American Express--The Helsinki branch is at Kanavaranta 9 (tel. 09/613-204-00), and is open Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm. Whenever it's closed, you can call an active 24-hour-a-day toll-free information line about lost or stolen credit cards or traveler's checks at tel. 0800/11-46-46. That number is valid only within Finland.

Area Code--The country code for Finland is 358; the city code for Helsinki is 9.

Babysitters--Every hotel in Finland has a list of employees, such as maids, who, with advance notice, can babysit your child. Most speak English. The rate in Helsinki is about 6€ per hour, per child, perhaps less in certain provincial towns. Although hotels are the main procurers of babysitters throughout Helsinki, there are alternatives. During daytime hours, if you're a devoted shopper, the well-respected Stockmann Department Store, Aleksanterinkatu 52 (tel. 09/1211), offers a free child-minding service every Monday through Friday from 10am to 7pm and Saturday from 9am to 6pm.

Bookstores--The most famous bookstore in Finland -- and the best stocked, with thousands of English titles -- is Helsinki's Academic Bookstore, Kekuskapv 1 (tel. 09/121-41).

Business Hours--Most banks are open Monday through Friday from 9:15am to 4:15pm. Most businesses and shops are open Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm and Saturday from 9am to 2pm. Larger stores are usually open until 7pm Monday through Friday and as late as 6pm on Saturdays. With a few exceptions (noted below), nearly everyplace is closed on Sunday. Many shops in the center of Helsinki are open until 8pm on certain nights, especially Monday and Friday. Shops in the Station Tunnel are generally open Monday through Saturday from 10am to 10pm and Sunday from noon to 10pm.

R-kiosks,--which sell candy, tobacco, toiletries, cosmetics, and souvenirs all over Helsinki and elsewhere, are open Monday through Saturday from 8am to 9pm and Sunday from 9 or 10am to 9pm.

Currency Exchange--You can exchange dollars for euros at most banks and (if the amount is large enough) often in your hotel; however, you're likely to get less euros at hotels than at banks. You can also exchange money at the railway station Monday through Friday from 9am to 6pm; and at the airport daily from 6am to 11pm.

Dentists--Go to the Ympyrätalo Dental Clinic, Siltasaarenkatu 18A (tel. 09/709-66-11), open Monday through Friday from 8am to 8pm and Saturday from 9am to 1pm.

Doctors--To summon a physician in an emergency, dial tel. 112. For private medical advice, dial tel. 09/4711.

Drugstores--Pharmacies dispensing medicines are known as apteekki. The Yliopiston Apteekki, Mannerheimintie 96 (tel. 09/41-57-78), is open 24 hours daily.

Embassies & Consulates--The embassy of the United States is at Itäinen Puistotie 14B (tel. 09/17-19-31); the embassy of Canada, at Pohjoiesplanadi 25B (tel. 09/17-11-41); and the embassy of the United Kingdom, at Itäinen Puistotie 17 (tel. 09/228-651-00). Citizens of Australia and New Zealand should go to the British embassy.

Emergencies--Dial tel. 112 for medical help, an ambulance, or police, or in case of fire.

Eyeglasses--One of the best and most conveniently situated opticians -- where you can get new glasses or contact lenses in about a day -- is the optical department at Stockmann Department Store, Aleksanterinkatu 52 (tel. 09/1211; Tram: 3b). One floor above street level, it's open Monday through Friday from 9am to 8pm and Saturday from 9am to 6pm.

Hairdressers & Barbers--Salon Alex/Salon Alexandra, Urgönkatu 23A (tel. 09/612-24-70), is a well-managed association of semi-independent hairdressers who specialize in cutting and styling men's (at Salon Alex) and women's (at Salon Alexandra) hair. Your fellow clients are likely to include some of Finland's most visible fashion models. Unless you prefer a specific hairdresser, an advance appointment is usually not necessary.

Hospitals--An emergency hospital for foreigners is the Helsinki University Central Hospital, Meilahti Hospital (for both medical and surgical care), at Haartmaninkatu 4 (tel. 09/4711).

Internet Access--Opposite the train station, Sonero, Kaivokatu 2, gives you the first 15 minutes of access to the Internet free. It's open Monday through Friday from 9am to 7pm, Saturday from10am to 4pm.

Laundry--At the laundry Exprès Pikapesula, Laivurinrinne 2 (tel. 09/63-95-24), clothes brought in early in the morning can be ready by the 5:30pm closing time.

