In this video I'm going to show you the four must-see sights and attractions in
the 800 year old city of Turku in Finland. Hi I'm Gary Bembridge of Tips for
Travellers, join me as I take you on a journey around four must-see sights and
attractions if you're ever in Turku in Finland. It's
a beautiful city, it's a very old city and it really is quite something to see.
It's the oldest city in Finland at over 800 years old, although most buildings
are relatively contemporary as the city suffered many fires including the massive one
in the 1820s which pretty much destroyed the whole place. It was briefly the
capital of Finland before Helsinki took on that role. The first site is Turku
Castle. This is the most visited attraction in the city and it started as
a fortified fortress and was added to and extended over the centuries, the most
significant part is in the 16th century when the Swedish Prince John and his
bride ruled the region for seven years. Over its history it's been a fortress, a
palatial home and court, a warehouse, a barracks a prison and now it's a museum.
The walk and tour of the castle transports you through centuries of its
life. As you climb around the twisting stairs and hallways you come across
ancient rooms filled with intricate murals on the walls,
there's even an ancient old church filled with religious statues and
artefacts. There are numerous temporary and
permanent exhibitions of items linked to the castle.
There's gorgeous renovated halls and rooms with grand pillars, and even
waxwork recreations of life in the castle in the 16th century. There's
lots to see here and so make sure you allow plenty of time to do it justice.
The second attraction, and real must-see, is the beautiful Turku Cathedral. This is
another popular and must-see sight. Like the castle it's another ancient site with
origins almost as old as the city. It's actually Finland's national shrine and
the residence of the Archbishop of Finland. The huge Tower is over 100
metres high, and the cathedral runs services in multiple languages. It's also
an important venue for music concerts as well as its religious role.
Inside it's very impressive, it's got vast towering vaulted ceilings and columns, a
huge beautiful organ, a stunning altar and then various areas dedicated to the
significant players in the city and in Finland's history. Many important figures
are buried within the cathedral itself. It's a gorgeous place in stunning
grounds and a definite definite must-see. The third sight is the Aura river, this is
something that you should spend a lot of time walking along. The focal point in
Turku is this beautiful river Aura that runs right through it. The city
itself developed along the banks of the river and today it remains a place where
locals and visitors gravitate to. It's got walkways filled with flowers and to stroll
along. There's lots of cafes to sit and relax at. You can even take boat rides
along the river itself. These large ships moored along the banks act as
bars and restaurants, so in the evenings after work and on the weekends people
are drawn to the River Aura and they fill the area - creating a real vibe. Now
the River Aura is also important because this is where many of the major events
of Turku to take place. So for example when I was there, the Tall Ships Races
were in town. They visited Turku a number of times so the river is very important
in terms of the social life of Turku. My fourth thing to do is the S/S Ukkopekka.
This is a great and very unique activity. So another must do is to go on one of
the lunch or dinner cruises on the old steam ship the
S/S Ukkopekka. it's something of a Turku institution and you cruise out along the
River Aura and go past cruise port and ferry terminals and you head out into
the archipelago. The archipelago consists of about 40,000 islands of all
sizes. It's a very beautiful area with grand summer houses, boats and
lots of different islands which you can either visit for the day or you
can stay on. The S/S Ukkopekka takes you out to get a taste of the
archipelago for a few hours with a meal included. It's a great experience.
I hope you found that helpful and it has given you a sense of this beautiful old
city. Turku is 800 years old with lots and lots of
history. It's a very stunning place to visit. I hope you found that helpful and if
you did I'd love it if you'd "like" the video and, even more importantly, please
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