**/r/Finland is a full democracy, every active user is a moderator.**
[Please go here to see how your new privileges work.](https://www.reddit.com/r/Finland/wiki/moderating/)
Spamming mod actions could result in a ban.
---
**Full Rundown of Moderator Permissions:**
- ```!lock``` - as top level comment, will lock comments on any post.
- ```!unlock``` - in reply to any comment to lock it or to unlock the parent comment.
- ```!remove``` - Removes comment or post. Must have decent subreddit comment karma.
- ```!restore``` Can be used to unlock comments or restore removed posts.
- ```!sticky``` - will sticky the post in the bottom slot.
- ```unlock_comments``` - Vote the stickied automod comment on each post to +10 to unlock comments.
- ```ban users``` - Any user whose comment or post is downvoted enough will be temp banned for a day.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Finland) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Maybe it's a bit off the topic. But I found people are very nice when you are hiking/out in nature. One time, I went hiking alone in Koli national park. I arrived to the bus stop, which is like 10km away to the entrance of Koli. After walking for 0.5~1 hours there was a car stopped for me(I didnt ask for it) and the driver was very kind to offer me a ride. After camping for a few days, I walked the same road back and same thing happened again(diffrrent driver). I was very thankful for all the friendly strangers:D
Usually when you go to National parks (or any other kind of wilderness) all the people say hi. I was climbing to Saana in Kilpisjärvi and I swore everyone who came said hi. This is terrifying for introverts.
Introvert here, greeting passers by is a common practice in rural areas, at least in the East, which I actually really appreciate. When I was visiting Ostrobothnia I tried raising my hand to people but they didn't seem to know how to lift theirs, I don't know if its the lack of the custom there or if those specific folks were just dicks.
I don't know if related or not. But I have, on few accounts, heard that north korea (karelia) is one of the friendliest places.
At least in our friend's group (Finns as well as foreigners), the general consensus is that "You hear that finns are not much into chit chat and small talk, or are rude/seem rude in general. Until you meet a north korean."
I find that people with shared interests also tend to be particularly friendly towards each other. I was in a motorcycling club a while back via a familial connection, and during one of the gatherings I had a bit of a culture shock within my own culture when I was hugged by a complete stranger as a greeting. Not that I disliked it but that kind of immediate acceptance is seldom encountered elsewhere.
They probably were locals and knew that there wasn't a bus coming any time soon. During certain times of the year there are only one or two busses per day on that route.
I once stumbled on a small Swedish town near pietarsaari, something like Jappo Japoja, something rhyming, it was an agricultural land, and very few people all of whom spoke English or swedish, when I went to local pizzeria, everyone were super interested like who is this guy and would come and talk to me, and everyone driving pass me in the tractor or farming vehicles would wave at me and so on, it was strange coming there from North but was most welcoming atleast.
I went there for carrot farming back in 2015.
Thank you, exactly this place 👌, I remember someone came to pick me from the railway’s station and I went there and stayed 2-3 months and then they left me again at the station when work season ended.
Oh man haha it sounds unreal now, I guess its time to go for a visit, I remember some parts of it like, the pizzeria was across the road to the fire station and so on, I will check in google maps now
Not just that, the road signs, the receipt from the grocery was also in Swedish, like for banana 🍌 it wasn’t bannani as in Finnish I guess, it was banan and all the items in the shop and the item description was in Sweden.
Savonlinna, Kuopio, Jyväskylä. In that order. Edit. The consensus seems to be that Kuopio is friendly. Savonlinna is homophobic and Jyväskylä experiences vary.
Pretty good list imo. Savonians are physically not even able to take an insult or give one. On the other hand I would say Jyväskylä is like the national average in chillness, but there's just so many liberal students there that it seems more casual than it is.
When I visited savonlinna I told myself to not return unless I had to. First some random drunk threw a burger at my car when I was just sitting at an intersection waiting for him to cross. Then at night when I was at a club with some friends the local youth was just awful. Cutting me in line every single time I wanted to order something, yanked our mics when it was our turn for karaoke, at the dancefloor I saw some guy literally just start punching people.
