Turku

Turku is Finland's oldest city, and used to be the country's largest until the mid-19th century. Believed to have been founded in the early 13th century, it is the cradle of modern Finnish culture and has extensively influenced Finnish history. Wikivoyage

Population 209,633 (Wikidata)

Live guideOpen the live guide From your hotelStart from your hotel

Before you go

Emergency numbers in Finland

Visas and entry What your passport needs for Finland

Tourist office · 20 m Visit Turku

Getting there

Where are you starting from?

Remembered in this browser only, with the last few you used.

Best-documented sights

All of them in the guide

Within a kilometre of the centre, ordered by how well documented each is — not by a "best" anyone decided. Each opens on the map in the guide. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited there.

Through the year

Turku Fine Art and Antique Fair

March

Turku Fine Art and Antiques Fair is a premier trade event where a vast array of antiques and art are exhibited.
Turku Jazz

March

Second oldest jazz festival in Finland. Performers include leading Finnish jazz musicians and special international guests. Concerts are held in restaurants and entertainment venues throughout the city of Turku

Official site
Walpurgis night and May Day

April – May

Vappu is one of the four biggest holidays in Finland, along with Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve, and Midsummer. Walpurgis witnesses the biggest carnival-style festival held in the streets of Finland's towns and cities.
Turku Modern

May, July

Turku Modern, the festival for electronic music, storms Turku clubs and galleries annual in July. It brings forward top foreign artists and accomplished domestic performers focusing on electronic and dance music.
Midsummer

June

Juhannus (Midsummer) is a main national holiday in Finland.
New Potato Festival

June

The festival celebrates the opening of the early-harvest potato season in June. It’s a true cultural feast of fabulous flavours and local food.

Official site
Seikkisrock

June, September

A two-day festival, organized in early June since 1999, offers a wonderful entertainment for children of all ages and childlike persons.
Airisto Classic Regatta

July

Yearly race for classic yachts (those of wood or riveted plates built before 1970), arranged by Airisto Segelsällskap in cooperation with Telakka. About 30 yachts, some built in the 1920s.
Down by the Laituri (DBTL)

July

Down By The Laituri (often shortened to DBTL) is a rock festival organised annually in the city of Turku, Finland since 1988. In the month of July, the festival is organised next to the river Aura in Turku's city center.

Official site Wikipedia
Ruisrock

July

Ruisrock is a rock festival held annually on the island of Ruissalo in Turku, Finland. Ruisrock, founded in 1970, is the second-oldest rock festival in Europe (after Pinkpop) and the oldest in Finland.

Official site Wikipedia
Swan European Regatta

July

Sailing yachts of the Swan brand gather in Turku, having a regatta in the archipelago. The Swans, built by [[Jakobstad

Official site
Aura Fest

August

Official site
Turku Music Festival

August

Turku Music Festival (Finnish: Turun musiikkijuhlat, Swedish: Åbo musikfestspel) is the oldest continuously operating music festival in Finland. The festival was founded in 1960 by the Musical Society in Turku.

Official site Wikipedia
Turku Food and Wine Fair

October

The Turku Food and Wine Fair is one of autumn’s highlights in the city.
Turku International Book Fair

October

The Turku International Book Fair is Finland’s oldest book fair.
Christmas Market at Kauppatori

November – December

Much smaller market, but open daily
Christmas Market at the Old Great Square

November – December

The Old Great Square fills with high quality handicrafts, Christmas delicacies and various music, theatre and circus performances. And of course, there’s also Santa Claus and his family!

Official site

9 more events

Annual events from Wikidata and Wikivoyage (Turku); descriptions from Wikipedia where it has one, photos from Wikimedia Commons. Dates move year to year — check before you plan around one.

Markets

Market hall

Kauppahalli
Covered hall
1. Monday: 08:00–18:00
2. Tuesday: 08:00–18:00
3. Wednesday: 08:00–18:00
4. Thursday: 08:00–18:00
5. Friday: 08:00–18:00
6. Saturday: 08:00–16:00
7. Sunday: closed
Times vary by day

Monday
08:00–18:00
Tuesday
08:00–18:00
Wednesday
08:00–18:00
Thursday
08:00–18:00
Friday
08:00–18:00
Saturday
08:00–16:00
50 m from the centre
Market Square

Kauppatori
1. Monday: 07:00–18:00
2. Tuesday: 07:00–18:00
3. Wednesday: 07:00–18:00
4. Thursday: 07:00–18:00
5. Friday: 07:00–18:00
6. Saturday: 07:00–15:00
7. Sunday: closed
Times vary by day

Monday
07:00–18:00
Tuesday
07:00–18:00
Wednesday
07:00–18:00
Thursday
07:00–18:00
Friday
07:00–18:00
Saturday
07:00–15:00
190 m from the centre

Markets mapped on OpenStreetMap, with their hours where someone has added them. Check locally before you go.

Eating nearby

All 96 places to eat

Somewhere to run

Getting around

Train stations: Turku 800 m, Kupittaa 1.7 km, Turku port 2.8 km

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Places © OpenStreetMap contributors, as of 9 October 2026. Description from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA). Events from Wikidata and Wikivoyage, population from Wikidata.