tintå.

High End & Unique Eats

Smor is a high-end restaurant located in a vaulted cellar.

Vikinkiravintola Harald is a high-end Viking-themed restaurant.

Places to Stay

Hostels & Camping

Ruissalo Camping is located 10km from the city centre has has places to camp as well as cabins for rent.

Laivahostel Borea is a passenger ship that was built in Sweden but now is located here in Turku. The hostel has won awards for its uniqueness.

B&Bs & Guesthouses

Bridgettine Sisters Guesthouse is a unique guesthosue run by nuns.

Chains & Mid-Range

Centro Hotel is a centrally located hotel with good amenities.

High End & Unique Properties

Park Hotel is a highend hotel in the art nouveau style.

Sunrise/Sunset & Weather Averages

January

Sunrise: 9:23am

Sunset: 3:57pm

Average Temperature: -3.8C (25F)

February

Sunrise: 8:12am

Sunset: 5:18pm

Average Temperature: -4.5C (24F)

March

Sunrise: 8:46am

Sunset: 6:34pm

Average Temperature: -1.3C (30F)

April

Sunrise: 6:11am

Sunset: 8:51pm

Average Temperature: 4C (39F)

May

Sunrise: 4:49am

Sunset: 10:07pm

Average Temperature: 10C (50F)

June

Sunrise: 4:01am

Sunset: 11:01pm

Average Temperature: 14.4C (58F)

July

Sunrise: 4:31am

Sunset: 10:41pm

Average Temperature: 17.5C (63F)

August

Sunrise: 5:43am

Sunset: 9:25pm

Average Temperature: 16C (61F)

September

Sunrise: 6:59am

Sunset: 7:51pm

Average Temperature: 11C (53F)

October

Sunrise: 8:12am

Sunset: 6:19pm

Average Temperature: 5.7C (42F)

November

Sunrise: 8:32am