Where to stay in Turku

See

The vast majority of the city's sights are within a kilometre or two from Kauppatori. Two sights in the city are considered above others (by Finnish visitors): the medieval castle, which is the symbol of Turku, and Turku cathedral, the national shrine of Finland, but there are several more modest pearls to find. Aboa Vetus & Ars Nova invites visitors to explore the medieval history and culture of Turku and to reflect upon thought-provoking contemporary art. Luostarinmäki is the only larger part of the city that survived the great fire of Turku in 1827. Nowadays it houses an open air living handicrafts museum, with local artisans working in traditional ways.

• Aboa Vetus et Ars Nova
• Botanical Garden
• Biological Museum
• Brinkhall Manor
• Ett Hem
• Forum Marinum
• Healthcare Museum
• Kuralan Kylämäki – Village of Living History
• Luostarinmäki
• Old Great Square
• The Qwensel House and Pharmacy Museum
• The Scout Museum of Finland

Do

Turku is especially lively during the summer season, from the latter part of May to early September, as well as around the Advent and Christmas period in December. The banks of the river Aura are regarded Turku's summertime living room. The shores are the setting for many urban events and are also popular for picnic and relaxing. For chamber music, check also the weekly concerts at the Wäinö Aaltonen and Sibelius museums. One-off performances can be harder to find, as information channels vary.

• Turku City Theatre
• Turun konservatorio
• Logomo
• Turku Philharmonic Orchestra
• Swedish Theatre of Turku
• Linnateatteri
• Samppalinna Summer Theatre
• Kinopalatsi
• Kino Diana
• Turkuhalli
• Marli Areena
• Veritas Stadion

Eat

Turku and other parts of Finland Proper are home to the more western influenced Finnish cuisine, which has features especially from Sweden, Denmark and Germany. The long traditions of farming and fishing in the area have contributed to the local food culture. Fish, especially herring – the regional fish of Finland Proper – has been at the heart of the region's culinary traditions for centuries. It is eaten all year round salted, fried, grilled and smoked. In addition, perch, whitefish and pike are often used. You must also remember to try the famous raisin sausage, a regional speciality which you can buy for example from the Market Hall.

Drink

The minimum age required to enter bars, pubs and nightclubs differs; for legal reasons, one must be at least 18 to enter places that mainly serve alcohol, but many clubs and bars have higher age limits (mostly 20–24 years). Restaurants and bars have varying closing hours, but generally, the popular nightclubs and discos are open until 04:00, as in most Finnish cities. For dancing other than disco, there are a few dance restaurants and cruises, but the main venues for social dancing are the dance pavilions and, off season, a few other locations, where you will find sober and skilful dancers. see Social dancing above. Each of these venues usually have a dance once or twice a week.

Stay safe

Turku is generally a safe city. Turku faces some problems with street violence and organised crime, but common street sense should be enough in most cases. There are no no-go areas. On weekend nights drunken people may cause annoyance, especially after last call. Swimming in the river is forbidden for good reason: the river banks provide very little access to the shore; what was intended as a quick refreshing dip will result in an expensive rescue operation or worse. In emergencies, always call 112, which is the general emergency number for police affairs, fire, medical care and social services. If in doubt, it is always better to call and ask.