Finland by campervan: food and supermarkets
Where to buy food in Finland, which supermarkets to use, opening hours and practical tips for eating on the road. What to know before you go.
Published 18 September 2026Last checked 19 September 2026
Currency
Euro
EUR. Finland is in the eurozone. Sweden and Norway are not
Language
Finnish and Swedish
English is spoken almost everywhere
Driving
Right
50 km/h in towns, 80 km/h outside, 80 km/h cap over 3.5 t
Power
230V, type F
The same round two-pin plug as most of the continent
Tap water
Safe to drink
Ask for hanavettä
Emergency
112
One number for police, fire and ambulance
Food and shops
Food and shops
Two chains own the Finnish weekly shop. S Group runs Prisma, S-market, Sale and ABC, and K Group runs K-Citymarket, K-Supermarket and K-Market. Lidl is the third force and is usually the cheapest. Between them they cover the country, and the pattern for a van is simple: the big out-of-town Prisma and K-Citymarket sites have room to park, and the small Sale or K-Market in a village is the only shop for the next hour of driving. Since the shop hours act was repealed on 1 January 2016 there are no statutory opening hours, so the large stores keep long days all week.
Where to shop
- Best value: Lidl.
- Full range: Prisma or K-Citymarket.
- Camper access: Edge-of-town Prisma and K-Citymarket stores are designed for easy vehicle access.
Supermarkets, and what each one is for
| Chain | Good for | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Prisma | The big S Group hypermarket. Widest range, lowest prices in the group. | Edge of town, easy to park a long vehicle |
| S-market and Sale | The everyday and the small S Group formats. Sale is often the village shop. | Sale and Alepa are small and dear by comparison |
| K-Citymarket and K-Supermarket | The K Group equivalents. K-Supermarket has the better fresh counters. | K-Market is the small one you find in a village |
| Lidl | Usually the cheapest basket in the country. Narrow range. | Dense in the south, thin in the north |
| ABC and Neste service stations | Fuel, a hot meal, a toilet and often a shop, open long hours. | The reliable stop on a long Finnish drive |
Buying alcohol without wasting a day
- Shops sell fermented drinks up to 8.0 percent and other drinks up to 5.5 percent, under the Alcohol Act. That covers beer, cider and long drinks.
- Wine and spirits are Alko only. The state shop opens 09:00 to 21:00 Monday to Friday and 09:00 to 18:00 on Saturday, and closes on church feast days, 1 May, Mother's Day, Father's Day and Independence Day.
Stocking the campervan
- Fill the cupboard before the long drives. Shops thin out badly in inner Lapland, in the wilderness areas and in the outer archipelago.
- Buy rye bread, lake fish, berries and dairy here. Finnish dairy and berries are the genuine value.
