Cafes
Kaffecentralen
Museokatu 9. this little shop concentrates on selling espresso paraphernalia, and also serves excellent capuccino.
Café & Eepos
Runeberginkatu 29. a hidden gem near temppeliaukion kirkko. delicious pastries, pies and buns - and it's full of books you can read. there are even glasses available for those with poor eyesight.
Sinisen huvilan kahvila
The "Cafe of the Blue Villa" is an outdoors café with fantastic views over the Töölönlahti bay.
Espresso Edge
Liisankatu 29, (http://eat.fi/en/helsinki...). a cozy bohemian cafã© with a south american vibe, popular among the artsy types of the kruununhaka neighbourhood, and faculty of social science students from across the street.
Cafe Engel
Aleksanterinkatu 26 opposite the lutheran cathedral. where the locals go for tea and snacks. very relaxed, lovely courtyard out the back with films projected late into summer evenings.
Kakkugalleria
Erottaja 7, (http://www.kakkugalleria.com/). french-type cafe in the design forum. try the lovely sacher cake. take away is cheaper.
Strindberg
Pohjoisesplanadi 33, (http://www.royalravintola...). one of the oldest and most historic cafã©s of helsinki. great terrace on the posh pohjoisesplanadi with views of the esplanadi park, restaurant on the 2nd floor. very popular among locals.
Cafe Succès
Korkeavuorenkatu 2, tel. +358 9 633414. this traditional cafe serves excellent delicacies. famous for their enormous cinnamon rolls korvapuusti, also available in cafe esplanad (http://www.esplanad.fi/).
Kahvila Sävy
Kinaporinkatu 1, (http://www.facebook.com/p...). small, retro style cafã© with excellent coffee from a finnish roastery. there are only a few seats in the former barbershop, next to the sã¶rnã¤inen metro. also peculiar percolators for sale.
Café Tin Tin Tango
A uniquely Helsinki combination of cafe, restaurant, bar, laundromat and sauna, Tin Tin Tango serves up all-day breakfast, soups, salads and sandwiches, but stays open late with wine and occasional live music. Laundry/dryer €4/2. Sauna rental €22-32/hour 1-10 people, reservations required.
Kipsari
Hã¤meentie 135 e, (http://www.kipsari.com/). student cafe at the university of art and industrial design in arabia. relaxed atmosphere with live music and djs at times. not open during summer when the school's out.
Café Kafka
Pohjoisesplanadi 2 swedish theatre. a lovely building with a relaxed atmosphere. here you can find one of the best espressos in town. closed as of summer 2010 due to renovations
Ateljee Baari
Hotel torni 14th floor, kalevankatu 5. despite the name it's more like a cafe, located on top of hotel torni, finland's first high-rise. excellent views over helsinki's downtown. you even have a view from the famous toilets. highly recommended. find the elevator close to the lobby to get there, but be prepared for expensive drinks. if you're on a tight budget, you can just enjoy the view on the elevator level.
Kämp Café
Nightclubs
Kuudes linja
Hã¤meentie 13 entrance from the inner court at kaikukatu 4, (http://www.kuudeslinja.com/). a live music oriented nightclub for the somewhat artsy crowd. located a 10 min tram/bus ride away in the kallio district, kuudes linja usually offers more experimental/alternative music than the mainstream downtown clubs and also hosts electronic music parties. arrive early to avoid queues on popular nights — admittance is not guaranteed once the place gets full. the weatherproof terrace in the courtyard is open during the summer â you can bring your own food to the terrace and cook it on their gas grill. club open w, f, sa 10pm-4am, th 9pmâ4am.
DTM
Mannerheimintie 6 b, (http://www.dtm.fi/). open m-su 21:00-04:00. formerly "don't tell mama", dtm is the largest combination of gay cafe, bar, disco and nightclub in scandinavia. saturdays the second floor of the club is ladies only. popular among many celebrities. straights usually welcome, too, as long as they don't "take over" the place. entrance €7-10 sat and special nights only.
Hercules Gay Night Club
Lã¶nnrotinkatu 4, (http://www.herculesgayclu...). one of the busiest gay nightclubs in scandinavia, targets a 30+ clientele, good for bare-faced cruising. entrance free; coat check â¬2.50.
Teatteri
Pohjoisesplanadi 2, (http://www.teatteri.fi). a complex featuring a deli, a restaurant, a bar and a night club, all of them trendy and popular among the well-dressed crowd. check out the aptly named clock bar kellobaari downstairs. closed sun.
