castle
Turku Castle
Finland's largest surviving medieval castle dating from the 1280s, a massive stone fortress at the mouth of the Aura River.
3 km · about 5 min drive
EuropeFinlandSouthwest Finland
Turku
Southwest Finland, Finland · Europe
About Turku
Turku is worth a stop: 51km from Turku Archipelago.
Turku is in Southwest Finland, Finland, with about 210,000 people. You drive on the right here.
Turku ( TOOR-koo; Finnish: [ˈturku] ; Swedish: Åbo, Finland Swedish: [ˈoːbu] ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Southwest Finland. It is located on the southwestern coast of the country at the mouth of the River Aura. The population of Turku is approximately 210,000, while the metropolitan area has aRead more
population of around 320,000. It is the 6th–most populous municipality in Finland, and the third–most populous urban area in the country after Helsinki and Tampere.
Turku is Finland's oldest city. It is not known when Turku was granted city status. Pope Gregory IX first mentioned the town of Aboa in his Bulla in 1229, and this year is now used as the founding year of the city. Turku was the most important city in Finland under Swedish rule. After the Finnish War, Finland became an autonomous grand duchy of the Russian Empire in 1809, and Turku became the capital of the Grand Duchy. However, Turku lost its status as capital only three years later in 1812, when Emperor Alexander I of Russia decided to move the capital to Helsinki. It was only after the last great fire in 1827 that most government institutions were moved to Helsinki along with the Royal Academy of Turku, founded in 1640, which later became the University of Helsinki, thus consolidating Helsinki's position as the new capital. Turku was Finland's most populous city until the late 1840s and remains the regional capital, an important business and cultural centre, and a port.
Due to its long history, Turku has been the site of many important events and, as a former capital, has had a major influence on Finnish history. Together with Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, Turku was named European Capital of Culture for 2011. In 1996, the city of Turku was declared the "Christmas City" of Finland. Turku has also been officially declared the Food Capital of Finland, as it is home to some of Finland's oldest and highest-quality restaurants, as well as a historically famous fish market held twice a year. Turku's canteen and café culture has often been compared to French food culture, which is why Turku is sometimes known as the "Paris of Finland", and explains the existence of the Swedish saying "Varför Paris, vi har ju Åbo!" ("Why [should we concern ourselves with] Paris? We have Turku!").
Turku is a bilingual municipality with Finnish and Swedish as its official languages. The population consists of 77% Finnish speakers, 5% Swedish speakers, and 18% speakers of other languages, which is well above the national average.
Due to its location, the Port of Turku is an important commercial and passenger seaport, with over three million passengers travelling to Stockholm and Mariehamn each year.
Where to Stay in Turku
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Turku?
Within an hour or so of Turku: Turku Castle (3 km), Archipelago Ring Road (49 km), Turku Archipelago (51 km).
Are there any good drives near Turku?
The nearest famous roads are Archipelago Ring Road and Hanko.
Where is Turku?
Turku is in Southwest Finland, Finland.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 206,655
- Continent
- Europe
- Country
- Finland
- Region
- Southwest Finland
- Timezone
- Europe/Helsinki
- Coordinates
- 60.4515, 22.2687
Emergency & Services
Essential numbers in Finland
Winter tyres mandatory December–February.
Full driving guide for FinlandTags
Worth the detour from Turku
3 notable places within an hour's drive.
coastal drive
Archipelago Ring Road
A 250-km loop of bridges and cable ferries hopping the islands off Turku, Finland's classic island road trip.
49 km · about 55 min drive
natural wonder
Turku Archipelago
The world's largest archipelago by number of islands, with over 20,000 islands connected by ferries and the scenic Archipelago Trail.
51 km · about 60 min drive
Driving roads near Turku
- 49 kmArchipelago Ring RoadA 250-km loop of bridges and cable ferries hopping the islands off Turku, Finland's classic island road trip.
- 79 kmHankoFinland's southernmost town at the end of a peninsula, reached by road past wooden villas, long sand beaches and a working harbour.
When to drive here
May to September
Far northern latitude: short daylight hours outside summer make long drives harder.
Nearby Destinations
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