General information on visiting Finland and Turku:
https://www.visitfinland.com/en/
https://en.visitturku.fi
Accommodation
A wide selection of hotels, hostels, rental apartments and shared rooms (airbnb etc.), are available in Turku. We recommend symposium participants to stay in Hotel Kakola, the meeting venue. Kakola offers discounted room rates for symposium participants. Participants are advised to contact Kakola and book their rooms directly, mentioning the symposium and discounted price.
Hotel Kakola offers to keep your luggage during the cruise if you wish so.
Hotel Kakola room rate:
Traveling to Turku
By air:
Turku has a small airport (TKU) with direct flights primarily from Stockholm, Riga, and Gdansk. Connection flights with SAS via Stockholm or with airBaltic via Riga are possible. The airport is located 8 km from the city centre, which can be reached with good bus connections or services by various taxi companies. The bus connection is line 1, and the travel time is roughly 25 min to the city centre (stop: Kauppatori) or 30 min to Hotel Kakola (stop: Kakola). Further info is available at https://www.foli.fi/en . By taxi the fee should be roughly 30 Euro to the city centre, price estimates can be confirmed beforehand with the driver. Various companies are available, e.g. Taxidata: You can book a taxi from the number 0200 10041 in Finland and from abroad +358 600 14121.
Helsinki-Vantaa airport (HEL) has significantly more flight connections, located 170 km from Turku. The Helsinki-Vantaa airport has good connections to Turku via bus or train. With the bus the timetables from Helsinki-Vantaa Airport to Turku bus station can be checked at https://www.matkahuolto.fi/en . The price is around 20-30 Euro and the travel time roughly 2.5 hours. Some bus lines require a change of bus around 30 minutes from HEL, but it is very quick and easy and the drivers will help you with the luggage etc. The trains are operated by VR, and the timetables and prices from Helsinki airport to Turku City centre can be checked at https://www.vr.fi/en . The travel time is typically roughly 2.5 hours and includes a change of trains at the Pasila station. The train station at Turku Port (Turun Satama) also connects to Helsinki airport.
By sea:
Cruise ferries operate between Stockholm and Turku with a stopover in Mariehamn with a travel time of roughly 11 hours (note that the last day of the symposium will be on board such a ship). The main operators are Viking Line and Tallink Silja Line. Details and prices can be checked at https://www.sales.vikingline.com and https://www.tallink.com . The bus connection from the harbour to the Turku city centre is line 1, and the travel time is roughly 5 min to the conference venue of Hotel Kakola (stop: Kakola) or 15 min to the city centre (stop: Kauppatori). This bus line 1 can also be used to reach the Turku Airport.
Free transportation in Turku
Föli, the Turku area transportation service, kindly provides QR codes which can be used to ride all bus and waterbus lines for free. We will distribute these QR codes to all symposium participants.
Using contactless card payment the single adult ticked fee is a fixed 3.15 Euro, or 4.50 Euro if you pay cash and likely only small notes up to 20 Euro will be accepted. Further info is available at https://www.foli.fi/en . Bus line 1 connects the Turku airport (stop: Turun lentoasema) e.g. with the Turku bus station (stop: Turun linja-autoasema), the city centre (stop: Kauppatori), the conference venue of Hotel Kakola (stop: Kakola), and the Viking Line terminal (stop: Turun satama Viking) at the harbour where the Viking Glory will depart for the fifth and final day of the Symposium.
Conference childcare service
We aim to provide free childcare service during the symposium (Day 1-4) for participants attending with small children. More info soon.
Currency
The currency in Finland is the Euro. While card payments are more common, cash payments in Euros are also accepted in general everywhere in Finland (some establishments are entirely cashless). However, some establishments (e.g. taxis) might not have much change if large bills are used. The 1 and 2 cent coins are not used and prices are rounded to the closest 5 cents when paying cash. Tipping is not customary and generally not expected in Finland.
Electricity in Finland
Power plug type F (“Schuko”) and C (“Europlug”) are compatible in Finland similar to multiple other European countries. The standard voltage is 230 V at a frequency of 50 Hz.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schuko
Finnish Visa
Finland is part of Schengen, as such a Schengen visa will be needed for visitors coming from certain countries. Please check carefully if you need a visa to visit Finland on the following website, and make sure to have enough preparation time. We will be able to provide an invitation letter if needed.
Weather
Turku lies in the warmest and sunniest part of Finland. The weather in mid-May and early summer is usually cool and pleasant, with temperatures around 15-20 C during the day. Weather reports and forecasts from Finnish Meteorological Institute: https://en.ilmatieteenlaitos.fi/weather/turku
Miscellaneous
Finnish tap water is drinkable and considered among the best in the world.
In the week after IAUS 406 on 26-29 May 2026, Turku will be hosting the Nordic-Baltic Astronomy Days. Join us for another week of exciting astronomy discussions!