Weekend i Åbo - spa, kultur och god mat

A few weeks ago we spent a weekend in Turku, filled with spa, culture and good food. Finnish Turku is just a pleasant boat ride away from Stockholm and has a lot to offer.

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A lovely weekend in Turku

We have been in Turku quite a lot lately. Last summer we visited Turku with the motorhome, and just before Christmas we travelled here together with Peter's brother and his wife, to experience the Christmas atmosphere and Christmas markets. Now it was time again!

Shortly after returning from South Africa and Zimbabwe, we were invited on a press trip to Turku. The programme included a number of interesting destinations that we not visited before, so we said yes. We tell you all about our trip here, and we've also updated our Turku guide (below) with even more tips.

READ MORE: What to do in Turku - 25 sights and experiences
READ MORE: Winter weekend in Turku - Christmas atmosphere and markets

Weekend i Åbo — We visited Turku in March - and during those days it was really wintry!

Viking Glory Stockholm - Turku

We went to Turku with Viking Glory. Although we have often thought about travelling with this ship, it has not happened before. Fun to finally get on board this famous cruise ship! Just as we suspected, Viking Glory is deliciously designed, not least in the Kobba restaurant.

We got the chance to peek up the (really nice!) staircase, which is usually closed to most guests. What's up there? Well, a "chambre séparée" called "Fyren" which can be booked for smaller groups. Here, at the rotating (!) table, you have the best view on the ship. In fact, you even sit higher than the captain.

The lighthouse can be booked for 12 seated guests, or up to 30 mingling people. When you book the venue, you also book a food and drink package such as Scandinavian Afternoon Tea Break or Lighthouse Champagne Break.

We ate our dinner where most guests do, in the buffet restaurant. Here we chose to focus on seafood and small bowls of delicious treats. Of course, there is a wide range of hot dishes as well.

After dinner we took a short lap to the stylish bar and the (enormously large!) shop on board. However, we did not stay late here, as we knew we had to get up early the next morning.

At the breakfast buffet, we took the opportunity to eat some good cheeses and classic Karelian pies. At the same time, we could look out over the sun rising over Finland in front of us.

It was a chilly, but beautiful, Finland that greeted us.

Sokos Hotel Seurahuone

During our weekend in Turku we stayed at Sokos Hotel Seuraheune. This hotel has a great location in the centre of the city. The hotel is a classic from the 1920s, and although it has been renovated in a modern style, you can still feel the 20s vibe, with decorative pearl necklaces in unexpected places and other neat details.

There is a nice sauna in the hotel, but we did not have time to use it.

The breakfast is also very nice, with a large and tempting selection.

Turku market hall

The first thing we did during our weekend in Turku was to visit the Turku market hall. This market hall opened in 1896, and is located in a classically beautiful building. Inside it is incredibly charming, with nice shops, nice restaurants and a delicious "train section", where you sit as if you were on a train.

The Turku market hall is very popular and is used at least as much by locals as by tourists. We visited the fish and seafood shop, among others. Herkkunuotta, where we got to try their speciality smoked pike mousse on a piece of bread - very, very good! In addition, we visited Piece of Cake where we tried the popular piisbis doughnuts. Also very tasty!

Guided city walk in Turku

The next item on the programme was a guided tour of Turku, via the company Magni Mundi. Very interesting! Turku is the oldest city in Finland and was once the second largest city in Sweden. So there's a lot of history here, including both Finland and Sweden. For example, Karin Månsdotter (Queen of Sweden from July to September 1568 and wife of King Erik XIV) is buried in Turku Cathedral.

After the guided tour, we also walked a bit on our own. It is incredibly nice to stroll along the Aura river, which flows right through the city.

Guided tour of Paimio Sanatorium

Located half an hour outside of Turku by car, Paimio Sanatorium is known as the design masterpiece of Alvar and Aino Aalto. The building was completed in 1932 and received international acclaim for its architecture. It is now considered one of Aalto's most significant early works.

Today, guided tours of the sanatorium are organised all year round. We went on one such tour, which was very interesting. The guide told us about the time when the building served as a sanatorium for tuberculosis patients. She also told us about the architecture, with its colours, large amounts of light, technical solutions and creative ideas that would improve the lives of tuberculosis patients.

Among other things, we visited the large balcony where the patients spent several hours every day, regardless of the weather, to get as much fresh air as possible.

Those who wish can also stay over at Paimio sanatorium. Most of the small apartments have been renovated, while maintaining the original style.

Kakola - a visit to the prison hotel

Back in the city centre, we made another exciting visit during our weekend in Turku - at the Kakola Prison Hotel. The hotel is located on Kakola Hill, which is the second highest hill in Turku. The hill got its name because a former poorhouse here housed "mentally deficient" people, who were called kako.

For a long time, Kakola was the largest and most dangerous prison in Finland. Closed in 2007, the prison has since been converted into a modern hotel and the surrounding buildings have been converted into a restaurant, bakery and spa.

Although the hotel has been very stylishly renovated, care has been taken to retain details reminiscent of the prison era. For example, there are old prison doors and chains, and the old prison church has been preserved.

