Salo


 * For the Italian town, see Salò.

Salo is a city of about 52,000 inhabitants (2021) in Finland Proper, perhaps best known for Nokia mobile phones.

Understand
Salo has existed as a centre of rural commerce since at least the 16th century. It became a market town in 1887 and a town 1960. Much of the surrounding countryside, including Halikko, Kiikala, Kisko, Kuusjoki, Muurla, Perniö, Pertteli, Suomusjärvi, Särkisalo and Uskela, is now incorporated in the same municipality.

There has been electronics production in Salo since the 1920s. The success of the communications company Nokia in the 1990s made the town flourish. This was where phones were assembled, to the extent production was not abroad, to have production near development. Bad times for Nokia have been bad times for the city: in 2012 Nokia closed its factory, and in 2015 Microsoft closed the development facilities. However, the availability of fascilities and skilled labour has attracted some other companies.

In Finnish, word salo means "woodland", "backwoods" but also a "wooded island".

By train
All trains between Helsinki and Turku stop in Salo. Don't be confused by the piles of wood by the station; this is the high tech city.

By bus
The normal express ("pika") Turku–Salo–Helsinki buses stop in Salo, but not the special express ("express") Turku–Helsinki ones. There are also regional buses from Turku and a few "regular" buses between Turku and Helsinki via Salo. This means some buses once or twice an hour most of the day, every two hours for some time in the night.

By car
Salo is close to the motorway E18 (national road 1) between Helsinki (120 km) and Turku (50 km), by the former main road (now regional road 110) and at the ancient Great Coastal Road, the "King's road" between the cities.

The King's Road (Kuninkaantie, Kungsvägen) mostly follows what now are village roads. It is marked as a historic road. Unless in a hurry you might want to take this route to better see the countryside and visit some of the sights.

Get around
Information about local buses can be found here. There is a route planner for local transport trips. Mobile tickets can be bought using the app Waltti or Matkahuolto's Routes and Tickets.

See




Do

 * Historic iron works in Perniö (Bjärnå), some 20 km south-southwest from Salo centre.
 * Historic iron works in Perniö (Bjärnå), some 20 km south-southwest from Salo centre.

Go next

 * Kitula
 * Kimitoön
 * Lohja
 * Marttila
 * Raseborg
 * Somero