Oulu

Hupisaaret park, Fountains and salmon stairs

Hupisaaret, kalatie

The beautiful park of Hupisaaret (lit. Fun Islands) is a lush area with little paths and bridges crossing beautiful little streams. The longest fish path of Finland, 750-m- and 64-stair-long fish path is on the northern part of Hupisaaret park. Take a picnic or just stroll around the renovated park where you can also find the soon-to-be-mentioned Northern Ostrobothnia Museum. Tietomaa and Oulu Museum of Art are also found near the park.

24 hr

Kruununmakasiini

In Sweden (to which Finland belonged from the 1300s to 1809), a "Kronomagasin" was a state-administered warehouse in which grain and other foodstuffs collected as tax were stored. Unfortunately, one can't go inside the warehouse any more since today it functions as an office for an architecture company. It is worth checking out from the outside though, the old wooden building sticks out amusingly from the 1980s apartment buildings and offers a reminder of the historical aspects of the city.

Northern Ostrobothnia Museum

Pohjois-Pohjanmaan Museo

Closed for renovation until 2026A great museum on the history of Northern Ostrobothnia, especially the history of Oulu. Exhibitions on four floors.

Wed-Sun 10:00-17:00·Adults €6, students and seniors €4, children under 18 for free

Oulu Automobile Museum

Oulun Automuseo

A car museum with 40 cars and 20 motorcycles and some traffic related paraphernalia on display. A couple of really interesting vehicles like the largest car ever built in the Nordic countries (a truck for a dam company), the remains of a Ford "killed in action" during World War II and a "motorcycle" where the rider sits inside a large wheel. The car museum also has a restaurant open for lunch.

Mon-Sat 09:00-17:00, Sun 09:00-15:00 (summer, closed on Sundays in the winter)·Adults €7, children €5

Oulu Castle

Oulun linna

The castle was damaged by attack in the 18th century and finally blown to pieces in 1793 when lightning struck the gunpowder magazine. What you see now is the maritime observatory built on the ruins; it's set in a pleasant park, and you can climb the tower for views. There's a café (Tähtitornin kahvila) within. The cellar (same hours) displays info on the castle - mostly in Finnish, but there's more in the Northern Ostrobothnia Museum.

Café daily May & Sep: 11:00–19:00, Jun & late Aug: 11:00–20:00, Jul & early Aug: 11:00–21:00 21:00·Free

Oulu Cathedral

Oulun tuomiokirkko

Neoclassical Lutheran cathedral built in 1832 after its predecessor burned down. The architect Carl Ludvig Engel also designed the buildings of Senate Square in Helsinki.

Sep-May: 12:00-13:00, Jun & Aug: 11:00-20:00, Jul: 11:00-21:00

Oulu Catholic Church

Holy Family Of Nazareth Church

Said to be the prettiest church in Oulu, and definitely stands out from its surroundings.

Oulu Museum of Art

Oulun Taidemuseo

Two-storey museum with a wide variety of modern artwork. Around 8 exhibits a year. Plenty of information in English, except for small, temporary exhibits.

Tue-Sun 10:00-17:00·€8

Oulujoki church

Built in 1908, the Oulujoki church is the only remaining wooden jugend church in Northern Finland. It is pretty, and a common wedding church. You can visit the church via Sunday masses at 10:00.

Oulun Suomalaisen Yhteiskoulun Lukio

OSYK

The Finnish Co-educational Lycée of Oulu was established and opened in 1902 as a private Finnish-language lycée. It was the first co-educational upper secondary school in Oulu, a progressive learning institution at the time since both boys and girls studied in the same school. The students of today keep up the progressive spirit in the school with a wide distribution of information on gender and sexual neutrality and diversity. The school is said to have the best team spirit in Oulu. Nowadays the school also is one of the most appreciated upper secondary school in the city and it emphasizes wide-scale art education. As pretty as it is from the inside, not entering the building without a reason is appreciated since it is reserved for students doing their schoolwork. You can admire the building from the outside. The school building was finished in 1908, and the Jugend style building is a rare find in town. As well as many other buildings in Oulu, the school is said to be haunted. There is also a quarter of pretty wooden buildings and a big park with a children's traffic playground near the school.

