Helsinki

Mbar

Mannerheimintie 22-24 lasipalatsi, tel. +358 9 612 4542, (http://www.mbar.fi). a pleasant and popular living room-ish space in the heart of the city with local djs playing drum & bass, house and chillout beats. computers with internet access €5 per hour; €2 minimum charge, free wifi for laptop & cell phone owners. the terrace is a popular hipster hangout in the summer, situated in the former bus station area just next to the bar. drinks €4-5.

 

Much of Helsinki is blanketed with wifi "wlan" hotspots, and the City of Helsinki maintains a handy map (http://ptp.hel.fi/wlan/). By comparison, Internet cafes with shared PCs are few and far between in Helsinki, but here is a partial listing.

The crime rate in Helsinki was earlier generally low, although locals grumble that things have gotten worse since the EU removed restrictions on movement. Pickpockets target crowds and bicycles are prone to petty theft. Walking in the streets after dark is generally safe and the city center is indeed quite lively until the early hours of the morning. However, it's best to steer clear of obviously drunk people looking to pick a fight, the traditional trouble spots being the frustratingly long queues for late night snack food or taxis. Getting mugged for money in the streets of central Helsinki is almost unheard of, but you might not want to get into any unlicensed taxis even though the licensed ones are almost always way short of demand during pre-Christmas and summer seasons. A licensed taxi in Finland will always have a yellow box with its number on the roof.

The most crimes in city center concentrate around central railway station and Kamppi shopping center. The Kaisaniemi park behind the main Railway Station is possibly best avoided at night, and the area of Kalasatama, Kallio and Sörnäinen northeast from the center, after the Pitkäsilta bridge may be somewhat rougher than other parts of the downtown.

In winter, try to keep a steady footing: despite the use of vast quantities of gravel and salt, pavements can be quite slippery when the temperature hovers around zero and near-invisible black ice forms.

Especially in the summer downtown Helsinki is fludded by Romanian Roma beggars arriving in organized busloads from Romania. This problem exists in most cities in Europe, but is particularly ample in Helsinki due to the fact that there are virtually no local beggars. Before giving these people money please consider that this is at least partly organized activity, reports of traficking are rampant, the beggars are a large dismay for the local population due to they side-effects they bring along such as widespread theft of metals from public buildings, such as the Finlandia house. You might instead want to consider donating some money to a charity helping the Roma population at home develop sustainable life.

Helsinki's bedrock is close to the surface, so new building works invariably involve some dynamite to build foundations, and it's thus quite common to hear explosions around the center. Blasting is often preceded by a loud sequence of warning beeps, which speed up as they count down. There is no danger to anyone, as the builders are experts and the solid granite bedrock is very, very strong, but now you know where that "BOOM!" came from.

If you are just passing through and choose Helsinki to apply for a Russian visa, be careful when choosing a travel agency: some may charge a lot extra for "express service" although applying for one yourself at the consulate will take weeks.