Turku’s Archipelago with 20,000 Islands

City

About

Turku's Archipelago with 20,000 Islands

Finland's oldest city.
Turku was founded along the Aura River in 1229 and the Finnish name Turku means "market place." The city is called , "The Cradle to Finnish Culture" and today, despite its long history, a very modern city that offers art, music, Finnish design and much more.

There are direct connections with SAS / Blue 1 from Stockholm or you can choose any of the various ferry operators that have several departures daily to the city.

Turku is known for its beautiful and lively squares, many cozy cafés and high-class restaurants. If you would like to feel the city's pulse, take a stroll along Aura River - from the Cathedral to the Palace (the city's two landmarks). A visit to any of the permanently moored river boats is a must!

It's easy to tour the archipelago.
You can easily reach any of the 20,000 islands and islets located in the Turku archipelago by ferry or boat (large or small). You can also come close to the sea by going along the Archipelago Beltway, which stretches over 200 km of bridges and islands. Here you can stay overnight in a small friendly hotel or B & B. The archipelago, with its clean nature and calm pace is relaxation for the soul!

Southwest Finland is for everyone - large and small!
The southwest area of Finland is a historic but modern area which lies directly by the sea and has a fantastic nature. Located just a few kilometers from the capital of Turku, you can visit Moomin World (Muumimaailma in Finnish), or experience the adventure on the island Väski, or paddle in the archipelago, or fishing. Or, why not try a round of golf by the sea?

City

Facts about Turku

Location and size
Turku is Finland's oldest city, founded in 1229. In addition, Turku is the capital city in the Southwest region of Finland and the area around Turku. The old Hanseatic city is located about 165 kilometer southwest of Helsinki and has two official languages, Finnish and Swedish. But, only about 5% of the city's 175,000 residents have Swedish as their first language. The annual Swedish tourists who coming to Turku, primarily by ferries from Stockholm, increase the number of Swedish-speaking in the city. The Aura River flows through Turku and into the archipelago, so it binds everything together with the city center.

Economy and Science
Turku is the center for the economics and trade industries in Finland. Trade has played a significant part ever since the city was founded. The Finnish name of Turku, also means "marketplace in old Finland." The most important industries are metal, medicine, food and chemical industries as well as telecommunications. After even more growth, the striving city now has targeted to establish themselves in biomedicine, as well. Most businesses in this area are now located in the Science Park, in Turku. Education is important for the city and one-fifth of the residents are students. The Finnish Universities, Swedish Academy of Turku, Turku School of Economics and Turku Polytechnic offers professional training opportunities.

Tourism
In Turku, there are both airports, and passenger/cargo harbors. Flights are from Copenhagen and Stockholm with SAS Blue One and from Helsinki with Finnair. Ferry lines for passengers to Turku are from Stockholm with Viking Line, Silja Line and Sea Wind Line. The majority of Swedish tourists travel with these ferry lines.

History

Turku's History

The first documentation on the city stems from 1229 when the Episcopal was located near today's city center. This placement was intended to improve the connection to the Baltic and to meet the increase in shipping.

See and Do

Swimming

Splash! Swimming in Summer and Winter

Swimming is one of the rituals of summer and Turku is packed with beaches where you can beat the heat.

Outdoor pools
Kupittaa Pool is a great place for families to swim in the summer. There are three pools to choose from, all heated to a subtropical 27 degrees. One of the highlights is a curvy flume slide ending in the children’s pool.

At the Sampalinna Swimming Stadium, swimmers can do laps in an Olympic-sized pool and jump from a tower. The tower has four different levels from three to ten meters. There’s a separate pool for children and, if the sun cooperates, you can work on your tan in the bleachers.

Salt water...
As a coastal city, Turku has numerous seaside swimming spots, including the sandy Saaronniemi beach at Ruissalo Camping. Another popular choice is Ispoinen Beach at Uittamo, which, like Ruissalo, is accessible by bus.

...or fresh water
Brinkhall Beach is at a lake on the Island of Kakskerta. Maaria Beach has crystal clear water in a pond formed at the base of a sandpit.

