Hercules Bars & Clubs in Helsinki – GayOut Guide
Gay Bars & Clubs ⭐ Featured

Hercules

GayOut (10) 4.4
Tripadvisor (18) 3.7
What reviewers say

Visitors often praise the friendly staff, with one person highlighting Arnold as a standout. However, many find the venue to be expensive, citing high drink prices and cover charges, and some complain about a lack of atmosphere due to low attendance and music choices.

82
/ 100
GayOut Score
4.4 🦉3.7
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Address
Lönnrotinkatu 4, 00120 Helsinki
📞
Phone
+358 9 640 776
💰
Price Range
$
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About this place Hercules

Hercules is Helsinki's oldest continuously operating gay bar — open since 1986, making it one of the longest-running gay bars in Northern Europe. The bar's nearly four decades of operation have given it a specific character: it is a place that carries the collective memory of the Helsinki gay community, that has been a social institution through the AIDS crisis, through registered partnership law, through marriage equality, and through the transformation of Finnish LGBTQ+ social life. Hercules occupies a space on Lönnrotinkatu in the Eerikinkatu area, close to DTM and the other gay venues of the Punavuori district, and operates as a traditional gay bar rather than a club: comfortable, unpretentious, with a loyal regular following across all generations of the Helsinki gay community. The long-serving staff and the accumulated social history of the space give Hercules an atmosphere that newer venues cannot replicate. For visitors who want to understand Helsinki's gay scene beyond its current club offerings, Hercules is a connection to the city's LGBTQ+ past.

Opening Hours

Open Now · closes 00:00
Monday 15:00-00:00
Tuesday 15:00-00:00
Wednesday 15:00-01:00
Thursday 15:00-01:00
Friday 15:00-02:00
Saturday 15:00-02:00
Sunday 15:00-00:00

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Community Reviews

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GayOut Community

T
Tyson C
Jun 2026
★★★★★

The views were amazing. It has nice drinks and a decent price. We went early so it was all locals, not the best views there, haha. But it's worth a stop by. There was no cover when we went.

R
RJSmith75
Jun 2026
★★★★★

Saturday night. 5€ to get in. 21€ for 2 drinks. Expensive. We left at midnight and there were 20 people there over 3 levels. Music was good but with so few people it had no vibe at all. Maybe because Pride was the week before.

T
Tommy L
Jun 2026
★★★★★

Nice place friendly service especially Arnold great guy who works there he is the sunshine of the place The place is great for clubbing

D
DublinWelcomesAll
Jun 2026
★★★★★

We arrived at 22:00 on a Friday night after we had dinner and I think we were the third party there. It was slow to fill up and hadn’t any crowd of substance when we left around 00:30. Music was recent chart hitting pop.

S
Sanna
Jun 2026
★★★★

Very expensive drinks and entry. Uneducated and unprofessional staff. The dj plays lame songs and doesn't take any suggestions for music. No one wants to dance when he plays songs that no one has ever heard. Never going there again.

A
abchki
Jun 2026
★★★★

25th april 2017 was little bit raining and of-course cold but I set my mind hanging around my friends over there. I went to inside there was standing coat guard and he asked money to let that I took 10euro from my wallet and gave him. during time I said him i am feeling cold so i wanna wear my jacket but ready to pay the entrance what he wants. this ugly dis-manner guy blame that i am bargain for entrance but i gave him already 10euro. He said that i can not enter inside because i aked for entrance money how much and said me come there next day. immediately, i made a question why i can not enter inside...now. This coat guard took my 10euro and pretending push this money in my pocket but actually he theft my 10euro. this coat guard so dis-manner and racist man that i never ever seen in my life. so foolish and uneducated at the door even he does not know how to do customer service. he wants money anyway by hook or crook..so greedy guy at door.,,,

R
Richard W
Jun 2026
★★★★

Expensive! But, it's the only bar I visited in Helsinki, so I have nothing to compare it to. But being from NYC, I can honestly say it's EXPENSIVE! Cover charge on a Monday to boot! That said, the muscular guy that worked the coat check (which is where you pay to go in) was very cute and sweet (and had huge biceps)! Also the lady behind the bar mixed a delicious gin and grapefruit drink (in addition to telling us where to grab a bite to eat after midnight on a Monday, which apparently is not a thing in Finland's largest city...) The biggest reason this place gets 4 stars is because of the DJ. He spun music as if the place was packed with worshippers, except I was the only one praying to the divinity of his grooves. I was a wet, hot mess on the dance floor (which is nicely decorated with synchronized lights from above)... If this ends up being my only "experience" on this layover, it's enough to make me want to come back!

K
Konraad M
Jun 2026
★★★★★

We were the this summer when maltese singer Sebastian Calleja gave his performance which was amazing, the club is big and spacious, drinks affordable, staff amazingly friendly and the lights are really wonderful.

W
willyag
Jun 2026
★★★★

people are older than DTM here, The disco is very big, light over the dance floor are amazing, the front bar with leds is nice too. music is average, there is also a downstair club only open on the week-end with more cheesy music.The entrance is between 3€ to 10€, and you have nothing with that, just the right to enter. queues can be very long after midnight on week_ends.prices are ok for Finland (very expensive) but there is some special drink or happy hours during the week (check special prices on posters around the bar or the smoking room) . Unfortunatly, there is no darkroom, that's a shame, this disco/bar would be perfect. PS: finnish people are usually very friendly , kind and beautiful.

K
Kaj M
Jun 2026
★★★★★

The new Nightclub is really super. It has a new location at Pohjoinen Rautatienkatu and is next to Hotel Helka. They would be a good combination. Everything is new and beatiful. The disco lights are amazing. Nice crowd, good service, two bars with different music. Go early, because after midnight it takes an hour to get in. I like. The place and will go there again on my next visit to Helsinki.

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Last updated on 3 August 2026

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