History

Helsinki is a modern city, with a population of over half a million, it is also the capital of the Republic of Finland.

Helsinki and its culture have been shaped by influences from both West and East. Its very existence is due to a Swedish king, Gustavus Vasa, who in 1550 commanded that a trading centre be established on the northern shore of the Gulf of Finland in order to strengthen his influence in the eastern Baltic.

In one of the side-conflicts associated with the Napoleonic Wars, Russia wrested Finland from Sweden in 1809. Three years later, Czar Alexander I, made Helsinki the capital of the country, which he had incorporated within his empire with the status of a grand duchy.

When Finland became an independent state on 6 December 1917, Helsinki retained its status as capital.

The sea and islands are important components of the city centre’s expression. All in all, there are 315 islands off the shoreline.

The Helsinki region has a strong reputation as a centre of advanced technology. It is also the country’s leading business and industrial centre, a place where many new jobs are being created, especially in the information technology sector.

The mother tongue of nearly ninety per cent of the city’s inhabitants is Finnish. Seven per cent are native speakers of the country’s other official language, Swedish.

The city is rapidly internationalising. About four per cent of the population are foreign nationals.

Safety

Helsinki is a relatively safe and fairly quiet city with police and security guards usually at hand when needed.                                                                                                                                            As with any city, watch out for pick pockets.  Its not a big problem in Helsinki so help keep it that way by not flashing purses in open handbags or carrying your wallet in your back pocket on open view.

Many belongings are lost by accident. When that happens, it is worth while contacting the police lost property office, (contact details earlier in the guide) because there are more than enough people in the city honest enough to hand in valuables that they find.

In Helsinki there are no real areas to avoid. Asematunneli and the surrounding areas are more active than the rest of the city especially at weekends but it is possible to walk there without trouble (except maybe a little hassle from the odd drunk).

Sightseeing

Helsinki offers a great deal of things to see and do.You should also take a visit to the Helsinki City Tourist Office on Pohjoisesplanadi 19 in the city centre.  Tel: (09) 169 3757 Fax: (09) 169 3869 or visit these websites: www.hel.fi/tourism www.aktivist.fi/inenglish/

Some Sights

Parliament House, Mannerheimintie 30 , Tel: 432 2027. The building was designed by J.S. Sirén and completed in 1931.  There are guided tours of the Parliament House every weekend.

Senate Square.                                                                                                                           The centre in neo-classical style created by C.L.Engel and built between the years 1818 and 1852. The square became the centre of many government, municipal, church and academic institutions.  Trams 1, 2, 3B, and 4.

Stadium Tower, Olympic Stadium                                                                                   The tower is 72 metres high and affords a splendid view across the city.

Mäntyniemi, Mäntyniementie 4.                                                                                   The official residence of the President of Finland. Guided tours only. Tickets must be obtained beforehand at Ticket Service Lippupalvelu.

Some Churches

Cathedral, Senate Square , Tel: (09) 656 365                                         Completed in 1852, according to designs by C. L. Engel. Exhibitions and concerts are held in the vaulted crypt.

Temppeliaukio Church, Lutherinkatu 3. Tel: (09) 498 804              Designed by Timo and Tuomo Suomalainen and dating from 1969. The walls are of natural Finnish rock.

Uspensky Cathedral, Kanavakatu 1 ,  Tel: (09) 634 267                                     The biggest Orthodox church in Scandinavia.

Some Galleries

Finnish National Gallery, Ateneum and Museum of Contemporary Art, Kaivokatu 2 – 4                                                                     www.fng.fi

Kiasma, Museum of Contempory Art , Mannerheiminaukio 2
www.kiasma.fi

Helsinki City Art Museum, Tamminiementie 6,    www.hel.fi/artmuseum www.hel.fi/english/culture

The Sea Fortress Island - Suomenlinna                                                              The Suomenlinna Sea Fortress is a historic sea fortress and one of Finland's most remarkable sights - it is included in UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Treasures. The construction was started in 1748 to defend the Finnish coast.  There are regular ferry connections from the Market Square; the public transport season ticket is valid for this ferry.            www.suomenlinna.fi

Museums

Arabia Museum and Gallery, Hämeentie 135 , Tel: (09) 39 391    Exhibition of utility and decorative china.

Mannerheim Museum, Kalliolinnantie 14 , Tel. (09) 635 443                     The former home (1924-1951) of Gustaf Mannerheim, Marshal of Finland. Trams 3T and 3B.

Military Museum, Maurinkatu 1 , Tel: (09) 161 6381                           Military history; collections of weapons, uniforms, pictures.

National Maritime Museum of Finland, Hylkysaari Island                     Tel:  (09) 135 5379                                                                                                     History of shipbuilding and life on board.

National Museum of Finland, Mannerheimintie 34 , Tel: (09) 405 01

The collections contain archaeological finds, religious art, furnishings and ethnological materials.

Helsinki Zoo , Korkeasaari Island , Tel: (09) 169 5969

The landscape is a suitable home for animal species from mountainous areas and cold regions.  Pedestrian bridge from Mustikkamaa Island, motorboat connections in summer. Bus number 11 drives from the Herttoniemi metro station via Kulosaari metro station to Mustikkamaa.

