3 Best Bars in Southwestern Coast and the Ålands, Finland

This brewpub serves excellent beers brewed on-site and offers a great gastropub-style food menu (except for Sunday) in what used to be an 1880s-era school (koulu means school). It's an example of Turku's fondness for converting historic buildings to pubs and bars. School desks are given a second life, and there are school maps on the walls. There is an expansive beer garden in which an outdoor grill is set up in summer. A weekday lunch buffet is popular with local shop and office workers. If you have a hearty appetite, try the "Beer Master's Plate," with bratwurst, pork shank, chicken, and fried potatoes.

This turn-of-the-20th-century pharmacy now serves as an excellent pub, with a wide selection of beers—both bottled and on tap—as well as ciders and whiskies. The original wooden interior fittings have been preserved, though with bottles and books lining the shelves instead of medicines. The pub owns a small-batch craft beer brewery, samples of which are sometimes served at the bar. In summer, the pub operates an outdoor terrace, Lilja & Paavo, near the river in Itäinen Rantakatu. 

Open from 9 pm until 5 am, Dynamo comes out consistently at the top of Turku's late-night party poll. DJs and live music keep the night owls moving.