So I'm bored and need a vacation out of the US. Haven't ever been to Finland and I think it is probably time I do just that. Feb 10-23rd. (Bday is the 20th). So Questions:
- Best Place to stay?
- Where can I search around for tickets to any hockey games going on?
- How is the metro there to get around the city?
- Best places to eat/get a drink? (this is a big one...Moldova/Ukraine/Romania you couldn't find any place that was like a bar bar I swear)
Coming to a game? Visiting Finland? We've got a post for you!
I need to get away from here for a bit and it was always the one country I wanted to see while I was stationed in Europe but didn't. I've been pretty much everywhere else in the continent.
So I'm bored and need a vacation out of the US. Haven't ever been to Finland and I think it is probably time I do just that. Feb 10-23rd. (Bday is the 20th). So Questions:
1. Best Place to stay?
2. Where can I search around for tickets to any hockey games going on?
3. How is the metro there to get around the city?
4. Best places to eat/get a drink? (this is a big one...Moldova/Ukraine/Romania you couldn't find any place that was like a bar bar I swear)
Thank you much
1. If you're visiting Helsinki, you may just want to check the overall cost but Sokos or Cumulus are popular in central Helsinki.
The metro, trams and buses are all viable means of public transport in Helsinki. HSL.fi has "Journey Planner" that can be very useful as long as you know where you are and where you're going.
2. 23th there is Hifk-Jokerit game and you if you have a time you should go chek that. Tickets you can search on the teams websites www.hifk.fi www.jokerit.fi
3. Best way to see Helsinki is the tram, but i can recomend just walkin, Helsinki is not that big..
4. I like most Elmo Sportbar and Villi Wäinö, but Baker's and Bar Loose are great too. Bars and nighclubs are wery close to each other, so it is kinda easy to see what kind of place those are..
1) Depends on how much you want to pay..
2) There are two links from previous posters. First one for Jokerit tickets and the second one for HIFK tickets.
3) Metro takes you from west to east (or more accurately from southwest to northeast). It's good if you're going somewhere near station, although it doesn't acctually go around the city. Use buses and trams for that HSL. Don't forget Suomenlinna! It's a great place. Pretty quiet in the winter, but it's just beatiful. There you must go by ferry.
4) I'm getting too old and go out too rarely there.. (I don't live in Helsinki but near). Bars.. yes there are. Teerenpeli (bar&brewery), Molly Malone's (Irish), Andorra/Corona/Dubrovnik/Cafe Moskva (Kaurismäki's place). I don't know!? There are many. Maybe THIS helps a bit? Don't forget district called Kallio. It's legendary old working class area, turning a bit hipsterish nowadays though. If you like Music, it's Tavastia.
Food, yeah. Gaijin (Asian).. Actually. Don't know much about restaurants anymore. Again, I visit there far too rarely. But I hope some fellow countryman will continue and we will update this information as your trip comes closer.
Thanks guys seriously We are in the planning phases right now for this trip so the more info I have the better. Both Jokerit and HIFK games will be on the list along with probably traveling out of the city.
Any other suggestions for things to see that are non hockey related?
Hotel wise, money really isn't an issue. These are trips I splurge on
If you look for good beer, you can't go wrong with Kaisla. 25 beers on tap and about 120 altogether in a cosy atmosphere. It's centrally located too, close to the central railway station and Kaisaniemi metro station.
Restaurantwise, I myself tend to frequent the ethnic joints, especially Nepalese. For some reason there's a big concentration of Nepalese places in Helsinki and they are good value for money. Mount Everest mini chain has been a sure bet so far. For authentic Finnish fare, head to Sea Horse in southern Helsinki. It's a classic that has served good traditional Finnish food since 1934.
After that, I assume (or some of them on a same level).. Sokos Hotels. I like Hotel Torni (Tower). There's very nice bar upstairs and the hotel ifself has some historical "significance". Both Wermacht (during the war) and Allied Commission (Soviets, after the war) lived in this hotel. Sounds quite harsh, but it's cool. Plus it is located in the very center of Helsinki.
Last there are places like Omenahotellit and different hostels. But if you want to ENJOY your holiday and as you already said.. got some budget to use.. ..you shouldn't consider these.
Oh, I checked your profile, one place you might like to visit is: Aviation Museum. Not a glamorous place, chilly warehouse-like hall. But you can find.. surprise.. planes. It's right next to Helsinki-Vantaa Airport where you're gonna land when you're coming.
Then there's small but historical airport in eastern Helsinki, Helsinki-Malmi. It's still in use. Small planes, training, parachuting, border guard, aviation enterprises and associations.. like DeMotu and DC-association ..for instance.
So I'm bored and need a vacation out of the US. Haven't ever been to Finland and I think it is probably time I do just that. Feb 10-23rd. (Bday is the 20th). So Questions:
- Best Place to stay?
