Our Guide To Finland
Finland's pub culture made a belated entrance on the European scene following a successful temperance movement and the huge disruption of the 1920s to 1950s. However, the government had failed to solve widespread social issues connected with alcohol abuse so decided to embark on a different strategy - to set up pubs where drinking was legal, but in a calm, civil and social setting.
Finland's city centres received some of their first pubs in the 1960s and 1970s, normally English or Irish themed, although not exclusively. Even then, the system was tightly controlled - the opening hours and the drinks available remaining conservative. Some of these have remained open until the present day, taking on a life and feel of their own surpassing the initial theme pub concept.
As culture progressed, and the licensing market was slowly opened up, the next clear cultural change was Finland's adoption of karaoke, an interesting aspect of a manic-depressive culture. For a staid and buttoned-up society, drink plus karaoke seems to switch some button, providing a context where Finns can let their hair down.
Director Aki Kaurismaki is never far from receiving a mention when it comes to drinking holes, as his films shone a light on the lurid but fascinating bar culture that resides just below the surface of the mainstream. These bars still exist around Helsinki and may require a little digging to find. Here you will see the capital city truly open up on a social level.
Finland's bars in general have a good range of beers and whiskies with ciders also well represented, while you will also find some alcopops available on draft, usually from the big drinks companies. Finland also boasts Sahti, a farmhouse ale, unfiltered with a banana flavour that morphs into rye and juniper berries at the end - delicious. Salted liquorice is the nation's favour confectionery and Salmiakki is this in liquid form - strictly for adults. Vodka remains reasonably common, although pricing keeps activities subdued even at their height.
Ah yes, pricing. Finland has among the highest tax duties on alcohol in Europe. You won't find the country itself overly expensive for transport, clothing, even for food outside of the better restaurants. But alcohol is very highly taxed and sits alongside the likes of Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland as one of the costliest places to buy a drink in Europe. If you try to budget, you will be pushed into the lower end of the beer range - which is genuinely disgusting and among the worst lager we have tried anywhere in Europe, while still paying a fair whack. The best attitude to have is to suck it up and pay, while trying to make your drinks last a little longer.
Finland's city centres received some of their first pubs in the 1960s and 1970s, normally English or Irish themed, although not exclusively. Even then, the system was tightly controlled - the opening hours and the drinks available remaining conservative. Some of these have remained open until the present day, taking on a life and feel of their own surpassing the initial theme pub concept.
As culture progressed, and the licensing market was slowly opened up, the next clear cultural change was Finland's adoption of karaoke, an interesting aspect of a manic-depressive culture. For a staid and buttoned-up society, drink plus karaoke seems to switch some button, providing a context where Finns can let their hair down.
Director Aki Kaurismaki is never far from receiving a mention when it comes to drinking holes, as his films shone a light on the lurid but fascinating bar culture that resides just below the surface of the mainstream. These bars still exist around Helsinki and may require a little digging to find. Here you will see the capital city truly open up on a social level.
Finland's bars in general have a good range of beers and whiskies with ciders also well represented, while you will also find some alcopops available on draft, usually from the big drinks companies. Finland also boasts Sahti, a farmhouse ale, unfiltered with a banana flavour that morphs into rye and juniper berries at the end - delicious. Salted liquorice is the nation's favour confectionery and Salmiakki is this in liquid form - strictly for adults. Vodka remains reasonably common, although pricing keeps activities subdued even at their height.
Ah yes, pricing. Finland has among the highest tax duties on alcohol in Europe. You won't find the country itself overly expensive for transport, clothing, even for food outside of the better restaurants. But alcohol is very highly taxed and sits alongside the likes of Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland as one of the costliest places to buy a drink in Europe. If you try to budget, you will be pushed into the lower end of the beer range - which is genuinely disgusting and among the worst lager we have tried anywhere in Europe, while still paying a fair whack. The best attitude to have is to suck it up and pay, while trying to make your drinks last a little longer.
