HELSINKI - St. Petersburg, Helsinki and Tallinn - page 125

Helpful Hints
BilingualConfusion: Because Finland is officially bilingual, you'll often see both Finnish
and Swedish spellings for everything from street names to tram stops and map labels.
This can be confusing, especially since the two names often look completely different.
For example, the South Harbor—where many overnight boats arrive—is called
Eteläsatama in Finnish and Södra Hamnen in Swedish; the train station is
Rautatieasema in Finnish, Järnvägsstationen in Swedish.
Time: Finland and Estonia are one hour ahead of Sweden and the rest of Scandinavia.
Money: Finland's currency is the euro. ATM machines are labeled Otto .
Telephones: Finland's phone system generally uses area codes, but has some national num-
bers (starting with 010 or 020) that must be dialed in full when you're calling from
anywhere in the country.
Pharmacy: The central Apteekki Palvelee faces the TI and City Hall just off Market
Square (Mon-Fri 8:00-19:00, Sat 9:00-17:00, Sun 11:00-16:00, Eteläesplanadi 2). A
24-hour pharmacy — apteekki —is located at Mannerheimintie 96 (at Kansaneläkelai-
tos stop for tram #2, #4/4T, or #10, tel. [phone]).
Laundry: PesuNet, primarily a dry-cleaning shop, welcomes travelers to use its half-
dozen self-service machines. It's within a few blocks of recommended hotels, and the
Iso Roobertinkatu stop for tram #3 is around the corner (€9.30/load, not coin-op—pay
staff who will help, Mon-Thu 8:00-20:00, Fri 8:00-18:00, Sat 10:00-15:00, closed Sun,
Punavuorenkatu 3, tel. [phone]).
InternetAccess: The CityHall, facing Market Square and the harbor, has six free, fast ter-
minals and speedy Wi-Fi in its inviting lobby (get code from desk, Mon-Fri 9:00-19:00,
Sat-Sun 10:00-16:00). At the train station, go down the escalators from the main hall
and you'll see a bank of red terminals on your right (€2/hour).
BikeRental: Try Greenbike (one-speed bike-€20/4 hours, €30/24 hours; three-speed bike-
€5 more; May-mid-Sept daily 10:00-18:00, until 20:00 in Aug, usually no rentals
off-season; Narinkka 3 in front of Kamppi shopping center; mobile [phone],
www.greenbike.fi ) .
BestView: The TorniTower'sAteljeeBar offers a free panorama view. Ride the elevator
from the lobby of the venerable Torni Hotel (built in 1931) to the 12th floor, where
you can browse around the perch or sit down for a drink (Sun-Thu 14:00-24:00, Fri-Sat
12:00-24:00, Yrjönkatu 26, tel. [phone]).
Meet the Finns: With Cozy Finland's “Meet the Finns” program, you can match your
hobbies with a local—and suddenly, you're searching out classic comics at the flea
market with a new Finnish friend. Their most popular service involves arranging
dinner at a local host's home (around €55); contact Cozy Finland for exact prices
( www.cosyfinland.com ) .
What's With the Slot Machines? Finns just have a love affair with lotteries and petty
gambling. You'll see coin-operated games of chance everywhere, including restaurants,
supermarkets, and the train station.
Updates to This Topic: For news about changes to this topic's coverage since it was pub-
lished, see www.ricksteves.com/update .