Oulu

A city in northern Finland, on the shores of the Gulf of Bothnia, a convenient place to spend the night when traveling around the country. Known as the venue for the World Air Guitar Championship.


The city has a large number of embankments and islands, it is very pleasant to walk here. Bike and pedestrian paths are everywhere.








Embankment with traditional for Finland, wooden houses. Popular place among young people. The city has few large universities with tens of thousands of students.

In general, the city has quite a lot of beautiful architecture.


Except the only building that stands out.


This is the largest theater in northern Finland. It was built in 1972 and is not of special interest from the outside, except that the premium location.


New residential areas.


The symbol of the city is Oulu Castle. Actually, nothing remained of the medieval castle; the last time it was burned by Russian troops in 1715. In 1875, an observatory was built on the former powder magazine. Since 1912, a cafe and a small exhibition have been located inside.


Another symbol is a sculpture of a market policeman. Established in honor of the police who were on duty here many years ago.


We spent the night at Break Sokos Hotel Eden (booking.com), which is located on the largest island within the city. A local resort with a huge beach and promenade, a pleasant place. The hotel has its own water park.

You can walk here from the center, drive by car N 65 01.710 E 25 24.989 or by bus, use the route planner.




Getting there: Oulu Airport is the second busiest after Helsinki. There are more than 20 flights per day from the capital. From the airport to the center runs bus number 9. There are also trains from Helsinki:  6 hours by day or 9 hours by night train. The cheapest option is by bus OmniBus https://www.onnibus.com.