Attractions Nearby Turku, Day Trips and Excursions

(Turku, Finland Proper, Finland)

The port city of Helsinki is Finland's proud capital and its numerous attractions are to be found around 169 km / 105 miles to the south-west of Turku, standing on a large peninsula and based around a series of small islets. Regarded as Finland's number two city after Helsinki, although not in size, Tampere is around 162 km / 101 miles to the north-east of Turku and is also well worth investigating, with many attractions being based around the city's Lake Näsijärvi and Lake Pyhäjärvi.

Espoo is also close to Turku and resides on the very outskirts of Helsinki, often being considered to be a suburb of the capital and offers noticeably cheaper accommodation. Vantaa is also to be found nearby both Espoo and Helsinki, where attractions include the simply enormous rock festival known as Ankkarock, which takes place each year in the middle of August.

Helsinki

You should really try to make time to visit Helsinki for at least a few days, since there are just so many exceptional attractions here, relatively close to Turku. A large amount of Helsinki is actually water, with the very heart of the city being based around the harbourfront. The city's strong Finnish heritage remains well preserved within its dozens of different museums. For much of the best shopping in Helsinki, head to the rather upmarket district of Kauppatori and the Esplanadi.

Espoo

Finland's second-biggest city after Helsinki, Espoo is around 150 km / 93 miles to the south-west of Turku and if you have the time and inclination, is worthy of a short break. Attractions in Espoo pale into insignificance when compared to those just down the road, in neighbouring Helsinki. However, several do stand out, such as Espoo's ever popular Serena Water Park, and also the rather appealing Nuuksio National Park, where you may even be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a flying squirrel or rare osprey.

Tampere

Relatively close to the city of Turku, the main attractions of Tampere are filled with Finnish sophistication and often based around the famous Tammerkoski rapids, which connect the Näsijärvi and Pyhäjärvi lakes. Many of the main sights, shops and restaurants are all to be found along the main street of Hämeenkatu, or extremely close by. On the northern side of Tampere, the Särkänniemi Adventure Park is a particularly favourite of many, while others simply prefer to marvel at the exquisite architecture of Tampere Cathedral (Tampereen Tuomiokirkko), which features particularly beautiful stained-glass windows and frescoes.

Vantaa

Best visited in conjunction with Helsinki, Vantaa is actually considered to be a part of the overall Greater Helsinki area, due to its proximity to the capital. Approximately 172 km / 107 miles from Turku and home to the Helsinki Vantaa Airport, those making the effort to spend a day or two in Vantaa will find the exceptional Heureka science centre well worth checking out, as well as the interesting and rather historical city museum sited within the train station in the Tukkurila district.