Visit Turku Archipelago for a unique travel experience that your family and friends will definitely envy. You know what that means, right? You hold the bragging rights!
Turku Archipelago is a large area consisting of thousands of inhabited islands, and every single one of them holds stories and legends that you can only find there. Here’s a list of different ways you can visit Turku Archipelago and experience the best parts of it.
1) Rent a Summer House
Turku Archipelago consists of thousands and thousands of Summer houses. That’s where we Finns retreat to spend the warm and sunny Summers in peace and quiet, surrounded by nature. And here’s a good travel tip; if you prefer warm, sunny Summers that don’t stifle you, you should visit Turku! Summers there can be hot, but not overly so.
Finns often spend their entire Summer at the Summer house. But many younger Finns have started to prefer staying in cities during the Summer months, and instead of selling their family properties in the archipelago, they’ve started listing them online for rentals.
You can find absolutely gorgeous Summer houses online and that way get the authentic Finnish Summer house experience. Note that some Summer houses might not have running water or electricity! So, make sure to check the specifications when booking a place to stay.
2) Island hopping on the Circle Road
We’ve all heard of ‘island hopping’ for example in Greece. But did you know you can do that also in Finland? Well, now you can add Turku archipelago to the list of islands to hop!
Also, you can either choose island hopping for one day, or go for the longer version and stay overnight in a hotel. You could even stay with local families. The Circle Road can be traveled by bike, car, boat or a bus. There are cycling roads, but in some parts you’ll need to cycle next to the busy road, so please take that into account.
I would suggest (being a constant visitor in the Turku Archipelago) that you start from Parainen and Nauvo, and continue onwards from there around the beautiful archipelago. On the way you’ll find all of these:
3) Nauvo Marina
I know the island of Nauvo like my own pockets. This is because our own Summer house resides there on a large piece of land that has belonged to my mum’s family for decades.
Nauvo boasts loooads of Summer houses that you can rent for as long as you like. And the Nauvo Marina in the center of the island is a lovely spot for a break and a delicious meal.
The Nauvo Marina is a very popular spot for all kinds of seafarers from rowing boats to sailing boats to proper ass yachts. There’s a lot to see, and the atmosphere there is always hospitable and oh, so chill.
From Nauvo Marina you can catch a ferry that will take you to the island of Seili, which has a very murky history indeed.
4) Sail to Seili
Seili is a beautiful island with a very dark history. If walls could talk, the few buildings residing there would surely have some pretty gory stories to tell! In the 1600 and 1700 the island acted as an isolation camp for those suffering from leprosy. They were taken to the island so they wouldn’t pass the disease to anyone else.
When taken there, each patient had to bring along their own boards for a coffin. Because once taken there, there was no leaving the island. After leprosy vanished from Finland Seili was transformed into a lunatic asylum. People suffering from a variety of mental problems, which back then were classified quite differently, were taken there for the rest of their lives. It was mainly used to relocate “chronic women”.
In reality this meant women suffering from actual mental disorders, but also women who were called “menstrual crazy” or who just didn’t fit into the society. That could have been homeless women, and those who worked on the brink of society, for example prostitutes.
The island of Seili operated as a mental hospital all the way to 1960 when the operations were finally moved under the University Hospital in Turku.
5) Utö Island
Utö is the farthermost inhabited island in the Turku Archipelago. It’s a tiny island of only 0,81 square kilometers, and boasts a small community of about 40 people. You won’t find people much tougher than them! They brave the extreme conditions of the harsh Baltic Sea all year round, but still they manage to be as welcoming as ever.
You can get a ferry from the aforementioned Nauvo Marina straight to Ut?. On the island you can get acquainted with traditional island dwellings and go diving to discover a ship wreck or two.
Being the first island when arriving to the Turku Archipelago by sea, Ut? has seen a multitude of shipwrecks. One of the most recent ones, and the worst in Finnish maritime history was the Estonia tragedy.
To learn more about the eventful history and the ships that passed through and went down in the Turku Archipelago, visit Turku and the Forum Marinum museum .
6) Bengtskär Lighthouse
Bengtskär Lighthouse is another interesting destination in the Turku Archipelago. It’s a barren island with the tallest lighthouse in Scandinavia towering 52 meters above sea level.
It was designed by Florentin Granholm and built in 1906 because the surrounding areas were too difficult for ships to master. Most of ships passing by run aground before the lighthouse was erected.
The poor lighthouse has seen a lot of life, and it was even blown to pieces by the Soviet army. But Finns have never bowed to the East, so the lighthouse was rebuilt and automated in the 60’s. Today the lighthouse belongs to the Turku University Foundation and is a very popular tourist destination.
7) Take a mini cruise
If you only have a few hours to experience the Turku Archipelago, there’s a brilliant option for you! The Ukko Pekka steam boat takes groups of people for a 4-hour trip including a meal and beautiful sea views.
The trip starts from the bank of the Aura River and leads to the tiny island of Loistokari only an hour’s sail away. This is the perfect option for couples looking for a wee romantic getaway.
There’s nothing more romantic than a small island in the middle of the sea with traditional archipelago tunes playing on the background. I recently went on this trip myself, and would wholeheartedly recommend it!
8) Ruissalo National Park
Ruissalo is another brilliant way to visit Turku Archipelago if you’re short on time. You can get a bus from Turku city center straight to the island of Ruissalo. It’s one of the biggest islands in the archipelago, and offers a lot to see and do! It became a popular area among the Finnish gentry in the 1800s, which is still very visible there.
Along the coastline of the island you can find plenty of what Finns call ‘lace villas’. These are beautifully decorated villas where people still spend their long Summer holidays enjoying nature, sea air and peace.
In addition to the beautiful villas, Ruissalo offers long, sandy beaches, cute cafés and a lot of unique nature. There’s a Botanic Garden surrounded by a national park that’s part of the Natura 2000 project.
For us Turku folk Ruissalo is best known for one of the biggest festivals in the Northern countries: Ruisrock. I warmly recommend you to visit Turku and the Ruisrock Festival in July, because perfect Summer weather is always guaranteed in the area that specific weekend! Not joking.
And there you have it, 8 ways to experience the Turku Archipelago, a unique piece of Mother Nature’s wonders on the coast of Western Finland. Cleanest air and nature, loads to do, and a guarantee for relaxation in terms of body and mind!
