Green, greener, Southwest Finland. Recreation in nature is extremely easy here. In addition to the fact that jogging tracks often start next to your outer door, there are many ways to access hiking routes and gorgeous national parks where you can explore in all seasons of the year. Check out the best places!

Kurjenrahka National Park

The Kurjenrahka National Park is located around 35 kilometres north of Turku. It is a home bog of cranes where you can also see owls in the spring. On winters with plenty of snow the national park can be toured on skis.

The bird species of the national park include Eurasian wryneck and common chiffchaff as well as European nightjar, grey-headed woodpecker, red-breasted flycatcher, and osprey. The Vaskijärvi nature park is also located near the national park.

Teijo National Park

The Teijo National Park in the Salo region is a diverse destination for families located near old iron works villages. Even on a short excursion you get to admire beautiful lake vistas, swamps, forests, duckboards, brooks and the sea.

You can fish, swim, hike and cycle in the national park. The ski tracks are also suited to children. It’s quite likely to spot white-throated dippers around Lake Sahajärvi especially in the wintertime. The Teijo stone church is the smallest stone church in Finland.

Ruissalo folk park

The Ruissalo folk park has served as an oasis for outdoor activities and leisure in Turku since the 19th century. Many people head to the oak groves of Ruissalo for a nature trip, to sunbathe on the sandy beaches or marvel at the blooming flowers the year round in the Botanical Garden.

Located five kilometres away from Turku city-centre, the Ruissalo island can be easily reached by bicycle, bus or your own car, and in the summer also by waterbus. The folk park hosts annually Finland’s oldest rock festival Ruisrock.

Lake Littoistenjärvi

The Lake Littoistenjärvi area and the lake itself are known across the nation. The lake underwent a chemical cleaning in summer 2017, and people travelled also from further away to admire the turquoise brightness of the water.

The area is used for recreational purposes by locals from Turku, Lieto and Kaarina in particular the year round: swimming, canoeing, stand-up paddling, winter swimming and jogging on forest trails around the lake are popular activities. A walk along the 3.6-kilometre nature trail around the lake takes 1–3 hours.