Liquor stores will be closed over Christmas, while most grocery stores will have limited opening hours.
The Christmas holiday will affect store and service hours in Finland, with many stores and services having limited schedules.
Retailer S-Group has announced that its stores in Alepa, S-market and Prisma, which are usually open 24 hours a day, will be open 24 hours a day throughout the Christmas holiday. However, other stores in the chain will have limited opening hours.
K Group stated on its website that K-Citymarkets, K-Supermarkets, K-Markets and Neste K stores will be open on weekends, with some K-Citymarkets open 24/7.
Lidl announced that its stores will close at 4pm on Christmas Eve. All Lidl stores are closed on Christmas Day. The stores will mainly follow their opening hours on the Sunday of Boxing Day.
Alko closed on Christmas
The alcohol stores will be open until at least 18.00 the day before Christmas Eve, after regular Friday hours. On Christmas Eve they will operate from 9am to 12pm and will be closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
The Finnish postal service Posti has announced that its stores will be closed during Christmas, with opening hours from 9am to 6pm on the day before Christmas Eve. Posti also noted on its website that most postal services are offered through partner companies, which will follow their own holiday times.
The social benefits agency FPA’s service points and telephone services are closed during the weekends. However, FPA’s chatbot will be available 24/7 on the kela.fi website and the OmaKela app.
Holiday times affect pharmacies
Pharmacy in Yliopiston Apteeki the chain will have limited hours on Christmas Eve, with some locations closed on Christmas Day. However, Tölö University Pharmacy in Helsinki will be open 24 hours a day during the weekends.
Other pharmacies will either be completely closed or have limited opening hours during the Christmas holidays. Information about the nearest open pharmacy can be found at this link.
Festive cheer on the trains
This year, reduced timetables apply during Christmas. Information about possible disruptions is available at VR website. VR reports that it has increased its fleet and train departures, with the most popular lines expected to sell out.
VR also says some trains will feature a greeting from Santa Claus, along with little festive surprises. A holiday atmosphere can also be experienced at Helsinki Central Station, as well as the stations in Turku and Tampere.
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