Oulu is a city and municipality in the region of Northern Ostrobothnia, in Finland. It is the most populous city in Northern Finland and the sixth most populous city in the country. It is one of the northernmost larger cities in the world. Oulu is known for its high-tech focus, with free wireless internet access, Panoulu, in the city center. A lot of Finnish IT companies, including Nokia, have offices in Oulu or nearby areas.
Attractions in Oulu include the Tietomaa Science Centre which was the first of its kind in the world. The Centre houses over 150 exhibits. There is a large public park where the Oulu Castle used to be and a rustic café, ‘Linnankahvila’ is open daily in the summer. The Market Square is the location of the City Library, the City Theatre and old salt and tar storehouses.
Things to See & Do
* Oulu Castle site
* Science Centre Tietomaa
* Oulu City Art Museum
* Market Square
* Mannerheim Park
General Information
Cruise Season – March - Oct
Currency – Euro (€) (EUR)
Language – Finnish, Swedish
Population – 143,990 approx
Land Area - 1,513.37 km2
Electricity – 2 round pins European style
Time – GMT plus two hours
International Country Telephone Code – +358
Port Location – The port at Oulu is located in Bothnian Bay.
Travel Links – Oulu Airport is the busiest in the country after Helsinki, and the Helsinki-Oulu sector is the country's most popular domestic flight with frequent services (almost 20 flights per day each way) on Finnair, Blue1 and Norwegian. There are also some services to Riga, Rovaniemi, Tampere, Turku and Kemi.
Oulu is on the railway main line between Helsinki and Rovaniemi. The fastest Pendolino trains complete the journey from Oulu to Helsinki in about 6 hours, while direct sleepers take around 9 hours.
Buses are available from Helsinki with a trip duration of between 9½ and 15 hours.