Visiting Helsinki by cruise boat? Not knowing what to do and where to go?
Nomadig.com Helsinki cruise guide to the rescue! As natives to Helsinki, we have collected the best of breed shops, restaurants, cafés and sights under one roof.
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Updated May 9, 2007: The restaurant has moved to bigger premises on Rikhardinkatu 4. ... More >
Restaurant Demo took Finnish restaurant scheme like storm in 2003. The place was founded by two young chefs that had experience from several top-notch kitchens in Finland. ... More >
G.W. Sundman is one of the best restaurants in Helsinki, located next to the old market square. The restaurant has been carefully renovated in an old bourgeous home built by captain Gustaf Wilhelm Sundman - hence the name. ... More >
Ilmatar is the fine-dining restaurant of the recently opened boutique hotel Klaus K. The hotel enjoys an excellent location at the crossing of Mannerheimintie and Bulevardi, and thus the restaurant is quite packed during weekday evenings, too. ... More >
Mecca is a brainchild of Hans Välimäki, the only chef having two Michelin star restaurant in Helsinki, and Palace restaurants, a big chain of upscale restaurants and hotels. So far very promising... ... More >
Postres is a quite young restaurant that has skyrocketed to the group of top notch restaurants in Helsinki. Run by a few young and talented chefs and other restaurant professionals, the joint has made its mark to Helsinki restaurant scene. ... More >
Sasso is quite new restaurant near Helsinki Market Square. The place is sort of a combination of fine dining restaurant, café and wine bar. The place is owned by Palace Restaurants that have several top-notch restaurants in Helsinki. ... More >
Restaurant Sipuli ("Onion" in English) is located on a prime spot in Helsinki, next to the Orthodox cathedral and very near the presidential palace. The restaurant is carefully renovated into an old harbour warehouse, and the bare red brick walls create really cozy atmosphere when lit with candles. ... More >
Colorado Mts. is one of the best tex-mex / cajun / creole (or as they put it, South-West Menu) restaurants in Helsinki. The food is excellent, and the beer flows fast -- what else would you need in these restaurants. The service is surprisingly courteous and personal. The flipside of the restaurant is general noisiness and too much smoke especially later in the evening. ... More >
Helsinki downtown has two fish restaurants, Fishmarket and Havis. I have visited them both and cannot really say which one is better -- both shine in different areas. ... More >
Ichiban sushi bar is centrally located, but sort of hidden sushi bar in downtown Helsinki. If you don't know the exact spot, you can miss the place very easily. The restaurant is on the upper floor near movie theater Bristol, in Aikatalo. You have to first go into an inner courtyard inside the building and then climb a set of stairs to the restaurant. There are no signs, but fortunately there are not so many stairs either. ... More >
Updated May 9, 2007: The restaurant has moved to Hotel Glo on Kluuvinkatu. ... More >
La Famiglia is a relaxed and easy-going Italian-American restaurant in the very centre of Helsinki, next to Stockmann department store and the busy shopping district nearby Aleksanterinkatu. The restaurant is surprisingly big, there is two floors, ground floor and basement, and thus chances are quite good that you find a table at least for a small party. ... More >
If you want to get a culture shock and a glimpse of the idyllic mental image of old times Finnish countryside, go to restaurant Zetor. The restaurant is famous for its traditional Finnish meals, very funky decor, and really odd menus -- you have to be careful to understand what you are ordering in reality. Fortunately, the waiters are glad to help. ... More >
The best Tapas in Helsinki are served in this small joint in Uudenmaankatu. Bar Tapasta cannot sit more than twenty people and you have to either reserve a table, come early or eat on the bar (not bad option). ... More >
Ryan Thai is one of the best Thai restaurants in Helsinki. The place is located on Kasarmitori and it seats something like 40 people or less. ... More >
Bulevardin Kahvisalonki is a traditional café at the end of Bulevardi. Until quite recently it was a miniscule coffeeshop, but now they've got more room and a main entrance on Mannerheimintie. ... More >
Café Strindberg is a very centrally located traditional coffeehouse at the corner of Pohjois-Esplanadi and Mikonkatu, on the same block as Kämp Galleria. ... More >
Café Ekberg on Bulevardi is one of the traditional cafés in Helsinki -- they have been established during the Russian era, and for most parts have stayed the same during all these years. ... More >
Restaurant Teatteri enjoys residing at the one of the best spots in Helsinki, in Swedisth theater building at the western end of Esplanadi park. The restaurant complex has several different places to hand around, including a fine dining restaurant, a café and a couple of bars. ... More >
Kamppi shopping mall has several snack eateries on the ground floor, serving the busy commuters to and fro Espoo. One of the more appealing one is Gusto sandwich bar. They provide sandwiches, salads, sodas and coffees. ... More >
JohtoCafe is very nice coffeehouse on the fifth floor in Kamppi shopping mall. The café has an excellent open area in middle of shops with normal café tables and also lounge seats. All normal coffeehouse stuff is available with okay prices. They sell also beer and drinks. ... More >
Café Esplanadi is well known for its huge sweet buns, giant sandwiches, big big salads and competitive prices. The flip side is that there is always a queue and the cafe is really noisy at some times. ... More >
Cafe Succés is located in a posh neighbourhood, a little bit south from the city centre. The area is filled with boutiques, and Cafe Succés is a haven to rest your feet when shopping. ... More >
