Kallio is not for faint-heartedThe Kallio ("The Rock") was built by the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries when new housing areas were needed for the growing popularion and especially for the local working class. Even today, the Kallio district is known as an area where people vote either socialists or the Green Party -- while in other areas in the centre the votes go to the conservatives or social democrats. If you are wiling to see some of the rough realities of everyday life, pubs where you can get a pint of three euros and food stores owned by African and Asian immigrants you should start your exploration either from Hakaniemi underground or Sörnainen underground. Whereever you start your exploration, you should find your way to the Sörnainen underground. Just above the Sörnainen station you'll find the Vaasanaukio, though most locals would probably know it as Piritori, the 'meth square', because of its reputation as an unofficial drugstore of Helsinki's addict population. This sound a lot more dangerous than it really is -- I lived for five years in this neighbourhood and never had any problems with this very special kind of businessmen. | From Vaasanaukio you should walk to the west either Vaasankatu or Helsinginkatu. Both of the streets are filled with cheap pubs -- and in Vaasankatu you should see also quite a few sex shops and 'Thai massage' parlors. You should most probably stay away from these and spend your euros more wisely in some of the cheapest pints in the whole town.
The pubs in these two streets very often change the price of pint during the day. They might well offer especially cheap pints during the happy hours, but during the morning hours you might have to pay some extra price for getting the drink in your trembling hands. In this area, only tourists and students wait for the evening to start drinking. In case you want to eat something in Kallio, I would suggest you to visit restaurant Cella. It is a very nice classic bistro that has remained the same through decades. In Cella, you can eat some classic Finnish dishes for very reasonable price. |