"Oulu- my home town" Oulu by maria_te

Oulu Travel Guide: 549 reviews and 1,265 photos

Oulu is the place I was born and I am very proud of it! When I was at school, I couldn't wait to get out of Oulu. I thought the city was too small and dull and there was nothing much happening there. When I finally finished my last exams, I was on the plane heading to live in England the very next day. I'm sure this sort of feeling is very familiar to many of you too! Now that I've lived in a couple of more places and been around a little bit (there is still so much to explore though!!!), I've found my view of Oulu changing so much! What a lovely city it is! And how good it is to live there!

A little bit of geography to those of you who have no idea where Oulu is (don't worry, I've never met a person outside of Finland who have known where it is). Oulu lies on the western coast of Finland and is approximately 700km from Helsinki, the capital, and about 250km from the Arctic circle. So yes, it does get quite cold in here during the winters!

Oulujoki at sunset

I think the record in Oulu is somewhere around -45C or so and
-52C in the far north. I'm not kidding you, as Oulu is right next to the sea, the cold wind makes it feel lots colder!! So if you visit at winter time, you definitely need to get your hands on kalsarit (long John's, some people wear two pairs on top of each other), villasukat (wollen socks, every Finnish womas has been taught how to knit them, so you don't have to worry) and a proper pipo (beenie). Be prepared to look like a Moomin.

Enjoying a winter day at Iijoki

Intro Updated May 23, 2006
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Reviews (10)

Bier Room Nightlife (2)

If you aren't a big fan of the Finnish lager and fancy a proper pint of BIER, Oluthuone (straight translation would be... more travel advice

Air Guitar World Championships Things to Do (5)

The Championships is part of Oulu Music Video festival. The first time it was organised was in 1996 and since then, it... more travel advice

Fountains in Tuira Off The Beaten Path (2)

I love these fountains, they are one of the icons of Oulu, and I think they just add so much into the look of the city.... more travel advice

The theatre Things to Do (5)

more travel advice

Local Customs (1)
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Comments (7)

lonestar_philomath Dec 7, 2006 at 5:48 AM Report Abuse

Terve! Back in 1997 there was an interesting little shop where I purchased handmade Orange glassware from Marienhamn.
Hermanater Sep 22, 2006 at 10:46 PM Report Abuse

Happy birthday....your opening photo is absolutely amazing.....I love it.
johanl Oct 22, 2004 at 7:54 AM Report Abuse

nice pages on Oulu. I am staying in Oulu right now, on a business trip, (Ramada inn) Enjoy the wintertime in this beautiful corner of the world
Igraine Sep 23, 2004 at 3:06 AM Report Abuse

Nice to see something about Oulu. Happy Birthday too :-)
jto Aug 23, 2004 at 5:39 AM Report Abuse

Nice page and Congrats to the SM-Liiga gold. We have played Kärpät many times and had many tough games.:) I should visit Oulo again soon.
baronedivandastad May 28, 2004 at 8:41 AM Report Abuse

Nice one Maria! hyva homma! the baron of Vanda Stad
travelife May 25, 2004 at 9:46 AM Report Abuse

Nice Oulu page...