Turku Harbour

Ships and cranes line the Aura River, marking the beginning of the Turku harbor area. — Photo: Pekka Vallila

Stretching from Martinsilta bridge to the river’s mouth, the harbour is a lively area, full of character and contrasts. Here, trendy eateries are right by medieval buildings, hip hotels are found inside former prisons, and luxurious yachts sail past stately ships. The most popular drawcard is the 700-year-old Turku Castle, but the notorious Kakola prison and the family-friendly Forum Marinum are equally impressive. This area is also the departure point for cruise ships heading to Stockholm and the Åland Islands as well as some smaller vessels, which will take you into the heart of the archipelago.

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Get here

By bus: You can easily get to Turku Harbour on board Föli bus #1. Routes and timetables can be found on the Föli website. If you’re travelling from further afield, you can take a coach. There are several coaches that arrive at the harbour daily, which usually align with cruise timetables. Detailed timetables can be found on the Matkahuolto website.

By train: You can travel by train to Turku Harbour from cities like Helsinki and Tampere. Timetables can be found on the VR website. The journey from Helsinki takes around two and a half hours, while it’s around an hour and 45 minutes from Tampere.

By car: It's easy to travel to Turku Harbour by car and you'll find plenty of paid parking spaces here.

By bike: There are good bike routes to Turku Harbour. It’s about four kilometres from the city centre and the path will take you along the atmospheric Aura River.

By sea: The Aura River flows through the city, so you can make your way to Turku Harbour by boat. If you’re feeling brave, you can even kayak here, but it’s best to stay away from busy shipping lanes. From Naantali, you can hop aboard S/S Ukkopekka, or you can take the Tuula II water bus from Kaarina; both will leave you on the banks of the Aura River. Buy tickets for S/S Ukkopekka here. You can also sail from Sweden or Åland with Silja Line or Viking Line, straight to Turku Harbour.