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Getting There By Air:

Helsinki-Vantaa International Airport (HEL)
Tel: 0200 14636.
Website: www.helsinki-vantaa.fi

Helsinki-Vantaa airport, with two linked terminals for national and international traffic, is located at Vantaa, 19km (11.5 miles) from the city center.

Approximate flight times to Helsinki: From London is 2 hours 55 minutes; from New York is 7 hours; from Los Angeles is 16 hours; from Toronto is 8 hours 40 minutes and from Sydney is 27 hours 30 minutes.

Airport facilities: These include duty-free shops and boutiques, restaurants, bars, R-kioski (newsagents), bureaux de change, a bank, automatic exchange machine, ATMs, travel agencies, tourist information and car hire from Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz and Sixt. The new Hilton Helsinki-Vantaa Airport Hotel (tel: (09) 73220; website: www1.hilton.com) opened in 2007 and is the only hotel to offer direct access to the airport’s international terminal, via a 100m (328ft) covered walkway.

Business facilities: Wi-Fi Internet access is available throughout the terminals. In addition, there are several Internet kiosks at the airport and five worktops with Internet access at the Go!Café in the international terminal. There is a VIP Center with three rooms, each capable of accommodating up to 10 people, in the international terminal. A conference room seating up to 30 people is available in the domestic terminal. The Helsinki Airport Congress Center (tel: 02076 29732), has rooms and halls that are able to hold up to 140, all with AV equipment and Internet connections. Below the congress center there are three meeting rooms, seating up to eight people, on the service floor in the international terminal.

Transport to the city: Buses 415, 451 and 615 (see Getting Around) go to Rautatientori (Railway Square) every 20 to 30 minutes (journey time - 35 minutes). A Finnair bus (tel: (09) 4157 5100) stops at the Scandic Continental bus stop, terminating at the railway station. Buses run to meet all flights. Taxi stands are located outside the arrivals hall of both terminals and the taxi journey into the city center takes just under half an hour. Shared taxis, operated by Yellow Line (tel: 0600 555 555; website: www.airporttaxi.fi), are cheaper than standard taxis.

Getting There By Road:

Each major road has a number: national highways are numbered with one or two digits, running from east to west. Designated European routes bear a prefix ’E’. The speed limit is 80-120kph (40-75mph) on motorways, dropping to 100kph (60mph) in winter and 50kph (31mph) in built-up areas. Traffic drives on the right and overtakes on the left. It should be noted that cars entering a junction from the right always have right of way, even when the car is on a minor road. Seat belts are compulsory for all passengers in the front of the car and children under the age of 12 years must travel in the back. All motor vehicles must have headlights on at all times. The maximum legal alcohol to blood ratio is 0.05%.

The legal driving age in Finland is 18 years. An EU driving license or an International Driving Permit are required. EU nationals taking cars to Helsinki are advised to obtain a Green Card. All drivers must be fully insured and accidents must be reported promptly to Liikennevakuutuskeskus, the Finnish Motor Insurance Center, Bulevardi 28 (tel: (09) 680 401; website: www.liikennevakuutuskeskus.fi). Mobile phones cannot be used by drivers without hands-free kits.

Additional information is available from Autoliitto - Automobile and Touring Club of Finland, fourth floor, Hämeentie 105A (tel: (09) 7258 4400; website: www.autoliitto.fi), which also runs Tiepalvelu (see below).

Emergency breakdown service: Tiepalvelu (tel: (09) 7258 4400).

Routes to the city: The main road to Helsinki from Turku (the ’gateway to Sweden’) is the E18. Vaasa is connected to Helsinki by the E12. Rovaniemi in the north is on the E75.

Approximate driving times to Helsinki: From Turku - 2 hours 15 minutes; Vaasa - 4 hours 30 minutes; Rovaniemi - 11 hours; St Petersburg - 5 hours.

Coach services: The main provider of coaches in Finland is Oy Matkahuolto Ab (tel: (09) 682 701; website: www.matkahuolto.fi), which handles all long-distance and express bus travel. International coach options include destinations in Sweden, Norway, Russia and the Baltic countries. Private companies handle regular local bus services. There is a national timetable service (tel: 0200 4000), operating Monday to Saturday 0700 to 2100 and Sunday 0800 to 2100. Coaches arrive at and depart from Helsinki Bus Station, between Salomonkatu and Simonkatu, which has a cafe and an ATM.

