Helsinki/Inner East

Inner East comprises the parts of Helsinki east of the railway, north of Pitkäsilta, south of freeways 4 and 45 and west of Kulosaari.

Get in
Most buses to and from the eastern parts of Vantaa (including the airport bus 615 to the city centre) and northeastern Helsinki drive along Hämeentie, the major artery of this district. Trams 1, 3, 6, 7 and 9 as well as the Metro (get off at Hakaniemi, Sörnäinen or Kalasatama) all bring you to the Inner east from the city center. From Western Helsinki, catch tram 2 or 8 from Töölö or tram 6, 7 or 9 from the southwest. Freeways 4 from Lahti and 45 from Tuusula enter Helsinki here, as does highway 170 from Porvoo. If coming by train, Pasila Railway Station serves the Inner East and all trains to Helsinki, both local and long-distance, except the Allegro service from St. Petersburg, stop there too.

See
In this part of the city you can see districts of old wooden houses and postmodern, blocky concrete districts built as the "city districts of the future" in the 1970s. The former consists of the wooden parts of (take tram 1 or 1A to its northern terminus) and  (in the area between Sturenkatu, Teollisuuskatu, Hämeentie and Päijänteentie). The latter consist of (east of Pasila railway station) and  (east of Hakaniemi).



Do




Malls

 * Adjacent to the Pasila railway station is the Tripla shopping mall, as it's west of the railway it is listed in Helsinki/West.
 * Adjacent to the Pasila railway station is the Tripla shopping mall, as it's west of the railway it is listed in Helsinki/West.
 * Adjacent to the Pasila railway station is the Tripla shopping mall, as it's west of the railway it is listed in Helsinki/West.

Bars and pubs
Drinking in Helsinki (and in Finland generally) is relatively expensive, wherefore the Kallio district with its lower prices in pubs and bars has established itself as a party district. There are lots of pubs to choose from, just walk along the parallel running Helsinginkatu or Vaasankatu; the latter one was partly changed into a pedestrian zone in summer 2013.

You can reach Kallio from the center by walking, by tram (lines 1, 3, 6 or 7B) or by metro (get off at Hakaniemi and walk uphill, or Sörnäinen, and head west). Nearly all bars in Kallio have to close at the latest at 02:00, whereas in city centre there are many that are open until 04:00, reinforcing Kallio's status as a 'party district'.



Stay safe
The Kallio area is generally a bit rougher than the rest of the city and is as close as Helsinki gets to a red light district. However, it is a lot more tame than most 'such parts of town' in Europe. You will be fine there at any hour as long as you look out not to get in between a fight of two drunkards about who the remaining vodka belongs to.

Go next

 * Helsinki's central
 * Helsinki's eastern suburbs