Hello everyone! I am visiting Helsinki from the US as part of a family-heritage tour of mine through the Nordics. I will be in Helsinki for New Year's. Is there anything noteworthy happening in town that day? Is there a big event of sorts? If so, do I need to make reservations (I've made this mistake of not doing so in London on New Year's in the past). Any help or suggestions are appreciated- I'm excited to visit your city. Thank you!

I tried using google translate to understand where online I can pay my 100 euro HSL tram fine, but I do not understand it at all. Does anyone know how or where I can pay it?

Hello, I was wondering if there were any ice skating venues with a super christmassy vibe, with festive music and lighting, maybe even a little cafe where you can get hot chocolate or some food? I googled and saw that Helsinki Ice Rink next to the central station seems to have that vibe but it doesn't seem to be open this year. I went to Braha a couple of days ago which was fun but it didn't have any extra christmassy stuff so just curious as to if there is anything like that available.

I visited Helsinki December 2023 and came across this lil guy in Kankurin Tupa opposite Esplanadi, i loved him but ultimately put him back and when i went back for him the shop was shut, and it was the night we went home </3

Does anybody know the brand so i can look for him online? i've genuinely looked at flights to go back for him but sadly theyre all too expensive. i just need him!!

Any help would be gratefully received!!

https://preview.redd.it/ebnlf3q9df4e1.jpg?width=595&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fd7ec5e1a038033d5831b65a8012060cd775a4d8

I'm looking for electronics secondhand store

I think they are less common here than other rich european capitals, just curious what people have experienced.

Personally I've only had one- two guys tried that petition scam on me. Oddly I was in the suburbs near Pukinmäki, nowhere near the centre.

I also had a lot of encounters with cults religious enthusiasts in the centre using questionable practices. One couple that stopped me and pretended to ask for directions before trying to get me to go to their church, for example. >!I'm not saying proselytisers are criminals, but they were using similar social engineering to the street scammers I've encountered which is why I mentioned them. I think if you're just handing out bibles or something that's fine.!<

If you've had experiences with street scammers here I'd be interested to hear them. Thanks

Hi everyone! I'll be visiting Helsinki for 5 days at the end of December, and I was wondering if there’s any remote chance to see the Northern Lights in the immediate nearby of the city.

I’m still deciding whether to rent a car during my stay, so I’d love to hear if there are any spots within reach (even without a car) where there might be a chance to catch the aurora borealis. I understand that Helsinki might not be the best location due to light pollution and its southern position, but any advice or tips would be much appreciated!

Thanks in advance for your help!

Long story short, I was duped into "fostering" two cats, but I actually legally adopted them. I can't keep them. Tori rejects my posts because I never seem to provide enough information. None of the groups on Facebook will allow me to post because they aren't legally rescue cats anymore. I've contacted a couple places similar to Rekku, but again, the cats aren't legally rescues, so they can't help me. I'm no longer in contact with the "organization" that brought the cats to Finland.

So, I guess I'm "selling" these cats, but I can't use Tori, so I'm wondering what other options in Helsinki there might be that are English-friendly.

Hello everyone, I'm student that I've had a proposal for an internship of 3 months in Helsinki

I wanted to have a couple of informations about housing and public transport prices.

The first is about the houses, what could be a good price to find in Helsinki? I'm looking even for a room in a shared apartment, the location preferably would be near Kamppi. In what platforms can I look for housing solutions?

The next question is about the pricing of the public transportation, I've seen that it should be around 35 for a weekly pass, is it correct? Are there other solutions?

Thanks in advance to everybody that will help me!

Olen muuttamassa muutaman sadan kilometrin päästä Helsinkiin Pohjois-Haagaan nyt loppuvuodesta opiskelupaikan perässä ja olisi kiva kuulla paikallisilta millaista alueella on asua, sekä Helsingissä ylipäätään.

Helsingissä viimeksi nopeasti pyörähtänyt yli kymmenen vuotta sitten, joten en oikeastaan mitään Helsingistä tiedä. Saa myös ehdottaa kahviloita, ravintoloita ja muuta tekemistä. Alppiruusupuisto on kyllä ykkösenä bucket listillä heti kun kesä tulee!

Pahoittelut etukäteen jos flairi on väärä.

So I called with some symptoms that can be serious almost three weeks ago and all I was told was to use some over the counter medicine from the pharmacy and wait. I was told to call again if it doesn't get well. When I call again when the symptoms did not improve this time it is a different nurse and I was told a different thing and use more medicine and wait more, then third call one more week after this nurse asked on the phone to a doctor and doctor said I was not supposed to use that medicine for that long and that high dose. I still haven't seen or talked to a doctor myself on face to face or on the phone. This what nurse asks to the doctor and says to me on the phone.

Nurses are not doctors and not knowledgable of what medicine to use and she tells me to use the maximum dose of several painkillers at the same time and the doctor says it shouldn't be used like that more than a few days and definitely not two weeks. Why are they able to give advice and wrong advice on the phone, not give any appointments to the doctor, which is the right person that patient supposed to be given medicine advice not a nurse, and of course they will not take any responsibilty if something goes wrong by going to the doctor too late. I asked the nurse that what will happen if it is too late when I see the doctor and if my problem is acute and asked if they take responsibility if my situation goes wrong because of they didn't give appointment and gave me wrong treatment she said they don't take responsibility.

Who is the right person to complain about lack of quality in healthcare services? I asked this on the call to the nurse but she is not giving me any contact info to their superiors. How do I escelate this situation? I am sure there should be some complaint option. I am not the only person by the way, if you check their Google reviews you will see this healthcare center is just horrible.

