Nightlife in Helsinki

Nightlife in Helsinki

1. DrinkKamppi and Southwest

   A21 Cocktail Lounge

   A high-priced but incredibly high quality cocktail bar situated in the city center, a few hundred meters from Stockmann's. Generally serves classic cocktail drinks with a twist, but also features several cocktails with a distinctly Finnish vibe (featuring garnishes such as birch leaves and fresh cloudberry) and innovative house specialities. According to worldsbestbars.com, this unlikely find is one of the world's best bars, winning the title of the best bar in the world in 2009 and 2010.

   Drinks €7-25, try the Birch Cooler, Blinker or XXX.

2. DrinkKamppi and Southwest

   Aussie Bar

   The name says it. Place to go get some drinks with some international fun. Live music every Wednesday and the weekends are always crazy in Kangaroo Land.

   Mon Tue Sun 14:00 - 02:00, Wed-Sat 12:00 - 03:00

3. EatKamppi and Southwest

   Bites Burgers

   Tasty burgers made to order, with a regular, vegan, vegetarian and special option that can be further customised. They have a good selection of sodas and craft beer. In their Kamppi location there's also an inner yard open during the summer with live music most nights. They also have a restaurant in Vallila and in the Kaivopiha food court.

   €10-12

4. DoNorthern suburbs

   Bodybuilding Club

   BBC

   A gym founded in 1968. It has been visited by bodybuilding legends Arnold Schwarzenegger, Franco Columbo and Frank Zane, among others.

   Open now · open 24 hours

5. DrinkWest

   Café Tin Tin Tango

   A uniquely Helsinki combination of café, restaurant, bar, laundromat and sauna, Tin Tin Tango serves up all-day breakfast, soups, salads and sandwiches, but stays open late with wine and occasional live music. Laundry/dryer €4/2. Sauna rental €22-32/hour (1–10 people), reservations required.

   Mon-Fri 07:00-00:00, Sat Sun 09:00-02:00

6. DrinkKamppi and Southwest

   Corona Bar & Billiards

   A bar and billiard hall owned by the film director brothers Aki and Mika Kaurismäki, echoing the melancholic mood of their films. Also check out the affiliated Kafe Moskva bar next door for authentic Soviet style experience, complete with Russian music played on dusty vinyls and Russian vodka and champagne. Downstairs is Dubrovnik, a small club-cum-movie theater that can be rented for private events and host occasionally live gigs or clubs.

7. DrinkKamppi and Southwest

   DTM

   Formerly "Don't Tell Mama", DTM is the largest combination of gay cafe, bar, disco and nightclub in Scandinavia, with 2 dance floors and 3 bars. Popular among younger, trendy people and some celebrities. Straights usually welcome, too, as long as they don't "take over" the place. Entrance Su-Th €2.50, F €5, Sa €8 (on special nights fees may vary).

   Daily 21:00-04:00

8. DrinkKamppi and Southwest

   El Patron

   former Jenny Woo, Vatican

   Tries to profile itself as a nightclub for trendy young adults. You can lie on couches next to the crowded dance floor while sipping some bubbly.

9. EatSouth

   Event Arena Bank

   Free flow lunch restaurant that offers a spacious and luminous environment to spend the lunch hour. The daily Lunch Club menu consists of four different choices all for €9.20. There is choice of Scandinavian style home-cooking, Mediterranean or Asian delicacies, salad bar and soup of the day or vegetarian meal.

10. DrinkCentral

    Hercules Gay Night Club

    One of the busiest gay nightclubs in Scandinavia, mainly a 30+ clients, dance floor and 2 bare, good for bare-faced cruising. Entrance free; coat check €2.50 (on special guests nights fees may vary).

11. DrinkInner East

    Juttutupa

    Helsinki's (probably) oldest still operational pub, housed in the "workers' house", a nice old granite house called Graniittilinna. It has historically been the bar of the political left. While Lenin was hiding out in Finland planning the upcoming Russian revolution he was known to frequent Juttutupa; the table he used to sit at is kept in his memory (the one in the back with a good view of the entrance). On Wednesdays, there are often free Jazz concerts. Juttutupa also serves food from the neighbouring restaurant's kitchen.

