Turku

5piste5

A popular bar in central Turku. A speciality is its "candy store" where you can order small 1 dL samples of various fruity-flavoured beers.

Tue-Sat 15:00-00:00, closed Sun Mon

Alvar

Alvar, in a building designed by the famous Finnish modernist architect Alvar Aalto, is a comfortable place with nice staff and a large selection of beer. Free wireless internet connection is also available for visitors to use. You can also reserve time for a special beer tasting if you visit with a group of friends.

Mon-Sat 14:00-02:00, Sun 18:00-00:00

Apollo Nightclub

Age limit 22. Apollo serves live music by bands playing mostly cover music hits by domestic and international stars. Music ranges from rock to pop and disco, old and new. There's also a VIP section which you can reserve. Next door is Armas karaoke bar, which has same opening hours and age limitation.

Fri Sat 22:00–04:00

Aschan

Aschan is a café and lunch restaurant, until 2018 a popular confectory and café in Turku, now with franchises in Turku and Helsinki. It sells all kinds of coffee, drinks and sweet and salty bakeries, beard, pies and cakes.

Mon-Fri 08:00–20:00, Sat 09:00–18:00, Sun 12:00–18:00

Bar Kuka

Bar Who

On the corner of Linnankatu and Kristiinankatu, Bar Kuka with its retro 1960s and 70s decoration has a loyal fanbase, who think it's the best and cosiest bar you'll ever find in Turku. Kuka offers lots of live music, DJ gigs, stand-up and theme nights.

Daily 18:00-04:00, Age limit 18

Brewery Restaurant Koulu

An old school building converted into a brewery restaurant serving their own and other beers, good food and an excellent selection of wines. A cosy biergarten in the green backyard is open in the summer and is favourite of locals. The big building allows your finding a private corner (or booking a room) for your group.

Daily 11:00–02:00. The Winestube Mon–Thu 17:00–23:00, Fri 17:00–02:00, Sat 17:00–02:00. Dining room Mon–Thu 11:00–22:00, Fri 11:00–00:00, Sat 12:00–00:00. Lunch Mon–Fri 11:00–14:00

Café Qwensel

Café Qwensel is a charming spot of old milieu in the heart of the city. During the summer there are chickens and roosters on the yard and you can really feel you have travelled back in time. The café serves home-made pastries that have been prepared according to recipes from the 18th century. Also their tea is worth checking. Lunch on weekdays.

Tue–Sun 10:00–18:00

Cosmic Comic Café

Cosmic Comic Café has a comics gallery and a comical atmosphere, where beer meets comic books, board games and a relaxed "second living room" atmosphere. It's very popular among students, so sometimes it can be very overcrowded. Bar owner Sakke knows everything about beer so do not hesitate to ask for tips.

Sun–Tue 16:00–00:00, Wed–Thu 15:00–02:00 Fri–Sat 15:00–03:00

Daily News

A plenty of daily newspapers and perhaps the cheapest beer in the centre.

Daily 09:00–02:00

Dynamo

Age limit 20. At Linnankatu, opposite the main library, caters for hipsters with a passion for slightly more eclectic sound. Downstairs indie pop, electro and rock 'n' roll are the main draws, upstairs it's chiefly soul, funk and disco. Live music gigs from hot domestic artists are also frequent. Attracts a healthy number of exchange students.

Tue–Sat 21:00–04:00

Fabbes Café

Fabbes café is a cosy small café in the beautiful Biskopsgatan area (ÅA campus). 2–3 lunch options, one of which is vegan. Coffee included. They have a nice selection of pies (sweet and savoury), cakes, cinnamon rolls and home-made sweet treats, smoothies, etc. Nearly everything at Fabbe's is baked or produced in house, and you can tell the difference – nothing factory made and few additives. (You can check their web page for today's menu, but the latest news may be from a few years ago.)

Mon–Fri 08:00–16:00; lunch 11:00–15:00, late lunch if anything left·Breakfast €9, lunch €10–12 (late lunch €6), coffee with bun €4

Fontti

It's in the old customers office of the regional newspaper Turun-Sanomat. Fontti (literally meaning font) is a restaurant and serves great food in addition to drinks and coffees. Service can be little slow but otherwise this bar is nice place to spend your weekend evening.

