Best hotels to stay in Oulu

The best thing about Oulu is the sea – it’s what makes this northern city so distinctive, in every sense. It offers spectacular views, yes, but also that brutally cold sea breeze that seems to blow almost all year round. Nallikarin Aalto, a modern apartment hotel, lets you enjoy the very best parts of its coastal setting: uninterrupted sea views and a kilometre-long sandy beach right on your doorstep. And when the weather turns frosty, you can still take in the same stunning scenery from the warmth of your own room.

Aalto has 21 apartments, with options for solo travellers and families alike. Opened in 2024, everything still feels brand new. Each apartment comes with all the essentials – a kitchen, sauna and washing machine – plus those all-important sea views. Every unit also has a balcony, and some even come with a private hot tub. Picture this: a crisp winter’s day, the sea glowing in sunset hues and steaming bubbles in the open air – a combination you’ll rarely find anywhere else.

Some might say Nallikari is a little far from the city centre, and fair enough – but you can’t really experience Oulu without visiting this seaside area. The city centre is easily reached by bus (or onnikka, as locals call it), or better yet, hop on a bike and do as Oulu locals do – even when the frost bites and the sea is steaming.

Downstairs, the hotel’s restaurant serves breakfast for guests, while evenings bring Neapolitan-style pizzas and, in summer, one of the city’s most scenic sea-view terraces.

Time Out tip: Stay at Aalto in midwinter and wait for that magical moment when the afternoon light turns pink and the frozen sea mirrors the sky. That’s Nallikari at its purest – icy, infinite and breathtakingly beautiful.

Address: Leiritie 10
Expect to pay: Apartments for 1–4 people from €125 per night

The Radisson Blu Oulu overlooks the very heart of the city. From your room, you can watch the hustle and bustle of the market square – and from the upper floors, you’ll even catch a glimpse of the sea. When night falls and the city lights come on, the urban view is truly mesmerising. And the outlook is just as good on the other side of the hotel, where the Oulujoki River flows by.

Recently renovated, the hotel’s rooms strike a balance between modern elegance and personality. Standard rooms feature bold floral motifs, either as a soft carpet pattern or on the wallpaper behind the bed. The colour palette moves from muted mint-green walls to cognac headboards and coral-red armchairs. The beds are dreamily soft – the kind you sink into and never want to leave.

The top-floor executive rooms offer panoramic views of the sea and city, right from the bed. In the presidential suite, you can admire the same view from the corner-window whirlpool bath. Both suites and executive rooms come with private saunas.

Guests in the higher-tier rooms also enjoy access to the Blu Lounge in the hotel lobby, where complimentary drinks and snacks are served – a lovely spot to unwind before dinner.

The hotel has two restaurants: Restaurant Ule and Ravintola Toivo, the latter serving as the breakfast room. Breakfast is a generous buffet, with coffee and tea brought straight to your table. Restaurant Ule serves both lunch and à la carte dinner, and room service is also available.

The location couldn’t be better for a city break – all of Oulu’s restaurants, shops and attractions are right on your doorstep. There’s a large car park in front of the hotel, so you won’t have to leave your car far away, and public transport stops just a few blocks off.

Time Out tip: The breakfast buffet is open to non-guests too and costs €31. In summer, head to the hotel’s sheltered sea terrace for gorgeous waterside views – and when it’s chilly, you can still dine outdoors in the cosy greenhouse pods.

Address: Hallituskatu 1
Expect to pay: Standard double rooms from around €140; executive doubles from around €235

Imagine a century-old hotel building on its very own island, packed with stories ranging from its days as a military hospital to ghostly legends. Its windows overlook one of Oulu’s best-loved parks, Hupisaaret City Park, as well as the Merikoski rapids and Lassinkallio Bridge, also known as the Dam Bridge. On a summer’s day, you can perch on the wide windowsills and watch the salmon ladder, while on winter evenings, if you’re lucky, you might catch the Northern Lights dancing above the rapids.

Established on Lasaretti Island in 2001, art hotel Lasaretti has 49 rooms and is also a popular event venue. The rooms are housed in a building dating back to 1922, where the area’s history is very much part of the experience. Over the years, Lasaretti has been home to a provincial hospital, a distillery and a military hospital, among other things. Today, the neighbouring building houses a care home and offices.

The location is excellent: just a 15-minute walk from the city centre, yet right on the edge of the city's most beautiful outdoor recreation area. The site's history comes with plenty of stories, too. According to staff, Lasaretti even has its own resident ghost, said to be particularly fond of one specific room (but we're not revealing the room number!).

Lasaretti is Oulu’s very own art hotel, and you’ll find evidence of that everywhere you look. The island, owned by the Finnish Respiratory Health Association, is home to 500 artworks from the association’s collection, most of which are displayed in the hotel. Every room features several pieces, with more lining the corridors and filling the communal spaces. Most are by artists from northern Finland, making a wander around the hotel a brilliant way to get acquainted with local art.

Beyond the artworks in the corridors and rooms, art takes centre stage in five particularly special rooms. The hotel gave five artists from northern Finland complete creative freedom to design their interiors, resulting in five very different spaces. One features a striking artwork suspended from the ceiling, another has beautiful wallpaper and a third is furnished with unusual pieces. You can request an artist-designed room when booking, and there’s no extra charge for staying in one.

Time Out tip: Not far from the hotel, over in Tuira, you’ll find the family-run Cinema Star, which offers Oulu’s most atmospheric cinema experience.

Address: Kasarmintie 13 B
Expect to pay: Rooms from €150

Stylish, recently renovated rooms, a location right in the city’s beating heart and perhaps the best playroom in all of Finland – that’s Original Sokos Hotel Arina in a nutshell. If location is your top priority when staying in Oulu, you literally can’t get any more central than this. Arina sits on the corner of Rotuaari, the city’s main square, right next to the Valkea shopping centre, so every downtown restaurant, shop and attraction is just steps away.

For a big hotel chain, the rooms have a surprisingly local feel. There are nods to Oulu everywhere – from charming mini Toripolliisi statues to room themes inspired by local symbols like tar, salmon and the midnight sun. The hotel also has two special themed rooms celebrating Oulu’s pride and joy: one dedicated to the Kärpät ice hockey team, and another to the rugged beauty of nearby Hailuoto Island.

The hotel’s 260 rooms were fully refurbished in 2022, along with the gym, sauna area and the incredible kids’ playroom – so good it might tempt adults to join in. It’s spacious and full of fun for children of all ages, with reading nooks, a slide, a ball pit and an impressively long toy car track. The gym is conveniently located right next door.

Time Out tip: Book a room during one of Rotuaari’s big events, like the Air Guitar World Championships. If you’re lucky enough to get a room facing the square, you can enjoy the show from the comfort of your room.

Address: Pakkahuoneenkatu 16
Expect to pay: Double rooms from €180 per night