Let’s go ice swimming!
If you really love to swimming, consider trying it in the winter – and outdoors. Turku has three spots to really get your circulation moving. More daring types take a refreshing dip at the Saaronniemi and Tamminniemi beaches in Ruissalo as well as at Ispoinen Beach.

Accessible swimming
Ekvalla’s barrier-free beach provides people with physical disabilities or impaired sight the chance to swim by themselves The beach has paved pathways and a wheelchair ramp that make it easy to get in and out of the water. Audio lighthouses and a Braille map make things easier for sight-impaired people. The showers and restrooms are also accessible to both groups.

Family Activities

Archipelago Excursion

Around the outskirts of the Turku Archipelago, are about 30,000 islands. These are connected by bridges and ferries. This way it is possible to get around a 20 mile-long "ring road" with the help of a bicycle. There are complete cycling packages to buy for anyone who wants help with planning and overnight accommodations.

A nice way to see more of the beautiful archipelago, is a trip on the steamer S / S Ukkopekka. It departs twice a day in the summer, and sails between Turku and Naantali. The trip takes 2 hours. On board there is food and music - along with a wonderful view. It is a charming way to travel between the cities, if you do not want to take the bus.

Jyckeberga - City Tour for Children

We start by jumping on a red bus full of happy children. The bus drives us to the city ferry Föri, Turku Castle, Sigyn, the three-masted ship and Klosterbackens Handicraft Museum. Augusta, the guide is with us - and knows everything about everything.

The tour shows us around an exciting city where there has always been plenty of swindlers - but also many noble men and women. The Culture House 2011 has a very special resident: the invisible Santa.

The Children's tour of Turku is based on the story by the Finnish author, Mauri Kunnas, in the book called Jyckebergare.

Contact Turku Touring for more information and bookings.

Kupittaanpuisto Park

Kupittaanpuisto Park is one of the most popular sports parks. Here are roller skaters, skateboard enthusiasts, cyclists, ball sports, boules players and gymnasts park. For the urban active people, there is a skateboard park with ramps and railings. On the BMX track one can create their own style. Lift weights at the gym or thow a few at the bowling alley. On the lawn, there is everything from football to croquet to dragons and even frisbees fly through the air.

Inside the park, children can amuse themselves in the Adventure Park, the Traffic City and Sports Wonderland. In the summer you can take a dip at Kupittaa spa, a lovely bathing area for families. There are three pools where the water is held in beautiful sub-tropical level, 27 degrees. There is also a children's pool and a waterslide with sinuous curves. At the bird pond, visitors can enjoy the bird life.
Äventyrsparken, Kuppisgatan 2, Turku
+358 2-262 33 31

Kuppis Adventure Park

Kupittaa Adventure Park is the perfect place for the entire family to enjoy outdoor activities and having fun.

Fun and Grubb
Hop around the jump castle, climb into the ship, wade into the stream, take the breathtaking slide from the castle ruins, crawl under the belly of a giant statue or be a carpenter in the summer studio. There is always plenty to do! In the Traffic City, you can whiz around in a pedal car just like in a real city and the safari car takes you off-road. The park has a swimming-pool where you can take a refreshing dip between laps.

Kuralan Kylämäki - Village of Living History

Kurala Kylämäki brings history to life. Familiarizes yourself with daily chores, it tells of life in the countryside during the 1940 - and 1950's. Cows and sheep stand out in the meadow, and a collection of hens pecking around on the hill.

Kylämäki is a museum with a difference: here you get to touch everything. Children are allowed to play home or shop with authentic artifacts from the 1950s, in the yard there is plenty of room to play and enjoy.

In the archaeological workshop you will learn about prehistoric practices or products such as prehistoric hunting tools, and in a wilderness valley - brings your hunting skills to the test.
Jahnvägen 45, Turku
+358 2-262 04 20
www.muumimaailma.fi

Moomin World in Naantali

Moomin World in Naantali, 16 km from Turku, is obviously Turku's major attraction for young children. For example, here there is health in all shapes, see Muminpappans boat for a visit to Hemulen. For the older children, a visit to the island Väski, located next to the Moomin-world, is recommended. It is an island full of adventure in the nature. Obstacle courses, suspension bridges and treasure hunts are only a few examples.
Nådendal
+358 2-511 11 11
www.muumimaailma.fi

Summer in Turku

Det finns mycket att hitta på för hela familjen i Åbo-regionen. Muminvärlden är väl värt ett besök, här finns även ångbåtsturer, zoo, vackra cykelturer och... mat på toaletten!

