Things to do
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Aura River
Both banks through the centre are lined with terraces, and old ships moored along the quays work as bars and restaurants through the summer. A small chain ferry called Föri has crossed free of charge since 1904, carrying cyclists and prams over in under a minute. Riverside walking links the cathedral to the castle in about half an hour, and the water freezes hard in a cold winter.
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Naantali
Fifteen kilometres west, a small wooden town of painted houses and a medieval convent church draws Finnish families to the Moomin World park on its island, which opens for the summer weeks. Kultaranta, the president's official summer residence, shows its gardens on guided tours. Buses run out from Turku in about half an hour, and the harbour front restaurants fill from June.
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Island
Turku Archipelago
Thousands of islands and skerries spread southwest from the city into the Baltic, linked by a chain of free road ferries that together form the Archipelago Ring Road. Cycling the loop takes a few days, with stops at Nagu, Korpo and Houtskär. Ferry timetables set the pace, services thin out after August, and island cabins are reserved well before midsummer.
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Turku Castle
Sweden began this grey stone fortress at the mouth of the Aura in the 1280s, and six centuries of extension left a maze of halls, chapels and cramped stairs around the medieval core. Renaissance rooms upstairs are furnished to the period, and the museum below covers the history of the town. It stands beside the ferry terminal, a bus ride or a long riverside walk from the centre.
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Turku Cathedral
Consecrated in 1300 and rebuilt after the fire that destroyed the town in 1827, the mother church of Finnish Lutheranism keeps side chapels of medieval tombs, among them the Scottish born queen Karin Månsdotter. Its bells are broadcast on national radio at noon. Entry is free, the museum upstairs is ticketed, and the nave is used for concerts through the autumn.