A pleasant city to visit for a few days (Turku)

Member Name: alexela

Product:	Turku
Date:	12/06/09 (75 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very pleasant city

Disadvantages: Not enough to do to justify staying more than a few days

Arriving in Turku a couple of days early for another music festival, we had a bit of time to explore the city. Turku is the oldest city in Finland and is also an area where Swedish is currently spoken, meaning most signs are in both Finnish and Swedish which can be a little confusing to start with.

One of the first attractions we had to visit whilst in Turku was the castle. A large medieval structure, on first sight it didn't exact look like what I associate with the term 'castle', it is far better preserved than many of the ruins or older castles we have here. Once in the courtyard though, it does look more like the sort of castle I would expect. There are tours around the castle as well as the opportunity to wander around at your own pace; there is much to find out about the history of Turku and Finland in general. Entry is Euro7 for adults, Euro3.50 for children or students and Euro4.50 for senior citizens.

Next on the list of things to see for us was Turku Cathedral. A really impressive building, considered the most important religious building in Finland. The inside whilst not overly lavish, is still beautifully decorated and it is really an impressive place to visit.

We also took a peek at the biological museum, not really sure what to expect, we found that it was actually an exhibition of stuffed animals. It's a rather small museum, made up of several dioramas each depicting different natural scenarios featuring the various creatures you would expect in the habitat shown. I believe as students we paid a Euro2.50 admission fee, which was reasonable as it was quite fascinating.

The market square is bustling and lively, with many stalls and nearby shops and shopping centres to keep those who enjoy their holiday shopping happy. In particular have a look in Stockmanns, a big department store full of all sorts of interesting items.

Down by the Aura river however, it is quieter and a leisurely walk along it is a pleasure especially in the summer evenings, where it is still light until late, but everything is calm and if you start to feel peckish, there's plenty of café's and restaurants nearby.

Another place of tranquillity to visit would be the nearby Ruissalo, an island that contains one of Finland's oldest oak forests and nature reserves. A very peaceful place to visit - as long as you don't pick the weekend when Ruisrock festival is held there to visit!

Of course, there are many more attractions to visit, although in my two days there I didn't get a chance to see them. One that I heard many recommendations for is the Aboa Vetus and Ars Nova museum, a museum featuring both archaeological history and modern art. Not to mention the nearby Moominworld!

All in all, I'd say Turku is worth visiting for a few days, I'm not sure there'd be enough to do to fill an entire week, but it is a very pleasant city to visit.

Summary: Good for a long weekend