There is so much to do for the entire family in the Turku area . Muminvärlden is well worth a visit, there are also steamboat tours, a zoo, beautiful cycling tours and ... much more!

The Adventure awaits you on Väski!

Väski Adventure Island is located next door to Moomin World in Naantali. While the younger siblings enjoy Moomins, the older children should head over for challenges and adventures on Väski. This year, the island offers a number of new adventures.

On Väski there is plenty to do, both physically and mentally. Here you will find five new fascinating adventures packed with fun activities.

Climb on board a seized ship in the pirate port and take the breathtaking glide wire into the smugglers fort. In the fishing village, you can familiarize yourself with the villagers' livestock and look into agricultural trade. At the lone man's hut, you get to try gold panning, while the old hermit gives terse advice and at the hunters' camp, you learn to shoot arrows. There's plenty to see and do!
Nådendal
+358 2-511 11 11
www.vaski.fi

Zoolandia

The Zoolandia (zoo), is about 20 minutes from Turku, where the children can feed the rabbits, look at snakes and drive a four wheeler. Kuralan Bybacke in Turku is a re-created farm from the 1950's and it can be fun for both large and small to try to produce and play with the modern things in the shop. It is a good way to experience what it was like to live in the past.

Fishing

Fish the waters of Turku and the surrounding area!

There are many places where you can fish in the Turku area. Just in the Aura River, there is a total of 36 different species of fish. Normally, it's a perch, a bream, a roach or another roach species biting on the hook.

In the Archipelago Sea, is Finland's most versatile fishing grounds. In the vast waters of the Turku archipelago are many different types of fishing grounds for those who enjoy sport fishing for the first time and also for those engaged in fishing for a long time.

An Angler's dream await you!

Museum

Aboa Vetus & Ars Nova

In the center of Turku, along the riverbank, you will find The Aboa Vetus, Archaeological and Historical Museum and The Ars Nova, Museum of Contemporary Art, . Both museums are housed in the Turku Arts Palace and managed by the Matti Koivurintas Foundation. A section of the museum is an authentic medieval city quarter, which was discovered when the palace was renovated.

Aboa Vetus - The Old Turku
In the heart of Aboa Vetus is a unique medieval city quarter, Monastery Headquarters, dug up from the earth. The exhibition leads you into the middle ages: here's the inside story on the quarter's history and admire different historical objects. Experience the stone buildings, streets and the port area and see traders, soldiers and craftsmen in their daily chores. The archaeological excavations at the museum will continue this year also.

Ars Nova - New Art
Ars Nova is a colorful contrast to the old Turku. The museum's art collection is managed by the Matti Koivurintas foundation and covers a wide range of 1900-century art, with over 500 works by famous Finnish and international artists. On the first floor, you will find a selection from the collections and on the ground floor are various exhibitions.
Östra Strandgatan 4–6, Turku
+358 2-250 05 52
www.aboavetusarsnova.fi

Sibelius Museum

Sibelius Museum - Finland's leading musical museum - named after our most famous composer, Jean Sibelius. The museum is beautifully situated by the Aura River, just a stone's throw away from the cathedral.

The actual museum is counted among the gems of Finnish modernism and is in itself a fine architectural experience. The Sibelius permanent exhibition is about the master's life and music. Visitors can also get acquainted with hundreds of interesting instruments from Finland and around the world.
Biskopsgatan 17, Turku
+358 2-215 44 94

Åbo Art Museum

Since 1904, the Turku Art Museum has been the central player in the art life in Turku. The museum presents its collection, which has become a national treasure, side by side with the actual and interesting phenomenon in art. The recent exhibition tells the versatile history of art in Finland and Turku Art.
Auragatan 26, Turku
+358 2-262 71 00

Nature

Archipelago Region

Outside the city center of Turku is one of the world's most beautiful archipelagos, the so-called Finnish archipelago, consisting of more than 20,000 islands and islets. The archipelago can be reached easily by car, bike, bus or boat. The largest islands are connected by twelve bridges and nine ferries. The ferry services are subsidized annually by the government and therefore at certain times visitors can use the ferries for free. To preserve and protect the unique nature in the Turku archipelago, it is a national park and a UNESCO reserved region.

