Turku

Turku, Finland's oldest city and former capital, is a medieval city that checks all the boxes: the riverfront, the market square, the castle and the cathedral. Spreading along the course of the Aura River, you can get lost in its cobblestone streets full of life. The city also serves as the door to the Finnish Archipelago, a collection of more than 40,000 islands, as well as to the overseas region of Åland/Ahvenanmaa and the neighbouring country of Sweden.

This post is also available in: Español (Spanish)

According to ancient documents, Turku has been sitting by the Aura River since 1229. The river is the heart of the city together with the Castle and the Cathedral, marking the three points of the city between which all the major sights can be found.

At summertime, the banks of the river are full of life as locals and tourists alike gather to eat, drink and listen to music in one of the many old sailing ships moored there, or just having a picnic in the grass. The river is also the departure point of the cruises to the archipelago or the neighbour town of Naantali. From the Turku Harbor, daily cruise ships sail across the Baltic Sea towards Sweden.

Turku was the European Capital of Culture in 2011, and the buzz hasn’t stopped since. The city overflows with events and festivals: tango,  jazz, middle age, marathon, triathlon, theatre, gastronomy, art, design and much more.

Articles

Find More