Liquor Laws--The legal age for drinking beer and hard liquor throughout Finland is 18. Many nightclubs and dance clubs, however, admit only "well-dressed" (and non-rowdy) patrons, and sometimes insist that they appear to be 24 or older. Age limits (or even the appearance of age limits), however, usually don't apply to pubs. Laws against drunken driving are rigidly enforced in Helsinki.

Lost Property--The Lost Property Office is at Päijänteentie 12A (tel. 030/72-12-16), open year-round, Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm.

Luggage Storage & Lockers--These facilities are at the Central Station on Kaivokatu. The staff offers both lockers with keys and an employee-staffed area where you get a ticket for your luggage. The charge is 2€ per bag. The service operates daily from 5:30am to midnight.

Mail--For post office information, call tel. 0800/171-00. The main post office in Helsinki is at Mannerheimintie 1A, open Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm. If you don't know your address in Helsinki, have your mail sent to you at FIN-00100 Poste Restante (general delivery) in care of the main post office. At this Poste Restante, you can pick up mail (after presenting your passport) Monday through Saturday from 8am to 10pm and Sunday from 11am to 10pm. You can buy stamps at the railway station post office Monday through Friday from 7am to 9pm, Saturday from 9am to 6pm, and Sunday from 11am to 9pm. Yellow stamp machines outside post offices take 1€ coins.

Photographic Needs--One of the most reliable chains in Helsinki, with three centrally located branches, is Helios, open Monday through Friday from 9am to 6pm and Saturday from 10am to 2pm. It takes only an hour to develop prints. Look for its outlets in the Central Station (tel. 09/65-76-27), at Mannerheimintie 69 (tel. 09/241-96-82), or at Mannerheimintie 14 (tel. 09/680-14-00).

Police--In an emergency, dial tel. 112. Otherwise, dial tel. 100-22 for information about the precinct nearest you. One central precinct is at the Helsinki Central Station (tel. 09/189-41-60).

Radio & TV--Radio Finland (tel. 09/148-01) broadcasts news in English every day on the national YLE-3 network at 9:55pm. The external service of the Finnish Broadcasting Company has daily programs in English which can be heard on 103.7 MHz (FM) Monday through Friday at 7:30, 9:30, 11, and 11:30am, and at 1:30, 3, 4, 5, and 9:30pm, midnight, and 2am. Radio One features the BBC World Service News daily at noon (in winter, broadcasts are at 11am). Helsinki has two TV channels. Programs from abroad, such as those from the United States and Britain, are broadcast in their original languages, with Finnish subtitles.

Restrooms--There's a centrally located public toilet at Sofiankatu 2. Otherwise, many locals use cafe toilets (where you should at least order a cup of coffee or a soft drink), or they make use of the facilities at transit terminals.

Taxes--Throughout Finland there's a value-added tax of between 6% and 22% on all goods and services. Most hotels carry a surcharge of 6%, but nearly everything else a foreign visitor is likely to buy in Finland is taxed at 22%.

Telephones, Telegrams, Telex & Fax--For information and number inquiries, dial tel. 118 in Helsinki. If you're thinking about calling home (providing you're not calling collect) and want to know the cost, dial tel. 0800/909-99.

Direct-dialed long-distance calls (intercity calls) can be made from public pay phones located throughout the city that take 25€ coins; the routing numbers and rates are listed in the phone directory. Direct-dialed calls to other countries can also be made from these pay phones, or from the Tele-Service office, Mannerheimintie 11B. The Tele-Service office also handles other long-distance calls, telegrams, and telex; it's open daily from 9am to 9pm, but it offers 24-hour service by phone (tel. 020/211). If you call from your hotel, your phone charge might be doubled or tripled.

For local calls within the city of Helsinki, you don't need to dial the area code (09).

You can send faxes from most hotels. If your hotel does not have a fax machine, go to one of the larger hotels and ask someone on the staff to send your fax. You'll be billed for the transmission, and probably a surcharge, too.

Weather--Summers in Helsinki are often sunny, but the weather is rarely uncomfortably hot. The best weather is in July, when the highest temperature is usually about 69°F (20°C). Midsummer nights in Helsinki are greatly extended (at this time Lapland is bathed in the midnight sun). In winter, temperatures hover between 21°F and 27°F (-6°C to -3°C), but it's not true that polar bears roam the streets.