Social ConventionsShaking hands is customary. It is expected for the guest to refrain from drinking until the host or hostess toasts their health with
kippis or
skol (cheers). Casual dress is acceptable. Finns appear sometimes to be rather reserved and visitors should not feel alarmed if there is a lack of small talk during the first half hour or so. Shoes are usually removed when entering someone’s home.
International Travel:Getting There by AirFinland’s national airline is
Finnair (AY) (website:
www.finnair.com).
Departure TaxNone.
Main AirportsHelsinki (HEL) (Helsinki-Vantaa)
(tel: 0200 14636; website:
www.helsinki-vantaa.fi) is Finland’s principal international airport, 19km (12 miles) north of the city (journey time - 25 minutes).
To/from the airport: Finnair City Bus and the airport bus operate to the city regularly (journey time - 30 minutes). Taxi services are available. Some Helsinki hotels run courtesy coaches.
Facilities: Banks/bureaux de change, duty-free shops, hair salon, car hire, hotel reservation service, VIP lounge, a multimedia center, conference rooms, restaurants, cafes and bars.
Other international airports include
Turku (TKU), 7km (4 miles) north of the city;
Tampere (TMP), 15km (9 miles) from the city; and
Rovaniemi (RVN), 10km (6 miles) from the city (website:
www.finavia.fi).
Getting There by WaterMain ports: Helsinki (website:
www.portofhelsinki.fi),
Turku (website:
www.port.turku.fi),
Mariehamn (Åland) and
Vaasa (website:
www.vaasa.fi/port).
Car ferries sail daily from Stockholm and other Swedish ports, as well as from Tallinn (Estonia). International ferry companies include
Viking Line (tel: 0600 41577;
www.vikingline.fi) and
Silja Line (tel: 0600 174 552;
www.tallinksilja.com). There are also ferry services to Finland from Rostockand Travemünde (Germany).
Several major
cruise lines call at Finnish ports.
Getting There by RailRail-sea links to Finland exist from northern Europe via Copenhagen and Stockholm to Helsinki or Turku. There are daily trains from Helsinki to St Petersburg and Moscow.
Rail PassesInterRail: offers unlimited first- or second-class travel in up to 30 European countries for European residents of over six months with two pass options. The
Global Pass allows travel for 22 days, one month, five days in 10 days or 10 days in 22 days across all countries. The
One-Country Pass offers travel for three, four, six or eight days in one month in any of the countries except Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro. Travel is not allowed in the passenger’s country of residence. Travelers under 26 years receive a reduction. Children’s tickets are reduced by about 50%. Supplements are required for some high-speed services, seat reservations and couchettes. Discounts are offered on
Eurostar and some ferry routes. Available from
Interrail (website:
www.interrailnet.com).
Eurailpass: offers unlimited first-class train travel in 17 European countries. Tickets are valid for 15 days, 21 days, one month, two months or three months. The Eurailpass Saver ticket offers discounts for two or more people traveling together. The
Eurailpass Youth ticket is available to those aged under 26 and offers unlimited second-class train travel. The
Eurailpass Flexi allows either 10 or 15 travel days within a two-month period. The
Eurail Selectpass is valid in three, four or five bordering countries and allows five, six, eight or 10 travel days (or 15 for five countries) in a two-month period. The Eurail Regional Pass allows four to 10 travel days in a two-month period in one of nine regions (usually two or more countries). Children receive a 50% reduction. The passes cannot be sold to residents of Europe, Turkey, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia or the Russian Federation. Available from
The Eurail Group (website:
www.eurail.com).
ScanRail pass: allows unlimited travel within Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. Valid for five or 10 days in two months or 21 consecutive days. Available from
Scanrail (website:
www.scanrail.com). It is more flexible if you purchase it outside Scandinavia.
Getting There by RoadThere are eight official border crossing places between Finland and the Russian Federation, six between Finland and Norway and 10 between Finland and Sweden. The most frequented borders are at Vaalimaa (from the Russian Federation), Karigasniemi (from Norway) and Tornio (from Sweden). This route through Sweden to the north end of the Gulf of Bothnia avoids the need to cross the Baltic by ship but is much slower.
