Finland’s celebration of Midsummer brings changes to public transport schedules, shops’ opening hours and other services.
Shops are permitted to keep their doors open on Friday, Midsummer Eve, from 7am to noon. All shops are closed on Saturday, Midsummer Day. Some shops reopen on Sunday. An exception is small convenience stores and gas station kiosks, which are allowed to stay open for business on Saturday.
State-owned Alko liquor stores are open on Thursday until 8pm and noon on Friday. They reopen again as normal on Monday.
Post offices close by 6pm on Thursday, reopening on Monday. The only exception is the main post office in downtown Helsinki, which will serve customers until noon on Friday.
Rail: State railways VR is operating according to a special holiday schedule. A number of trains have been added on Thursday to accommodate holidaymakers leaving cities for the countryside. On Friday, trains mainly run according to Saturday timetables while Sunday schedules prevail for the rest of the weekend. Travellers are advised to check the VR website for the latest schedule news.
Long-distance buses: Services are scaled back on Friday evening as well as on Saturday after 1pm. Schedules are available on the Matkahuolto website.
It’s business as usual for banks on Thursday, but like other offices, they’re closed on Friday for the long weekend.
Sources: Yle
http://yle.fi/uutiset/midsummer_holiday_reminder/6189181
