Turku
Address of the port of Turku
Port of Turku, Linnankatu 20100 Turku, Finland, 91
Reaching the port of Turku
by car: from the ferry port of Turku is 3.4 Km from city centre, 169 km from Helsinki and 165 km from Tampere. From Helsinki take the E18 towards Turku and Tampere take E12/E63 and then change to the E63. Follow the signs to the port of Turku.
By train: Between the ferry port of Turku, Helsinki and Tampere there are good connections by train. The train station is about 200 m from the ferry terminal. To access the track goes through a glass corridor leaving the terminal.
By bus: The bus station is next to the train station at about 200 m from the terminal. A local bus (No. 1) is in service between the ferry terminal and the main square of Turku, Kauppatori. There are good bus connections between the port of Turku and the various cities in Finland.
Information about Turku
Turku is a city of 178,784 inhabitants of southwestern Finland, located in the Varsinais-Suomi region. Turku stands at the mouth of the river Aurajoki and for its history and its geographical position makes a percentage of more than 5% of Swedish speakers. Regarding the exact year of the foundation there is no certainty, but traditionally it is dated back to 1229.
It is the fifth largest city in Finland. Looking at the metropolitan area, the Turku region is the second largest urban area in the country after the Helsinki metropolitan area.
Mariehamn (Åland Islands)
Information about Mariehamn
Mariehamn is the capital of the autonomous province of the Åland Islands with 11.286 inhabitants (2012 data), and is located on the island of Fasta Åland.
Mariehamn is home to the government and parliament of Åland and 40% of the population lives in the capital. As for the rest of Åland Mariehamn is Swedish speaking; Finnish is taught in schools, but it is not an official language.
The city is named after Marija Aleksandrovna, empress consort of Alexander II of Russia. Mariehamn was founded in 1861, around the village of Övernäs, which at the time belonged to the municipality of Jomala. Mariehamn expanding has incorporated other territories of the neighboring municipality. The capital is located on a peninsula, and has two major ports, located on the east and west coast.
The western port is a marina, while the eastern port is very important for its international airports which connect Åland daily to Sweden, Finland, Estonia and Latvia. Ships sailing the Baltic, stopping at Åland, enjoy tax relief due to the fact that the latter is not part of the European customs union, thus making it possible to tax-free sales on board the vessels. Mariehamn International Airport (MHQ) is located in the neighboring municipality of Jomala, 3 kilometers northwest of the city center.
Åland and Mariehamn have a respectable heritage at sea. The Flying P-Liner Pommern ship, now a museum ship, is anchored in the western port. In the western port one can visit one of the largest marinas in Scandinavia. The popular Dutch steamer Jan Nieveen (now called F.P. von Knorring, pub-restaurant) is located in the western port.
