Oulu doesn't get the headlines that Helsinki or Lapland do, and that's part of its charm. Sitting on the coast of the Gulf of Bothnia in northern Finland, it's a relaxed, green and notably clean city — the kind of place that quietly surprises you, as it did on this summer drive.
The drive takes in Oulu in the bright, long-lit days of the Finnish summer, when the city is at its best. You'll notice how much space there is: wide, calm streets, plenty of greenery and water never far away, and the unhurried feel of a northern town that knows how to make the most of its short, luminous summer. It's a great place to spend a few days if you're working your way up the Bothnian coast.
No drama, no hairpins — just an easy, pleasant cruise through a city worth knowing. Press play to ride along, and explore more of my Finnish and Nordic drives on my channel.
