Turku University Botanical Garden

Ruissalo is certainly the most beautiful area in Turku, and in its heart rests the gorgeous Turku University Botanical Garden, which is a must-see for those visiting Turku, and locals too.

We made our first excursion to the garden on Mother’s Day, when nature was already showing its greener side. The very best of the garden is certainly shown later in summer when the ponds are full of water lilies and most of the flora blossoming. The Botanical Garden does give some great sights each season, and of course the greenhouses are great throughout the year.   

Before starting our tour we visited the garden's cafeteria. Homemade sugary donuts and coffee were priced reasonably and what's even better, those donuts were so large that Wife gave half of hers for Husband to eat. The cafeteria also served a delicious-looking Mother's Day lunch, but we decided to eat later on.  

Our internal botanists were awaken when we started to go through plants and their latin names. "I really should have recognized this one" was the mainly used phrase in our romantic trip. Being interested in food and nutrition, it was no surprise we got our biggest kicks from spices and citrus trees. Many meters high cinnamon tree made Wife giddy with excitement, and vanilla plants forced us to acknowledge yet again that we don't know s**t about what our food looks like before it's processed. A huge grapefruit tree bending under the weight of its bright-yellow fruits made us wonder about the possible penalty one could get from a five-finger discount.

The best bits of this Turkuriocity are that the garden is open every single day, the outdoor garden is free of charge and, for our surprise, in addition to a stroller it's also acceptable to walk in the area with a dog (on a leash, people! Don't get carried away. We're still in Finland). Next time we'll visit here with Baby-Bear, using a local bus. It's unnecessary to burden a babysitter since it's very easy to have fun strolling around with your whole family.

A sculpture exhibition invigorated the otherwise dull Mother's Day scenery.

Facts:

• The Garden is easily accessible with a car, local bus No 8 (Turku-Ruissalo) or with a bike
• Open every day
• Outdoor garden is free of charge and stroller-friendly
• Indoor garden costs 3 euros (for students) and is a bit difficult to walk in with strollers or if you happen to be a fatso
• Great sugary donuts and a dining possibility