Cafes
Kirjakahvila
(http://www.kirjakahvila.org/), vanha suurtori 1. located at the historical old great square, this is a culture cafe and a bookshop hence the name, which means "book cafe" 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, even for vegans. free wireless internet available, ask the staff for passwords. open from 11am to 7pm, from m-f, but there is often live acoustic music or other cultural events in the evening.
Cafe Mansikkapaikka
Piispankatu 11, a old yellow wooden house. the name means "a place where wild strawberries can be found", and the interior and the atmosphere is very romantic and cosy. the tea is served in small strawberry-themed tea pots and you can choose from an assortment of 30 different teas.
Cosmic Comic Cafe
(http://www.cosmic.fi/), kauppiaskatu 4 forum shopping centre. a cafe for comics lovers. offers drinks, comics books for free reading and hosts various events from time to time.
Latte Cafe
(http://www.lattecafe.biz/), kristiinankatu 5. latte cafe is a sweet little cafe at downtown turku. special teas, coffees from all around the world, paninis, salads & toasts. they also have cakes, buns, croissants and a lot of sweet surprises. fruit non-alcoholic cocktails.
Pubs and bars
Mallaskukko
(http://www.mallaskukko.fi/) is another good beer pub in turku, with a wide selection of beers and scotch whiskies.
Cosmic Comic Cafe
At forum shopping center by the market square. comics gallery, board games to play and a relaxed, "a second living room" atmosphere. sometimes very overcrowded.
Puutorin Vessa
(http://www.puutorinvessa.fi/), a former public toilet but nowadays a popular bar, located at puutori market square, near the bus station. one of the must see sights in turku.
The Old Bank
(http://www.oldbank.fi/), a former bank turned into a beer pub with beautiful interior and the widest selection of beers in town.
Tinatuoppi
At eerikinkatu 8 (http://www.tinatuoppi.fi/) legendary boozing spot at the heart of turku. cheap beer and great jukebox.
Alvar
At humalistonkatu 7, near the railway station. it is located at a building designed by a famous finnish architecht alvar aalto. a comfortable place with nice staff and a large selection of beer. free wi-fi available.
Pikku-Torre
(http://www.pikkutorre.fi/) close to the centre is a good and friendly bar-cum-restaurant, serving a good choice of different beers and a selection of mid-priced meals only until 9pm.. pikku-torre is one of the best spots in turku for watching football. live music on weekends.
Uusi apteekki
(http://www.uusiapteekki.fi/), a beer pub located in a former pharamacy built in 1907.
Whisky Bar
At yliopistonkatu 19, in the core downtown of turku. has a wide selection of whiskies. nowadays strongly orientated to heavy metal by it's music and atmosphere.
Cup & Pint
At humalistonkatu 17. forget hurry worries! cosy modern bar/cafe near the railway station. good beer selection, toasts, pies, champagne, cakes etc. dj action at weekends.
Brewery restaurant Koulu
(http://www.panimoravintol...), an old school building converted to a brewery restaurant serving their own beers, good food and an excellent selection of wines. a cozy biergarten in the back yard is open in the summer.
Nightclubs
Dynamo
(http://www.dynamoklubi.com/) 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. attracts a healthy amount of exchange students.
Monk
(http://www.monk.fi/) the best and pretty much the only jazz club in town. musical scale includes happy jazz, retromodern club jazz, funk, afro and latin stuff. djs on weekends, live jazz 2-3 days a week.
Klubi
(http://www.klubi.net/tku/...) the leading rock venue in turku. goth, punk, electronica, ska, prog, grunge, indie/alternative - you name it, they've got it.
Monkey
(http://www.themonkey.fi/) is a new club in the city center of turku, it's located in front of the h&m. here are probably the best parties on saturday, because there are a lot of finnish girls. they play hip hop, house and r&b on two floors. there is also a vip area.
Restaurants and bars have varying closing hours, but generally, the popular nightclubs and discos are open until 4AM. Last call always occurs half an hour before closing time, and is indicated by the bar staff turning the lights off for a few seconds, then turning them back on. They may repeat this a few times in quick succession to make sure the patrons get it. It's generally smart to leave about ten minutes before the last call, to avoid being caught in the rush of everybody trying to leave at once, especially if you are planning to get back to your night spot by a taxi.
Night clubs tend to have guarded cloakrooms where you can leave any of your outer garments in exchange for a ticket. Using the coat service is generally considered mandatory even if this is not explicitly pointed out. The cloakroom fee is usually 2 - 2,50 euros. Do not lose the ticket; the bar staff will often not want to hash out ticket confusions during closing time when things are at their most chaotic. If you lose the ticket, you may be told to come back the following day to get your things, expect to be able to prove the jacket is your by telling the staff the make of the jacket/colour of lining/contents of pockets.
The legal drinking age in Finland is 18 for mild alcoholic drinks up to 20%/40-proof and 20 for stronger drinks than that, but virtually all establishments sell stronger drinks to 18-year-olds as well. The minimum age required to enter bars/pubs/nightclubs differs; legally, one must be at least 18 to enter places that serve alcohol, but many clubs and bars have higher age limits 20 - 24 yrs.