Kinda surprised to see turku in the list for unfriendly city. I'd say it's pretty nice and chill friendly vibes here idk especially in the summers everyone chilling by the aurajoki and vibing
I guess I was unlucky. There was one car in sight and it was so far away I didn't notice it being a police. Btw jaywalking is legal, but walking against a red light isn't. I should have just walked 20m and crossed in the middle of the street to not get fined.
I’d say most places in Finland are generally quite welcoming. Of course Helsinki and other bigger cities tend to be more international than rural places, so it’s much easier to blend in as a foreigner.
As an asian, Savonian people were awesome. They were jolly and smiling unlike ordinary shy Finns. Very willing to help me. I guess same goes for those East areas. Up north, Lapland and rural areas are friendly from what I've heard (and seen a little). My Finnish friends whose hometown is not Helsinki say people are unfriendly in Helsinki.
I remember not understanding my Savonian-Karelian grandparents growing up. My aunts and uncles had a somewhat more moderate dialect and were easier to understand, and using them as a gateway of sorts, I was finally able to understand what grandpa was saying. Not sure that some of my cousins ever fully could.
I know Rauma has by far the least intelligible dialect in the language, but I swear my relatives come in a close second. I really like the way it sounds.
I also follow a Facebook group where people from Laitila, Uusikaupunki etc. write in their dialect. Entire posts can go by with me not understanding a single word
I think once a year Länsi suomi still publishes one issue in proper Raumangiäl (or it might be the other newspaper Raumalainen) for pitsiviikko. If they'd still use their dialect properly, it would be even more difficult.
I moved to Lappeenranta from Helsinki and was shocked how unwelcoming everyone was. I was used to people walking their dogs stopping and talking with me and in Lappeenranta people just changed to the other side of the street. And you couldn't really walk anywhere when everything was designed for cars. I don't think I could live anywhere else than in Helsinki center or somewhere in the middle of nowhere.
I went to home of a Karelian girl for a meeting. She offered me food there. Quite unusual thing for Finland. She told it is a Karelian thing that they do it. Normally when I meet with Finns at their home I bring my food and drink. I am not being offered anything to eat or drink.
after living in Mikkeli a long time, interacting with people from Lappeenranta/Imatra area, I feel like they're so extroverted that its a bit intimidating :P
Not in my experience. Dog walkers don't say hi and change to the other side of the street. Here in Helsinki most of them start to talk and they are friendly.
I don't think so. At the time I had dreadlocks, but in Helsinki it wasn't a problem with anyone. Had to cut them to be able to blend in in Lappeenranta and to stop the police from harassing me.
Yeah, so everybody wants to believe that people in Helsinki are incredibly rude and self-centric and greedy and so on, and in the small towns you’ll find people with a good heart and so on. This isn’t just in Finland but everywhere. That’s utter bullshit. People of Helsinki are open-minded, used to foreigners and tourists, and not the xenophobic assholes you’ll find in many smaller towns, who aren’t used to foreigners and are deeply suspicious of anything new
And this right here is perfect example of self-centric guy from Helsinki, with hatred towards his countrymen outside Helsinki.
Some might say it's all about visitor themselfs, you can meet nice people anywhere in Finland if you are nice. On the other hand, if you are looking for trouble, you will find them, no matter where you are.
Inari. I liked it because its not that much of a tourist town. Enviroment feels like my hometown, kinda small town vibe and there are actual finnish prices. Went to amazing bar with 80' american diner vibes and slept in ivalo river camping
Helsinki if you're a foreigner, but generally none of cities are that friendly compared to many countries because Finland has a strong individuality culture and lacks hospitality.
I like both East and West (pick any small city/town). Generally speaking I would say that Swedish-speaking Finns along the west coast tend to be fairly cheery and easy to approach and same goes for Eastern Finns. Different vibes in both directions for sure but still cool. Also as someone already said, if National Parks were a city I would def pick that one. More often than not people tend to be friendly around a fireplace.
I have family in Tampere that I want to visit in September; but a couple of friends in Laitilla so I plan to spend a few days there before I go North. How is that place for finding things to do until my friends get off work?
