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- What it is: a small, dense inner district on the east bank of the Aura around St Martin's Church, pastel wooden houses mixed with 1950s blocks, a short walk from the market square.
- Who it suits: professionals, couples and creatives who want the river and the centre close without living in the commercial core.
- What it costs: around 3 528 EUR / m² ≈ $380 / sq ft to buy, among the highest in Turku.
- What people complain about: it is one of the city's smallest and most densely populated districts, with little private green, and desirability keeps prices high for often older, small-format flats.
First impressions
Martti is the east bank of the Aura at its most settled. Pastel wooden houses sit alongside solid 1950s apartment blocks, the riverbank on Itäinen Rantakatu is lined with boat-restaurants and terraces, and St Martin's Church marks the skyline. It is central, you can be at the market square in a few minutes, but it reads quieter and more residential than the core across the water.
There is a distinct neighborhood spirit here, carried by an active residents' association, and it shows in how the district holds its character. Martti is one of Turku's smallest and most expensive quarters, and it feels chosen rather than passed through: people move here for the river, the walkability and the calm just off the centre.
Who lives here, and what the streets look like
Martti draws long-term residents, professionals, couples and creatives who want a central address with a bit of soul. It is dense, so it is mostly apartment living, and it skews toward established households rather than large families.
The streetscape mixes eras gracefully: soft-coloured timber houses on the inner streets, mid-century blocks along the wider roads, and the river as the district's front garden. The riverbank terraces are the social heart in summer, and the church anchors the whole quarter.
Getting around
Martti is central without being in the thick of it. The market square is a short walk across or along the river, buses run the east-bank streets, and the railway station and the ferry harbour are both easy trips. It is a comfortable no-car district, flat and walkable, with cycling as quick as anything else for local trips.
Typical weekday minutes from Martti, with the icon showing how. Times via Google Routes API for a typical weekday around 08:00, measured from the neighborhood centre; the icon shows the fastest sensible way., 2026-08.
Daily life
Martti keeps its shopping just outside itself. There is no market inside the quarter, but the centre's full run of grocers, the market hall and the market square all sit five to ten minutes away, so daily needs are close without cluttering the residential streets. It is the kind of place where you shop small and often rather than stocking up in one trip. For food delivery, Wolt and Foodora both cover Turku.
Local Places Worth Knowing
Independent and close by, chosen on merit. Nobody pays to appear here.
An independent New-Nordic tasting-menu restaurant on Kaskenkatu, one of Finland's most acclaimed and Michelin-listed.
View on Google MapsAn independent restaurant set in an 1832 wooden riverside building on Itäinen Rantakatu, with a seasonal French-Finnish menu.
The district's namesake church on Martinkatu, a landmark of the east-bank skyline.
A well-loved volunteer-run café by the Old Great Square on Martti's northern doorstep, a few minutes' walk up the east bank.
Checked August 2026. Places close and change, so tell us if something here is out of date.
Schools and families
Central catchment schools serve Martti, and Finland gives families broadly free school choice rather than tying you to one address. Finland publishes no per-school ranking, a deliberate national policy. It is the kind of gap we would rather flag than fill, which is part of why we build these Turku guides the way we do. Check the specific schools and their admission before you sign a lease or purchase.
Kids Restricted. Central and walkable, but dense with an open river edge and little on-block play, so families lean on the nearby parks.
Pet Restricted. The riverbank walk is a good dog route, but the district is dense with little green inside, so you walk out to Samppalinna or along the Aura.
Green space, leisure and eating out
Green space is Martti's shortcoming: it is dense, and the river walk plus the nearby Samppalinna and Kupittaa parks do most of the work. Eating out, though, is a real strength for so small a district. The riverbank terraces come alive in summer, and Martti holds one of Finland's most acclaimed restaurants in Kaskis, along with the seasonal riverside cooking at Grädda, so you eat well without leaving the east bank.
What it costs
Buying in Martti runs about 3 528 EUR / m² ≈ $380 / sq ft for old flats in housing companies, well above the roughly 2,900 per square metre Turku average and consistent with its billing as one of the city's most expensive districts. Finland publishes rent as a price per square metre, so we show an indicative 680 EUR / mo for a two-room flat near the city figure, likely a touch higher here given how sought-after the address is.
Weather and climate
Seasonal averages for Turku, one representative month per season. FMI 1991-2020 normals (Turku Airport) via Wikipedia climate box; among Finland's warmest summers.
The honest downsides
It is small and dense. Martti is one of Turku's most densely populated districts, so private outdoor space is scarce and you rely on the river walk and nearby parks for green.
You pay for the address. Desirability keeps prices high, and much of the stock is older and small-format, so the same budget buys more room further out.
Crime and safety
Martti is a calm, settled riverside district. Turku as a whole records a little more crime than Finland's smaller towns, which fits a regional hub, and the mix is dominated by theft rather than violence. Finland publishes crime only by municipality, so there is no standalone Martti figure against the city rate. Reporting trust is high in Finland, so the recorded numbers track real incidence closely.
Is this you?
If you want the river, the centre and a real neighborhood feel a few minutes from the market square, Martti is one of Turku's most appealing addresses. If you want space, garden or value for money, Hirvensalo or the northern suburbs will stretch your budget much further.
Want to know what homes here are actually worth?
Join the waitlistHow we source this
How we put this together. Gathered on the ground by our local field team and written up by the Apraiz research team. Every figure above carries its own source and date. The scores are not computed by the build; walking and transport will use open map and transit data first, then Apraiz's own model. We update prices quarterly, transport and amenities twice a year, and school data when the source publishes.
Sources: Statistics Finland (Tilastokeskus) / asuntojenhinnat.fi, Statistics Finland (Tilastokeskus), Rents of dwellings, Statistics Finland (Tilastokeskus), Wikipedia.
Safety and crime in Turku →Nearby: Keskusta · Port Arthur · Kupittaa