    Mon–Wed 10:30–22:00, Thu 10:30–23:00, Fri 10:30–01:00, Sat 12:00–01:00

12. DrinkInner East

    Kipsari

    Student cafe at the University of Art and Industrial Design in Arabia. Relaxed atmosphere with live music and DJs at times. Not open during summer when the school's out.

13. DoWest

    Korjaamo Cultural Factory

    Situated in the old tram depot, Korjaamo is made up of galleries, a café, bar, club space, a theatre, shop, and even the Tram Museum is still here. Since the Vaunuhalli was opened in the summer of 2008, Korjaamo is now the biggest cultural centre in the country. While the work is diverse, you could say that the kind of art on offer at Korjaamo is independent, different, and worth keeping an eye on.

14. DrinkInner East

    Kuudes linja

    A live music oriented nightclub for the somewhat artsy crowd. Located in the Kallio district Kuudes linja usually offers more experimental and alternative music than the mainstream downtown clubs and also hosts electronic music parties. Arrive early to avoid queues on popular nights — admittance is not guaranteed once the place gets full. The weatherproof terrace in the courtyard is open during the summer – you can bring your own food to the terrace and cook it on their gas grill.

    Wed Fri Sat 22:00-04:00, Thu 21:00–04:00

15. DrinkKamppi and Southwest

    Le Bonk

    Design music club with 3 floors. During the summer very nice roof terrace.

    Wed-Sat 21:00-04:00, Sat 16:00-04:00

16. DrinkInner East

    Leblon Merihaka

    A kind of outdoor food court/bar, right at the seafront comprising a set of kiosks serving fast food (hamburgers, Middle Eastern among others), ice cream, beer and wine with a seating area in the middle. Live music many nights, often featuring names of Helsinki's hip hop and DJ scene, and there are often also other events in Leblon like yoga in the morning. Doesn't really have regular opening times, if the weather is bad it's likely to be closed — your best bet would be to just drop by.

    May-Sep lunchtime to late if it's not raining

17. DrinkInner East

    Lepakkomies

    The name translates to "bat-man" but the place is hardly themed after Batman, instead after bats in general. A large establishment in two floors, the ground floor functioning as your average Kallio pub, the basement as a venue for club nights.

    Open now · closes 2 am·Free entry to bar, but entrance fee for club nights. Beer starting from €4

18. DoInner East

    Linnanmäki

    The oldest amusement park in Finland, famous for its wooden roller coaster. Entrance to the park is free of charge, all-day passes €42. Open only during the summer, however the adjacent Sea Life aquarium and the Peacock theatre (not a traditional theatre but rather a venue for musicals and slightly Las Vegas-like shows) at Tivolikuja 1 is open throughout the year. In middle October, the amusement park holds a week-long closing ceremony where just about everything, particularly the rides, is illuminated with colourful lighting. The ceremony holds live music events in late evening and there is a fireworks show at the very end just before the park closes down for the winter.

19. DrinkInner East

    Mascot

    A large and comfortable pub in Kallio. Rough-edge decor typical of Kallio. Regularly hosts live music performances and other events.

    Open now · closes 2 am

20. DrinkCentral

    Molly Malone's

    An Irish pub/nightclub near the Central Railway Station. Popular among Finns and tourists alike. Live music every night, superb English-language cover bands most nights, sometimes a DJ later. If you happen to be in Helsinki at St.Patrick's Day (March 17th) this is definitely where you should go. Avoid the blackjack table unless you're fond of losing money (the proceeds do go to charity).

21. DrinkCentral

    Mummotunneli

    The "Mummotunneli" ("Grandma tunnel") is a passage between various restaurants in central Helsinki. There are terraces of various restaurants in the passage, staying open well past midnight. The name "Grandma tunnel" comes from the alleged high average age of the clients. In practice, this means you will usually meet people from 30 to 50 years. Very few actual grandmas come here. Live music available pretty much every day. The place is extremely crowded in summer but almost deserted in winter.

    20:00–03:00·€10 entry fee

22. EatInner East

    Musta Härkä

    Decent restaurant in Vallila serving Indian and Western food, although most people just drop in to have a beer or two. Karaoke and sometimes live music.

