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Getting There By Air:

Helsinki-Vantaa International Airport (HEL)
Tel: (0200) 14636 (cost €0.57 per minute, plus local net charge).
Website: www.ilmailulaitos.fi/airport_helsinki-vantaa

The airport, with two linked terminals for national and international traffic, is located at Vantaa, 20km (12 miles) from the city center. Helsinki is served by direct flights from many major European cities. There is a daily service from New York and direct flights from Boston (in North America), and from Singapore, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Osaka and Tokyo (in Asia).

Major airlines: The national airline is Finnair (tel: (09) 600 8100 or 818 800, 24-hour automated telephone service in English; website: www.finnair.com). Over 25 other airlines fly into Helsinki, including British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Air France, Iberia, KLM, Lufthansa and SAS.

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. A new Hilton hotel is due to open close to the terminal in September 2007.

Business facilities: There is a VIP lounge with fax and telephone facilities and a cafeteria, as well as meeting rooms, seating up to eight people, in the international terminal and a conference room, seating up to 30 people, in the domestic terminal. These are available for hire (tel: (09) 8277 3117). The Helsinki Airport Congress Center (tel: (09) 818 3737), has rooms and halls that are able to hold up to 140, all with AV equipment and Internet connections.

Transport to the city: Buses no. 415, 451 and 615 (see Getting Around) go to Rautatientori (Railway Square) every 20-30 minutes (journey time – approximately 35 minutes). A Finnair bus (tel: (09) 4157 5100) stops at the Scandic Continental and Radisson SAS Hesperia (a joint stop), terminating at the railway station. Buses run to meet all flights. Standard taxis charge about €30, while shared taxis, operated by Yellow Line (tel: 0600 555 555; website: www.airporttaxi.fi) cost €17 one-way, €33 return (journey time – 30-50 minutes).

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 in winter (60mph) 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. Seatbelts 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.vakes.fi/lvk/english). 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 (09) 8502 0708

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, at €1.64 per call plus local net charge), operating Monday-Saturday 0700-2100 and Sunday 0800-2100. Coaches arrive at and depart from Helsinki Bus Station, between Salomonkatu and Simonkatu, which has a café and an ATM.

Getting There By Rail:

Valtion Rautatiet – VR (tel: (09) 231 99 902 or 0600 41902 from within Finland; 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 three daily direct train services to and from Russia. The Finnish morning train, Sibelius, to St Petersburg (journey time – approximately 6.5 hours) departs Helsinki at 0742 (leaving St Petersburg for the return journey at 1632). The Russian afternoon train, Repin, to St Petersburg (journey time – approximately 6.5 hours) leaves at 1642 (return departure 0732), while Tolstoi, the Russian-operated night train to Moscow departs early evening (journey time - approximately 15 hours, return departure 2250). It is possible for travelers to continue on to Berlin on the Repin.

Transport to the city: The railway station is centrally located and is linked to the Helsinki metro system by a pedestrian tunnel.

Getting Around:

Public Transport
Helsingin Kaupungin Liikennelaitos – HKL (tel: (09) 010 0111 (€0.41 per call); website: www.hel.fi/hkl) operates the metro, local trams, buses and the ferry to Suomenlinna. Buses and trams run 0545-2400, while the metro operates 0600-2400. A ticket for a single journey on the metro, buses and ferries costs €2 if purchased on board or €1.40 if purchased in advance. Tickets for trams are cheaper at €1.80 (on board) or €1.50 (pre-purchased). 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 for purchase 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. A one-day ticket costs €5.40, a three-day ticket costs €10.80 and a five-day ticket costs €16.20.


Taxis
Most taxis are Mercedes vehicles, 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 or (0100) 0700). A taxi is available for hire if the yellow ‘TAXI’ dome is lit. As a general rule, tipping is not expected. A journey around town will cost about €30.


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

The city is divided into three parking zones, of which Zone I (I-vyöhyke) is the most central and accordingly the most costly. Parking is reasonably expensive – meters cost from €0.50 to €3 per hour and parking spaces cost as much as €3 per hour and upwards. 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, Pohjoinen Hietaniemenkatu 6 (tel: (09) 441 155; website: www.avis.com), Budget, Malminkatu 24 (tel: (09) 686 6500; website: www.budget.fi), Europcar, Mekaanikonkatu 10 (tel: 0403 062804; website: www.europcar.fi), Hertz, Mannerheimintie 44 (tel: (020) 555 2300; website: www.hertz.fi) and Sixt, Nordenskioeldinkatu 11-13 (tel: (09) 477 2277; 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 €2 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). Bicycles are available for hire from Greenbike, Mannerheimintie 13 A 2 (tel: (09) 850 22 850; website: www.greenbike.fi). Prices start at €10 per day and €50 per week.

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) and Rastila Camping (tel: (09) 321 6551; website www.hel.fi/liv/rastila/rastilaenglish.html).

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