City bikes are coming back

Good news for all cycling enthusiasts - and even more those who don't have an own bike. Starting from May 2nd Helsinki will have a bike sharing system again.

You can then borrow yellow city bikes (called Alepa Fillari) at one of 50 stations around town. In the beginning around 500 bikes will be available. But until 2018 the number should be raised to 2000.

To borrow a bike you have to register to a season pass: 5 € per day/10 € per week/25€ for the whole season (until end of October). Once you purchased this pass you can borrow any bike at any time at any station and use it free of charge for the first 30 min. After that time extra charges apply. But let's be honest, who needs a bike in Helsinki for longer than 30 min?

To register to the service and find out more about prices, stations and other details, check out the City bike website.

Enjoy cycling and have a nice week!

Library on wheels

The library system HelMet in the capital area works flawlessly and is just really good both in terms of service and selection. But there is even more to it than just the normal libraries. Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa also have their own mobile libraries.

Big busses filled with books drive through the cities and stop at several destinations every day to make the library service even more accessable. You can just come here and browse through the books or even reserve your book to be brought to your neighborhood by bus.

For the schedule and all stops check out the timetable of the library busses in Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa.

Banking gets easier for foreigners

Many foreigners in Finland complain about how though it is to get full banking services from Finnish banks. While Finns just need to show their driving license it can often be a pain for citicens of other countries to receive the same services such as online banking.

Luckily this will change now. Finland's Discrimination Tribunal has ruled that Finnish banks have to accept foreign ID documents. You can find more detailed information on the topic from Yle News or read the tribunal's official press release (in English).

This should make your next visit to the bank much more easy.

Pimp your Finnish for free

You have the feeling that your Finnish could use a little freshen up? The Finnish e-learning company Skilltize offers free conversation lessons (level B1 = intermediate) for several languages right now. You can already enroll for Finnish and German. Spanish, English and Chinese are still to come.

The class takes place in a virtual classroom in small groups of up to six participants and a teacher. Check it out!

Bus on demand

HSL introduced the new KutsuPlus service to make travelling in the Helsinki region even smoother. You don’t have to wait for the next scheduled bus but just order one online.

Especially for areas where busses don’t come that frequently this service is really useful. And you don’t have to change but will be brought to your desired arrival stop straight away.

When you order your KutsuPlus bus you pay right away online. The price is a bit more expensive than a normal bus ticket but much cheaper than going by taxi. E.g. a trip from Seurassari to Senaatintori will be around six Euros.

For more information on KutsuPlus also visit Good News from Finland.

Borrow, don’t buy

The capital region has an amazing public library system. The city libraries from Helsinki, Espoo, Kauniainen and Vantaa are all part of HelMet (Helsinki Metropolitan Area Libraries).

On the HelMet website you find a huge catalogue of all the items in all the libraries attached to it. Just order it online and it will be brought to your closest library where you can pick it up a few days later.

Each library has also a wide selection of English and international book as well as CDs and DVDs.

You can get your library card for free at any HelMet library. Even if you are not a citizen of Helsinki, Espoo, Kauniainen or Vantaa you can get a free card valid for half a year that can be extended after that.

How to order a taxi

Helsinki’s public transport is one of the best in the world. Still there might be occasions where you have to get from one place to another faster or just want to travel more comfortably. Then your choice will be the taxi. And ordering one in Helsinki is as easy as it gets.

Just send a text with you location (City [space] Address) to the number 13170 and the closest available taxi will come there as fast as possible. As soon as it is on its way you will get a text with the number of the taxi. This is especially convenient for foreigners that have difficulties pronouncing the street they are in over the phone.

So don’t forget saving this number to your phone!

Good breakfast for a good price

Just a few weeks ago the new restaurant and bar Kiila opened right in the center close to Stockmann. To attract potential visitors they offer a pretty good deal at the moment. On working days (8:00 – 10:30) breakfast buffet is just 3,90 €. That’s quite a reasonable price for a new, stylish restaurant in the center of Helsinki. 

And not only the price but also the breakfast is really good. The buffet has porridge, muesli, jam, ham, cheese, croissants, buns, toast, eggs and fruit. So basically everything you can wish for. And amazingly also coffee and juice are included in the price. In the end you really just pay the 3,90€.

The offer and the place are highly recommendable.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Today is St. Patrick’s Day! And of course that’s the day to visit an Irish pub.

If you are searching for a nice and cozy pub to celebrate this very special Irish holyday, maybe try out O’Malley’s. Helsinki’s oldest Irish Pub put up a big program for St. Patrick’s day.

The bar opens at 2 pm. Till 4 you can get hot cider, hot chocolate and small snacks in their winter garden. Then the kitchen opens and has traditional Irish stew on offer for 12 €. The party really starts at 9 in the evening when the Irish band BREGÁIN will play traditional folk music. The whole night through Guinness will of course be on special offer.