    Sun-Tue 09:00-02:00, Wed-Sat 09:00-04:00·Lunch buffet €5.90, mains mostly €10-15

23. DrinkInner East

    Musta kissa

    The name translates to "black cat". A popular bar among young and beautiful expats and their Finnish friends. Often nights with alternative DJs, awesome live music, performances and experimental art.

    Daily 17:00–02:00

24. DrinkInner East

    Roskapankki

    A Kallio institution. The name stems from the 1990s depression: just invest your money in beer, instead of depositing them at a bank going bankrupt. Live music some nights.

    Daily 09:00–02:00

25. DrinkInner East

    Siltanen

    A popular hipster haunt from the owners of the next door Kuudes Linja club venue (see below). Part bar, part club and part café (with food served until 22:00) with a big terrace and weird décor and DJs and the occasional live gig in the evenings. Weekend DJ brunch 12:00-16:00, prepare to wait for a table though.

    Daily 11:00-02:00

26. DrinkEastern suburbs

    Solmu

    Spacious and stylish pub with a good selection of beers and ciders. Often hosts entertainment nights with pub quizzes, live music or stand-up comedy.

27. DrinkCentral

    Teatteri

    A complex featuring a deli, a restaurant, a bar and a night club, all of them trendy and popular among the well-dressed crowd. Check out the aptly named Clock Bar (Kellobaari) downstairs. Closed Sunday.

28. DrinkKamppi and Southwest

    The Tiger

    Formerly Lux, this is a contestant for the title of Helsinki's classiest mainstream nightclub, with its dress code, stylish decor, relatively high prices and an age limit of 24. Five bars, two spacious terraces, a VIP lounge and six luxurious booths that can be reserved. Live music on Thur.

    Open Wed-Sat 22:00-04:00·Cover charge €4-8, free entrance before midnight.

29. DoKamppi and Southwest

    Uusi Sauna

    A stylish and spacious public sauna and bar in Jätkäsaari. Separate saunas for men and women. You can bring your own towel or rent one from the bar. The bar has a diverse selection of drinks and you can bring your drink to the dressing room (not to the actual sauna though). The bar has live music playing on special event nights.

    Tue-Sat 16:00-00:00, closed Sun Mon·Sauna €18, beer around €10

30. DrinkCentral

    Vanha ylioppilastalo

    usually just Vanha

    A bar/café opposite Stockmann, owned by University of Helsinki's filthy rich students' union. Not very special in the winter, but the rooftop patio in the summer is nice. In the evenings, the club attracts a slightly-over-18 audience.

31. EatCentral

    Zetor

    Tourist restaurant with lots of character and great quality Finnish food. Plenty of old tractors and Finnish memorabilia. At night time Zetor functions as a popular and trendy night club with various funky music both from Finland and abroad, with plenty of young people attending. The kitchen stays open until closing time. Note that at night time, there tend to be long queues to get into Zetor in the first place.

    Main meals €10–20.

32. Do Not mapped

    Flow Festival

    A music and arts festival in early August at Suvilahti. Noted for its high-end arrangements marrying music to design and gourmet food and drink, Flow has expanded to include installations, arts and workshops in the past few years. The music presented at Flow is a strong and varied selection of up and coming and established artists from indie-rock to soul and jazz and from folk to contemporary club sounds, both from the Finnish and the international scene.

33. Do Not mapped

    UMO Jazz Orchestra

    An important part of Finnish jazz life, known for performing new Finnish music alongside interesting shows, such as with new circus. Various venues.

34. DrinkKamppi and Southwest

    Crystal Show Club

    A strip club.

35. BuySouth

    Digelius

    Jazz/classical/world. Very recommended.

    €reasonable

36. BuySouth

    Eronen

    Dub/jazz/salsa.

37. DrinkNorthern suburbs

    Kannel-Krouvi

    Live music, darts, billiard table.

38. DrinkWest

    Storyville

    Jazz club and restaurant, often live music.

39. DoNorthern suburbs

    Tapanilan Erän Karate

    A sports club focused on karate.

    Mon–Thu 16:00–21:00, Fri 16:00–19:00, Sun 10:00–19:00

40. DrinkKamppi and Southwest

    The Circus

    Music venue club.

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Helsinki (CC BY-SA 4.0).