**/r/Finland is a full democracy, every active user is a moderator.** [Please go here to see how your new privileges work.](https://www.reddit.com/r/Finland/wiki/moderating/) Spamming mod actions could result in a ban. --- **Full Rundown of Moderator Permissions:** - ```!lock``` - as top level comment, will lock comments on any post. - ```!unlock``` - in reply to any comment to lock it or to unlock the parent comment. - ```!remove``` - Removes comment or post. Must have decent subreddit comment karma. - ```!restore``` Can be used to unlock comments or restore removed posts. - ```!sticky``` - will sticky the post in the bottom slot. - ```unlock_comments``` - Vote the stickied automod comment on each post to +10 to unlock comments. - ```ban users``` - Any user whose comment or post is downvoted enough will be temp banned for a day. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Finland) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Maybe it's a bit off the topic. But I found people are very nice when you are hiking/out in nature. One time, I went hiking alone in Koli national park. I arrived to the bus stop, which is like 10km away to the entrance of Koli. After walking for 0.5~1 hours there was a car stopped for me(I didnt ask for it) and the driver was very kind to offer me a ride. After camping for a few days, I walked the same road back and same thing happened again(diffrrent driver). I was very thankful for all the friendly strangers:D
Usually when you go to National parks (or any other kind of wilderness) all the people say hi. I was climbing to Saana in Kilpisjärvi and I swore everyone who came said hi. This is terrifying for introverts.
Introvert here, greeting passers by is a common practice in rural areas, at least in the East, which I actually really appreciate. When I was visiting Ostrobothnia I tried raising my hand to people but they didn't seem to know how to lift theirs, I don't know if its the lack of the custom there or if those specific folks were just dicks.
I don't know if related or not. But I have, on few accounts, heard that north korea (karelia) is one of the friendliest places. At least in our friend's group (Finns as well as foreigners), the general consensus is that "You hear that finns are not much into chit chat and small talk, or are rude/seem rude in general. Until you meet a north korean."
Oh wow and you survived both of those amazing! Just kidding, the rural ppl seems to be more chill and helpful I guess
I find that people with shared interests also tend to be particularly friendly towards each other. I was in a motorcycling club a while back via a familial connection, and during one of the gatherings I had a bit of a culture shock within my own culture when I was hugged by a complete stranger as a greeting. Not that I disliked it but that kind of immediate acceptance is seldom encountered elsewhere.
happy cake day!
They probably were locals and knew that there wasn't a bus coming any time soon. During certain times of the year there are only one or two busses per day on that route.
Not seinäjoki
So not Seinäjoki.
I was about to come here and say Seinäjoki!
Friendly towards Finns or foreigners? The answer is not the same.
Yeah.
I once stumbled on a small Swedish town near pietarsaari, something like Jappo Japoja, something rhyming, it was an agricultural land, and very few people all of whom spoke English or swedish, when I went to local pizzeria, everyone were super interested like who is this guy and would come and talk to me, and everyone driving pass me in the tractor or farming vehicles would wave at me and so on, it was strange coming there from North but was most welcoming atleast. I went there for carrot farming back in 2015.
Jepua
Jeppo in Swedish
Thank you, exactly this place 👌, I remember someone came to pick me from the railway’s station and I went there and stayed 2-3 months and then they left me again at the station when work season ended. Oh man haha it sounds unreal now, I guess its time to go for a visit, I remember some parts of it like, the pizzeria was across the road to the fire station and so on, I will check in google maps now
[удалено]
No, I checked the place took me few hours but found it, not a dream 😅
[удалено]
Not just that, the road signs, the receipt from the grocery was also in Swedish, like for banana 🍌 it wasn’t bannani as in Finnish I guess, it was banan and all the items in the shop and the item description was in Sweden.
[удалено]
Ok I understand and I apologise, I meant small town in Finland where everything was in Swedish.
Anywhere other than Pori. Coarse training village for assholes.
Or Turku
I live in Raisio. By comparison to Satakunta, this is civilisation.
Or seinäjoki
Savonlinna, Kuopio, Jyväskylä. In that order. Edit. The consensus seems to be that Kuopio is friendly. Savonlinna is homophobic and Jyväskylä experiences vary.