But of course also the other Irish Pubs in Helsinki have a lot to offer. And since St. Patrick’s Day is their day you can be sure there will be something going on everywhere. So have fun everybody, happy St. Patrick’s Day and Sláinte!

Dining for 10 €

Starting from today and for the next two weeks you can get selected dishes at several restaurants in Helsinki for just 10 €. It is organized by City Magazine.

Check for example the offer of Henry’s Pub. The centrally located pub next to Kamppi offers their famous hot chicken wings together with a pint of Koff beer or one of two different ciders. If you come in the evening you can enjoy good live music or stand-up comedy at the same time.

It’s a nice bar snack and something for those of you who like it spicy.

But there are also plenty of other nice offers at all together 29 locations throughout the city. From basic pub food to tasty pepper steak there is something for everyone. Find out more about SYÖ! Helsinki on their website.

Enjoy!

the Finnish calendar

Well, whoever had the possibility to take a closer look at a Finnish calendar has already figures out that Finns decided to name their months completely different from all the other countries in Europe. If you haven’t learned them at some point you’ll be lost. Their names seem quite random at the first glace. But actually they are not. This might help you:

The months       kuukauden       

kuu = moon; So it has the same origin as the English word

January:              tammikuu         

tammi = oak; Here referring to the tree trunk meaning the center or middle. It describes the January as the middle, the solid heart and center of the winter.

February:            helmikuu            

helmi = pearl; Have you seen Finland in February with all its white snow and shining ice? Then you won’t have any problems understanding the origin of this name.

March:                 maaliskuu

maa = land, soil; The snow slowly starts melting, releasing the soil that has been hidden throughout the long Finnish winter.

April:                     huhtikuu

huhti = kaski = new Field; April is described as the month when to prepare the fields.

May:                     toukokuu

touko = peltotyöt = work on the field; It’s time to do the important work on the field.

June:                    kesäkuu

 kesä = Summer; Well, that is self explaining.

July:                      heinäkuu

heinä = grass, hay; What better word would there be to describe July?

August:                               elokuu

elo = viljasato = harvest; Time to collect the fruits for the hard work in the spring.

September:       syyskuu

syys = syksy = fall/autumn; No explanation needed I guess.

October:             lokakuu

loka = kura ja lika = mud and dirt; Take out the rubber boots.

November:        marraskuu

marras = kuollut = dead; The trees have lost their leaves, the nights get longer and longer and if it’s not pitch black then the sky is gray. 

December:         joulukuu

joulu = Christmas; Sleigh bells ring and Santa Claus is coming to town.

150 years Stockmann

I guess that everyone that ever spent some time in Helsinki, even if it might have been just one day, will know Stockmann. It is the biggest warehouse in the Nordic countries and fills up a whole block at Mannerheimintie. Meanwhile the Stockmann Group has over 700 stores in 15 countries but it all started in Helsinki. Heinrich Franz Georg Stockmann from Lübeck arrived in Finland in 1852. He worked as a manager for a shop of Nuutajärvi Glassworks. In 1862 he took control of the business. 

This year Stockmann celebrates its 150th birthday. For that reason there are lots of special events and campaigns planned for 2012. So you should keep your eyes open to announcements. 

Let’s face it: Stockmann is one of the most expensive places in Helsinki but it has a huge variety. Whatever you are searching for, you’ll find it there. And with the discounts they often have you might even get a pretty good deal.

What you need to get those discounts is a customer card. This year only they give it away for free and it is valid for 10 years. With this card you get discounts of up to 20 % on selected products. And that can really pay off.

The really cool thing is that they create your personal card right when you apply for it. They have a special machine there. So you don’t have to wait for your card to arrive via mail.

... and what about putting back those nice ladies in the lifts, just like in the old times (pictures from the 1930s)? Well, there has been some talks about that project recently - I still wonder how it would work in our modern times' rush hours and sales seasons! A good way for any employee to go insane at work in only 1 hour... But after all, at Stockmann's what the client wants, the client gets. Best customer service in Finland, undoubtedly.

Finnish Flagging

Today Finland got a new president. His name is Sauli Niinistö from the National Coalition Party (Kokoomus) and for that occasion there was a flag day in the whole country. Finns actually find a lot of occasions for flagging. You might have realized that if you have been spending some time here already.

Here some things you should know about the Finnish flag days.

When?

Occasions for flagging can be birthdays of great writers, composers or other Finnish heroes. But also on other holydays and political events like elections or the inauguration of the president (as today) are worth hissing the flag.

Here you find a list of all of Finland’s flag days.

How?