Theatre and Cultural Events

To check events and performances look on the internet at:

www.aktivist.fi/inenglish

Cinema

Helsinki offers several cinemas including two large multi-screen cinemas right in the city centre.  To check what films are showing look out for leaflets such as Clubland & Elokuvat and Trailer.   Alternatively look at Aktivist’s homepage or visit the homepages of the two largest cinema companies:

www.aktivist.fi/inenglish

www.kinopalatsi.fi

www.finnkino.fi

Cinema tickets can be quite expensive depending on how much you are used to paying in your home country.  It is cheaper to buy a book of 5 tickets, ask at individual cinemas.

In Kinopalatsi and Finnkino’s Tennispalatsi there is at least one day in the week when prices are reduced.  Ask at the cinema.

Clubs and Pubs – Nightlife

Helsinki boasts a wide range of clubs and pubs, most of which are scattered around the city centre within easy walking distance of the bus and railway stations.                    www.aktivist.fi/inenglish

The age limits for pubs and clubs in Helsinki can vary so if you’re in a group of mixed ages its important to check that everyone can get into the club you are going to otherwise you could end up leaving half your group outside.  Age limits vary from 18 years to 24 years depending on the place and the night of the week.

On occasion it is also possible for someone younger than the age limit to get into a place which usually has an older age limit if they are in a group and have called beforehand to let the door staff know about it.

Bars and Pubs

There are many bars and pubs around the city, the following list shows some of the most popular and most interesting, of course, there are too many places to list so enjoy finding your own special bar.

Molly Malone’s Irish bar has proved popular with international students for many years.  At weekends there is a higher age limit.  Check it out for yourself on Kaisaniemenkatu or on the internet at:

Sling In bar is a small but popular bar located in WTC Plaza, Mikonkatu 10.  For such a small place, they have a wide variety of drinks to choose from.

Memphis, located in Sokos Hotels has three bars around the city.  You can also eat at Memphis.  The Memphis in the Erottaja part of the city centre is the most secluded.

Soda, a place to see and be seen.            www.barsoda.fi

Check out Helsinki Aktivist  for other bars.

 Clubs and Discotheques

www.city.fi/ravintolat

Premiere Nights offers a pub, a bar and a nightclub open until 03:00.  Minimum entry is 20 years flexible to a certain degree.  Premiere Nights is one of the cheapest places to party.    www.permierenights.com

Viva prides its self on “cheap drinks all night”.  Famous for its R&B nights, Viva has two dance floors and a cafe bar.  Be warned, in the warmer months you’ll soon notice that the air conditioning is not that effective.        www.clubviva.net

Kaivohuone is the place to meet old friends or make new ones. Check the age limit at the weekends.  In summer time, the pool party is one of the most popular nights.    www.kaivohuone.fi

Helsinki Club . On most days Helsinki Club’s age limit is 24, there are usually more women at Helsinki Club than men and as a result, it has earned a reputation as a pick –up place.

Heartbreakers. In the city centre, a big place with two dance floors, losing its popularity but somewhere to go if you have been everywhere else.      www.heartbreakers.fi 

Tiger club located behind the Forum Shopping Centre is a costly place to go and for a club of its size the dance floor is quite small, more of a large bar than a club you’ll hear people talking about Tiger from time to time, dress well.

If you’re a big follower of dance and house music then check out Club Unity and Screen.  They dont have a permanent location so look in their web pages.        www.clubunity.org

DTM plays good music, the entry is free before 23:00 and its Helsinki’s best known gay nightclub but you dont have to be gay to go there..            www.dtm.fi

Lost & Found bar is a mixed place open to all, there are occasional events. In the basement bar there is a small dance floor.

Mobile Phones

You’ll notice that everyone seems to have mobile telephones in Finland.  Well, they do!  You can get one too, there are four main operators choose the best one for yourself.

All the operators charge a deposit for the connection of your phone to their network if you have not lived in Finland for three years.  In some cases it is also possible to ask a Finn to sign the contract with you and avoid the deposit charge.

Alternatively you can use a pre-paid system of phone cards which you can get from Radiolinja outlets, Sonera outlets, Telia and Viestituote stores. While practical, these are not as cheap as a normal contract.

www.radiolinja.fi

www.telia.fi   

www.sonera.fi

www.dnafinland.fi

Radiolinja offers nationwide GSM 900 and dual band services.  Telia offer GSM 1800 in the larger cities of Finland and a dual band service across Finland.  Sonera offers GSM 900 and dual band.  DNA offers a GSM 900 service across Finland. DNA is the newest company to provide mobile services in Finland.

 
Some operators, have special low pricing when calling to people within a so called friends and family group.  In addtion, Telia offers better pricing after 17:00 and at weekends providing that you are willing to accept high call costs between 07 and 17 weekdays,  Telia Team City and Telia Team Dual as such examples.

Travelling in Finland and abroad

Travelling in Finland is easy and fun.  You can travel by bus, train or even a plane.  Once you are at your destination there are a number of youth hostels supported by the Finnish Youth Hostels Association (SRM) to stay at as well as cottages, hotels and camping sites.                                     www.srmnet.org  

The Finnish Tourist Board can help you find out more about where to go and what to see in Finland, check out their homepage or visit their office in the city centre:                   www.mek.fi

Finnish Railways – VR provide train services throughout Finland and to Russia.  With your student discount card you get 50% off all long distance journeys.

Helsinki is an excellent base for exploring other countries.  St. Petersburg in Russia is close and well worth the visit but don’t forget that you can also go by ferry to the Åland Islands, Sweden and the Baltic States easily and cheaply from Finland.