Turku Introduction Walking Tour (Self Guided), Turku

Turku is the oldest city in Finland. The city served as the capital of Finland from September 1809 through April 1812. It is a popular tourist destination because of its long history and impact on Finnish culture.

The name "Turku" derives from the Slavic word for marketplace. Not surprisingly, Turku has popular markets like those held at the Turku Old Market Hall and Market Square.

It is unknown when the city of Turku was officially founded. The oldest mention of Turku is in the Al-Idrisi world map of 1154. The oldest road in the city, Hameen Harkatie, was constructed in the 9th century. Archaeological digs have shown a human presence in the area dating to the Stone Age.

The landscape of the city changed greatly after the Great Fire of 1827. A large portion of the city was destroyed and needed to be rebuilt from the ground up. Architect Carl Ludvig Engel made plans for most of the new city structures. Many of those that survived the fire are now part of the Luostarinmaki open-air museum.

Turku is known as the Christmas City of Finland and the Food Capital of Finland. It shared the title of European Capital of Culture of 2011 with Tallinn, Estonia. Finns refer to Turku as "the Paris of Finland" because it has such a diverse restaurant scene and a large number of galleries and museums.

Turku Cathedral is known as the most important religious building in Finland. Located next to the Old Great Square, it is easy to reach for anyone on a walking tour. Another important spot for visitors is Turku Castle. Now a museum, Turku Castle is one of the oldest surviving structures in the country.

Take this self-guided walking tour to see these and many other exciting places in Turku, Finland.