Every building has its own flag pole and has to organize that the flag is hissed on the official flag days. Usually the flag is then flown from 8 am till sunset. There are exceptions e.g. at Midsummer.

The correct usage of the Finnish flag is even defined by law. According to it the flag is to be treated respectfully. The flag must not be dirty or damaged and never touch the ground. Otherwise it has to be burned or cut into small pieces (that make it impossible to recognize it as part of a flag). Violating this law can lead to a fine.

All those regulations sound quite strict. Especially for me coming from Germany. I am not sure if there ever has been a fine for not using the flag correctly. But anyway it is quite interesting to know about this law I think.

Moving to Helsinki IV

During the last days I gave you some information about what to consider when moving to Helsinki. With those small hints you should be better prepared and ready to take a look at the recent offers on the market. But where should you search for places?

Links

Here are two really useful websites where you should be able to find a lot of offers and where you hopefully will find your new home.

http://asunnot.oikotie.fi/vuokrapalvelu

http://www.jokakoti.fi/vuokra-asunnot

And here is one more maybe quite interesting website for you. You should know that the biggest landlord here is the City of Helsinki itself. They offer apartments for reasonable rental prices. Find out more about how to apply to those under the following link:

http://www.hel.fi/hki/helsinki/en/Services/Housing+and+the+environment/Housing

Moving to Helsinki III

But where should you move? And how is it with the additional costs for an apartment? Here some more tips:

Location:

As in every bigger city there are differences depending on the location you choose. If you are searching for something with a low budget take a look at the area called Kallio. It is still pretty close to the city center, has great bus, tram and metro connection and offers a vivid nightlife. Especially for students it is a great choice. I wouldn’t recommend it for families that much though. As in most other cities too, the further you are away from the center the cheaper it gets. If you don’t mind living a bit further away you should also consider checking out Espoo and Vantaa. What? Never heard of them? Espoo is in face the second biggest city in Finland. But never mind. Those two cities are surrounding Helsinki and the prices here are a bit lower. But before you take any cheap offers always check how well the area where you want to live is connected to the center. You can find the connections on the website of the local public transportation company HSL. As your destination type in "Rautatientori" (Central Railway Station) or "Kamppi".

Additional costs:

Of course the bigger the apartment and the more people live there the more you have to pay for electricity and water (and maybe gas). One important thing you should know is that for water you pay a fixed price every month (between 10 and 15 Euros). You can use as much as you want. Maybe that has something to do with the huge amount of water that Finland holds (lakes and the sea). The price also includes the warm water. That means that in case the apartment has a normal radiator the heating is also included in the water fee.

To find out about the prices for internet and phone you can check from these companies:

DNA/Welho (mobile, internet, TV): http://www.dna.fi/

Sonera (mobile, internet, TV):  http://www.sonera.fi/

Saunalahti (mobile): http://saunalahti.fi/

You should know that in Finland most people don’t use landlines anymore. And the prices for calling are reasonable. So don’t bother trying to get a landline yourself.

To be continued!

Moving to Helsinki II

And here comes part two of useful information for finding a place in Helsinki:

Rent or buy:

In Finland it is very common to live in your own place. In contrast to most other countries and especially bigger cities renting is quite exceptional here.  But since I assume most of you interested in this topic are from abroad and are probably not planning on staying in Finland for ever I will focus on the rental market. The information here might still in most cases also apply for buying apartments.

Size:

Yes, size matters. Especially when it comes to living space. I guess the most challenging thing in Helsinki might be, to find a place where you want to live alone. Of course there are those small one room apartments but most likely they are very expensive compared to what you would pay if you live in a bigger place together. So if you come here as a student and are not planning on staying at university housing consider sharing an apartment with one or two classmates.

To be continued...

Moving to Helsinki I

Ok, the last days you had to read a lot about the weather here. Sorry for that! But now something useful. I want to open a new service category for you. Over the next days I will provide a bit of information to people who are planning to move to Helsinki or are already living here and searching for a new place to stay. Knowing where to find the apartments is one thing. But I think it is also quite useful to have some basic information about the apartment market in this city. That’s why I listed down some things you should know. Today I'll start with :

 

the price level

First of all you have to arrange yourself with the fact that Helsinki is probably one of the most expensive cities in Europe or even the world. There are so many rankings for the most expensive cities in the world that all come to different conclusions but let me tell you that Helsinki is quite often among the top 10. For an apartment in the center with one bedroom you pay an average rent of around 900 € per month. In Berlin you could probably get three bedrooms for that price. But also the living expenses are a bit higher here. It is quite obvious when you go out since especially the prices for alcohol are quite high. But also at the supermarket you will see a difference (especially with foreign products like cheese from the Netherlands). You’ll find a pretty good overview over the general price level here.

Stay tuned for more!