Best things to do in Turku

Turku's Essential Treasures

Turku, Finland’s oldest city, preserves its medieval legacy through the 13th-century Turku Castle and the national shrine, Turku Cathedral. The Aura River serves as the city’s heart, connecting historic sites like the Old Great Square with the Luostarinmäki open-air museum, which survived the Great Fire of 1827. Cultural highlights include the Aboa Vetus & Ars Nova museum, showcasing underground medieval ruins alongside modern art, and the Forum Marinum maritime center. Local life centers on the traditional 19th-century Market Hall and the bustling Market Square.

Turku's Essential Treasures — Map

Dilaudid / CC BY-SA 3.0

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Turku Castle

Turku Castle is a medieval building in the city of Turku in Finland. Together with Turku Cathedral, the castle is one of the oldest…

Dilaudid / CC BY-SA 3.0

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Turku Cathedral

Turku Cathedral is the only medieval basilica in Finland and the Mother Church of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland.

Alessandro Di Matteo / CC-BY-SA

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Market hall

Designed by architect Gustaf Nyström and opened in 1896, this historic hall houses approximately 40 vendors. It features traditional Finnish food stalls, local bakeries, and specialty counters selling fish, cheese, and reindeer meat.

LPfi / CC BY-SA 3.0

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Luostarinmäki

Luostarinmäki Handicrafts Museum is an open-air museum in Turku, Finland.

Jan-Erik Finnberg / CC BY 2.0

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Forum Marinum

Forum Marinum is maritime museum located in Turku, Finland.

Kalajoki / Public domain

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Aboa Vetus & Ars Nova

Aboa Vetus and Ars Nova is a museum in central Turku, Finland. The museum is housed in a building known as the Rettig palace, originally…

Abc10 / CC BY-SA 3.0

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Turku Art Museum

One of Finland's prime art museums displaying a vast variety of artworks. The building in itself is quite a masterpiece.

Kalajoki / Public domain

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Old Great Square

The Old Great Square is a medieval market square located in the city centre of Turku, Finland.

Unknown authorUnknown author / Public domain

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Market Square

The Market Square is a city square in the city of Turku, in Finland. It is located in the city's VI District, and is generally considered…

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Viking Line: Turku

Major passenger ferry terminal situated near Turku Castle at the mouth of the Aura River. It provides daily maritime connections to Stockholm and Mariehamn, serving as a key gateway for travel across the Baltic Sea.

Other Lists

Turku Museums & Galleries Turku's Sacred Sites Beaches and Wetlands Finnish Parks and Recreation Notable Bridges and Walkways