Nightclubs
photo © Vantaa City
Nightclubs in Finland
Nightclubs in Finland are a varied lot, with many clubs specialising in a particular style of music or catering to a specific age group or type of clientele. Of course, this is most noticeable in the large cities like Helsinki, Turku and Tampere, and the smaller the town the less choice will be available. However, no matter how small the town you happen to be visiting, you will be able to find somewhere to go to continue the night.
The towns where the best selection of clubs exist are those which also are home to one of the many universities in the country. These towns and cities are Helsinki, Turku, Tampere, Jyväskylä, Kuopio, Oulu, Vaasa, Joensuu, Lappeenranta and Rovaniemi. Clubs keep late hours, many in Helsinki don’t open their doors until after 10pm and don’t close until 4am, although your last chance to order a drink will be at 3.30am, and 3.30am on the dot, not one minute later. Entrance is usually restricted to over 20s, although some of the more up-market clubs set the mark at 24.
One aspect of Finnish clubs is the obligatory coat check, where you will have to hand in your coat and pay for the priviledge, usually an extra 2€ over the original cover charge you paid for admission. Considering how cold it gets here in the winter, the chances of being able to avoid the extra surcharge are minimal. Admission costs vary considerably from club to club, with many in Helsinki charging a mere 5€, while others a rather more prohibitive fee is applied.
