Sights

Turku Castle
Turku Castle, whose history began in the 1280s, is one of Finland’s greatest national treasures. The castle’s heyday occurred in the 16th century at the time of Duke Johan and Katariina Jagellonica. The castle’s Renaissance Suite also dates back to this period.
The Duke and his wife gave extravagant parties, the likes of which had never been seen in Finnish history.

The Luostarinmäki Handicrafts Museum
Luostarinmäki survived the conflagration that destroyed most of the town of Turku in 1827. This genuine, unique town from the past now houses the handicrafts museum. Over 30 workshops from different fields of craftsmanship display the occupations of the pre-industrial period and a past lifestyle. Both ornamental and useful plants grow in the yards surrounding the museum buildings. The area has its own post office and two shops selling products from the museum area

The Aboa Vetus & Ars Nove Museums
The Rettig palace - as it's known in local parlance - is located in central Turku by the Aurajoki River. Formerly the private residence of the tobacco factory owner Rettig, it now houses two excellent museums, Aboa Vetus and Ars Nova. In 1997 this rich and fascinating site was voted the second best museum in Europe.

Suomen Joutsen
The flagship of the Forum Marinum maritime centre, Suomen Joutsen (’The Swan of Finland’) is one of Finland’s national treasures. Built in France in 1902, she was acquired by the Finnish Navy in 1930. The frigate has seen both war and peace. Since the early 1960s she has stayed in Turku, first as a training ship and then as a museum ship.