Eating Out
Travellers will find many international cuisines as well as places to sample tasty local food when eating out in Helsinki. Restaurants on offer include steak houses, bistros, cafes, up-market gourmet establishments and popular fast-food franchises. Whatever else visitors may want to try, though, traditional Finnish food is a must.
Finnish food is generally quite healthy and simple, with an emphasis on fresh produce and some influence from Russian and Scandinavian cooking traditions. The local cuisine centres on seafood and many of the trademark meals are fish dishes. Fresh berries are also common on menus in Helsinki, often served with ice-cream or pastry. Lapland has its own distinct cuisine and its most famous staples are reindeer steak and snow grouse. The most common drink in Finland is vodka but, in Helsinki, it's also wonderful to sample the hot spiced wine called gloggi, especially in the winter.
The best areas to find restaurants in Helsinki include the central areas of Katajanokka and Kruununhaka as well as the city's main boulevard, the Esplanadi. The Hietalahti area is good for those eating on a budget, and the Kallio quarter is a fun clubbing area with cheap ethnic food and some good bars.
Shopping
Home to bustling market places, luxury boutiques and enormous department stores, shopping in Helsinki has its fair share of opportunities. They may not always be cheap, but the quality of the goods makes them worth their sometimes hefty price tags.
Best buys in Helsinki include reindeer furs, Nordic wool, traditional wooden kitchen utensils and jewellery made out of Finland's national gemstone, spectrolite, which captures the magnificent blues and greens of the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights). Visitors can also find liquors made from locally grown cloudberries, cranberries, and Arctic brambleberries that make unique and special Helsinki souvenirs.
Itis in East Helsinki is one of the biggest shopping centres in Finland, where nearly 150 shops selling everything from clothing and shoes to sports equipment and cameras will keep travellers on their toes. The Sello shopping centre in Espoo in the west of the city provides a slightly less exhausting day of spending. The Stockmann department store on the Aleksanterinkatu, which has become somewhat of an institution in Helsinki, sells everything from electrical goods and clothing to make up and teddy bears. Shopping streets in Helsinki include Aleksanterinkatu, Eerikinkatu, Fredrikinkatu and Uudenmaankatu, where boutiques and specialist stores can be found.
Market Square at the eastern end of Esplanadi is undoubtedly one of Helsinki's most popular tourist attractions and a great place to scoop up some souvenirs, especially during the spring and autumn months when vendors selling fresh Finnish produce, souvenirs and trinkets abound. The mix of Finns and international visitors make this vibrant market electric. Petrolheads should visit the market on the first Friday of the month, when a display of old American cars lines the seaside square, while October brings much excitement as the annual herring market festival takes place. Shops in Helsinki are generally open from 9am to 5.30pm from Monday to Friday, while on Saturdays, stores only stay open until 2pm and remain closed on Sundays.
Nightlife
Helsinki has a number of trendy nightclubs, bars and pubs, so visitors will have no problem making full use of the long, dark winter nights. Most of the nightlife in Helsinki is centred round Uudenmaankatu and Eerikinkatu, where bars and clubs abound and crossing from one to the other is a quick dash across the cold street. Finns love their tango music too so visitors should expect to find plenty of sultry dancing in restaurants, bars and even the streets during the summer months, with a few of the favourite outdoor dancing spots nearby the Vantaa area.
Travellers should head to the stylish bars in Uudenmaankatu 9 to mingle with ultra-hip locals while sipping on designer beers and nibbling on tapas. Eerikinkatu 27 is the place to be seen working up a sweat to local techno music and a few bars here are synonymous with the gay scene of Helsinki. There are megaclubs in Simonkatu, with some boasting up to three storeys. For live music, Telakkakatu 8 is where some of Helsinki's hottest new bands showcase their talents, while Mikonkatu 15 is great for those looking for a heavy rock gig and a little moshing for good measure.
For a more cultured evening, visitors can head to Finlandia Hall for the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra and other concert performances (this is the home of Sibelius after all). The Finnish National Opera performs regularly, and Helsinki's thriving jazz scene is personified in the UMO Jazz Orchestra, which plays at various venues around town.