Ratings Key:
A: Choice and/or quality of drinks
B: Style and décor
C: Atmosphere and feel
D: Amenities, Events & Community
E: Value for money
F: The Pub Going Factor
| Name | Location | A | B | C | D | E | F |
| Bar Petiit | Helsinki | 9 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 8.5 |
| Harry's Bar Kruna | Helsinki | 6 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 8.2 |
| Vastarannan Kiiski | Helsinki | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 8 |
| Bier-Bier | Helsinki | 8 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 7.8 |
| Black Door | Helsinki | 9 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 7.6 |
| Janoinen Lohi | Helsinki | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 7.6 |
| Pikkulintu Ruttopuisto | Helsinki | 10 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 7.6 |
| Musta Kissa | Helsinki | 7 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 7.5 |
| Pub Graali | Oulu | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 8.1 |
| Oluthuone Leskinen | Oulu | 10 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 7.9 |
| Jumpru Pub | Oulu | 7 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 4 | 7.8 |
| Musta Kissa Kuppila | Rovaniemi | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 8 |
| Uitto Pub | Rovaniemi | 8 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 7.6 |
| Salhojankadun | Tampere | 8 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 3 | 9.3 |
| Kievari Kahdet Kasvot | Tampere | 9 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 7.7 |
| Oluthuone Panimomestari | Tampere | 9 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 7.5 |
| Vanha Monttu | Tampere | 6 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7.5 |
| Tiima | Tampere | 8 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 7.5 |
| Tåget | Turku | 6 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 8.5 |
| Uusi Apteekki | Turku | 9 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 8.2 |
| Panimoravintola Koulu | Turku | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 4 | 7.8 |
| 5piste5 | Turku | 9 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 7.7 |
| Cosmic Comic Café | Turku | 7 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 7.5 |
Helsinki
pop. 631,695
A characterful city of peninsulas, islands and ports with a city centre boasting genuinely handsome interwar architecture, not least the jaw-dropping train station which is among the most impressive in Europe. The suburbs have more than a hint of Prague's Dejvice and Vinohrady about them, an impression no doubt reinforced by the lines of trams ferrying people back and forth. It is a well-connected city providing you're not trying to travel West-to-East and a characterful one with slopes and rises which belie the stereotype about Finland being flat and functional.
As for the bars, there are a series of styles available to you. Firstly, a series of pubs under the same umbrella company Kalaravintola that focus on drinks above all else, in a simulacra of a pubby environment. Secondly, new wave beer bars which have brought in the next generation, and Thirdly, the late bars popularised by Kaurismaki which offer something more fun, informal and sometimes lurid, with a charming retro setup. In between those there are some one-off cocktail and wine bars too.
Most of the action happens in Downtown Helsinki or the suburb of Kallio to the North East, with the overlapping districts of Harju and Vallila to their North East in easy reach. Those are atmospheric places to wander around and the best chance of unearthing a hidden gem or two.
Oulu
pop. 199,526
A reasonably sizeable seaside city, isolated, comfortably the most sizeable 'midlands' settlement. The sights and attractions are undoubtedly more provincial than the southern cities and it takes knowledge of the buses to exploit them fully. As for the nightlife, there are three strong central bars we can happily recommend, all of which have their own distinctive flavour and among that, offer some interesting drinks too. We won't try and pretend this is some oasis of bar going, but you can have a very effective afternoon and evening out here. Put it this way, we've been to larger cities with fewer good bars to offer.
Rovaniemi
pop. 63,062
Located 1 line of latitude below the Arctic circle, Rovaniemi sells itself as the world capital of Christmas, the gateway to the Arctic and to Lapland. One thing it definitely doesn't sell itself on is being the nightlife capital of Finland. That it is not, and most of the bars you'll find fall into the distinctly average category. There are no shortage of people looking for a drink on the weekend, so there is the market to do better, but apparently not the will. There are exceptions of course, the best being Musta Kissa, which is like a pure injection of offbeat cosmopolitan life into the veins of this isolated town, and Uitto Pub which is the kind of warm chunky wood-fit all-rounder you'd hope to find in the frozen North.
Tampere
pop. 226,966
For us, Tampere was a really nice surprise. Perhaps because it followed Oulu, and we were expecting a conveyor belt of flat functionalism. Tampere isn't like that at all. A huge Victorian era industrial complex dominates the centre and riverside, which has been restored and repurposed in typical 00s fashion, but adds a skyline that is very distinctive - not many Western cities boast a giant chimney stack belching steam across the city centre, or a huge weir known locally as the 'Rapids'. The city centre is cheerful and colourful, even if it is faintly disguising the fact it is based around one long drag from West to East.
Tampere's bar scene offers a fair bit of variety from fun dive bars, exceptional old fashioned pubs, cocktail bars and events venues, although these are a little spaced out. A couple of nights are required to crack Tampere properly.
Turku
pop. 186,756
Although Turku possibly has some of Finland's oldest landmarks - the cathedral and castle, downtown Turku is somewhat disappointing in comparison to Tampere, with less character and pretty low key. It doesn't help that the cathedral and castle are about as far away from each other as possible while still being in the city centre. An 'Old Town' around either doesn't really materialise. However, there are hills, a distinctive river and a complex accessible by funicular for views, as well as one of the best saunas in the area in a lake just outside town. You won't run out of activities for a couple of nights.