Here I am talking about absolute lack of quality. I lived in Finland for very long time so I know the public healthcare is not the best thing here but for example I remember at least a doctor's appointment is scheduled and the nurses didn't risk it with giving wrong treatments on the phone without even seeing the patient.

I am talking about a really lacking service. Such as they are returning to callback requests several days later, they don't answer Maisa messages, one advice that one nurse gives contradicts with the next nurse gives on the phone few days after and also contradicts with the doctor when they talk with the doctor. I am not able to see a doctor in serious situations. They dismiss all my symptoms that can be serious things and say things like if there is no pain you don't need to see the doctor. This "no responsibility taken if anything goes wrong" attitude is just terrible. What is the right way and right person to complain to about this?

And before you say about private healthcare. No I am not getting it. I paid taxes here 15 years and I at least deserve to see a doctor 2-3 times a year without paying for a private insurance.

By the way does anybody know if I go to the healthcare centre and take a queue number directly without dealing with phone do they have to give me service there?

Mitä mahtaa tapahtua Vuosaaren uimahallin vanhalla parkkiksella?

I'm visiting Helsinki for the fourth time in a few weeks - I have no itinerary besides some new restaurants and old favorites. I've seen pretty much all the various touristy things - anything off the beaten path/unusual I should see while I'm there?

Hello. My mate and I are visiting next month and planning on visiting a sauna. We think Löyly seems to be quite touristy and nice being right by the Baltic.

I just wanted to ask about the shower setup as a Brit not used to nudity.

How does the pre-sauna shower work? I know Loyly requires swimsuits; can we shower wearing our swimsuits? Or is it done completely nude? And if it’s nude, is the shower room separate to the changing room or can everyone in the changing room see you?

Sorry if these are bizarre questions for you Finns. I’ve started using my gym communal showers to get used to the nudity but I’m still not completely comfortable with it.

Hello!
I recently moved to Finland, and I’m wondering where I could play volleyball in the Helsinki/Espoo/Vantaa area. Ideally, I’d like to find a team where I can train and play regularly.

Hello,I'm travelling on the 20th December to a much warmer country than Finland,and will not need the winter clothes I wear to the airport such as boots jackets etc. Is there anywhere in the airport where I can store that stuff for about 3 weeks and then collect it when I'm back?

Hi everyone! I will be hosting a weekly pub quiz at The Dubliner in Töölö. The first one was last week and we had a great turnout. We've got an even better quiz this week! Plus chances to win prizes after every round, so there's plenty of opportunities for everyone. Hope to see you all out there!

Hei. Olen tulossa tänään Helsinkiin nyt toista kertaa ikinä. Auto pitäs saada johonkin, viimeksi jäi vituttamaan erittäin suolainen pysäköinnin hinta.

Kysymys: Mihin saan autoni ilmaiseksi parkkiin? Idea kulkea vuorokausilipulla julkisilla, siskoni asuu kalliossa, sieltä ei varmaan löydy? Joku liityntäparkki systeemi ilmeisesti on, ovatko ne ilmaisia ja miten ne toimii? Voin toki jättää myös vaikka Vantaalle tai mihin nyt se ab vyöhyke riittää mutta johonkin se pitäs saada tällä kertaa en auton säilyttämisestä pihalla maksa yli 20€ :D

Eli siis vinkkejä ilmaisista paikoista kaivataan.

Hello,

I am moving to Finland soon and considering renting a place in Ilmala, Pasila. I would love to hear your thoughts about this area.

The reason I ask is that I’ve come across several comments describing Pasila as an unattractive area. However, from what I’ve seen, Ilmala seems quite nice, especially with its proximity to the Central Park (Keskuspuisto).

Thank you in advance for your insights!

I am visiting Helsinki for a few weeks. What is the public transportation like and how can I visit other nearby cities like Turku or Tampere?

Moi,

Voisitko vastata lyhyeen kyselyyn, jonka pohjalta aion tehdä Family Feud (tai Voitto kotiin!, jonnet ei muista) -henkisen kisailun kaveriporukalle. Ei pitäisi viedä kuin muutaman minuutin, eikä tarvitse kirjautua tms. Pidän gallupin auki torstaihin asti.

Suurkiitos jo valmiiksi kaikille vastaajille!

Non-Finnish-speakers: feel free to Google Translate the questions and answer in English.

Linkki:
https://forms.gle/a2WQgRNQeAXxQYmg7

I’m coming to your beautiful city in next month and i was wondering what kind of shoes do you locals wear so you don’t feel the cold as much?

It's my first winter here and I've bought metal shoe spike attachments for the winter boots that I've brought over with me.

I was wondering when do people usually start wearing them? I haven't really noticed anyone else wear attachments on their normal looking shoes?

Is it weird if I start wearing them now? My usual walks to shops and work do end up being quite slippery.

And what do we do when we go inside a shop or grocery store? Do we have to take the spikes off?

Thank you.

I'm only here for a couple of days but would love to go swimming in the sea at least once. Today I noticed that all the swimmers were wearing special gloves and shoes as they took a dip in the sea. It seems reasonable to protect your fingers and toes in these temperatures. Can anyone recommend a place where I can buy these shoes and gloves? Kiitti!

I want to watch a soccer team in person regularly. Who's the best team to support in Helsinki?

HJK are too obvious and dominant. I'd like a more underdog-y team, one that serves beer, and has a decent fan base.

Thanks football fans!