Where to Stay in Oulu, Pohjois-Pohjanmaa

Oulu is the capital of North Ostrobothnia and the largest city of northern Finland, a port set where the Oulujoki empties into the Gulf of Bothnia. The white tower of the Oulun tuomiokirkko rises over the old centre, the Orthodox Pyhän Kolminaisuuden katedraali standing not far off. It is a northern hub.

The Pohjois-Pohjanmaan museo and the Oulun taidemuseo hold the region's past and its art, the Tiedekeskus Tietomaa draws families to its science halls, and the Nallikari beach and the Oulun jäähalli arena pull crowds out toward the sea at the river's mouth.

The Oulun tuomiokirkko is the landmark that marks the centre of Oulu, the Lutheran cathedral whose tower stands over the market square near the mouth of the Oulujoki. The green domes of the Orthodox Pyhän Kolminaisuuden katedraali rise a short way off. Two faiths share the skyline.

The Pohjois-Pohjanmaan museo keeps the region's history and the Oulun taidemuseo its art, the Tiedekeskus Tietomaa fills its halls with science, and out at the Gulf of Bothnia the resort of Nallikari draws beach crowds, while sport gathers at the Oulun jäähalli and the older timber Franzénin talo recalls the wooden town that once stood here.

Oulu was chartered in 1605 at the mouth of the Oulujoki. The town grew on the trade that came down the great river from the inland forests of Pohjois-Pohjanmaa to the harbour on the Gulf of Bothnia, and tar shipped from the river mouth made it rich and known across the north. Tar built the early town.

Wooden houses crowded the banks and islands, and survivors of that age such as the Franzénin talo and the Höckertin talo still stand among the later streets. The river and the sea shaped what came after. The Lutheran Oulun tuomiokirkko was raised over the centre and the Orthodox Pyhän Kolminaisuuden katedraali rose for the eastern faith, while across the water the district of Tuira spread around the Tuiran kirkko as the city grew beyond its old core.

As the capital of North Ostrobothnia, Oulu drew the institutions of the north to itself: the Pohjois-Pohjanmaan museo to keep the region's record, the Oulun taidemuseo for its art, and the Tiedekeskus Tietomaa for science. The harbour town turned outward to the Gulf of Bothnia, the seaside resort of Nallikari grew on the coast, and the city kept its place as the gathering point of northern Finland.

Oulu lies on the coast of Pohjois-Pohjanmaa in northern Finland, where the Oulujoki delta breaks into islands at the edge of the Gulf of Bothnia. The river splits the city as it reaches the sea, the old centre and the Oulun tuomiokirkko on one bank and the district of Tuira on the other, with the Tuiran kirkko among its streets. Bridges hold the city together.

Low islands and sandflats run out toward the sea at Nallikari, the long Gulf of Bothnia coast spreading north and south, while the broad valley of the Oulujoki opens inland behind the harbour town.

Oulu meets a cold, sea-edged northern climate where the Oulujoki reaches the Gulf of Bothnia. Winters are long and hard, the river mouth and the shallow sea off Nallikari freezing solid for months while snow lies deep over the city from early in the season to a late thaw. Then the light floods back.

Through the short summer the long northern daylight scarcely fades, warming the beach at Nallikari and the river quays of Oulu before the cold returns to the coast of Pohjois-Pohjanmaa.

Oulu is the transport hub of northern Finland, reached by air, rail and road. The airport lies a short way south of the city and trains run the long main line up the country to the station near the centre, while highways follow the coast of the Gulf of Bothnia and the valley of the Oulujoki inland. Most travellers fly or take the train.

From the station and the airport it is a short way to the market square and the Oulun tuomiokirkko, and on to the sea at Nallikari and the districts of Pohjois-Pohjanmaa beyond.