Getting There By Rail:

Valtion Rautatiet - VR (tel: (09) 2319 2902 or 0600 41902 in Finland only; website: www.vr.fi/heo/eng) is the main passenger rail service provider. Trains in Finland tend to be clean and efficient. Services depart from Rautatientori (Railway Square), located on Kaivokatu, off Mannerheimintie. ATMs, exchange facilities, newsagents, a car hire office and hotel booking center are all available at the station.

Rail services: Three main lines arrive from Turku in the west, Tampere in the north and Lahti in the northeast, through which trains from St Petersburg and Moscow pass. There are daily direct train services to and from Russia. The Finnish train, Sibelius, to St Petersburg (journey time - 6.5 hours) departs Helsinki in the morning, while the Russian afternoon train, Repin, to the same city, leaves Helsinki in the afternoon. Tolstoi, the Russian-operated night train to Moscow (journey time - 15 hours), departs in the early evening. It is possible for travelers to continue on to Berlin on the Repin.

Getting Around:




Public Transport
Helsingin Kaupungin Liikennelaitos - HKL (tel: (09) 010 0111; website www.hel.fi/hkl) operates the metro, local trams, buses and the ferry to Suomenlinna. Buses and trams run from 0545 to 2345, while the metro operates from 0530 to 2330. Tickets are cheaper if purchased in advance. Transfers are allowed for single and multi-trip tickets within one hour of the time stamped on the ticket upon initial boarding. Tickets are available from newsagents (R-kioskis), metro stations, the City of Helsinki Tourist Office (see Sightseeing) and the post office. A penalty fare is payable for travel without a valid ticket.

The HKL Tourist Ticket allows for unlimited travel on all buses, trams, metro and local trains within Helsinki. One-, three- and five-day tickets are available.

Taxis
Most taxis are Mercedes, and can be hailed on the street or booked by telephone. Vehicles in the city are operated by Helsinki Taxi Center (tel: (09) 700 700). A taxi is available for hire if the yellow ’TAXI’ dome is lit. As a general rule, tipping is not expected.

Driving in the City
As the public transport system is excellent and most of central Helsinki is accessible on foot, it is not necessary to take a car into Helsinki city center. Visitors that do drive should be aware that Helsinki rush hours are from about 0730 to 0900 and 1700 to 1800.

The city is divided into three parking zones, of which Zone I (I-vyöhyke) is the most central and the most costly. With a few exceptions, parking is free after 1800. Parking meters take ordinary coins or parking cards, which can be purchased in advance from R-kioski (newsagents) and service stations. The major car parks are located at the Shopping Center Forum, Mannerheimintie 20, and Shopping Center Kluuvi, Aleksanterinkatu 9.

Car Hire
Car hire is available at the airport, railway station, major hotels and tourist offices. Operators include Avis, Hietaniemenkatu 6 (tel: (09) 441 155; website: www.avis.com), Budget, Malminkatu 24 (tel: 02074 66600; website: www.budget.fi), Europcar, Mekaanikonkatu 10 (tel: 04030 62804; website: www.europcar.fi), Hertz, Mannerheimintie 44 (tel: 02055 52300; website: www.hertz.fi), and Sixt, Tyopajakatu 2 (tel: (09) 350 5590; website: www.e-sixt.com).

The minimum age for car hire varies from 19 to 25 years, depending on the hire company, with extra charges made for additional drivers. An EU driving license or an International Driving Permit is required, including one year’s driving experience. A credit card is usually needed as a deposit. Fuel is not included in the rates and Collision Damage Waiver is extra.

Bicycle Hire
Owing to Helsinki’s flat topography, bicycles are a popular way of getting around, and cycle tracks run alongside footpaths. It should be noted that all bicycle traffic lights must be observed to avoid a fine.

From June to late August, City Bikes are available from stands around the city upon payment of a small deposit, which is repaid on the bicycle’s return. The City of Helsinki Tourist Office offers details of this hire scheme, while information about cycling events is available from the Cycling Union of Finland, Radiokatu 20 (tel: (09) 278 6575; website: www.pyoraily.fi (Finnish only)). Bicycles are available for hire from Greenbike, Bulevardi 32 (tel: (0) 5040 40400; website: www.greenbike.fi).

During the summer, rowing boats and kayaks are a popular way of island hopping and getting around Helsinki’s shoreline. These are available for hire from Cat Sport Oy (tel: (041) 530 9240; website: www.multi.fi/~catsport/vuokraamo.html) at the Toolonlahti kiosk on the Finlandia Hall shore and Rastila Camping, Karavaanikatu 4 (tel: (09) 321 6551; website: www.hel2.fi/liv/rastila/rastilaenglish.html), in Vuosaari in Eastern Helsinki.

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