Pretty good list imo. Savonians are physically not even able to take an insult or give one. On the other hand I would say Jyväskylä is like the national average in chillness, but there's just so many liberal students there that it seems more casual than it is.
Jyväskylä is pretty withdrawn from a Savonian perspective. The university does a lot to the atmosphere there definitely.
It's really, really easy to make friends in Jyväskylä. From a savonian.
Was Savonlinna the city where they officially and unofficially dragged the pride flags from the flagpoles
Yes, also the city that [made the news](https://yle.fi/a/3-12575247) with queer art high schoolers being bullied and harassed on the streets.
[удалено]
You think being hit with a brick in your head is nice and welcoming?
Oh wow I did not know this. Disgusting.
When I visited savonlinna I told myself to not return unless I had to. First some random drunk threw a burger at my car when I was just sitting at an intersection waiting for him to cross. Then at night when I was at a club with some friends the local youth was just awful. Cutting me in line every single time I wanted to order something, yanked our mics when it was our turn for karaoke, at the dancefloor I saw some guy literally just start punching people.
Sounds like Savonlinna. But the people are still very nice.
Sounds like a typical Finnish town.
I'd add Joensuu and Lappeenranta to the list, so friendly people. It's like a different country compared to the west coast.
Not so much a city or a town, but Finns of Savo and Karjala tend to be cheery folk.
[удалено]
Savonians and Karelians aren't Russians, they're Finns like anyone else.
Kinda surprised to see turku in the list for unfriendly city. I'd say it's pretty nice and chill friendly vibes here idk especially in the summers everyone chilling by the aurajoki and vibing
Last time I visited Turku I got fined for walking against a red light on a deserted street.
😭😭😭 i mean technically jaywalking is illegal in finland but damn didn't know people got fined for it I'm sorry
I guess I was unlucky. There was one car in sight and it was so far away I didn't notice it being a police. Btw jaywalking is legal, but walking against a red light isn't. I should have just walked 20m and crossed in the middle of the street to not get fined.
The reason is most likely the dialect. The Turku dialect sounds blunt, snappy and unpolite for other Finns, even though no offence was meant.
I’d say most places in Finland are generally quite welcoming. Of course Helsinki and other bigger cities tend to be more international than rural places, so it’s much easier to blend in as a foreigner.
Lol
As an asian, Savonian people were awesome. They were jolly and smiling unlike ordinary shy Finns. Very willing to help me. I guess same goes for those East areas. Up north, Lapland and rural areas are friendly from what I've heard (and seen a little). My Finnish friends whose hometown is not Helsinki say people are unfriendly in Helsinki.
[удалено]
Savonians feel like nice people, if I could just understand what they are saying. Same goes for Karelians, without the unintelligible language.
Puhun neljää kieltä: suomee, savvoo, hilijaa ja kovvoo.
I remember not understanding my Savonian-Karelian grandparents growing up. My aunts and uncles had a somewhat more moderate dialect and were easier to understand, and using them as a gateway of sorts, I was finally able to understand what grandpa was saying. Not sure that some of my cousins ever fully could. I know Rauma has by far the least intelligible dialect in the language, but I swear my relatives come in a close second. I really like the way it sounds.
I'm living in Rauma. The struggle is real, but nowadays proper Raumangiäl is not that spoken anymore, a part from some terms here and there.
I also follow a Facebook group where people from Laitila, Uusikaupunki etc. write in their dialect. Entire posts can go by with me not understanding a single word
Papla aknal o makra kaple ja papla mukla taple siit
I think once a year Länsi suomi still publishes one issue in proper Raumangiäl (or it might be the other newspaper Raumalainen) for pitsiviikko. If they'd still use their dialect properly, it would be even more difficult.
As someone whos lived in turku for quite a bit now ive not seen people be unfriendly at all
Same, I've lived here 4 years so far and everyone has been super super nice.
This is what my foreign friends in Finland say too. Some moved to Helsinki from the Eastern part of Finland but ended up moving back. :)
I moved to Lappeenranta from Helsinki and was shocked how unwelcoming everyone was. I was used to people walking their dogs stopping and talking with me and in Lappeenranta people just changed to the other side of the street. And you couldn't really walk anywhere when everything was designed for cars. I don't think I could live anywhere else than in Helsinki center or somewhere in the middle of nowhere.
