Discover Oulu: Cathedral, Islands and Coastal Landscapes

When looking for a hotel in Oulu, you can plan your stay around the things that interest you most: cultural heritage and theatre, islands and coastal landscapes, or routes for a range of activities. The city offers different ways to explore these themes. Oulu Cathedral is part of the Oulujoki Pilgrim Route; in the Market Square, a 2.2-metre-high bronze statue of the “Market Square Policeman” stands in front of the market hall. Over the years, it has become a symbol of the city.

Culture and history in Oulu

Several places offer insights into different chapters of the city’s history. Oulu Castle’s cellar is its only surviving part and provides a glimpse into the medieval past. The Tähtitorni Café has operated as a summer café since 1912 on the renovated foundations of Oulu Castle, destroyed in 1793. Pikisaari is home to numerous original wooden houses from the 18th and 19th centuries. At the Turkansaari Open-Air Museum, visitors can learn about the region’s ways of life, traditional skills and beliefs in buildings on islands in the Oulujoki River.

Cultural offerings range from changing experiences to a variety of stage performances. The Kotilo Children’s Cultural Centre at Saari Central Library in the city centre offers locals and visitors a wide range of changing cultural experiences for the whole family. With its varied performing arts programme, Hupisaari Summer Theatre welcomes local residents and visitors; some performances are seasonal. The Oulu Theatre’s programme includes musicals, drama, contemporary theatre, dance, stand-up comedy, circus performances and drag shows, and may change.

Islands, coastline and seasons

Hupisaari City Park consists of numerous small islands in the Oulujoki River delta, connected by white bridges. Landscaped parks alternate with largely natural meadows and wooded areas. The park is home to Finland’s longest fish ladder, which is also the only one on the Oulujoki River. Migratory fish can be observed there from May to the end of October. The parkland and fish ladder make Hupisaari a place where landscaped green spaces meet a firsthand glimpse of fish migration.

Hietasaari has a different kind of landscape: formed by land uplift, this coastal area encompasses various coastal vegetation zones, meadows, forests and abundant birdlife. The area offers trails for year-round use, a birdwatching tower and campfire sites. Hietasaari’s longest nature trail starts in Nallikari and passes Loistokari Platform, a campfire site and the Rantakurvi birdwatching tower. In winter, the area around Nallikari on the Gulf of Bothnia offers opportunities for walking, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing on the sea ice.

Plan routes and activities

Oulu has a network of more than 900 kilometres of walking and cycling routes, maintained year-round. The infrastructure continues to develop, so the network’s total length may change. A specific point of reference is the longest main cycling route, which runs for 38 kilometres from the city centre. Cycling routes are accessible directly from Market Square (Kauppatori), among other places. This combines the extensive network with a named main route and a specific starting point.

Seeing a place from the water can offer a different perspective: the 2.5-kilometre paddling route around Pikisaari gives you a view of the island, known for its artists and craftspeople. Together with the cycling routes and nature trails, it lets you include different activities in your travel plans without turning them into a fixed itinerary.

Local products at the Market Square

Oulu Market Square offers local products; the market hall has a variety of local delicacies and goods to take away. The market hall is also where the Market Square Policeman stands outside. Here, a well-known city symbol meets a selection of local products—a distinctive highlight alongside Oulu’s historic sites, cultural programmes and landscapes.

Discover more destinations: Möttönen, Kronoby, Kauhajoki, Yli-Ii, Savio, Karhula, Arvaja, Juuma.

For the broader travel overview: North Ostrobothnia.