Pori

Understand

The town of Pori was founded in 1558 by the Swedish king Gustav Vasa, as a strategic centre for trade and commerce. The town grew quickly in the following centuries, becoming an important regional centre for industry, culture, and education. During the Finnish War of 1808–1809, Pori was occupied by Russian forces, and the town suffered significant damage during the conflict. However, in the following decades, Pori began to recover and rebuild, with new industries and businesses being established in the area. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Pori experienced a period of rapid growth and modernization, as new transportation links and infrastructure were built. The construction of the Tampere–Pori railway line in the 1890s brought improved transportation and communication to the city, while the electrification of the area in the 1920s paved the way for new industries and businesses to be established. After the war, the city continued to grow and modernize, with the establishment of several new industries, including manufacturing, shipping, and tourism. The city has suffered heavily during the economic downturns, especially in the early 1990s, earning a reputation as a somewhat gritty place. Things are looking brighter again as of 2020, with lots of students coming to the city and the city centre being revamped. Although the city is officially unilingual, there is a Swedish school and some cultural activities in Swedish thanks to the resulting community.

Visit Pori, Yrjönkatu 13, ☏ +358 2 621-7900 (switchboard), [email protected].

Getting there

Pori is on E8 along the west coast and at the end of highways 2 from Helsinki and 11 from Tampere.

By plane 1 Pori Airport (POR IATA) (almost in the city centre). Budapest Aircraft Service flies from Helsinki. Coaches have a stop ("Pori lentoasema th") near the airport (see Matkahuolto). If you fly in from abroad, you will most likely end up at Helsinki Airport (HEL IATA). Instead of waiting for a connecting flight, it may be quicker to continue by bus or train (the transfers should be smooth). Also Turku (TKU IATA) and Tampere (TMP IATA) have some international flights.

By bus There are coach connections from Helsinki (3–4 hr), Turku, Tampere (2 hr), Rauma (1 hr), Oulu, Vaasa and Seinäjoki. Ordinary tickets from Helsinki cost about €30–40, but there may be cheaper offers on the net, especially if you buy well in advance. Coming via Tallinn, there may be a coach connection with arranged transfer from the port, mostly via Kamppi. Coming via Stockholm, there may be direct coaches from Turku harbour.

By train 2 Pori Railway Station (Porin rautatieasema), Asema-aukio 3 (in the city centre). All the passenger trains go via Tampere. A one-way adult ticket from Tampere costs about €6–30, from Helsinki €34–€64, as of 2026, depending on demand and time of purchase. Tampere–Pori takes 1½ hr, Helsinki–Pori 3½ hr.

By car Drive highway 2 from Helsinki (3½–4 hr), highway 8 from Turku or from Vaasa (both about 2 hr), or road 11 from Tampere (about 1½ hr). When coming from Helsinki, the advantage of driving on roads 3 and 12 is that most of the route is on motorways. If you want to come by a route which has more rural feeling and interesting places to stop, drive along roads 3, 132, 54, 283, 284, 230 and 2.

Getting around

Central Pori is small enough to be relatively easily explored on foot or, in the summer, on a bicycle. Most of the attractions are within a short walking distance from each other. The few destinations further away, such as the Sigrid Jusélius Mausoleum (about 3 km from the city centre) and the Yyteri sand beaches (about 15 km away) can be reached by bus. Information about local buses can be found at Porinlinjat (web page in Finnish only). You can use the Kyyti likel route planner to seek local bus routes between given locations and addresses. You can purchase single tickets by showing your NFC bank card to the ticket reading machine. The cheapest way to purchase tickets is through Kyyti Likel's mobile app. 10 tickets bought from the app cost €25 and each is valid for 2 hours. The app is available for Android and iOS. Pori bus station is at the central square. The bus connections are quite good. Often the buses depart every 30 or 60 minutes. Citylinja has frequent departures.

By electric kick scooter American Bird, Finnish Joe Scooter and Finnish Swup rent electric kick scooters for use in the centre and in suburbs.

By bike Pori's city bike service is maintained by Rolan Oy. The Rolanbike app, which can be downloaded to your phone, gives you easy access to the locations of the stops on the map, as well as instructions on how to use the bikes.

By taxi Taxis can be booked using a smartphone app or by calling. The traditional company is Satakunnan Aluetaksi,

Menevä, ☏ +358 50-471-0470 (head of office), toll-free: 0800-02120 (booking). Also bookable by app or web. Fixed price based on calculated route and time if destination address given when booking by app or web. (updated Jul 2020) iTaksi, ☏ +358 10-212-0000 (high cost?), [email protected]. (updated Jan 2021) Smartphone apps: 02 Taxi, Taksinappi, Uber, Valopilkku

See

1 City Hall. The riverfront in Pori has several prominent Neo-Renaissance quarters; especially the City Hall (with its park) by Carl-Ludvig Engel is worth a look. 2 Pori Cathedral. The Gothic-style Pori cathedral (that built instead of the castle that gave Pori its names: borg=castle) is also on alongside the river just a stone's throw away. 3 Porin Teatteri. The theatre building and its neighbouring house Hotel Otava, the world's first theatre house built for performances in Finnish. 4 Reposaari. This seaside fisher village outside the city is filled with picturesque wooden buildings. Especially recommended for summertime visits. 5 Sigrid Jusélius Mausoleum (in the main graveyard). The Sigrid Jusélius Mausoleum has paintings of the famous Finnish painter Axel Gallén-Kallela. Free. 6 Viikkari (Itätulli) (by the eastern border of the city centre). Viikkari, or the 5th district, consists solely of old wooden buildings. There's nothing to see in particular, but the area has a unique "bohemian" character and is best enjoyed by just walking around. It is a popular location to live in for local artists as well as underground musicians.

Do

Festivals 1 Pori Jazz Festival: July. Quite big names, like Santana, Simon & Garfunkel and Alicia Keys have played here, and John Legend was to play in 2022. The focus isn't on jazz any more, although jazz & blues can also be found. One of the biggest (if not the biggest) festivals in Finland. Favourite festival of the slightly older crowd. Eight days in mid-July. (date needs updating) Porispere: July–August. A rock festival held on Kirjurinluoto, in late July or early August. (date needs fixing)

Sports

1 Yyteri sand beach. One of the largest and certainly one of the best beaches in Finland. 2 Ice hockey. In the winter, see an ice hockey game of Porin Ässät ("The Aces"). Al