Helsinki got its first lifestyle / design hotel a few months ago when hotel Klaus K was opened at Bulevardi. The nightclub of the hotel, Ahjo, follows the bleeding edge design of the rest of the hotel. The upper deck of the club is purely white and you may find the pure white chairs a bit intimidating to sit on. Don't worry, it's hotels problem if they get dirty... ... More >
Ateljee Bar has the best views on the town, or over the town. The bar is located on the fourtheenth floor on Sokos Hotel Torni and there are no obstacles anywhere nearby to block the scenery. If you are a buff of metropolitan landscapes, go up there to see the rooftops of Helsinki. ... More >
Belge is a largish Belgian styled restaurant and bar in the very centre of Helsinki, just one block from the Esplanadi Park. The atmosphere, especially in the bar, is very relaxed and the settings make you feel like being in a private club of a sort. One nice perk is the terrace facing to busy Aleksanterinkatu, so you can watch people walking on the most fashionable blocks in Helsinki. ... More >
Annabella stocks French and Italian clothing and shoes that are not available in any other stores or boutiques in Helsinki. ... More >
Ivana Helsinki is the brainchild of one of the hottest young Finnish fashion designer, Paola Suhonen. She has been able to turn a traditional and boring Nanso around to be one of the coolest hots in the Finnish fashion circles. ... More >
Kämp Galleria is the most exclusive mall in Helsinki. The mall is located next to the only five star hotel in Helsinki, so you can rest your sore feets in their bar. ... More >
A former topmodel Nina Kurkinen (a frequent face, for example, in Lumene cosmetic ads) opened her shoes and boots store in Helsinki about a year ago. An ardent shoes freak herself, Nina has found an excellent selection of fashionable shoes. ... More >
Update August 5, 2007. The shop has not been closed, but it has just moved to Mannerheimintie 2. I've updated the contact details and the content to reflect the current situation. Also the photo is changed. ... More >
Zio has two boutique shops in Helsinki; one in Kämp Galleria on Pohjoisesplanadi and another on Fredrikinkatu, among other top notch boutiques. ... More >
Academic Bookstore (Akateeminen kirjakauppa in Finnish) is the biggest bookstore in the Nordic countries. The store caters for all wishes of bookaholics, and they'll order those books that aren't in the stock. There is also a good magazine department with several newspapers around the world, and the basement sells IT stuff and games. ... More >
Oct 17, 2006: Changed the web address based on Pete's comments. ... More >
Iittala is one of the best known Scandinavian design houses based in Finland. They provide a full selection of tableware, kitchenware, utensils and decorative items made of glass, porcelain and steel. As usually in Finnish design, the form of follows the function in Iittala items. ... More >
Marimekko is one of the modern Finnish design flagships. Their colourful clothes, bags and other accessories have a refreshing mix of retro and trendy feel. ... More >
Back on the old days, Nanso was known to produce cheapish garments that were used by the elder folks. A few years ago they radically changed their course, hired Paola Suhonen to design bleeding edge clothes and now they are one of the most fashionable houses in Finland. ... More >
If you are looking for stylish pair of shoes or boots, go directly to Rizzo on the corner of Aleksanterinkatu and Mikonkatu. Inside, you will find a plethora of different models, classic and contemporary. ... More >
The fifth floor of Kamppi shopping mall is devoted to young fashion, and of the best shops on that floor is Spiritstore limited. The shop is quite big, compared to the fellow stores, and the selections are very nice, for both ladies and gentlemen. The brands include, among others, J.Lindeberg, Juicy Couture, Rock & Republic and Penguin. ... More >
Stockmann department store is by far the best shopping experience in Finland. Their main store on Aleksanterinkatu has eight floors full of goodies. ... More >
Vanha Kauppahalli (The Old Market Hall) is a collection of small shops and cafes near Kauppatori in Helsinki center. There are specialty meat and fish shops, a kitchen utensils stall, wine boutique, chocolatiere and a few cafes and stalls selling snack food. ... More >
Jungle Bubble store in Kamppi looks and feels not to belong there. All the other shops around it are well built and decorated with enough money, but this place looks sort of an outlet store. The good news is that the prices reflect a bit this. ... More >
Kirjatori is the biggest bargain books chain in Finland. They buy excess books from the publishers and sell them on low price. All the books are new, though sometimes they have been sitting in a warehouse for years. ... More >
Art museum Ateneum is the best place to spend an afternoon, if you are interested specificall in "Finnish golden age", or are a fan of art from the 19th century in general. ... More >
Helsinki Cathedral, the white monumental church with its apostle statues on Senaatintori is one of the most well-known symbol of Helsinki. Built on the Russian era, the church dominates the whole square and the other buildings around it, including the University of Helsinki and the governmental buildings. ... More >
If you are an arts fan, consider visiting Kiasma, the contemporary art museum. It is very centrally located, near Sokos department store, and the exhibitions are well-thought. You may not recognise a single name on the walls, as Kiasma is focusing mostly to Finnish and Scandinavian art, but you could spot the next art superstar... ... More >
Esplanadi Park is the most central park in Helsinki, located between the end of Mannerheimintie and the market square. The park is sort of a wide boulevard, as Pohjois-Esplanadi and Etelä-Esplanadi streets run on its sides. ... More >
Helsinki Market Square (Kauppatori in Finnish) is a tantalising mix of locals in coffee or buying berries, mushrooms, fish or bread from the merchants, and tourists purchasing souvenirs from a little bit tacky stalls. The food has market prices, but the souvenirs may be cheaper in Stockmann or in the shops on Esplanadi. ... More >