The oldest city in Finland, Turku was the first capital of the country and it is the city to visit when you are looking for an adventurous holiday. There will be plenty of things to keep you busy when you are traveling to Turku, with its national monuments, tons of restaurants and food market. Some of the must-see places that you should visit in Turku are:

Turku Castle

One of the oldest buildings in Finland and its most prized structures of national heritage is the Turku Castle that was first established in the late 1200s. Initially, it was used for defending the province of Eastland, but later served various roles like seat of government, administrative center, a warehouse, luxurious palace and eventually a prison. It was eventually renovated in 1987 and has become a museum.

Forum Marinum Maritime Center

This riverfront attraction is in the IX district of Turku and boasts heritage boats of different sizes that you can board. A three-masted vessel called Sigyn stands out the most, which was built in 1887. You can also check out a Finnish police boat and naval vessels.

Sibeliusmuseum

The only museum in Finland that is completely focused on music is Sibeliusmuseum in Turku. One of the leading Finnish architects, Woldemar Baeckman, designed the building, which boasts over 2,000 musical instruments from all across the globe. In autumn and spring, there are concerts conducted in the museum on Wednesday evenings and anything from jazz to folk music can be on the menu.

Ruissalo

The craggy and long Ruissalo Island is also one of the must-see places in Turku and has various villas that were established in the 1800s. You can travel on a bike and enjoy the botanical garden, rugged coastline, fresh oak forests and the sandy beaches and stay the night at one of the delightful villas.

Flowpark

If you are looking for some outdoor adventures, you can visit the Flowpark in Turku, which is great for both kids and adults. The eco-adventure park offers cable slides, lane jumps, monkey bars, rope bridges and different types of swings. There are lots of tough challenges as well and it can be quite fun for a family holiday.

Turku Archipelago

There are a staggering 40,000 islands that can be found on the Archipelago Sea, right next to Turku, most of which are the size of a tennis court. You can take a ferry to most islands and some are interconnected via bridges, so you can also take a bicycle.

Learn more about places you can see in Turku at VACATIONING EUROPE to explore the Finnish city.