Turku Tours and Trips

My 18 year old son and I decided to try this tour, our first cycling trip. We had never travelled to Finland or biked for five straight days before. We had a fabulous time. The documentation was very thorough and accurate, the locations were lovely and the staff was very helpful. The Turku Archipelago route was well traveled by other cyclists, the drivers were respectful of cyclists and it was relatively quiet on the roads. We got lucky and didn't have much rain however we had a couple of windy days that made biker a bit more difficult. The scenery was gorgeous and peaceful. We took the manual bikes and therefore would note that the route was moderately difficult on certain parts of the trip (especially the fourth day). There are some decently gravelly roads also. We would highly recommend this tour to others that were looking for what we were: rural, picturesque, Finnish culture, great food, charming lodging, and some physical challenges that made us feel like we worked for our trip (in a good way)!

My 18 year old son and did the Turku Archipelago tour this summer. Neither of us are bike enthusiasts but were looking for some mother/son time that allowed us to see a part of the world we had yet to explore on the seat of a bike (vice a care or otherwise). It has been said that the best way to see a destination is to hike or bike it so we took that advice per this adventure. I found that the: instructions were very clear; the staff was very helpful; and the GPX tracks and hard copy documentation were very thorough and highly detailed. The hotels we stayed in were marvelous, set in gorgeous surroundings and the staff very friendly and helpful. The two dinners that were included were decadent. I had wished that I had thought to pack a bit nicer clothing for the evenings for these two fancy meals. The roads were largely quiet and there was not an abundance of vehicles on the road, especially in the locations further from Turku. They did get a bit busier especially on the fourth day on the way to Naantali. Overall the drivers were very respectful of cyclists. Cyclists were a common sight throughout the archipelago. My one wish was that we had a day or two break of cycling so we could explore some of the area via foot or bike however that is more advice to myself to look for adventures that built that activity in as this was our first 'bike tour'. We were not the fastest cyclists (all manual, no e bikes) so on the longer days, we spent most of the day getting from location to location. This was an adventure to remember for us and would highly recommend it for anyone looking for the kind of experience we were looking for!

We were boarded the first night in the Sokos hotel in Turku, just a short walk to the Carfield bike rental shop. In my working career, I traveled often for Firestone Tire and, in my years on the road, I never stayed in a hotel as nice as the Sokos where there was a complementary sauna and a breakfast spread fit for a king! My partner, Barb, noted that her rental bike occasionally missed a gear while shifting - which she explained to the representative upon return, My bike performed flawlessly. I asked a representative about money since they recommended withdrawing 200-300 Euros and the young man replied that everyone has a card scanner so it isn't necessary or wise to carry large amounts of cash. We found that this was true, Even the most remote farm scan had a credit card scanner. I downloaded the CXC files onto my Ride with GPS app and the navigation was accurate and easy to use. The first twenty miles out of Turku were on a well maintained bike trail but, after the first ferry, we found ourselves riding on a busy highway with large Scania trucks buzzing past our ears. Now, I'm an experienced bike racer so I wasn't intimidated by this but it was tiresome and annoying. On the second night, we were put up in a nice hotel in the pretty little harbor town, Nauvo. The restaurant was a bit pricey for dinner but guests were given a voucher to help offset the cost. The complimentary breakfast was outstanding. The third day was chilly and rainy but we pushed through because, as experienced bike tourists, we packed our rain gear. When we arrived at the inn, we both took saunas and dipped into the Baltic. Dinner at the inn in Houtskar was impressive and quite elegant. The following day, we returned to Korpo Island and stayed in a newly renovated inn where we were served a nine course dinner consisting of foods which, at home, would break my budget. It was a memorable meal. The penultimate day of riding also happened to be the longest at 46 miles which encompassed three ferry rides. It was a long ride on the heavy touring bikes but we made good time and were able to explore Naantali and it's historic harbor. In sum, the accommodations were superior, the bike equipment was serviceable and the routes were easily navigated. My only reservation about recommending this tour is the proximity and volume of traffic on some of the major roads we followed.

Great scenery, fun ferry rides, excellent accommodation and welcoming hosts. Perhaps a little hillier than expected but we managed well. Drivers were careful and courteous when we were cycling on the roads.

The bike options were limited and the gearing was compromised by the need to limit chain detachment. The granny gears were unavailable and given our demographic this was a pain on what was at times a hilly course. Having had a little gripe we managed surprisingly well for an elderly couple on unassisted hybrids. The course was lovely, the accommodation generally of a high quality and the hosts were uniformly welcoming and very attentive. We surprised ourselves once we got accustomed to the traffic.