After work

What if your eve­ry­day cho­res and lei­su­re were in per­fect balance? In Oulu this is pos­sible – 365 days a year.

”The­re seem to be more hours in a day and less of a gene­ral rush.”
Maria Vuo­ren­so­la, an Oulu retur­nee

Many new Oulu resi­dents in par­ticu­lar feel that Oulu gives ext­ra hours to one’s day, and the­re is more free time after a day of work or stu­dies. You have plen­ty of time to do all sorts of fun things – which is only natu­ral.

Our city is com­pact, all the ser­vices are near, and it is quick to get around from place to place. In fact, the­re is a saying that in Oulu you can get from any place to anot­her in 20 minu­tes.

Each one of us is trying to find the per­fect balance between work and lei­su­re – at least from time to time. Natu­ral­ly, a good balance means dif­fe­rent things to dif­fe­rent people. For some, regu­lar wor­king hours and a peace­ful work envi­ron­ment beco­me valuable assets at some point. Then again, others have more apprecia­tion for lei­su­re oppor­tu­ni­ties and a fami­ly-friend­ly neigh­bour­hood to live in.

Oulu offers all the­se pos­si­bi­li­ties and a lot more – in a well-balanced city whe­re life puts a smi­le on your face.

Oulu puts a smi­le on your face.

Natu­re is near

Whet­her you are a talent of your tra­de who wants to relax after a busy day at work, or a holi­day­ma­ker loo­king for a place to take it easy, Oulu has plea­sant surpri­ses in sto­re.

In Oulu, natu­re is always near, right at the front door of your home or behind the cor­ner of your hotel. You can enjoy lush, green sce­ne­ry and clear waters even in the city cent­re. You can admi­re such a view even whi­le enjo­ying your favou­ri­te book at the main libra­ry or visi­ting a floa­ting sau­na on Oulu River.

Read more about the enjo­y­able natu­ral expe­riences Oulu has to offer.

The­re is a popu­lar sau­na raft cal­led Kesän sau­na on Tui­ra Beach in Oulu.

Per­fect relaxa­tion in a floa­ting sau­na

Oh, the won­der of a sau­na after a long day and a dip in natu­ral waters! After a swim, you can return to the gent­le heat of the sau­na and take in the green sce­ne­ry lining the banks of Oulu River.

Koi­vu­ran­ta Sau­na Raft pro­vi­des the smooth heat of a log sau­na for as many as 20 people at a time, throug­hout the year. The­re is anot­her popu­lar sau­na raft cal­led Kesän sau­na on Tui­ra Beach, run by volun­teers from late spring until Octo­ber eve­ry year.

Check out the special atmosp­he­re of Kesän sau­na (opens in a new tab).

Find out more about Koi­vu­ran­ta Sau­na Raft (opens in a new tab).

Oulu has plen­ty of fes­ti­vals to offer.

Have fun and find enter­tain­ment

Do you feel like going wild after work or are you loo­king for more sere­ne cul­tu­ral expe­riences? Oulu has plen­ty of enter­tai­ning lei­su­re oppor­tu­ni­ties to offer – big­ger and smal­ler thrills, unique events, and nort­hern cul­tu­re.

Read more about the delight­ful enter­tain­ment sce­ne in Oulu.

Find the mar­vel­lous cul­tu­ral expe­riences that Oulu can offer.

”I have ext­ra hours in my days”

How does it feel to move back to Oulu after spen­ding years away? Hen­na Perk­kiö tells us about her expe­riences as a retur­ned for­mer expat in a fami­liar but chan­ged city – with more per­so­nal time in her days.

Dive into Henna’s life in Oulu (in Fin­nish).

Read other retur­nees’ sto­ries (in Fin­nish).

”Break cul­tu­re – Fin­nish wis­dom”

Doris Yue, 35, is an arc­hi­tect from Hong Kong who now works for UKI Ark­ki­teh­dit in Oulu. She is especial­ly ins­pi­red by the break cul­tu­re at her cur­rent workplace, with seve­ral breaks taken eve­ry day.

Read more about Doris and her thoughts.

Watch Doris’s inter­view in the abo­ve video.