Turku archipelago – islands, ferries and experiences

Writer: Helena Bergström

Updated: August 2026 | The Turku archipelago offers thousands of islands, small communities, ferries, archipelago food and beautiful nature. We have experienced the archipelago both summer and winter, from Pargas and Nagu to Korpo. Here we collect our best tips for the Turku archipelago – with attractions, experiences and practical advice for those who want to venture out among the islands.

Turku archipelago – a huge island world

Outside Turku, a huge archipelago spreads out, with thousands of islands and islets. Here you can travel from island to island by bridges and ferries, stop in small archipelago communities and experience everything from art and culture to swimming, saunas and local food.

A natural route out into the archipelago runs from Turku to Pargas and on towards Nagu and Korpo. If you want to continue even further, you can continue towards Houtskär and Iniö, among other places, or take connecting boats to islands further out in the sea.

We have especially discovered Pargas, Nagu and Korpo, both during a winter trip and during warmer parts of the year. In the winter we encountered an almost quiet archipelago with snow, ice, saunas and fishing, while the summer of course offers significantly more people, open restaurants and boating.

Pargas – the gateway to the archipelago

Pargas is located about 25 kilometers from Turku and is often described as the gateway to the Turku archipelago. From here the road continues further out towards Nagu and Korpo, but Pargas is also worth a stop in its own right.

In the center you can walk in Gamla Malmen, the older part of the city with narrow streets and wooden houses. Pargas is also known for its large limestone quarry, which has been of great importance for the development of the town.

Surrealist art at Art Bank

One of the more unexpected attractions we found in Pargas is the Art Bank, where a large private collection of art by Salvador Dalí is displayed alongside other art and antique furniture.

When we visited the Art Bank, we were given an introduction to the collection and to Dalí's unique artistry. Even for those who are not very interested in art, it is a different experience – there are plenty of strange details to discover here.

One of my personal favorites was a small side table in the shape of a lamb, complete with tabletop and pull-out drawer. Practical? Maybe. Discreet? Not exactly.

Summer by the sea in Pargas

We have also visited Pargas by motorhome and stayed at Solliden Camping, which is located by the sea a bit outside the center. Here you get a completely different picture of the archipelago than the one we encountered on our winter trip, with greenery, water and significantly more life and activity.

Pargas works well as a first stop on a trip further out among the islands, but also as a base if you want to combine the archipelago with a visit to Turku.

Nagu – harbor life and archipelago feel

From Pargas the road continues towards Nagu. A ferry takes you across to the island, and soon you arrive in the church village of Nagu, which during the summer is one of the liveliest places in the archipelago.

Around the guest harbor are restaurants, cafes and shops, and boats come and go from the piers. There is also Nagu Church, a medieval grey stone church, and a small maritime museum.

Nagu is a good place to stop before continuing further into the archipelago. During the high season the atmosphere is lively, while the winter months offer a much quieter side of archipelago life.

Flavors from Nagu

When we traveled through the archipelago in winter, we stayed one night in a cabin near Nagu. There we were served a dinner from the Köpmans restaurant in Nagu, which was one of the great dining experiences of the trip.

We tried pancakes with smoked roach mousse, pike burgers and lamb on homemade archipelago bread. This was accompanied by flavours such as sea buckthorn, pickled cucumber and marinated red onion. It was rustic, creative and very tasty – and above all a nice introduction to ingredients and flavours from the archipelago.

Korpo – art, nature and tranquility

After another ferry ride you will arrive at Korpo. Here the feeling becomes even more small-scale, with forests, sea, small roads and a calm that is easy to appreciate.

In Korpo there is, among other things, a medieval stone church and various activities connected to art and archipelago culture.

Art along the Barefoot Path

One of our more unusual experiences in Korpo was the Barefoot Path, an art trail through the forest where artwork has been placed among trees, stumps and moss. The idea is actually that the path should be experienced barefoot during the warmer part of the year. We came here in the middle of winter and had no plans whatsoever to throw our shoes off in the snow.

We could experience the art, however. One piece of art after another appeared in the forest, including tree stumps covered in mirrors. If you look closely at our pictures, you can even find Peter in one of them.

The Barefoot Path has not developed with new exhibitions in recent years, but many of the artworks still remain in the area.

Stay at Hotel Nestor

During our winter trip, we also stayed at Hotel Nestor in Korpo, a small hotel where archipelago life is combined with art, culture and modern comfort. It fit very well with the experience we had of Korpo – personal, small-scale and far from large hotel complexes.

Today, the hotel also houses the Back Pocket restaurant, focusing on seasonal ingredients and flavors from the area.

Turku archipelago in winter

Most people probably associate the Turku archipelago with summer, sailboats and sunny piers. However, perhaps our most memorable trip through the archipelago was in the middle of winter.

