This is a beautiful old village that has been restored and is well looked after. If you're curious…read moreabout how people used to live in Finland, this is the place for you! The old wooden buildings showcase craftsmanship through the ages, as well as the lifestyle of Finns hundreds of years ago. You can freely roam through the village and explore galleries and a variety of craftsmen's dwellings. The staff dotted throughout the village are also super helpful in explaining the lifestyle and the functionality of many of the tools and amenities. I loved roaming around and exploring the place, though I do wish they'd have an audio guide.

This place is such a very special handicraft museum. Walking from wooden house to wooden house -…read morethe oldest ones built in 1785, the latest ones in 1808 - is like travelling back in time. All these houses "survived" the Great Fire of Turku in 1827 and got restored in the 1930s/40s. It is like a village of its own providing anything village people hundreds of years ago would need: a bakery and a tailor, a saddlemaker and glovemaker, a carpenter and wigmaker ... and the list goes on and on. Upon entering the houses, they seem to come alive with all historical furniture, items and tools displayed like someone left just a second ago to have a little break outside. You really expect someone to return and continue to work! Still it says "Handicrafts Museum" and not simply "Open-Air Museum" at the entrance gate ... even though I was promised at the ticket counter to come across some handicrafting that afternoon, just few people were walking around in historical clothing without demonstrating anything. Only two girls were sitting together while crocheting. Two houses were even locked and a sign informed about a lunch break. So, please, get the visitors to experience some handicrafting no matter what time they visit the museum. It should not depend on being lucky!! Nevertheless, 4 stars for preserving this part of Turku that was miraculously saved from the Great Fire!

This place is two museums in one! Downstairs, there are medieval ruins and exhibits on historic…read moreFinland, and upstairs you'll find a modern art gallery, and a river runs right through the building, which makes for an amazing café in between the two museum areas! The medieval ruins were re-discovered during excavations in 1995 and include a church and residential buildings with lots of information about the time period. Upstairs in the contemporary art gallery, exhibitions and installations are constantly changing. This one's well worth a visit!

Great cafe! (I didn't stay for the museum this time.) Love the array of cakes, cookies, and…read morepastries. Pairs well with a nice cappuccino. Had a slice of banana cake. Which looked fantastic and just tasted OK. (The cake was a bit dry, like it had been sitting out for several hours... which it had). But it's really the atmosphere that draws me in: Clean & modern, large open spaces, wall-to-wall windows, light music in the background. Great spot to meet friends, maybe a bit too noisy to settle in with a laptop and get some work done. But I'm tempted to try, maybe on a slower weekday.