Oulu

Understand

thumb|250px|Rantakatu street by night thumb|Oulun Lyseon Lukio upper secondary school and the Oulu Cathedral

Oulu is the capital of the province of Oulu and the region of Northern Ostrobothnia. It is the fifth largest municipality in Finland by population and the largest and most important in Northern Finland. As a result of two consolidations of neighbouring municipalities, first Ylikiiminki in 2009, and then Haukipudas, Kiiminki, Oulunsalo and Yli-Ii in 2013, its land area is over 3,000 km² (five to ten times the size of other similar sized cities in Finland). As urban area it comes fourth, after the capital region, Tampere and Turku.

A lot of Finnish IT companies, including Nokia, have offices in Oulu or nearby areas. In 1988 Jarkko Oikarinen wrote the first IRC server and client here. Oulu is also home to Oulun Kärpät, a successful hockey team playing in the top Finnish league, Liiga.

Get in

Oulu is on the main north-south railway, and train may be the most convenient way to get in from southern Finland, e.g. Helsinki, Tampere and Turku. There are flights from Helsinki, dominated by work-realated travel. Oulu is also on the two main south-to-north highways, highways 4 and 8.

See

thumb|Culture centre Valve thumb|Dockyard and old buildings thumb|Oulu Cathedral

(Kauppatori) is a hotch-potch of styles: old red granaries, renaissance revival architecture and 1970s brutalist concrete. But during the brief warmth of summer, its terraces, cafes and market booths are busy and lively, though the main market hall is closed in 2019 for re-building. The area is presided over by Toripolliisi, the often photographed statue of the Market Square Policeman. He's a squat stubby young-old figure, as if weighted down by his responsibilities. Franzénin puisto is the leafy little park facing the cathedral, with the statue of Frans Michael Franzén (1772–1847), an Oulu-born poet. The statue is also the eldest public monument in town. thumb|A version of the Paska kaupunni graffitithumb|Mörkökivi (The Groke Stone) Madetojanpuisto and Pokkisenpuisto are the little parks along the stream just north of the centre, divided by Aleksanterinkatu. The statue is of Leevi Madetoja (1887–1947), an Oulu-born composer who ranks alongside Sibelius. thumb|The Oulu catholic church

Do

thumb|The City Theatre

Football: AC Oulu play soccer in Veikkausliiga, the top tier. Their home ground Raatin Stadion (capacity 5000) is 2 km north of town centre. The playing season is April-Oct. Stroll along the City Stream (Kaupunginoja/Plaanaoja) and see all the different parks and statues alongside it. The park district was built to control mass fires which Oulu experienced a lot. The stream and the parks were lit a couple of years ago with orange/red lighting to commemorate the history of the parks. Ghost-hunting. Oulu has been called the ghost capital of Finland with countless buildings said to be haunted. To fill your visit with spiritual activity, stay in the Lasaretti (old military hospital) or De Gamlas Hem (old nursing home) hotel, join the Ghostly and strange stories from Oulu guided walk, visit the ruins of the Oulu castle to catch a glimpse of the Witch Montonen who died in his cell with his face clawed, or have a drink with an eerie man in the pub Jumpru, though no matter how much he drinks, it seems like his pint never empties... Oulu will hold the title of European Capital of Culture in 2026.

Buy

thumb|Kauppahalli Oulu thumb|Rotuaari, the main shopping street thumb|Valkea shopping centre

Oulu Market Hall If you are in desperate need of something from the grocery store late at night (which means after 22:00 for Finns) or early morning, the options are narrowed down to four grocery stores: S-Market Tuira, Kastelli, Kaakkuri and Ritaharju. They are open 24/7. None of them are located downtown, but Tuira is the closest one. If you need to get somewhere warm in the middle of the night in the winter, other place that is open 24/7 is the "summer street" of the shopping centre Valkea (yet no shops there are open in the night). The railway station building is open 04:00-01:20. Bars and fast food places downtown are usually open until 4-5 AM on weekends.

If you have a car available, the petrol station/restaurant/shop Oulun Baari in Maikkula is open 24 hours daily.

Drink

Drinking in Finland can be an expensive activity, a typical pint (either 0.4 or 0.5L) of domestic macro lager is typically around €6 and up. Typical Finnish beer is European lager, but also more interesting Finnish and local (breweries Maistila, Sonnisaari and Hailuoto are local) craft beer is available at a few pubs, as is imported stuff. Do try lonkku, a long time Finnish favorite long drink of gin and grapefruit juice.

Stay safe

Oulu is, on the whole, a very safe city, but avoid getting into arguments late in the night in fast food joints. Pickpocketing is remarkably rare, but it doesn't harm you to keep an eye on your belongings just like in any other place.

Even though crime otherwise is rare, Oulu has experienced a lot of bike thefts, so make sure to keep your bike locked when you go shopping etc.

There can be some drunks in Rotuaari, the "summer street" of Valkea, the Mannerheim park and some other places in the city centre, but they shouldn't cause any harm to travellers.

The police are helpful and friendly, although some might lack English skills. If you have non-emergency cases or questions, you can contact the police department of Oulu at . The central police office is at Kirkkokatu 13.

Connect

The panOULU (public access network OULU) network provides wireless internet access to everybody in its coverage area, mostly the city centre.

The tourist information centre has a computer with free internet access.

Usually, there is free Wi-Fi in cafés, although the connections might not be the strongest. The same goes with Oulu PTA's buses.

Go next

Hailuoto is the largest island in the Gulf of Bothnia and a good destination for a day trip. Accessible by a free of charge , either with own car or by bus. In February you can drive there on an official ice road (dates varying by year). Iso-Syöte on the way to Kuusamo is the closest destination for downhill skiing and the southernmost fell of Finland. Here are also Syöte national park, Iso-Syöte national hiking area and Pikku-Syöte recreational forest. Koskilinjat arranges day trips to the slopes during the winter season. Kuusamo by Finland's eastern border is a gateway to Lapland, with the ski resort Ruka, the legendary Karhunkierros hiking route (80 km) and Oulanka national park. Koitelinkoski — rapids of Kiiminkijoki-river, about 25 min by car from Oulu. Ii has a beautiful old town and is 35 km away. Vaala municipality on the shores of Lake Oulujärvi about 90 km southeast of Oulu. Helsinki, the capital of Finland