Mon–Thu 16:00–23:00, Fri 16:00–04:00, Sat 13:00–04:00

Forte

Forte has been one favourite of the locals since 1996. It tends to be busy thanks to cheap drinks and daily opening hours, as opposed to majority of the other clubs in the city. The concept of 'SuFo' (='Sunday Forte'), MoFo, etc., is widely recognized among students in Turku.

Daily 22:00–04:00

Gaggui

In this tiny café the cakes are the main thing. They are fantastic and made by hand on the site. Coffee is also top-notch and the service is super friendly.

Tue–Fri 10:00–19:00, Sat 10:00–18:00, Sun 12:00–18:00

Kahvila Promenade

In the park, with view towards the shore. Savoury and sweet pastries as well as a range of coffees, and ice cream.

Daily 14 May–30 August and Sat–Sun in spring 10:00–18:00

Kirjakahvila

Book Café

At the historical Old Great Square, this is a culture café and a bookshop (books from small publishers, also foreign ones) run by volunteers. Besides books there are also a lot of comics, postcards and posters by local artists for sale. Freshly baked cakes every day. All food vegan. Free wireless Internet available, ask the staff for passwords.

Mon–Fri 11:00–19:00, often live acoustic music or other cultural events in the evening

Kisälli

Old-fashioned style to partly match the location. Self-made fresh bread rolls, buns, doughnuts and pies. Every day there's also pancake and a variety of sweet and savoury pies. And of course, great coffee and other drinks.

Tue–Sun 09:00–17:00 or by agreement

Mallaskukko

Another good beer pub in Turku, with a great selection of beers, scotch whiskies and ciders. Mallaskukko truly feels like a living room of the locals. Good place to watch sports from the many TV screens on the walls.

Mon–Thu 14:00–02:00, Fri Sat 12:00–02:00, Sun 14:00-00:00

Naima

For proper dancing (not night club dancing) in a nightclub setting, Naima is the recommended place in Turku. The age group skews towards the 30s, 40s and 50s. Often music includes live performances by some of the biggest names in Finnish Iskelmä (entertainer music) music.

Wed–Sat 20:00–04:00

Night Club Marilyn

For the late teens-early 20s crowd, the Night Club Marilyn is particularly popular as a disco/night club. It is the oldest privately owned Night Club in Turku and has seen all the other clubs come and go. In its history it has been chosen as the Best Nightclub in the city on several occasions.

Tue–Sat 22:00–04:00

Nuvola Gelateria

The owners, Italians Angelo and Stefano, make traditional Italian ice cream on the site, without any artificial elements. The atmosphere is relaxed and happy with an Italian touch.

Mon–Fri 11:00–20:00, Sat 10:00–18:00, Sun 11:00–18:00

Rento

Rento, literally meaning casual and relaxed, has probably one of the best locations for a bar in Turku right at the end of the pedestrian street next to the Market Square and Hansa Shopping Center. You can either sit inside or on a nice terrace outside. Large selection of beers and little snacks as well.

Mon–Wed 11:00–02:00, Thu–Sat 11:00–03:00, Sun 12:00–02:00

Seurusteluravintola Uusi apteekki

New Pharmacy

Uusi Apteekki (literally meaning New Pharmacy) is a beer pub in a former pharmacy built in 1907. Great selection of beer and spirits, and the decorations alone are worth seeing. In weekend this pub gets really crowded with locals so be prepared to stand while enjoying your beer. If you are lucky, it's also a good place to catch up with writer Reijo Mäki who has written the famous Vares detective stories that are huge in Finland.

Daily 10:00–02:00

Whisky Bar

A wide selection of whiskies, but also beer and other spirits. Nowadays it is strongly orientated to heavy metal by its music and atmosphere.

Sun–Thu 18:00–02:00, Fri Sat 18:00–03:00

suXes

Turku, like other larger Finnish cities in general, is quite gay-friendly, though public gestures of affection are not common even for straight couples and might raise some eyebrows. You'll fit in at practically all of the clubs in Turku, but perhaps feel specially at home in suXes, the only gay bar and café in Turku. There you can be openly yourself while enjoying the atmosphere, coffee and drinks.

Daily 19:00–02:00

Bruno

Itäinen rantakatu

Café Art

Special coffees along with delicious cakes.

Mon-Fri 10:00–19:00, Sat 10:00–17:00, Sun 11:00–17:00

Cindy

Itäinen rantakatu

Donna

Itäinen rantakatu

Esposito

Läntinen rantakatu