No need for an own car in 2025

Helsinki is already an excellent city to get around in by public transport, bike or even on foot. But the city's ambitions are bigger than that. The long term plan is to make privately owned cars completely obsolete.

And that vision is not too far in the future. Already 2025 this should be reality. For more information on those plans check out the article on Fastcoexist.

A pint at Kitty's

The weekend is here! Time to leave work and reward yourself for a hard week of work with a tasty pint of beer.

And how about enjoying it with friends in a cozy booth, dim light and a friendly bar atmosphere? Sounds good? Then head over to Kitty's Pub right in the city center.

At Kitty's they have everything you expect of a good English pub: a good selection of beers on tap, a decent whiskey collection and lots of cozy corners to enjoy your drink.

Give it a try and have a good start into the weekend!

Chinese New Year

Today Keskuskatu in the city center turns into China Town. For the celebration of the Chinese New Year and welcome the year of the monkey.

This celebration has meanwhile become a tradition in Helsinki and is meanwhile in its 10th year. It starts at 13:30 with a parade through the city. Then lots of performances with dance and music follow. The highlight of the event will as always be the big fireworks over Töölönlahti. More information on the program can be found on the official website.

Drop by and enjoy the celebration!

The Swedish Starbucks

The Swedish company Espresso House has come to Finland a few months ago and is now well situated in several spots in the city center such as Kamppi and Stockmann.

With a cozy interior they invite to sit down for a short coffee break and a chat with friends. And for all you Frapuccino lovers out there, this is a real alternative to the ever-present Starbucks. Espresso House has some nice coffee and milk mixes to offer that are worth a try as well.

Check it out and have a nice day!

The magic of LUX

The light exhibition LUX opened this week. And if you haven't seen it yet you should not miss out on the possibility.

Throughout the city center impressive light installations by Finnish and international artists have been set up.

LUX is on until Sunday. So take out the warm winter clothes and go through an evening walk through town. The lights are on until 22:00 every evening.

Welcome the new year

It is the last day of the year. Time to celebrate the a hopefully successful 2015 and the beginning of an even better 2016 for all of you.

If you want to welcome the new year together with lots of other Helsinkians then come to Senaatintori tonight. It is the biggest party in town and as every year a full program is awaiting. The celebration will be kicked off at 22:00 with the We Love Helsinki DJ. Later Finnish pop star Maija Vilkkumaa will sing live on stage. The celebrations will culminate with a musical fireworks display at midnight.

There is of course no entry fee. Check out the whole program on VisitHelsinki. And don't miss out on the great deals offered by many restaurants in the city center that are only valid today on the bottom of the page.

Have a great start into the new year!

Walk through Christmassy Helsinki

Christmas Eve is only one day away. Most of you hopefully started their Christmas vacation already. A great way to get into the Christmas mood and leave all the work and present buying stress from the last days and weeks behind is a walk through the streets of the city. Now everything is enlightened with thousands of small Christmas lights.

Especially Esplanadi and Aleksanterintie are worth a stroll. Have a nice walk!

Christmas World in the heart of the city

The Joulumaailma is the probably most prominently positioned Christmas market in Helsinki. It is located on Mannerheimintie around the old Vanha ylioppilastalo.

Many small stalls offer handicraft as well as delicious Christmas treats and snacks from around the world. The market is open daily until December 23 and will then close for Christmas. What is special though is that the stalls will open again for another few days between December 27 and January 6. So you can still enjoy some Christmas feeling in the city center after the holidays.

You can find more information on opening times and vendors on the official website.

Ice skating in the city

The ice rink at Rautatientori is open again. So how about a skate right in the city center this week? And afterwards you can warm up with a hot cup of coffee, tea or glöggi.

The Jääpuisto is open daily until at least February next year. Tickets are 6 € for adults, 4 € for students and 3 € for children under 18 and are valid all day. If you don't have skates yourself, you can rent some as well.

For more information on prices and opening times check their website.

Helsinki starts the Christmas season

Just in time for the start of the Christmas season in the city center of Helsinki the first snow came. The roofs and trees are covered by a white layer.

If you want to get into the Christmas mood then come to the opening of the Aleksanterinkatu Christmas Street starting today at 14:00. The event starts at Senaatintori with a charity Christmas market. The major of the city and Santa Claus will arrive on a history tram and together switch on the Christmas lights.

Don't miss it and enjoy the white and Christmasy Sunday!

First signs of Christmas

A look around the city reveils that it is not long until christmas anymore. The big shopping centers Forum and Kamppi already took out the Christmas decoration.

The famous Christmas lights in Aleksanterinkatu are still to follow though. They will light up this Sunday in  the opening of the Aleksanterin Christmas Street. Don't miss it!

