Magnificent Turku

Travel program

Day 1 | Arrival in Turku

Flight / cruise to Turku Finland on own arrangements. Welcome to Finland! You’ll meet your driver  who will take you to your hotel Scandic Hamburger Börs where you will be staying during your visit. A guide will come pick you up from the hotel lobby and take you on a tour around the historical city by private taxi. During this tour, you will be visiting Turku Castle, Turku Cathedral and Aboa Vetus Ars Nova Museum alongside hearing stories about the history of Turku. Turku Castle is a more than 700 year old historical monument. It has stood guard over the river Aura estuary since the 1280’s. Its granite stone walls hold within them the history of Finland, Sweden and the other Nordic countries. Turku Cathedral is the mother church of the Lutheran Church of Finland, and the country’s national shrine. It was consecrated as a cathedral (as the main church in the diocese) in 17th June 1300. Its history spreads thus over more than 7 centuries. Museum of Archaeology and Contemporary Art Aboa Vetus Ars Nova is situated in the center of Turku, Finland. Aboa Vetus’ archaeological site and exhibitions tell a story of the city. Ars Nova exhibitions are concentrated on contemporary art and on presenting the museum art collection. Duration 4 hours.

Return to hotel and rest of the day free time.

Day 2 | Ruissalo island (B)

Breakfast buffet at the hotel. After breakfast, the guide will meet you and you will walk a short way alongside river Aura to a river ferry station. A ferry will take you the beautiful island of Ruissalo Urban National Park. Walking around the island, you will experience the wonderful summer nature of Turku archipelago. The walk will take you to a beach, where you have some free time to sunbathe and relax and maybe eat a snack from a cafe. The ferry will take you back to city to visit Maritime Centre Forum Marinum. The Forum Marinum Maritime Centre is a lively and versatile centre for maritime activities, comprising a National specialist museum for Maritime History, and the Finnish Navy Museum. The museum provides several interesting exhibitions during a year and displays also a very interesting boat collection. The maritime centre has a considerable collection of museum vessels: two tall sail ships, four naval ships and several smaller vessels, ranging from a steam harbour tugboat to a police boat. Anchored in front of the maritime museum, are spectacular old sailing ships such as Suomen Joutsen (the Swan of Finland) and Sigyn. Duration 7 hours. Rest of the day free time.

Day 3 | Museum & art gallery tour (B/L)

Breakfast buffet at the hotel. The guide will take you on a walking museum and art gallery tour around city center. First you are going to visit Turku Art Museum, which includes diverse exhibitions and one of the largest collections of art in Finland. Next a visit to The Pharmacy Museum & the Qwensel House. Qwensel’s house is the oldest surviving wooden house in Turku. The museum has an 18th-century gentry’s home and a 19th-century pharmacy under the same roof. Lunch buffet in a local restaurant Niska. A pizza – salad buffet with tea/coffee. The unique Åland island -style “plåtbröd” pizzas are made with local Scandinavian ingredients.  After lunch, you will visit Wäinö Aaltonen Museum of Art. Wäinö Aaltonen (1894–1966) was the most significant visual artist of the early years of Finnish independence. Aaltonen was a romantic artist whose paintings and sculptures are often idealized in spirit and cubistically stylized. There are a total of 11 of Aaltonen’s outdoor sculptures in Turku, which we will also come across during our tour. Our final stop for today is Luostarinmäki Handicrafts Museum. Luostarinmäki is the only unified area of ​​wooden houses in Turku that survived the 1827 fire. The more than 200-year-old buildings are located in their original places. The museum area has 14 courtyards, the buildings of which are furnished with approximately 80 museum interiors and five themed exhibitions. Duration 5 hrs.

Day 4 | Explore the city (B)

Breakfast buffet at the hotel. Today you have a chance to explore the city on your own terms. We can recommend for example a visit to the Moomin World in the town of Naantali. Help with transportations and tickets can be arranged. Muumimaailma / Moomin World is based on the Moomin stories created by Finland-Swedish author and artist Tove Jansson. The theme park was founded to provide experiences for children and their families. The goal of the park is to carry out Moomin philosophy: family, non-violence, friendliness, environmental awareness, safety, adventure, and values supporting education. Muumimaailma Oy operates geographically in two different places: On Kailo island in Naantali’s Old Town, and in the town centre, where the Peculiar Café, Moomin Shop, and Moomin Car Park are located.

Day 5 | Departure

Breakfast buffet at the hotel. Check-out time is at noon, so if you have an afternoon flight or evening ferry there is complimentary luggage storage at the hotel. Private transfer to Turku airport or harbor. We hope you had an incredible holiday and we look forward to seeing you again soon!

Note: program indicative, activity days may vary. 

B=Breakfast | L=Lunch | D=Dinner