Must-see attractions in Turku & Finland's South Coast

In a tanker-sized, wave-shaped building with walls of metal and printed glass, this state-of-the-art dockside museum recounts Finland’s seafaring life…

When the savage Great Fire of 1827 swept through Turku, the lower-class quarter Luostarinmäki escaped the flames. Set along tiny lanes and around grassy…

Like the bow of a ship tipped on its end, this unusual structure is perched on a rock and surrounded by forest on Hirvensalo island, 7km south of Turku…

Founded in 1280 at the mouth of the Aurajoki, mammoth Turku Castle is easily Finland’s largest fortress. Highlights include two dungeons and sumptuous…

One of Finland's most enticing old quarters, this tangle of cobbled alleys and wooden warehouses is entrancing. Once a vibrant port and market, Porvoo now…

Art and archaeology unite here under one roof. Aboa Vetus (Old Turku) draws you underground to Turku’s medieval streets, showcasing some of the 37,000…

The ‘mother church’ of Finland’s Lutheran faith, Turku Cathedral towers over Turku. Consecrated in 1300, the colossal brick Gothic building was rebuilt…

Porvoo’s historic stone-and-timber cathedral sits atop a hill overlooking the quaint Old Town. This is where Tsar Alexander I convened the first Diet of…

Almost 90% of the 5200-hectare Ekenäs Archipelago National Park is water, so to explore the 1300 islands you’ll need to take a tour from Ekenäs harbour,…

Towering 52m above the waves 25km offshore from Hanko, the Nordic countries' tallest lighthouse was built in 1906 to protect ships from the perilous…

Looming on a high rock overlooking a grassy sward, the late-14th-century Raseborg Castle was strategically crucial in the 15th century, when it protected…

Partly housed in an old granary, this excellent maritime museum offers a comprehensive look at ships and shipping, from scale models to full-size vessels…

Crossing the bridge from the Old Town to Kailo island takes you into the delightful world of the Moomins. The focus is on hands-on activities and…

Situated 5km north of Kotka amid the salmon-rich Kymijoki's rapids, this rustic wooden lodge was built in 1889 for Tsar Alexander III. Most of the…

Anchored outside the Forum Marinum is a small fleet of museum ships that you can climb aboard. The mine layer Keihässalmi and the corvette Karjala take…

Örö was long a military island, first containing a defensive fortress built under Russian rule and later serving as training grounds for the Finnish…

Situated 10km offshore from Loviisa, this four-bastion fortress was built in 1748 to protect against further Russian invasion after Swedish losses in…

This narrow strait between Tullisaari and Kobben is a protected natural harbour where ships from countries around the Baltic Sea once waited out storms…

Original trenches, bunkers and artillery guns remain at the site of some of the worst Winter War fighting, 19km northeast of Hanko. Also here is a…

Rosala isn't just a museum but a Viking village, complete with homestead, chapel and moored Viking ship. An introductory video provides an informative…