Cuba
Erottajankatu 4, (http://www.cubacafe.fi/). a night club with a somewhat more "latin" touch and softer tunes. clientele mostly trendy young adults. open until 4am, often hosts student parties on weekday nights. no entrance fee.
The Tiger
Urho kekkosen katu 1 kamppi center, (http://www.thetiger.fi/). open w-sa 10pm-4am. formerly lux, this is a contestant for the title of helsinki's classiest mainstream nightclub, with its dress code, stylish decor, relatively high prices and an age limit of 24. five bars, two spacious terraces, a vip lounge and six luxurious booths that can be reserved. live music on thur. cover charge €4-8, free entrance before midnight.
Kaarle XII
Kasarmikatu 40, tel. +358 9 6129990, (http://www.kaarle.com/). a helsinki institution better known as kalle, this former church hasn't had a renovation in years and really needs one. it still continues to pack in a hard-partying thirtysomething crowd, especially on thursdays. no less than six different bars all small, playing top 40 tunes, rock and finnish pop. the last of the bars has a dancefloor and gets particularly packed, with people dancing on the tables. minimum age 24. open th-sa 10pm-4am.
In Helsinki, the most popular nightclubs have long queues starting to form around 11:30PM. Get in early to avoid standing, although it can be a nice way to meet people. After around 1:00-2:00AM it might be impossible to get in anymore. You may try to just walk past the queue looking important, but a more efficient strategy is to discreetly tip the bouncer €10-20. The larger group you are, the more difficult things get. Look smart!
Tavastia/Semifinal
Urho kekkosen katu 4-6, (http://www.tavastiaklubi....). one of the most prominent rock clubs in scandinavia, a must see for fans of live rock of any kind. semifinal has smaller indie/alternative bands for a young crowd. on special nights the two clubs are joined, but usually they host separate gigs. tickets for all gigs can be bought in advance from the tiketti ticket sellers next door. the annual tavastia new year party is an institution in itself, with fans flying from all over the world for the show.
Bars and pubs
Loose
Annankatu 21, (http://www.barloose.com/). a very street-credible rock bar, it is highly popular among finnish rock musicians.
Ahjo
Bulevardi 2 klaus k, tel. +358-20-7704711. named after the forge where the mythical sampo of the kalevala was made, this is a slick modern bar-lounge with two sides to it: a pure white space as you enter, with a bar counter and sofas, and a darker back room with nooks and crannies for a quieter chat. drinks €6-8, try the ahjotonic. closed sundays.
Arctic Icebar
Yliopistonkatu 5, enter through la bodega restaurant. inside the icebar the temperature is a constant -5c, and while it's quite the tourist trap, it does make a pretty good photo op. €10 for entry, parka rental and one vodka cocktail. open daily 4-11.30pm.
Korjaamo
Tã¶ã¶lã¶nkatu 51, tel. +358 9 4540 117, (http://www.korjaamo.fi/). one of the best places to hang out at summer, nice terrace, two floor laid back bar with life dj's in the evening and cafe in the building of the korjaamo cultural factory. free access to apple computers with internet, wi fi. cafã© open daily 11amâ5pm, bar m tu 4pmâ11am, w th 4pm-1am, f sa 4pmâ3am, sundays closed.
Sports Academy
Kaivokatu 8, (http://www.hok-elannonrav...). one of the best sports bars in helsinki, and definitely the place for you if you are keen about football soccer or ice-hockey. a two-story building just opposite the railway station, filled to the rim with tv sets and several giant projectors. a variety of pub food also served - try the crayfish pasta or the ribs. there can be long queues before popular events - get in early!
Baarikärpänen
Located in mikonkatu, right next to the main railway station. offers r & b and top 40 hits in a nice lounge-type bar with big comfortable sofas and a dance floor. reasonably cheap.
Baker's
Mannerheimintie 12, (http://www.ravintolabaker...). a great place to start up your party. from tues to sat they have a sparkling wine happy hour from 5pm: for 100 minutes, a glass of cava costs 100 cents that's one euro. the service might be somewhat rough. also lots of young people there on weekends. has a bar, nightclub, pub and serves also food.
Molly Malone's
Kaisaniemenkatu 1, (http://www.mollymalones.f...). an irish pub/nightclub near the central railway station. popular among finns and tourists alike. live music every night.
