Turku

Turku has an excellent public transportation system, and its buses can reach nearly every corner of the city.

Other

During the summertime, there are multiple boats at the banks of the River Aura who make trips into the archipelago.

By bus

Almost every bus terminates at the Kauppatori market square, and bus lines radiate outwards from it. There are no significant 'circle lines', so usually if you need to transfer, you will need to take one bus to the Kauppatori, then transfer there to the bus taking you to your final destination. Buses generally go in two directions from Kauppatori, so check and make sure that you are taking the correct numbered bus in the correct direction as well.

A single ticket is €2.50, and it is valid for unlimited transfers within two hours of the ticket's purchase. If you intend to take the bus more than twice a day, it becomes economical to ask the bus driver for a 24 hour ticket, priced €5.50. There are no 48 hour tickets, but the tourist office sells Turku Cards of 24h and 48h varieties which, as well as providing free admission to most sights, also provides you free bus rides for the validity period. Some of the more important bus lines are the number 1, which goes from Kauppatori to the airport to Kauppatori to the passenger harbor and Turku Castle and then all over again, and the numbers 50-54 and 20, which will take you to the spa hotel Caribia.

By ship

The free Föri ferry shuttles travellers and their bikes no cars allowed across the Aurajoki River every day from 6:15AM to 9PM, or until 11PM in summer. The trip covers a grand distance of 78 meters and takes about a minute and a half. A running local gag is to ask visitors if they've taken the trip from Turku across to Åbo on the Föri yet; actually, both sides of the river are called the same, Åbo is just the Swedish name. Incidentally, the name comes from the Swedish färja and is related to the English word "ferry".

Föri's low-tech cousin Kampiföri can be found upriver near the Kuralan kylämäki village museum. The name means "Winch Föri", and true to the name, it's operated by up to 12 passengers winching themselves across the river on their own muscle power. Unfortunately, as of June 2012 the Kampiföri service has been interrupted until further notice, after some cases of vandalism occurred [announcement]

On foot

The vast majority of the city's sights are within two kilometres of the Kauppatori market square that is considered as the heart of the city. The river Aura passes through the center of the city, and its banks are very popular for walking along on, allowing for a pleasant stroll from, say, the city centre to the Turku Castle.

By car

Parking places are sparse at rush hours, but otherwise you should be able to park your car quite near the place you are going. One good option is the underground Louhi (http://www.p-louhi.fi/) parking hall €1-2/h as it gives you direct access via elevators to the center of the city and its entrance is well.

By taxi

Taxis are generally easily available, but expensive. There are three crunch times when they might be slightly problematic, and those are the morning and evening ferry departure times particularly during summer, around 8AM and 9PM, and the bar closing times particularly on weekends around 4AM.

A normal taxi will carry about 4 people and a moderate amount of luggage. For significant amounts of luggage, you may want to order a "farmari" taxi, an estate/wagon car which has a roomier luggage compartment. There is also a third common type of taxi available, the tilataksi, a van which will comfortably carry about 8 people.

Taxis charge a base cost of €5.70-8.80 depending on time of day on Sundays the base cost is higher regardless of the time of day, and €1-2 per mile, depending on amount of passengers more passengers, higher mileage charge. Quick 1-2 mile trips will cost in the €8-13 vicinity.

Flagging taxis on the street is rare and may not work; calling the central dispatch is the common method, however you can recognize a free taxi in dark, since the taxi sign on the top will have its light on. There is a central dispatch for all Turku taxis at phone number 02-10041, and bookings can be made in advance €6.80, though more than one day in advance is unnecessary. Advance bookings less than 30 min before desired departure time are not accepted -- in that case, just phone the dispatch when you are ready to go. Outside the worst rush hours, a taxi should take no more than 5 minutes to arrive. If you are out late at night, plan ahead. During weekend bar closing hours, wait times in excess of 1 hour are not unheard of.