Favourite Hangouts & Going out

It is common for Finns to gather friends around a coffee table and catch up on each other lives. The café culture in Finland hasn't yet reached its peak, though we are one of the most coffee drinking nations in the world. Other ways of entertaining yourself is to get together with friends and to see a movie or to go out to eat. Friday and Saturday are the usual nights for going to night clubs, but it is possible to find a nice crowd on any evening (if you are lucky) especially during summer time.

There are also many organizations organize several clubs and social activities. Today there are also clubs which run in English and Finnish together. These types of activities are the best places to learn culture and meet with other people. Also in every Finnish city and town there are youth centers where you can go. For finding clubs, organizations or youth centers please consult with the local youth information services, other students or check newspaper ads.

If you are a student, student guilds might have activities for students. Student union or local Erasmus Students Network (ESN) might have bunch of activities where you can attend. There might be internet groups where university students send ads to each other. Please be active and ask people around how to access these information. Tourist info’s, web page of the city where you locate, student newspapers, and ads on the streets can be best ways to plan your daily activities.

For students however Wednesday is so-called “little Saturday” when it is normal to go to a local bar and have a drink or two. Usually we don’t spend the whole night in one bar. It is common to first have a drink or two at the local whilst playing billiards or singing karaoke and then move on to continue the evening at a club. Crowd starts to gather at the club rather late, between 12pm and 1am, in spite of if it is summer or winter. 

We are infamous for our drinking habits. You may have heard the stories about drinking Finns, but the truth is that for the most people having just a few drinks is enough to get in to a festive mood.

There are also several excursions, outdoor activities organized by scout organizations, clubs, student guilds and many more. In the related links you will find many links to arrange your activities.

Last Updated on 18.01.2010
Photo by Jaana Fedotoff