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Turku and the archipelago gateway
City in southwest Finland

Turku and the archipelago gateway

Turku is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Southwest Finland.

Plan a trip to Turku and the archipelago gateway→From Tampere / Pirkkala

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 a 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.

Get in

Getting to Turku and the archipelago gateway

Turku is well connected to the rest of the country by rail and road. From the west (Åland and Sweden), ferries are the main option, although there are flights for those in a hurry. The ferries take cars. There are a few flights also from across the Baltic Sea and from some more distant places. Turku is a good yachting destinations, for those on the Baltic Sea or ready to make the longer voyage. = =

  1. 01
    Turku Airport
  2. 02
    Central
  3. 03
    Kupittaa
  4. 04
    Turku
See

Worth seeing

The vast majority of the city's sights are within a kilometre or two from Kauppatori. Two sights in the city are considered above others (by Finnish visitors): the medieval castle, which is the symbol of Turku, and Turku cathedral, the national shrine of Finland, but there are several more modest pearls to find.

Do

Things to do

Turku is especially lively during the summer season, from the latter part of May to early September, as well as around the Advent and Christmas period in December. The banks of the river Aura are regarded Turku's summertime living room. The shores are the setting for many urban events and are also popular for picnic and relaxing.

Eat

Where to eat

Turku and other parts of Finland Proper are home to the more western influenced Finnish cuisine, which has features especially from Sweden, Denmark and Germany. The long traditions of farming and fishing in the area have contributed to the local food culture. Fish, especially herring – the regional fish of Finland Proper – has been at the heart of the region's culinary traditions for centuries.

How locals move

Getting around Turku and the archipelago gateway the local way

Turku is Finland's ferry door to Sweden and the land gateway to the Archipelago Sea, but the archipelago's own free ferries start well outside the city, at Pargas and Nagu, not at Turku's own harbour.

  1. 01
    Viking Line Stockholm–Turku (via Mariehamn or Långnäs)ferry

    Stockholm to Turku, calling at Mariehamn (morning sailing) or Långnäs (evening sailing), Åland

    Where
    Viking terminal at the Port of Turku, on Föli bus line 1 between the port and the airport
    When
    Two daily departures each direction, one via Mariehamn, one via Långnäs
    Fare (2026)
    Not confirmed on this pass; check vikingline.com for current cabin and deck prices
    Takes
    Around 11 hours Stockholm–Turku
    Season
    Year-round
    Booking
    Book online at vikingline.com or at the terminal

    Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · confidence medium

  2. 02
    Tallink Silja Stockholm–Turkuferry

    Stockholm to Turku via Långnäs, Åland (winter) or direct calls in summer

    Where
    Silja/Tallink terminal at the Port of Turku, same bus line 1 as Viking Line
    When
    Two daily arrivals from Stockholm in summer; one daily departure from Kapellskär via Långnäs in winter
    Fare (2026)
    Not confirmed on this pass; the Åland stop keeps duty-free prices on board slightly under shore prices
    Takes
    Winter sailing arrives in Turku 16:30
    Season
    Year-round, with a reduced winter timetable
    Booking
    Book online at tallinksilja.com

    Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · confidence medium

  3. 03
    Finnlines Kapellskär–Naantali ropaxferry

    Kapellskär (Sweden) via Långnäs to Naantali, 20 km from Turku, then Föli bus onward

    Where
    Take Föli line N14 from the Naantali harbour and transfer to line 6 or 6A into Turku centre
    When
    Not confirmed on this pass
    Fare (2026)
    Naantali–Turku leg uses the ordinary local Föli bus fare, transfer included
    Takes
    Not confirmed on this pass
    Season
    Year-round; two newer, quieter ferries entered service in winter 2023–2024
    Booking
    Book the ferry at finnlines.com; pedestrians welcome from Kapellskär but not always from Långnäs at night

    Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · confidence medium

  4. 04
    Finferries archipelago free ferriescable ferry

    Small cable and free ferries linking the Archipelago Sea islands, e.g. around Pargas, Nagu, Korpo and Houtskär

    Where
    These do not start in Turku: reach Pargas or Nagu first by road or by Föli/Varely bus, then drive or walk onto the ferry queue
    When
    Continuous when a vehicle or pedestrian is waiting; no fixed timetable for the free crossings
    Fare (2026)
    Free for the majority of crossings; Finferries' own booking system flags some routes as requiring payment or a right-of-way permit
    Takes
    A few minutes per crossing
    Season
    Year-round, weather and ice permitting
    Booking
    No booking needed for the free chain ferries; Finferries runs an open booking API for the paid/reservable routes

    Sources: booking.finferries.fi (2026-09) · en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · confidence high

  5. 05
    Föri across the Aura rivercable ferry

    Central Turku, crossing the Aura river in front of the guest harbour

    Where
    Landing stages on both riverbanks near the guest harbour, signposted Föri
    When
    Continuous shuttle, no timetable, 06:15-21:00 daily (until 23:00 in summer)
    Fare (2026)
    Free
    Takes
    About 1.5 minutes for a 78-metre crossing
    Season
    Year-round; replaced by a temporary boardwalk in cold winters when the river freezes solid
    Booking
    None, walk or wheel a bike straight on; no cars carried

    Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · confidence high

  6. 06
    Föli city busesbus

    Turku, Raisio, Naantali, Kaarina, Rusko, Lieto and Paimio under one harmonised ticket zone

    Where
    Stops throughout the city; buy through the Föli app, at R-kioskis, service points or with a contactless card tapped on the reader
    When
    Frequent on core routes; hourly or half-hourly on suburban lines such as 28 to Ruissalo
    Fare (2026)
    Single ticket (2h) EUR 3.15 by app or card, EUR 4.50 cash on board; 30-day season ticket EUR 57.00; one-day ticket EUR 8.30
    Takes
    Varies by route
    Season
    Year-round
    Booking
    No booking; buy in the Föli app, at kiosks, or tap a contactless card on boarding

    Sources: foli.fi (2026-09) · confidence high

  7. 07
    Fölläri city bikesbicycle hire

    City-wide docked bike share stations, run through the Donkey Republic app

    Where
    Unlock a bike via the Donkey Republic app at any Fölläri station
    When
    On demand, available whenever a bike is docked
    Fare (2026)
    One-time fee EUR 2.00 for the first hour without a season ticket; a 30-day Föli season ticket gives the first hour free; full-season pass (1 Apr-22 Dec 2026) EUR 46.00
    Takes
    First hour included with most fee options
    Season
    Cycling season roughly 1 April to 22 December
    Booking
    Unlock through the Donkey Republic app; a Föli monthly or seasonal fee also works in other Donkey Republic cities

    Sources: foli.fi (2026-09) · confidence high

  8. 08
    Föli water bus to Ruissaloboat

    From near Martinsilta bridge in central Turku to Ruissalo island, calling at Forum Marinum and Pikisaari or Telakka

    Where
    Board near Martinsilta, downstream on the eastern bank
    When
    Every 45 minutes in the 2022 timetable Wikivoyage records; season and exact frequency for 2026 not independently confirmed
    Fare (2022)
    Ordinary Föli ticket; bikes travel free
    Takes
    Round trip about 1.5 hours
    Season
    Roughly late May to late August, with some September weekends
    Booking
    No booking, pay with the normal Föli ticket

    Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · confidence medium

  9. 09
    Archipelago ring road buses (801-802 Pargas, 901-904 Korpo/Houtskari)bus

    Turku to Pargas (801-802) and onward Turku-Korppoo/Houtskari via Nauvo and Pargas (901-904)

    Where
    Board at Turku bus station; the Pargas and Korpo/Houtskari buses are Varely's regional network, not Föli city buses, though Wikivoyage flags Föli-ticket acceptance on the 8xx/9xx lines as due to change from July 2027
    When
    On line 901 Korppoo-Turku, one Monday-Friday trip departs 07:10 and takes 2h 20min
    Fare (2026)
    Not confirmed on this pass; check Föli or the driver for current archipelago-route pricing
    Takes
    2h 20min on the 07:10 Korppoo-Turku run in the Monday-Friday timetable
    Season
    Year-round, seasonal timetable changes each autumn/winter/spring/summer
    Booking
    No booking for the scheduled runs; some connecting municipal legs need pre-ordering

    Sources: varely.mattersoft.fi (2026-09) · en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · confidence high

  10. 10
    VR trains to Helsinki and Tamperetrain

    Turku central station and Kupittaa, with some trains continuing to the harbour

    Where
    Turku central station; Helsinki-direction trains also stop at Kupittaa, Tampere-direction trains do not
    When
    Not confirmed on this pass
    Fare (2026)
    Not confirmed on this pass; buy through VR
    Takes
    Not confirmed on this pass
    Season
    Year-round
    Booking
    Book at vr.fi or at the station

    Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · confidence medium

  11. 11
    Winter ice and the Föri boardwalkservice status

    City-wide, most visible on the Aura river crossing and the archipelago cable ferries

    Where
    n/a
    When
    n/a
    Fare (2026)
    n/a
    Takes
    n/a
    Season
    In cold winters the frozen river replaces the Föri ferry with a temporary boardwalk; archipelago ferry and bus timetables also thin out for winter
    Booking
    n/a

    Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · confidence high

Not yet confirmed: Viking Line and Tallink Silja adult fares for the Åland-stop route were not independently confirmed on this pass with a dated figure; check vikingline.com and tallinksilja.com directly.; Finferries' open booking API (booking.finferries.fi/wp-json/finferries/v1/tour/search) needs both a from and to harbour id and passenger counts, and returned an empty result for the archipelago pairs probed here (4233/4226) on several dates in 2026 - either those two ids are not directly connected in the current timetable or the search window has narrowed; the harbor/list endpoint itself is confirmed live and lists every stop.; Exact fares and frequencies for the 801-802 and 901-904 Varely archipelago bus lines were not confirmed beyond the raw Mattersoft timetable JSON; ask Föli or the driver for the current price.; The Föli water bus to Ruissalo frequency and season above are Wikivoyage's 2022 figures; the 2026 timetable was not independently checked.; Cycling route details (Ruissalo, Naantali, archipelago) and the seasonal closures on parts of the archipelago ring road were not confirmed with a dated source beyond Wikivoyage's general route list..

The field note on Turku and the archipelago gateway reads this entry in full, one option at a time, with every source beside it.

Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Christian David (see Commons), Wikimedia Commons.