Parks

Brinkhalls Manor

Between the sea towards the North and mirror-like lake water to the south lies Brinkhall, a beautiful mansion dating back to the 1500s. The farm's existing buildings are in neoclassical style (finished in 1793) and are harmoniously surrounded by a rich cultural and natural landscape.

The manors gardens and parks are over 300 years old - some even older. We recommend a visit to the orchard, which still follows the original drawings,and/or the English landscape garden. The area has an exceptionally rich flora and fauna which includes several protected species.
Brinkhallvägen 414, Turku
+358 40-755 32 66

The Parks in Turku have old traditions

Turku can be seen as a precursor for the garden culture in Finland. In Turku, the traditional cultivation of garden plants goes way back to medieval times. At that time, herbs and useful plants were grown in Turku Castle.

Ruissalon and Kupittaa can be considered the first steps towards public parks. Already in the 1600s, the park areas were outside the city. A section of public plantings were carried out in Turku in the 1700s, then to the banks of the Aura River, and then the area around the town square had its first planting of trees. Today, travelers and inhabitants of Turku have the opportunity to relax in more than thirty parks.

Turku University Botanical Garden

The Turku University Botanical Garden is on the Ruissalon Island and is both a center for scientific research and attracts visitors to the plant world. Outside the modern greenhouse is a large garden area with plants, roses, flower meadows, cutting plants, lily pond, exotic trees and shrubs. The greenhouses have extensive collections of succulents and tropical species.
Runsala parkväg 215, Turku
+358 2-276 19 00

Worth Seeing

Louhisaari Castle and Knight's Park

The main building is from 1650 and one of the few examples of palace architecture in Finland. In the yard, is a large English style park in with walking paths.

Mannerheim's Childhood Home
In the small island municipality of Louhisaari you will find Louhisaari Castle, the mansion is well worth a visit for it has belonged to the Fleming Dynasty for over three hundred years and Mannerheim Dynasty for over a century. The Marshal of Finland, C.G.E. Mannerheim, was born there in 1867. Remember to go past the Mannerheim's playhouse.

Louhisaari Knights Park
The Louhisaari Knights Park is a unique tribute to all the knights assigned to the Mannerheim Cross of Liberty, and also honors the Finnish war veterans. The park opened in summer 2007, 140 years after Mannerheim's birth, and during the 90-year anniversary of Finnish independence.
Louhisaarentie 229, Villnäs
+358 2-431 25 55

Mikaels Church

Michaesl Church - red brick, pinnacles and towers.
The street scene in West Turku is dominated by Michael's Church, and is one of the city's most popular buildings. The century-old church was designed by Lars Sonck in the German neo-Gothic style. The church was completed in 1905.
Allégatan 16, Turku

The Cathedral

The Cathedral in Turku became a cathedral in 1300 and is the Finnish National Shrine. It was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and the first Finnish bishop, St. Henrik, the Patron Saint of the cathedral. Bishops and warlords as well as a queen, Karin Månsdotter, have found peace through their final resting place here.
Domkyrkotorget 20, Turku
+358 2-261 71 00

Turku Castle

Turku Castle history dates back to the 1280s, and is one of Finland's most important national treasures. The castles heyday was during the 1500s when Duke Johan and Katarina Jagelonica reigned. An exhibition in the castle's museum tells about the city's history.

There is much to look at the castle for the kids too. The toy exhibition in the main castle presents toys from a period of 150 years. In the hexagonal tower is a Renaissance model that tells us about life in the 1500s, King Erik XIV's imprisonment and treasury. Several prisons are in the round tower and in the castle's medieval sections.
Slottsgatan 80, Turku
+358 2-262 03 00 (ticket agent)

Other

Food and Drink

Turku has many different restaurants and pubs. How about a lunch at school, dinner on the toilet, whiskey in the pharmacy or a beer at the Bank? These have really funny names to be restaurants and bars, but have simply arisen because they are housed in buildings that used to be a bank or a school. It doesn't get any easier. Everyone knows where the bank is!