Finland Guide
Ostrobothnia, Kainuu and Lapland
Tornio
Situated on the extreme northern tip of the Gulf of Bothnia and on the border with Sweden, TORNIO formerly made its living by selling booze to fugitives from Sweden's once-harsh alcohol laws. Today, Finnish alcohol prices are only slightly cheaper than those in Sweden, and the border customs house that formerly fought cross-border spirits smuggling is long gone. Nonetheless, the bulk of Tornio's nightlife remains on the Finnish side of the border rather than in Swedish Haparanda, and Tornio also sees a good number of Finnish visitors, who come here to enjoy the fishing, shoot the Tornionjoki rapids or take to the golf course, which has holes in both Sweden and Finland.
The best accommodation is just across the border in Haparanda, but if you really can't bear to part with Finland, one option is the Kaupunginhotelli, Itäranta 4 ( 
016/433 11, 
www.tornionkaupunginhotelli.fi ; Price: €126 and above), boasting a restaurant, a bar, a nightclub, a dance club and three saunas. Much cheaper is the Ammatti-Insititutti, Kauppakatu 35A ( 010/192 049; June to early Aug only; Price: Up to €25), a vocational school which has sparkling doubles with private bath; you must ring ahead during the week to reserve. The campsite on Matkailijantie ( 016/445 945, www.campingtornio.com ; mid-May to Aug) also has fifteen two-bed cottages.
Tornio's dominant features are its restaurants and bars. For coffee and fresh bread and cakes, it's hard to beat Karkiaisen Leipomo, Länsiranta 9. Tiramisu, Kauppakatu 12, is a popular stop for cakes, wraps and salads, while Umpitunneli ( www.umpitunneli.fi ), by the second road bridge over the Tornionjoki River, is a large restaurant-cum-disco serving dependable bar food like fried chicken or arctic char (€14). Golden Flower, Eliaksenkatu 8, cooks up great Chinese seafood dishes – try the spicy and filling curried jumbo shrimp (€12.75). Alternatively, you can buy a bag of salted and smoked whitefish along the banks of the rapids (roughly €2 for a meal's worth). For drinks, Wanha Mestari, Hallituskatu 5, gets quite crowded in the evenings, while at Satamakatu 3, Wiini Huone is a friendly wine bar and, next door, Jetset is a small rock bar, attracting the few jetsetters who haven't yet boarded the fast boat out of town.