Turku's bar scene reflects a student population with some decidedly more colourful and upbeat efforts attracting the partying crowd and those more keen to take things at their own pace. There's a modern craft brewery and a one-off brewpub that took over a girl's school that should be visited. Perhaps the best place of all is hidden away behind the north side of the tracks, a converted train carriage turned pub that currently has the mixture of audience just right, mixing the novelty and weird end-of-the-world vibes into an atmosphere you'll be telling your friends about when you return.
pop. 631,695
A characterful city of peninsulas, islands and ports with a city centre boasting genuinely handsome interwar architecture, not least the jaw-dropping train station which is among the most impressive in Europe. The suburbs have more than a hint of Prague's Dejvice and Vinohrady about them, an impression no doubt reinforced by the lines of trams ferrying people back and forth. It is a well-connected city providing you're not trying to travel West-to-East and a characterful one with slopes and rises which belie the stereotype about Finland being flat and functional.
As for the bars, there are a series of styles available to you. Firstly, a series of pubs under the same umbrella company Kalaravintola that focus on drinks above all else, in a simulacra of a pubby environment. Secondly, new wave beer bars which have brought in the next generation, and Thirdly, the late bars popularised by Kaurismaki which offer something more fun, informal and sometimes lurid, with a charming retro setup. In between those there are some one-off cocktail and wine bars too.
Most of the action happens in Downtown Helsinki or the suburb of Kallio to the North East, with the overlapping districts of Harju and Vallila to their North East in easy reach. Those are atmospheric places to wander around and the best chance of unearthing a hidden gem or two.
Oulu
pop. 199,526
A reasonably sizeable seaside city, isolated, comfortably the most sizeable 'midlands' settlement. The sights and attractions are undoubtedly more provincial than the southern cities and it takes knowledge of the buses to exploit them fully. As for the nightlife, there are three strong central bars we can happily recommend, all of which have their own distinctive flavour and among that, offer some interesting drinks too. We won't try and pretend this is some oasis of bar going, but you can have a very effective afternoon and evening out here. Put it this way, we've been to larger cities with fewer good bars to offer.
Rovaniemi
pop. 63,062
Located 1 line of latitude below the Arctic circle, Rovaniemi sells itself as the world capital of Christmas, the gateway to the Arctic and to Lapland. One thing it definitely doesn't sell itself on is being the nightlife capital of Finland. That it is not, and most of the bars you'll find fall into the distinctly average category. There are no shortage of people looking for a drink on the weekend, so there is the market to do better, but apparently not the will. There are exceptions of course, the best being Musta Kissa, which is like a pure injection of offbeat cosmopolitan life into the veins of this isolated town, and Uitto Pub which is the kind of warm chunky wood-fit all-rounder you'd hope to find in the frozen North.
Tampere
pop. 226,966
For us, Tampere was a really nice surprise. Perhaps because it followed Oulu, and we were expecting a conveyor belt of flat functionalism. Tampere isn't like that at all. A huge Victorian era industrial complex dominates the centre and riverside, which has been restored and repurposed in typical 00s fashion, but adds a skyline that is very distinctive - not many Western cities boast a giant chimney stack belching steam across the city centre, or a huge weir known locally as the 'Rapids'. The city centre is cheerful and colourful, even if it is faintly disguising the fact it is based around one long drag from West to East.
Tampere's bar scene offers a fair bit of variety from fun dive bars, exceptional old fashioned pubs, cocktail bars and events venues, although these are a little spaced out. A couple of nights are required to crack Tampere properly.
Turku
pop. 186,756
Although Turku possibly has some of Finland's oldest landmarks - the cathedral and castle, downtown Turku is somewhat disappointing in comparison to Tampere, with less character and pretty low key. It doesn't help that the cathedral and castle are about as far away from each other as possible while still being in the city centre. An 'Old Town' around either doesn't really materialise. However, there are hills, a distinctive river and a complex accessible by funicular for views, as well as one of the best saunas in the area in a lake just outside town. You won't run out of activities for a couple of nights.
Turku's bar scene reflects a student population with some decidedly more colourful and upbeat efforts attracting the partying crowd and those more keen to take things at their own pace. There's a modern craft brewery and a one-off brewpub that took over a girl's school that should be visited. Perhaps the best place of all is hidden away behind the north side of the tracks, a converted train carriage turned pub that currently has the mixture of audience just right, mixing the novelty and weird end-of-the-world vibes into an atmosphere you'll be telling your friends about when you return.