Pilgrimage center

Pilgrimage Center open from April 7:
Tue–Sun 2:00 PM–8:00 PM
(Café Elephant is open during the spring season, before the summer season)
Address: Nunnankatu 4
20700 Turku

Staff available:
Mon–Fri 3:00 PM–5:00 PM – pastor on site
(March 9–April 6: the pastor is available at the Parish Office Chapel, Mon–Fri 3:00 PM–4:00 PM, Eerikinkatu 3)
Wed 5:00 PM–6:00 PM – St. James Route passport service (April 7–22)
Thu 1:00 PM–3:00 PM – Pilgrimage advisory hours
Sat 12:00 PM–2:00 PM – Pilgrimage advisory hours

@ pyhiinvaellus (a) evl.fi

The Pilgrimage Center is located in the heart of Turku, next to the Aura River, in the premises of the House of Arts, beside Café Elephant. From the center, it is a short distance to the area’s wide range of restaurant and accommodation services.

The Pilgrimage Center is an open space for everyone, where visitors can receive information about pilgrimage routes and pilgrimage in general, rest, meet people, read books, and enjoy moments of quiet reflection. It serves as a home for pilgrims and as an information center for new pilgrims. The Pilgrimage Center organizes group pilgrimages, various events and gatherings, and, together with its partners, provides pilgrimage training.

What is the Pilgrimage Center?

Finland’s first Pilgrimage Center was established in June 2021 in one of the side chapels of Turku Cathedral. During the renovation of Turku Cathedral from 2026 to 2028, the Pilgrimage Center operates at the House of Arts, next to Café Elephant, at Nunnakatu 4.

The center operates as a collaboration between the City of Turku and the Evangelical Lutheran Church. In addition to the city and church actors of Turku and Naantali, the Pilgrimage Center is connected to a diverse network of partners, including academic communities, national and international pilgrimage networks, tourism operators, various service providers, volunteers, and other collaborators. The center works in close cooperation with the Turku Cathedral Parish.

The mission of the Pilgrimage Center is to coordinate and strengthen Finnish pilgrimage activities, support pilgrimage operators, communicate about pilgrimage, and make Finland an attractive pilgrimage destination. The center provides information about pilgrimage and tips for various pilgrimage routes.

The Pilgrimage Center is a cozy space where you can stop to rest, meet others, read, or find information about pilgrimages in Finland. In our small shop we offer products connected to the theme of pilgrimage such as locally made pilgrim’s staffs, water bottles, cards, posters, and sustainable jewelry made by local artisans.

We look forward to seeing you at the Pilgrimage Center!

Turku Pilgrimage Center

Turku Pilgrimage Center is a welcoming place for everyone – for all who walk, search, rest, reflect, or simply wish to be. Whether you are a pilgrim, a seeker, a traveler, or someone curious about the path, you are warmly invited.

We are the national coordination point for Finnish pilgrim paths and work in close collaboration with churches, communities, and partners across the country and abroad. The center is located in Turku, the historical starting point of many Finnish pilgrimage routes and a city rich in spiritual, cultural, and natural heritage.

At our center, we offer space for conversation, silence, and inspiration.

We are a meeting place for people on the move – physically, spiritually, and inwardly. Here you can begin your journey or take a pause. You are welcome to walk, rest, reflect, and connect. Turku and its surroundings offer a beautiful and contemplative environment shaped by the presence of the Aura River, the medieval Turku Cathedral, and the long traditions of hospitality and quiet reflection.

We regularly welcome individuals and groups from Finland and around the world. Many come to follow in the footsteps of Nordic saints, or to walk in silence toward a deeper understanding of life. Turku is the heart of Finland’s growing pilgrim movement and the connecting point for several official pilgrim routes, such as the Saint Henry’s Way, Birgitta Path, and the St. Olav Ways.

To be a pilgrim is to be a human being on a journey. It can be that simple. It is to step out into the unknown with a longing to understand more. Being a pilgrim isn’t about having all the answers, but about being present and open.

The pilgrimage movement is deeply connected to sustainability. By walking gently on this earth, we are often drawn closer to an inner sense of care and balance. It may begin with pausing to appreciate a wildflower without picking it, or by choosing to carry someone else’s discarded wrapper to the nearest recycling bin. Finland’s unique Everyman’s Rights come with responsibilities – a reminder that our nature is a shared gift that we must cherish and protect.

For those who long to reflect, to walk, and to meet others on the path – we warmly welcome you to the Finnish Pilgrimage Center in Turku. This is a place to begin, to rest, to return.

Welcome!

Pilgrimage center is wheelchair accessible.