Paska Kaupunni graffiti

Paska Kaupunki

This iconic graffiti (or at least the nickname which Oulu got from it) is known all around Finland. The term "Paska kaupunki" literally means "Shitty city", and it was adopted from the song with the same name by Kauko Röyhkä. The graffiti appeared on the wall at some point in the 1980s, and after this, the graffiti has been removed numerous times but it has always reappeared on the same spot. The condominium owning the wall has even thought of framing the graffiti or protecting it in other ways since it has become one of the symbols of Oulu. As implied before, this isn't a site funded or even initiated by any official or commercial agent, so the presence of it can't be assured. Although, the drawing or painting of it has become an urban tradition, and if removed, it is almost certainly always remade in some form after a few days from its removal.

Open now · open 24 hours

Pateniemi Sawmill Museum

Pateniemen sahan museo

A museum of industrial history in Oulu. The museum is in an old drydock storage building.

Wed–Sun 11:00–17:00·free entry

Sailor's Home Museum

Merimiehenkotimuseo

The Sailor’s Home Museum is on the idyllic island of Pikisaari near downtown Oulu. The museum is in the oldest surviving wooden building in Oulu, also known as Matila House, and is the former home of sailor Isak Matilainen.

The Blue House

Sininen talo

The Blue House is the former home of the Finnish teacher, ethnographer and writer Samuli Paulaharju. Paulaharju lived there from his birth in 1919 until his death in 1944. The year of construction of the house is unknown, but the log structure of the house is probably from the end of the 19th century, and the house is said to be haunted. The building sticks out from the newer, blocky apartment buildings well. Again, not the biggest attraction for tourists, but if you have some extra time and are interested in history, be sure to check out the building.

The house is still lived in, so do not enter the yard or the house

The Groke Stone

Mörkökivi

The urban artwork "Mörkökivi" is known amongst the locals, but not so much advertised to travellers. The reason probably is that it is not an official artwork, the artist is unknown, and, to be fair, it is just a simple stone with some paint on it. Yet it is a sympathetic little artwork, even said to be "The pole of Oulu" (figuratively) by some. It depicts a Moomin character "The Groke" and is on the top of the bigger-than-average-sized hill (for the flat terrain of the seaside city of Oulu, that is). Definitely not the most touristic attraction (or actually virtually unknown), but still liked by most locals. Best to use an appropriate map to find a route!

24 hr

Tietomaa Science Centre

Tiedekeskus Tietomaa

Closed for renovation until 2026 The oldest science museum in the country, mostly kinematic and interactive, great for pre-teens but plenty for adults to enjoy. It is partially located in the former Åström leather factory, and you can ride the glass lift up the 19th-century brick water tower.

Mon-Fri 10:00–17:00, Sat Sun 10:00–18:00·Adult €15, child (6–15) €11

Turkansaari Open Air Museum

Turkansaari is a nice open air museum with pretty old wooden buildings showing glimpses of local history. The museum is located on three islands in the Oulujoki River 12 km upstream from downtown Oulu. The museum is the second-oldest open air museum in Finland. It was established in 1925 when the island's wooden church dating back to 1694 was restored to its original location. The museum islands host a number of old buildings relocated to the museum to save them from demolition. When the weather permits, coming to the outdoor museum by bicycle is recommended. The total distance from the city centre is 16 km.

Closed · opens 10 am·€10 entry, event days +€2

Old and new Oulu

The historic northern part of the city centre offers architecture from the 19th century, by architects like Carl Ludvig Engel and Johan Jacob Ahrenberg. In order to see chraming, old wooden buildings, head out to the neighbourhoods of Raksila and Pikisaari. The Kasarmi neighbourhood offers some historically important buildings since it used to be a barrack area, built in 1881. Most of older Tuira has already been torn down, but some old hospital buildings still remain in the Tuiranpuisto park. Catch the bus number 23 to the nearby town of Ii to see the old neighbourhood of Iin Hamina. The buildings there are built right next to each other, creating small alleyways between the houses. For newer architecture, the neighbourhood of Toppilansaari is a go-to destination. It is under construction, so expect to see cranes at work. The same goes for the newer part of the Hiukkavaara neighborhood.