On The Rocks
Mikonkatu 15 near central railway station, (http://www.ontherocks.fi/). located next to baarikã¤rpã¤nen and texas, this is a rock-oriented bar with occasional live bands and stand up comedy acts. minimum age 23.
Black Door
Iso roobertinkatu 1, (http://www.delifox.fi/bla...). english pub. weekdays are relaxed, weekends have live djs and a full bar. a place to go for quality beers, ales, ciders and whisky.
Corona Bar & Billiards
A bar and billiard hall owned by the film director brothers Aki and Mika Kaurismäki, echoing the melancholic mood of their films. Also check out the affiliated Kafe Moskva (http://www.andorra.fi/en/...) bar next door for authentic Soviet style experience, complete with Russian music played on dusty vinyls and Russian vodka and champagne. Downstairs is Dubrovnik (http://www.andorra.fi/en/...), a small club-cum-movie theater that can be rented for private events and host occasionally live gigs or clubs..
Erottaja Bar
Erottajankatu 15-17, tel. +358 9 611 196. a small, consciously crude bar, that formerly was known as one of the primary hipster hangouts in central helsinki. the bar is now all but deserted by the trendy crowd, and the music turned into the usual fare of hit-list pop, but on the upside the service is friendly and there is ample sitting room at the tables.
A21 Cocktail Lounge
Annankatu 21, (http://www.a21.fi/). a high-priced but incredibly high quality cocktail bar situated in the city center, a few hundred meters from stockmann's. generally serves classic cocktail drinks with a twist, but also features several cocktails with a distinctly finnish vibe featuring garnishes such as birch leaves and fresh cloudberry and innovative house specialities. according to worldsbestbars.com, this unlikely find is one of the world's best bars (http://www.worldsbestbars...), winning the title of the best bar in the world in 2009 and 2010. drinks €7-25, try the birch cooler, blinker or xxx.
Toveri
You'll find various types of beer in this little bar. It's been here in various forms since 1937, and after its most recent transformation it is one of the prettiest bars in Kallio.
Vanha ylioppilastalo
usually just vanha, mannerheimintie 3, (http://www.vanha.fi). a bar/cafã© just opposite stockmann, owned by university of helsinki's filthy rich students' union. not very special in the winter, but the rooftop patio in the summer is nice. in the evenings, the club attracts a slighly-over-18 audience.
Helsinki has plenty of hip places for a drink. The main nightlife districts, all in the city center within crawling distance of each other, are around Iso-Roobertinkatu, the Central Railway Station and Kamppi. Helsinki's busy gay nightlife is centered mostly around Iso-Roobertinkatu and Eerikinkatu and surrounding streets.
Going out is not cheap, and complaining about the prices is a popular Finnish pastime, but compared to say London or New York City the prices aren't that bad. If you are on a budget and intent on getting plastered, follow the Finns and drink up a good "base" at home or hotel before going out on town. Alternatively, you can start the night outside the city centre area and head to the district of Kallio where bar prices are significantly lower. Popular places include Heinähattu, Roskapankki, Iltakoulu, Bar Molotow and Lepakkomies but there are lots more to choose from, just walk along Helsinginkatu or Vaasankatu. You can reach Kallio from the center by walking, by tram lines 1, 3B, 6 or 7B or by metro get off at Hakaniemi and walk uphill, or Sörnäinen, and head west. All bars in Kallio have to close at the latest at 2AM, whereas in city centre there are many that are open until 4AM, this reinforces Kallio as a 'party starting district'. The Kallio area is generally a bit rougher than the rest of the city and is as close as Helsinki gets to a red light district. However, it is a lot more tame than most 'such parts of town' in Europe. You will be fine there at any hour as long as you look out not to get in between a fight of two drunkards about who the remaining vodka belongs to.
Note that, while entry to bars and clubs is often but not always free, in club-type places and proper restaurants you must use and pay for the coat check narikka, usually around €2, if you're wearing anything more than a T-shirt. In some places you must pay even if you don't leave anything at the cloakroom. The bouncer will be very strict with this as the much of the narikka-money goes into his pocket. If a ticket price is advertised, it usually does not cover the coat check.
The drinking age is 18, and this is rather strictly enforced, so bring along ID. Underaged drinking is still a huge problem, and many bars and clubs apply house limits of 20-24 years, but these are enforced less strictly and a patron of younger age will some times be let in if one fits the clientele, especially women.
Information on clubs and live performances can be found in free, Finnish-language tabloids such as City (http://city.fi/lehti), which can be picked up at many bars, cafes and shops.