- Where can I search around for tickets to any hockey games going on?
- How is the metro there to get around the city?
- Best places to eat/get a drink? (this is a big one...Moldova/Ukraine/Romania you couldn't find any place that was like a bar bar I swear)
Thank you much
1) As others said, Sokos Hotels and Cumulus are sure bets, but I find them a bit... generic. Hotel Hanasaari might be an interesting choice. It's located in a small island between Helsinki and Espoo, yet really close to central Helsinki. Surrounded by sea, I find it a beautiful place. It's connected to Helsinki by highway 51, so you'll find it easy to get in and out from. However, if you want closer to Central Helsinki, you can't go wrong with Crowne Plaza. Winner of "Finland's Leading Hotel"-award 4 times, last in 2011, it offers luxury and a great atmosphere as well as a brilliant location, right in Central Helsinki. Third option I included is Sokos Hotel Grand Marina, located in Katajannokka, right next to the sea as well as Central Helsinki. Surrounded by beautiful old buildings as well as the marina atmosphere, it reveals the sights and scenery of our capital.
2) Here's the list of games played in Helsinki or Espoo (next to Helsinki) during your stay:
Code:
12th of February:
Blues - Kärpät
Jokerit - Ässät
15th of February:
Blues - Tappara
16th of February:
Jokerit - KalPa
19th of February:
HIFK - Pelicans
20th of February:
Blues - Jokerit
22nd of February:
Jokerit - Ilves
Out of those, I'd suggest at least Blues - Jokerit, as it's a local game, meaning there's a bit of rivalry between these two. Only downside is that it's on your Birthday, which you might or might not want to spend by watching hockey. Also, as Muuska said, the HIFK-Jokerit game on 23rd is an absolute must for any hockey fan to experience. I'm talking about the ultimate rivalry in Finnish ice hockey. It's intense, it's physical and it will be great. These games usually start at 6.30pm by the way. You can find tickets at Lippupalvelu, feel free to ask for help if you have any troubles.
I'm going to see a couple of Blues games during that time period as well, so we might run into each other at some point.
3) Well... You can get around Central Helsinki somewhat, but it's a bit crappy. I'd suggest using trams or buses instead. Haite mentioned the journey planner, use it. It's great. HSL.fi is a great resource, it contains everything you need to know about public transport in Finland.
4) A lot of them. There are sports bars, like Sports Academy, Elmo and others located in very convenient places in Central Helsinki. As for dining, there's a lot of Asian cuisine available, but there are some Mexican, Italian and Spanish restaurants as well. You can also simply grab a good pizza from the number of private pizza&kebab joints around the town. It usually costs 7-8e depending on the fillings, and it's a great way to cure hunger.
Don't forget to visit Wikitravel's Helsinki page, which contains basically a complete guide to visiting Helsinki, tips and places to visit and so on.
If you fancy a small HF meetup, we can perhaps go and see a game and maybe grab a pint or two afterwards?
And finally, welcome to Helsinki! I'm sure you'll like it here.
If you want to see good hockey you have to travel to Oulu, central Finland, the place where FBJ's grow
There you can take a train and come to Lapland and drive a snowmobile until you drop
If you want to see good hockey you have to travel to Oulu, central Finland, the place where FBJ's grow
There you can take a train and come to Lapland and drive a snowmobile until you drop
Just curious, but do Finnish people have a snowmobile brand that they prefer? is it a local brand, or do you guys import stuff from over here? Like Polaris or Artic Cat?
Polaris and Artic Cat both were started in Minnesota, about 30-45 minutes from each other in pretty small towns. Polaris from a town with a lot of Finnish and Swedish ancestors, and Artic Cat from a town that has a lot of Germans and Fins.
Thought it would be interesting if you guys imported from some of your off-shoot descendants
Just curious, but do Finnish people have a snowmobile brand that they prefer? is it a local brand, or do you guys import stuff from over here? Like Polaris or Artic Cat?
Polaris and Artic Cat both were started in Minnesota, about 30-45 minutes from each other in pretty small towns. Polaris from a town with a lot of Finnish and Swedish ancestors, and Artic Cat from a town that has a lot of Germans and Fins.
Thought it would be interesting if you guys imported from some of your off-shoot descendants
There is the domestic brand Lynx (www.brplynx.com), although nowadays they are a part of Bombardier, and are as such essentially Ski-doos with some cosmetic changes and different suspension. There used to be others, but they all folded by the early 90's.
Other than that it's the usual suspects, i.e. Polaris, Arctic Cat, Ski-doo and Yamaha.
We are in the planning phases right now for this trip so the more info I have the better. Both Jokerit and HIFK games will be on the list along with probably traveling out of the city. 