Helsinki's first time cafe

There is a new pop up cafe Hauskafe in Lasipalatsi that you really should try. It is Helsinki's first time café. The concept already exist in some other big European cities and now also came to the Finnish capital.

Instead of paying for what you order you pay for the amount of time you spend here now. When you enter you receive a card marked with your entrance time. Every hour costs 5 €. During the time you spend you can have as much delicious Johan & Nyström coffee, tea and cookies as you like. 

You can also play table football, board and cosole games, read books or use the meeting room. Some special cakes and sandwiches are charged extra but still for a rather reasonable price. You can also bring your own food or beverages if you like.

For now Hauskafe will be at this location until mid December. If things go well, the cafe will be established there permanently.

Give it a try!

Healthy and fresh take-away soup

Soups are a new trend in Helsinki. And they are the perfect food to warm up on a cold fall day. Among the soup places in town is also a small new soup kitchen called LaSoupe. You find it on Eerikinkatu just a few blocks away from the city center.

LaSoupe has several fresh and tasty soups on offer every day. The selection varies daily but always has enough choices for everyone's taste.

The soups come in take-away cups for you to have on the way to work, town or just in between for a snack. Of course you can also eat them right there at one of the high tables though. 

Or try one of the owner's new specialties: Bone Broth. It is a hot soup-like drink made from stock and ginger. Ask for a tasting cup and give it a try.

Grand Opening at Forum

Forum finished its big rennovation and is celebrating this with a Grand Opening party. Until October 25 there is a big program with lots of happenings every day at the shopping center.

During the next days there will be something for everyone. Forum has DJs, live music acts, kids program, special offers and much, much more. For families Saturday is probably the best day to visit. It's kids day.

All events are of course free of charge. Have a look at their website for the whole program.

Check it out and have a nice weekend!

Why join the navy when you can be a pirate?

Excellent question, right? And at the same time the name for a new bar in Kamppi at the corner of Annankatu and Eerikinkatu. At WhyJoin it is all about mixing. The specialize in smoothies and cocktails. And they definitely know what they are doing. Have a look at their menu. You will for sure find something that suits you. 

Should you wonder about the uncommon names of their drinks, such as Kalle, Victoria, Heini, Giovanni, well, those are the names of the people working in the advertising agency just on above the bar. A drink has been dedicated to each of them.

Not up for smoothies or cocktails? Then go for a good wine or beer. And if you are hungry, they also have pretty good sandwiches. So all together everything you need for a great night out.

WhyJoin is open on weekdays from 8:00 and on Satuday from 11:00 till late. Have a nice weekend!

Midnight streetfood

Could there be anything better then a nice street snack after a night out in town? Of course there are tons of small grills all around town. But if you fancy something a bit more tasty and a bit less greasy you should head to the main station.

Apart from the established grills you find food trucks here every night of the week. And among them are some really good ones that you might know from the Helsinki Street Food Carnival already.

Give it a try and have a fun weekend!

Hell's Steam

If you don't know where to go tonight and want to try something a bit different from the usual then check out Steam Hellsinki.

The place at Kamppi opposite of Teerenpeli has changed name and concept regularly over the past years but for a couple of months now draws attention as the cities first steampunk bar. And it is definitely worth a visit.

With an eye for details the owners have put a lot of effort into sticking to the steam punk theme. Everything fits perfectly together. The bar over which a huge zeppelin hovers, the steampunk/jazz music, the decoration items in each corner, the waiters' outfits and even the bathrooms.

And if you are into gin then have a look at their extensive gin selection.

Give it a try and enjoy a cool and relaxed evening at Steam Helsinki! There is a coat charge at the entrance of 3 €.

Suomi says Welcome

More and more refugees are fleeing their home country to come to Europe for a better life. In all European countries this leads to controversial discussions. 

#suomisayswelcome now wants to set a sign to welcome refugees here in Finland. This Saturday starting at 15:00 a big picnic will take place in Kansalaistori with music and speeches. Everyone can join to show their support for an open Finland.

You can find more information on the event on Facebook.

Kamppi Chapel of Silence in April

The weather in April has not changed much from March. But what has made Kamppi look very different during the last couple of weeks is the election campaign.

To see all the monthly pictures from Kamppi click here.

Freeze coffee pop-up

Want to try some really good coffee? And have it prepared by someone that really knows how to make it good? Well, then you still have a few days left to check out the Freeze Coffee Pop-up in Forum.

Right next to the entrance at Mannerheimintie you find the small cafe that serves some really good cappucinos, lattes, espressos and also some amazing filter coffee. 

The pop-up is still open until Sunday. And if you are really fast you will even get a half prized coffee there. The first 10 people that come to Freeze and mention HelsinkiIn get their coffee for a 50% discount. 

And if you want to know more on how to make really good coffee at home check out their youtube channel. There you get some useful tips.