On my family’s Europe trip in the summer of 2024, our next stop was Finland. We had just taken an overnight cruise on a Viking line from Stockholm to Turku, which lasted 11 hours, departing at 8 pm and arriving at 8 am. However, we lost an hour due to the time difference, so it would have been 7 am in Sweden. Despite being a short one-night cruise, it had all the usual amenities: bars, restaurants, live music, a spa, and a casino.

Arriving in Turku at 8 am, we took a public bus to our hotel the Radisson Blu. As the town isn’t very large, buses are the best form of transportation. After checking in, we set out to find breakfast. Since it was still early, not much was open yet, but we found a café called Fazer, a popular chain in Finland, where we had ham and cheese croissants and some coffee to kickstart our day.

Our first stop was Turku Cathedral. Like many churches in Europe, the structure was beautiful. It dates back to the 14th century and the expansion history can be seen in its many layers, from brick to stone and so on. After the Great Fire of Turku in 1827, many buildings, including the cathedral’s bell tower, were destroyed, so most of the current furnishings and the bell tower were after this time.

To see more of the town, we made our way to the Observatory lookout on a hill. Though there wasn’t much to view, the walk itself was enjoyable.

Next, we scootered to Turku Castle and grabbed a quick bite at the café before touring the museum. The castle’s construction began in the late 13th century and expanded until the 1500s when it reached its current size. From the outside, it doesn’t look particularly grand, but once inside, it’s incredible! The museum is vast and detailed, covering the castle’s history, the people who lived there, artifacts from various eras, and showcased fully furnished rooms. We only had an hour and a half before it closed, which wasn’t nearly enough time to explore everything! Another cool aspect was seeing that they host events like weddings—they were even setting up for one as we passed through.

Later that evening, while looking for a restaurant, we noticed many university students wearing different-colored jumpsuits. Curious, we asked a group of them about it, and they explained that the colors represent different majors—yellow for business, purple for engineering, turquoise for dentistry, and so on. The students collect badges throughout their studies and sew them onto the jumpsuits themselves. These jumpsuits are worn to all school events and parties, and they’re not supposed to be washed, which can be a problem when alcohol is involved! If they throw up on their jumpsuit, the can only clean it by jumping into the Aurajoki river with dirty water to wash it. I bet university life is a lot of fun here, especially with all of the traditions.

For dinner, we chose NOOA, a restaurant right on the water with a great atmosphere. We enjoyed drinks and an appetizer of beef tartare, followed by shared dishes of fish, steak, and risotto, all of which were delicious.

Though the town was charming and peaceful, I would have preferred to skip it and spend more time at our next destination. There wasn’t much to do beyond what we had already seen. The next morning, we took a private bus to Helsinki!