Helsinki Tours and Concise City Guide

Bargaining

Prices are fixed in Finland.

Tipping

All restaurant checks include a service charge. It is not really necessary to leave an addition tip, although if preferred, it is enough to round the amount up to the nearest 5 or 10 euro.

Local Cuisine

As in other Scandinavian countries, the Smorgasbord is most popular, a buffet with a wide range of hot and cold dishes featuring plenty of seafood, not least the Baltic herring and smoked Salmon. There are a variety of ways of serving Reindeer, one of which is cold and smoked. Bear and Elk may appear on the menu and there is also plenty of game. The Finns enjoy pastries and desserts, a particular favorite being the Cloud berry, found extensively in northern Scandinavia, it is a variation of the Raspberry, slightly more tart.

Drink Specialties

Coffee is the most common beverage in Finland, although it is renowned for its Vodka. There are a number of local wines produced, made from berries and other fruits, as well as fruit liqueurs such as 'Lakka' which is made from Cloud berries.

Shopping

Shops are generally open from 9:00 a.m. - 5.00 p.m. Monday through Saturday, although some store may close early on Saturday. Some of the more tourist orientated shops will open from Noon - 4.00 p.m. on Sunday.

The main shopping areas are Pohjoisesplanadi, Aleksanterinkatu, the Forum Shopping Mall on Mannerheimintie and Iso Roobertink. The main items of interest are furniture designs, quality clothing, glassware and ceramics. Lapp crafts, wooden carvings and reindeer skin items are popular souvenirs.

Kauppatori Market is held in the area surrounding the South Harbor. It is quite fascinating, the most perfect display of fruit and vegetables can be seen throughout the morning.

U.S. Dollars are not accepted in Helsinki, although most major credit cards are.

Value Added Tax (VAT) is added to most purchases. Visitor who spend over a certain amount may be entitled to re-claim some or all of the tax paid. In Scandinavia many stores participate in "Tax Free Shopping", ask for a "Tax Free" receipt to get reimbursed.

Local Currency

The unit of currency in Finland is the euro. There are 8 euro coins denominated in 2 and 1 euros, along with 50, 20, 10, 5, 2, and 1 cent pieces. Every euro coin carries a common European face. On the obverse, each Member State decorates the coins with their own motifs. No matter which motif is on the coins they can be used anywhere inside the Member States. There are 7 euro notes. In different colors and sizes, they are denominated in 500, 200, 100, 50, 20, 10, and 5 euros. The notes are uniform throughout the euro area. Unlike coins, they have no national side. All euro notes are legal tender in all countries of the euro area.

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