I dreamt of travelling to Finland all my life and what a surprise it was when my husband made me great birthday present bringing two tickets to Turku. Have you ever heard about this marvelous city? If not, I am going to share with you some information about this cool place and of course my impressions after visiting this city.
Turku is the administrative center of Province Varsinais – Suomi. It is the fifth largest city in Finland with a population of just over 180 thousand people. Known since medieval times as the capital of art, science and culture in the Nordic countries, Turku is also an important transport hub of the country. For example, the ferries to Sweden (Stockholm) and Åland islands (Mariehamn) ply all the time from Turku.
Turku is considered to be a scientific centre of Finland because there are two famous universities, as well as four University of Applied Sciences here. In late June, when we were there we got a great opportunity to enjoy a spectacular 3-days Medieval Fair.
According to a survey of 2012, Turku was voted as the second most attractive city among Finns, second only afer Tampere.
Why is this city so popular among tourists you can ask me? I answer you. Because Turku has a lot of landmarks, different attractions and rich culture which attract a lot of tourist from other countries.
Turku is the oldest city in Finland, first time it was mentioned in documents dating back to 1229. The city name is officially bilingual, the Swedish variant of it is Åbo. Turku is the first capital of Finland and it is considered to be the “window to Europe”.
There are a lot places in this city which still recall the glorious medieval past. Turku Cathedral is one of them. This Cathedral, built in 1300, is the national shrine of Finland, a monument to the history of the country and its main Lutheran church. Also St. Michael’s Church, St. Mary Church and St. Catherine Chirch impressed me a lot. In Turku Castle or Abo Castle, situated here since 1280 attracts you its special atmosphere of the Middle Ages. There is attraction also for small visitors here. Children can take part in tournament “For young knights.” The museum Aboa Vetus & Ars Nova Museum combine the history of medieval Turku and the ruins of the monastery quarters with the museum of modern art. Near the castle of Turku works Maritime Museum and the Finnish Navy – Forum Marinum which has a lot of interesting exhibits.
All art lovers also have something to visit for example the House Museum Ett Hem (art pieces of XIX- XX centuries), Museum of Craft Luostarinmäki, Väinö Aaltonen Museum of Art, Turku Art Museum, and the Museum of Sibelius, the most significant musical museum in Finland.
For those who come to Turku with children there are also a lot of activities. Visit of Turku with children is not possible without a visit to the legendary theme park Moomin World, the country of Moomintroll from tales of famous children’s author Tove Jansson. This amusement park is located in Naantali, which is very easy to get to. You get closer to nature in Turku Biological Museum, the Zoo Zooland and Botanical Garden of University of Turku, which work even in winter.
Where to stay in Turku? For those who want to save money on accommodation there are Hostel Turku and Turku Unihostel, located near the town center in Turku. Both hostels have a common kitchen, laundry and WiFi.
Room in Sokos Hotel Hamburger Börs & City Börs will cost a bit more expensive but the hotel has excellent infrastructure, several restaurants, bars and clubs, indoor pool and sauna. We spent a great week there. And if you prefer high class hotels, you should choose Caribia Spa Hotel or the Radisson Blu Hotel Marina Palace.
What and where to eat?
Dinner at a restaurant in Turku will cost you an about 10 euros, if you order some simple dish without alcoholic beverages, and about 30 euros if you want to order for example a steak with a good wine. Lunch at the pizzeria will cost about 10 euros, and at the quick-service cafe just 5-8 euros. Most restaurants close at 10-11 pm on weekdays, later on weekends, but in some of them the bars continue to work even after midnight. Last evening of our stay there we tasted a lot of cocktails and beverages in one of such night bars.
In the Viking Restaurant Harald, located in the city center, you can be offered a huge choice of meat and fish dishes, in Panini Caffè Ristorante there are excellent dishes of Italian cuisine on offer, and a Royal Curry House offers loads of great Indian dishes. We liked them a lot and I even try to cook some of these dishes at home. My husband loves such spicy dishes so much
Do you like music? So where to go in Turku in such a case? We recommend you to visit local festivals in Turku. There are a lot of theme festivals all year round in this city. We were lucky to be present at some of them.
Ruisrock – the oldest rock festival in the world, held in early July.
Down by the Laituri – city festival during which many different groups play in different parts of the city, usually held at the beginning of August.
Uuden musiikin festivaali – electronic music festival begins in August.
Turku Jazz – Jazz Festival, held each spring.
The Medieval Market – Medieval Fair, held in the last weekend of June.
Turku Modern – Festival of Contemporary Music.
So as you see we didn’t get bored in Turku any day. We spent a great time there and had a lot of fun. It was the best birthday present I have ever gor in my life.