Most of the hotel rooms have been renovated into "ordinary" and very nice hotel rooms, where only small details remind of prison life. For example, the tray on which coffee and tea water is served is the same tray where inmates used to get their food ...

For those who want to go one step further, there are also hotel rooms that look more or less like a real prison cell... Apparently the hotel has hosted both brides and grooms and former prison inmates!

Beer tasting at Kakola Brewing

The area on Kakolabacken, where you can go with the small funicular, is today really nice. Here you will find, among other things, the local small craft brewery. Kakola Brewingwhich offers beer, pizza and brewery tours. The beer here is creative and comes in many varieties, from lager and ipa to imaginative pink-coloured fruit beers.

There is also a nice little shop on site. Finland has slightly more generous alcohol regulations than Sweden. Alcoholic drinks with a maximum of 5.5 per cent by volume can be sold in ordinary supermarkets and producers can sell alcoholic drinks with a maximum of 13 per cent by volume.

Kakola spa

Another place worth visiting on the Kakola hill is... Kakola spa. We came here in the late afternoon, when it was relatively quiet, and it was really a relaxing experience.

There are a variety of nice pools and of course (this is Finland!) a whole bunch of different kinds of saunas. The big pool also has a bar, so you can buy a drink and savour it at the tables in the water. Really delicious!

Dinner at Nooa restaurant

One evening during our weekend in Turku, we had dinner at a restaurant Nooawhich is beautifully situated by the river Aura. In the summer you can sit outside, but now it was of course more cosy to huddle indoors. We ate a very good three-course menu with beetroot carpaccio for starters, fish for the main course and a fruity and sweet finish. A visit that made us very happy!

Guided tour in Naantali

About 20 minutes from Turku by car is the charming little town of Naantali, or Naantali as it is called in Finnish. The town was once a popular spa resort, and is also known as the home of a theme park. The Moomin world. We were here last summer and have written two reports. This time we went on a guided tour, which was very interesting.

READ MORE: Things to do in Naantali - 15 tips for a Finnish archipelago gem
READ MORE: Visiting Moominworld in Naantali - tips and info

In summer, Naantali is a popular tourist destination, full of open restaurants, cafés, ice cream parlours and boat trips. At this time of year it was much quieter, but still incredibly charming and cosy.

Visit to Naantali spa in Naantali

Naantali can still be said to be something of a health resort. It is home to the famous and popular "Naantali spa", which is both a spa and a hotel.

The hotel has a fantastic spa, with several different pools and the opportunity to swim outdoors. An incredibly lovely place!

You can also stay at the hotel, where there are different types and classes of rooms.

For those who want to go "all in" on the Moomin theme, there are special Moomin rooms, where the common theme is the Moomins. These rooms are apparently particularly popular with Japanese tourists, who love the story.

There are also several restaurants in the hotel and we had a (very good!) lunch before it was time for us to move on.

End of weekend in Turku - return home by plane

You can of course book a return trip in the same way after your weekend in Turku, and perhaps take a ferry in both directions. We flew home instead, from Turku to Stockholm, which was quick and easy. Just have to say that we love that they have rocking chairs at Turku airport!

More to do in the neighbourhood

If you want to travel further, starting from Turku, there is of course more to see and do. Helsinki has a lot to offer in terms of museums, art, restaurants and boat trips. We can also highly recommend a visit to the beautiful Unesco city. Rauma. Below you will find even more tips for Finland.

Have you done a weekend in Turku?

We really like the charming city of Turku, both in summer and winter. Have you ever done a weekend in Turku, or would you like to?

5 Comments

Add yours →

Jonathan GDM says:

Beer tasting too 🙂 ! You are probably soon bigger experts on beer than me. Did you get to taste all the beers they had on tap, a huge task when there were so many taps!

14 April 2024 - 11:48

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Well, we're not exactly experts ... But beer tasting is nice! 🙂
  
  14 April 2024 - 18:15
  
But says:

Seurahuone has nice rooms and Turku's best hotel breakfast but they don't have a spa (but a sauna, of course, there are also rooms with a sauna). Unfortunately an expensive hotel. Would otherwise stay there several times a year as I often visit Turku. The cash register unfortunately says stop.

14 April 2024 - 18:08

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Sauna is a better word, absolutely right! I will change it. Thank you very much!
  
  14 April 2024 - 18:16
  
Lena - good for the soul says:

There seems to be a lot of nice gems in Finland too (of course). I can't remember ever having been to Turku, other than travelling by ferry. But I have visited Naantali when the children were small.

Hug Lena

06 May 2024 - 6:06

Weekend in Turku - spa, culture and good food

A lovely weekend in Turku

Viking Glory Stockholm - Turku

Sokos Hotel Seurahuone

Turku market hall

Guided city walk in Turku

Guided tour of Paimio Sanatorium

Kakola - a visit to the prison hotel

Beer tasting at Kakola Brewing

Kakola spa

Dinner at Nooa restaurant

Guided tour in Naantali

Visit to Naantali spa in Naantali

End of weekend in Turku - return home by plane

More to do in the neighbourhood

Have you done a weekend in Turku?

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5 Comments

Jonathan GDM says:

Helena says:

But says:

Helena says:

Lena - good for the soul says:

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