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NSCMID2021 | 3-6 September 2021 | Turku, Finland

About Turku

Host City

Turku, located in the region of Southwest Finland, is one of Finland’s biggest cities

The versatile livelihood structure, top class selection of education, culture, and services, as well as the beautiful archipelago, form a magnetic combination in Turku. In Turku there is everything, but still, Turku is small enough that you can go almost everywhere by foot or bike.

Turku is the oldest city of Finland and was founded in 1229. Turku has a compact size, perfect for exploring the exciting mixture of old and new.

Welcome to Turku!

Modern, yet historic

Turku, the former capital of Finland, lies 165 kilometres west of present-day capital Helsinki. Turku offers a skilled and educated workforce, modern municipal engineering, good international connections and flexible services for companies and businesses.

Situated at the mouth of the River Aura, Turku is a major port city today.

Turku is known as a bilingual city; around five percent of the population is Swedish-speaking. A great portion of Turku residents are students: every fourth person is either student or professional in higher education institute.

Urban life is focused around the river, and some of the most interesting sights are located on its banks: the Turku Castle and Finland’s national shrine, the Turku Cathedral, among others. The Old Grand Market Square is located by the River Aura.

Turku facts

  • 184 000 residents
  • over 310 000 inhabitants in the entire region
  • 40 000 higher education students
  • two universities and four universities of applied sciences
  • 20 000 enterprises with a total of 130 000 jobs
  • more than 100 nationalities in the area
Turku Magazine 2020
What could be a more convenient way to go on an adventure around the city? The Turku region’s public transport service, Föli, introduced in spring 2018 the new Föli-bikes, and nowadays it’s impossible not to come across these yellow bikes when moving about the city.

The city bike-share system consists of bikes that are for public use for short-term use and which can be picked up and dropped off at bike stations around the city, so you can drop off the bikes wherever you go. Instructions for registering as well as using the bikes can be found on the Föli website.

Combine culture and outdoor recreation!

Cultural exercise routes located around the Aura river are a refreshing combination of culture and exercise. Take your time and explore Turku and its love stories, statues and urban legends. You can walk, run or cycle, the choice is yours.

The routes are not marked so you will need a map with you. You can get the route maps from the city library or the Tourist info or you can print them from specific route sites (see links). If you have a smartphone, you can download the free Citynomadi mobile app and get the maps from the app.

Getting around

Within Turku and its neighbouring areas, you can get around in many different ways. Public transport in the Turku region is provided by Föli’s bright yellow buses. Journeys can be paid using a travel card, cash or a mobile ticket. A single ticket costs only 3 € and lets you travel for two hours, allowing you to change bus as many times as you like. You’ll get more information about the local buses on the Föli website

Föri is Turku’s own little city ferry, which travels across the River Aura between Wechterinkuja (on the west side) and Tervahovinkatu (on the east side). The treasured ferry has been transporting Turku residents since 1904, and, truth be told, you cannot say you’re truly from Turku before riding for free aboard Föri. The ‘cruise’ lasts about two minutes, enough time to admire the beautiful views of the River Aura. The ride is completely free from the moment you jump on board. Read more about Föri.

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