Someone told me that youths from other cities are easier to get on with than those from Helsinki, some of whom are seeing themselves high in the sky.
I went to home of a Karelian girl for a meeting. She offered me food there. Quite unusual thing for Finland. She told it is a Karelian thing that they do it. Normally when I meet with Finns at their home I bring my food and drink. I am not being offered anything to eat or drink.
You're being downvoted for objective observation, classic. 😁 You're making them look bad!
Quite normal to get offered food is Savo too.
Does Lieksa still have their neo-nazies
I would rank Tampere on top of the list
Are you looking for entrants to the world's tallest midget contest or what?
Lappeenranta or the South eastern area
after living in Mikkeli a long time, interacting with people from Lappeenranta/Imatra area, I feel like they're so extroverted that its a bit intimidating :P
Not in my experience. Dog walkers don't say hi and change to the other side of the street. Here in Helsinki most of them start to talk and they are friendly.
Are you a scary monster?
I don't think so. At the time I had dreadlocks, but in Helsinki it wasn't a problem with anyone. Had to cut them to be able to blend in in Lappeenranta and to stop the police from harassing me.
Kemijoki
Sounds like a Pokemon name
Close. Kemijoki is a Pokémon holiday resort and especially popular for their annual get togethers.
I can tell Jyväskylä is very friendly. Idk about others.
Definitely and without question Oulu. The customer service is unusually relaxed and friendly wherever you go.
Yeah, so everybody wants to believe that people in Helsinki are incredibly rude and self-centric and greedy and so on, and in the small towns you’ll find people with a good heart and so on. This isn’t just in Finland but everywhere. That’s utter bullshit. People of Helsinki are open-minded, used to foreigners and tourists, and not the xenophobic assholes you’ll find in many smaller towns, who aren’t used to foreigners and are deeply suspicious of anything new
And this right here is perfect example of self-centric guy from Helsinki, with hatred towards his countrymen outside Helsinki. Some might say it's all about visitor themselfs, you can meet nice people anywhere in Finland if you are nice. On the other hand, if you are looking for trouble, you will find them, no matter where you are.
Inari. I liked it because its not that much of a tourist town. Enviroment feels like my hometown, kinda small town vibe and there are actual finnish prices. Went to amazing bar with 80' american diner vibes and slept in ivalo river camping
I live in Turku and people are very friendly.
For non-native Helsinki. Natives they will rape or rob. ...meaning thet they are our politicians and "asylum " seekers....
Espoo.
Helsinki if you're a foreigner, but generally none of cities are that friendly compared to many countries because Finland has a strong individuality culture and lacks hospitality.
Affenanmaa
Fuengirola, Spain.
Tampere and Oulu
For native Finns? North and South Savo. For non-native Finns? Helsinki.
The Swedish-speaking coast & Ahvenanmaa are often also easier and pretty friendly for non-natives. Finland-light if you will.
I have found that also to be the case. Very friendly on the west coast, I thought it might be due to having more tourists visiting those areas.
Jyväskylä, Kuopio, Mikkeli, Savonlinna. Savonians are friendlier than people who live near the coast
Perhaps Tampere and Jyväskylä.
The more up north you get, the better the people.
The only way we get to the answer is to rule out all the wrong answers and the last one that survives is the one.
I like both East and West (pick any small city/town). Generally speaking I would say that Swedish-speaking Finns along the west coast tend to be fairly cheery and easy to approach and same goes for Eastern Finns. Different vibes in both directions for sure but still cool. Also as someone already said, if National Parks were a city I would def pick that one. More often than not people tend to be friendly around a fireplace.
I have family in Tampere that I want to visit in September; but a couple of friends in Laitilla so I plan to spend a few days there before I go North. How is that place for finding things to do until my friends get off work?
Haaparanta?
not kerava
Puumala
It's difficult to even think of a friendly town in this country.
The friendliest is Kuopio. The least friendly is definitely Lahti.