There were significantly fewer people, many businesses were closed and the landscape was white and still. At the same time, we got to experience a side of the archipelago that is easily missed during the summer.

Ice fishing off Pargas

During the winter trip we visited Stentorp's sheep farm outside Pargas, where Jill and Heikki Christiansen welcomed us. We followed them out onto the ice, where Heikki had drilled holes and laid out a long net under the ice. Meter after meter the net was pulled up – until finally a pike-perch appeared.

Afterwards, we met the farm's Finnish landrace sheep and looked at wool products that Jill designed with inspiration from Finnish and Nordic culture, among other things. The visit ended in the best way: with hot fish soup made with pike-perch and perch.

Stentorp had its last public summer season in 2026, so our experience will now live on above all as a nice memory from the trip - and as a picture of the local crafts and archipelago life we encountered.

Sauna, hot tub – and ice bath

A winter trip to Finland is of course not complete without a sauna. At our cabin in the archipelago there was a sauna, a hot outdoor whirlpool and an ice bath. Some of our travel party bravely threw themselves into the icy water.

We didn't. Peter and I chose the hot tub and still have no problems with that decision.

Food in the Turku archipelago

The food was actually one of the great highlights of our winter trip. Much of it revolved around local ingredients and flavors that fit very well into the archipelago environment.

We ate, among other things, pike-perch, perch, whitefish, smoked roach, pike and lamb. To accompany this, archipelago bread, root vegetables and sea buckthorn appeared in various forms. In Korpo, for example, we got to try whitefish from Hjalmar's, cooked with cheese and mushrooms and served with oven-baked root vegetables and archipelago bread.

It doesn't have to be advanced fine dining to be memorable. Some of our best food memories from the archipelago are the rather simple dishes with fish, bread and local ingredients.

Archipelago ring road

A popular way to discover the Turku archipelago is to follow the Archipelago Ring Road. The entire route is around 250 kilometers long and takes you through Pargas, Nagu, Korpo, Houtskär and Iniö before returning to the mainland.

Along the way, regular roads are combined with bridges and a number of ferries. This makes the journey itself part of the experience – you are constantly moving between new islands and environments.

For the entire Ring Road, it's a good idea to set aside at least three to five days. This will give you time to stop along the way instead of just trying to get around.

Some of the ferry connections on the Ring Road are seasonal, meaning that the entire route is primarily a trip for the warmer part of the year. Therefore, always check current ferry times and traffic periods before your trip.

Little Ring Road

If you have less time, there is also the Little Ring Road, a shorter version of about 120 kilometers. Here too you get to experience both islands and ferries, but the route can be done in a couple of days. It is therefore an alternative if you want to get a taste of the archipelago without venturing out on the entire big Ring Road.

Ferries in the Turku archipelago – how it works

Traveling by ferry may seem a bit complicated at first, but on the route from Pargas via Nagu to Korpo it is easy. Between the main islands there are road ferries that operate as part of the road network. You simply drive on board with a car, camper or bicycle and continue your journey on the other side.

The ferries between Pargas and Nagu and between Nagu and Korpo are free and run regularly. However, if you want to drive the entire Archipelago Ring Road, you will need to plan a little more. Some of the connections further out in the archipelago are seasonal, and some trips may need to be booked or paid for.

The best advice is therefore: The further out into the archipelago you intend to travel, the more important it is to check the ferries in advance.

It is also possible to continue out to smaller islands without your own boat. From Nagu, for example, there are connecting boats to islands further out in the archipelago, but that is a completely separate trip – and we will save that for the day we venture even further out among the islands ourselves.

Turku archipelago by motorhome

The Turku archipelago is well suited to exploring by motorhome. You can take your motorhome on the ferries between the main islands and decide for yourself how far out among the islands you want to travel. We have stayed with a motorhome at Solliden Camping in Pargas, which is close to both the sea and the centre of Pargas.

If you want to drive the entire Archipelago Ring Road by motorhome, it is wise to plan your trip in advance. Above all, check the ferry traffic, as some connections are seasonal and rules or booking procedures may differ between different ferries.

The roads on the islands can also be significantly smaller than the main roads on the mainland. That's part of the charm, but with a larger camper it's nice not to be in too much of a hurry. An alternative is of course to leave the camper and discover parts of the archipelago by bike. The archipelago ring road is also popular with cyclists.

More to see and do in the neighbourhood

The Turku archipelago is easy to combine with a few days in Turku. The city includes Turku Castle, the cathedral, museums, restaurants and the beautiful environment along the Aura River. North of Turku is also Naantali, with wooden houses, a marina and Moominworld during the summer season. Here you will find tips and reports:

• Things to do in Turku
• Turku Castle
• Things to do in Helsinki
• Haltia Nature Centre in Espoo