Helsinki
From the CouchSurfing Wiki, an informal workspace which anyone can edit.
Helsinki is the capital and biggest city of Finland, situated on the coast of the Baltic Sea in the southern part of the country. A little over one million people live in the metropolitan Helsinki region and as of early November 2007 about 1050 of these are registered CouchSurfing members.
Check the Helsinki group on CouchSurfing to keep up to date with CS Helsinki and feel free to contact the Helsinki city ambassadors Tiina or Daniel if you need help.
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Getting to Helsinki
The Helsinki-Vantaa airport (IATA code HEL) has good direct connections to most of Europe, most major Asian cities and several locations in North America. The airport is located 20 km north of the city centre, from the airport you can take the local bus 615 to the city centre for 3.80 €.
From Stockholm in Sweden you can take an overnight ferry (resembling a shopping mall, complete with nightclubs and cinemas) into Helsinki. There are two operators to choose from, Tallink Silja and Viking Line, the differences between these two are minor.
From Tallinn in Estonia there are some 30 ferries to Helsinki every day, ranging from fast catamarans that do the trip in 1.5 hours to slower ferries (3 h, 15 €) with cabins, restaurants and (liquor) shops.
From St. Petersburg in Russia the most popular way of travelling to Helsinki is by train (about 6 hours one way) but buses and shared taxies (unofficial) are also an option if you want to save a little money and don't mind stopping at the border for three hours.
Other towns in Finland have regular connections to Helsinki by either train or bus.
Getting around
Public transport: anywhere you need to go in the metropolitan Helsinki region (including Espoo, Vantaa and Kauniainen), punch in your destinations into Journey Planner. The 1, 3 and 5 day tourist tickets are good value for money if you're planning on using public transport more than twice a day, public transport includes busses, trains, trams, metro and even a ferry to the Suomenlinna fortress island.
Free city bikes are available during summer months (May to September) with a 2€ coin you get back when you return the bike. Pickup spots in many areas around downtown, including the main Railway Station. Apart from some downtown areas Helsinki is an extremely bike-friendly city.
If you're driving a car the traffic in Helsinki isn't bad at all, just be wary of the one-way roads in the old and central parts of town. After 6 pm you might be able to find free roadside parking near the centre of town, in Kamppi or Kruununhaka. Ask your CS host about parking where they live.
Meetings
There are irregular meetings with different themes (mostly parties) every now and then, in addition to these there have been talks of monthly meetings but as of October 2007 no regular location or schedule has been chosen yet. If you want to organize a meeting, please post your plans in the Helsinki group on CouchSurfing.
Tips
- Eating
- Unicafe (university student cafeteria) is your best bet for a cost-effective and healthy meal. For 6 € you get a full meal with several options, including vegetarian. Two drinks (water, milk or juice), salad and bread are included in that price. Finnish students eat at 2.50 € (for comparison, one cup of coffee with a bun will set you back about the same amount).
- Internet
- free wifi is available at several cafés and bars in downtown Helsinki: Cafe Java and Cafe Kiasma between the railway station and the main bus station, most of the Robert's Coffee cafes around town and the Teerenpeli bar just one block east of the railway station among others. The Esplanadi park and some public transport trams and busses also have free wifi.
- public libraries: publicly available computers best with advance reservation, most central one is just opposite the main Railway Station in the post office building (Kirjasto 10). Computer facilities at public libraries, free wifi with your own gear
- GSM: you can get a prepaid SIM card from any R-Kioski, very useful (if you have an unlocked phone, that is) as there are really no public telephone booths left in the country and practically every CS host would carry a mobile (and would appreciate you having one, as Finns tend get fretted up over any delays).
- If you are used to talking to people in public places (markets, metros, trains, streets) and you are used to getting a nice response, you might not get the same response in Finland. Most people in Finland are reserved in public, they do not talk to strangers without a reason and will feel a little awkward and insecure in these situations. It's nothing personal. However people are very helpful if you ask them for directions or help: where is this place? or, where can I find a cool place to hang out?
- Women usually pay for their own drinks and insist paying their own share even if a man offers to pay for everything.
Easy couches
If Helsinki seems all booked up, try the neighbouring cities of Espoo, Kauniainen (tiny city of its own inside Espoo) and Vantaa. Connections within the Helsinki metropolitan area are good and you can get to the centre within one hour from anywhere in this area.
Boroughs and districts
- Kallio
- Kallio is the place with most happy hours and cheapest beers around the downtown area. Your best bet for 2€ beer (downtown will set you back at least 4-5€) and 4€ pizza.
- Cafe Taikalamppu: atmospheric cafe, popular amongst artsy high-school students and other bohemians in the area .
- Kallio Church: landmark of the area, and a "sight" to see if you're into churches
- Pasifico: a little bit more expensive than bars in kallio usually, reggae, soul etc
- Punavuori
- Close to the centre of town, with plenty of trendy people, bars, happenings, and the Design District
- 9bar: nice small cafe/bar, tasty food (pastas & woks from 8€, 12 cl wine from 4€)
- Iso Roobertinkatu: UFF (for cheap second-hand shopping), Stupido (a record store), DTM (a gay club), Rosegarden (electronic music), Stage (rock & heavy etc), Swengi (a karaoke bar, surprisingly there are lots of young people), Beatroot (cafe/bar)
- Kaivopuisto
- Park, seaviews & foreign embassies, with the most expensive apartments in the country
- Free summer concerts featuring local acts as well as surprise foreign guests are very popular
- Suomenlinna
- The fortress island all tourists are expected to visit, a UNESCO World Heritage site
- Very popular picnic spot for the locals in the summer months
- About a thousand inhabitants, some museums, a naval academy, parks, a tiny beach
- Viikki
- University campus area, farms, bird watching, nature walks
- Tapiola
- In Espoo but only 10-15 minutes by bus from the centre of Helsinki
- Interesting primarily from an architectural perspective, it was designed as a garden city in the 1960scsgroup:1118
