FINLAND - Scandinavia - page 958

lease no-show beds at 18:00 (S-€45-50, D-€54-61, T-€72-92, family room
with up to 4 kids under age 15-€65-73, shared twins or triples-€27-31 per per-
son, includes sheets; breakfast-€8, free morning sauna, evening sauna-€7.50,
private lockable closets, pay Wi-Fi, laundry-€3/load, Vyökatu stop for tram
#4 is around the corner, Linnankatu 9, tel. [phone], fax [phone],
www.eurohostel.fi , [e-mail] ).
$ Academica Summer Hostel is a university dorm that's professionally
run as a hostel from June through August. Finnish university students have
it good—the 200 rooms are hotel-quality with private baths and kitchenettes,
though all doubles have twin beds. Guests can have a morning sauna and
use the swimming pool for free (Sb-€55, Db-€67, Tb-€90, extra bed-€23,
bed in shared 2-3-person room-€27, prices include sheets, breakfast-€6.50,
safe deposit box, free Wi-Fi and Internet access by reception, laundry-€5/
load; tram #2 to the Kauppakorkeakoulut stop, then walk 5 minutes to Hietan-
iemenkatu 14, tel. [phone], fax [phone], www.hostelacademica.fi ,
[e-mail] ) .
$ Erottajanpuisto is a smaller, friendly, centrally located hostel, on the
third floor of a 19th-century apartment building. This is a better place to stay
than Eurohostel if you're looking to meet fellow travelers in the common
room and don't mind lugging your bags up the stairs (15 rooms with 2-8 beds,
dorm bed-€27, S-€54-57, D-€68-72, T-€90-96, includes sheets, breakfast-
€7, lockers-€2, free Wi-Fi and Internet access, kitchen, no elevator, Uuden-
maankatu 9, tel. [phone], fax [phone], www.erottajanpuisto.com ,
[e-mail] ).
Eating in Helsinki
Helsinki's many restaurants are smoke-free and a good value for lunch on
weekdays. Finnish companies get a tax break if they distribute lunch coupons
(worth €9) to their employees. It's no surprise that most downtown Helsinki
restaurants offer weekday lunch specials that cost exactly the value of the
coupon. These low prices evaporate in the evenings and all day Saturday
and Sunday, when picnics and Middle Eastern kebab restaurants are the only
budget options. Dinner reservations are smart at nicer restaurants.