Showing 1-15 of 15 results
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Arctic Icebar
) In the cavernous Uniq nightclub almost opposite Club Helsinki, this is a bar literally carved out of ice - tables, bar, the lot. Inside, it's minus five degrees; you get lent a suitable furry parka to enter. It's expensive (and you won't be able to ask for a glass of tap water…) but definitely worth doing once. There's an age minimum of 24.
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Ateljee Bar
This is a tiny perch on the roof of the Sokos Hotel Torni, and is worth ascending just for the views of the city. Take the lift to the 12th floor and the narrow winding staircase to the top. Downstairs, the courtyard Tornin Pivi is a cute little terrace with good wines by the glass and Coopers Stout in bottles. The rooftop bars of the Palace and the Sokos Vaakuna hotels are also notable for their great views.
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Club Uniq
Across the road from Helsinki Club, the small dance floor gets busy most nights but the novelty vote goes to the tiny Arctic Icebar (; - ; admission around €10 ) inside the club: don an insulated coat, sip a vodka shot in a balmy -5ºC, and watch the sweaty ravers outside through the glass wall. Minimum age 24.
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Corona & Café Mokba
These two quirky bars are owned by filmmakers Aki and Mika Kaurismäki and attract a savvy, grungy crowd. Corona has cool bar staff and about 20 pool tables, so it's popular with drinkers and sharks. Mokba is a tiny Russian-influenced bar with ironic Soviet-era décor, flock wallpaper and almost comically gruff service.
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DTM
Said to be Scandinavia's biggest gay club, DTM (Don't Tell Mama) is more than just drag shows and dance tunes - it's a café, nightclub and meeting place on two floors.
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Grand Casino Helsinki
Grand Casino Helsinki is the city's only casino and the largest in Finland. It has 30 table games including poker, roulette and blackjack, and approximately 300 slot machines. The age limit is 18 and foreigners should carry their passport at all times for identification. Check out the mechanical horseracing.
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Helsinki Club
If you're partying late, this is a mainstream dance club popular with a youthful local crowd. The interior is pretty tacky, with dodgy wallpaper and worse carpet; make it to the cooler back dancefloor if you can. During the week there is a variety of local acts, with big-name DJs at weekends (minimum age for entry on weekends is 24).
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Kallio
For the cheapest beer in Helsinki (from around €2 a pint during the seemingly perpetual happy hours), try a pub crawl in the working-class suburb of Kallio.
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Kappeli
Behind the glass and iron façade of this Helsinki institution is an excellent restaurant and café which has been the haunt of Helsinki's artsy types since 1867. In the stone-walled cellar is an ambient vaultlike bar and its summer terrace is one of the city's best people watching spots. The nearby stage also hosts regular free performances in summer.
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Molly Malone's
Helsinki's rocking Irish pub is packed most nights - there's a live band upstairs, cosy snugs downstairs, and this is a great place to meet travellers, expats and Finns out for a good time.
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Room Albert
Helsinki's newest gay venue attracts a young, sophisticated crowd.
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Roskapankki
If cheap beer and a long and happy happy hour is to your liking head for Roskapankki. In the working-class suburb of Kallio it is one of many earthy local pubs only staggering distance apart, just perfect for a pub crawl. Roskapankki, which translates as 'trash bank' is a great place to get rowdy with some locals.
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Saunabar
Feel like a night out and a sauna? Just as the name suggests, this cool student bar has a couple of basement saunas, as well as a decent music bar.
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Spårakoff - Pub Tram
It may sound strange, or perhaps just a good idea, but in summer you can catch the bright red pub tram from the train station, with stops at the Opera House and kauppatori. It's a bit pricey and beers cost more than they do in less salubrious establishments but it's a quaint way to do a quick tour of town.
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Suomenlinna Panimoravintola
Suomenlinna Panimoravintola is a fine brewery pub and restaurant right beside the ferry quay.
Showing 1-15 of 15 results
