Turku is an old Finnish city which is attractive to tourists because of its medieval architecture. For many years Turku has been known as the gateway of Finland into the West. It has also been awarded this year, 2011, as the European capital of culture.
Therefore there is much to see and do with the benefit of car hire Turku in this important seaport. For instance once you have driven up to the port of Turku you can also take boats across the archipelago. An estimated 177,000 people live in Turku which makes it the fifth largest city in Finland.
Turku Mini Guide
Being located on the south west coast of Finland, Turku has one of the highest Swedish-Finnish populations. The total as of 2006 was 175,354. Situated at the mouth of River Aura it has one of the busiest seaports in Finland. It handles around 3.7 million passengers per year.
As Turku has a strong maritime influence, somewhere interesting to visit is the steamship SS Ukkopekka. It is known as the last Finnish steamship and has evening meals available whilst on a jaunt to nearby Loistokari Island. You can get to the port by taking the Martinsilta bridge which is the last one on the west side of the river.
Visit the Turku Art Museum, it is based in Puolalapark and was built in 1904 by Gustaf Nystrom, although in 2005 it was renovated. It houses many local Finnish artworks from early history right up to modern media art. Open all week apart from Monday it is around £5 for entrance and opens its doors from 11am-7pm. Children under 16 years old can enter for free.
The Forum Marinum is a merchant navy and shipping museum and is located on the River Aura in the centre of the city. It is open from 11am-6pm mostly and houses many exhibits from Abo Akademi University Museum and the Bore Shipping Company. There are also two museum buildings, the Kruununmakasiini Crown Granary and Linnanpuomi.
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