Coach: There are coach services from many European cities, including direct services from London to Stockholm (Sweden) or Tallinn (Estonia). From both cities there are frequent crossings to Finland. There are also routes from Norway and the Russian Federation.
OverviewThe Åland Islands are treated as being outside of the EU for the Duty Free section. The following items may be imported into Finland from non-EU countries without incurring customs duty:
• 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 250g of tobacco or 100 cigarillos.
• 2l of alcoholic beverages of less than 22% by volume or 1l of alcoholic beverages of more than 22% by volume, 2l of sparkling wine and 16l of beer.
• 50g of perfume and 250ml of eau de toilette.
• 100g of tea or 40g of tea extract and essence and 500g of coffee or 200g of coffee extract or essence.
Note: Except for fuel, a passenger from another EU state is allowed an unrestricted amount of products that are acquired for own use. The tax-free importation of tobacco from countries that acceded to the EU as of May 2004 is restricted during a transitional period:
Czech Republic: 200 cigarettes or 100 cigarillos or 50 cigars or 250g tobacco; Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovak Republic and Slovenia: 200 cigarettes;
Estonia: 200 cigarettes or 250g of tobacco.
The import of alcoholic beverages over 22% is only allowed by persons aged 20 years or over; alcoholic beverages up to 22% may be imported by persons aged 18 years or over.
The import and export of certain foods, plants, medicines (must be accompanied by a doctor’s note), firearms and works of art are subject to certain restrictions and formalities. The import of drinks containing more than 60% alcohol by volume is prohibited. Contact the Finnish Tourist Board for further details (see
General Info).
Abolition of duty-free goods within the EU
On 30 June 1999, the sale of duty-free alcohol and tobacco at airports and at sea was abolished in all of the original 15 EU member states. Of the 10 new member states that joined the EU on 1 May 2004 and the two states that joined on 1 January 2007, these rules already apply to Cyprus and Malta. There are transitional rules in place for visitors returning to one of the original 15 EU countries from one of the other new EU countries. But for the original 15, plus Cyprus and Malta, there are no limits imposed on importing tobacco and alcohol products from one EU country to another. Travelers should note that they may be required to prove at customs that the goods purchased are for personal use
only. Member states may follow the EU’s guide levels of: 10l of spirits; 20l of fortified wine; 90l of wine; 110l of beer; 800 cigarettes; 400 cigarillos; 200 cigars; and 1kg of tobacco.
Internal Travel:Getting Around By AirFinnair (website:
www.finnair.com) and its subsidiaries run an excellent network of domestic services. Budget domestic flights are operated by
Blue 1 (website:
www.blue1.com).
Getting Around by WaterTraffic on the inland waterways is serviced by regular
waterbuses and
ferries. Popular routes are the
Silver Line (website:
www.finnishsilverline.com) between Hämeenlinna and Tampere and the
Poet’s Way between Tampere and Virrat.
Saimaa Ferries (website:
www.saimaaferries.fi) operates lake routes from Lieksa, Nurmes, Koli and Joensuu.
Lake Päijänne Cruises runs services from Lahti, Heinola and Jyväskylä and
Roll Cruises operates from Kuopio and Savonlinna. On Lake Pielinen, there are regular services, also by car ferry. Overnight accommodation in small cabins plus meals and refreshments are available on lake cruises. For more detailed information on schedules and routes, contact the Finnish Tourist Board (see
General Info).
Getting Around by RailFinnish trains are spacious, comfortable and clean.
VR (tel: 0600 41902, within Finland only
or (09) 319 2902; website:
www.vr.fi) operates an extensive rail service around Finland. Lines include Helsinki-Turku, Helsinki-Tampere-Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä-Kuopio and Helsinki-Seinäjoki-Oulu-Rovaniemi. Prices vary according to the service, from regional (cheapest) to Pendolino (the most expensive). Sleeping berths are available on night trains. Seat reservations are compulsory on IC and Pendolino services. Children under six years of age travel free and children aged six to 16 pay half price.
Rail PassesFinnrail Pass: gives unlimited travel for three, five or 10 days within a period of one month.
See
Getting There for multi-country railpasses valid in Finland.
Cheap fares: discount tickets include:
Group tickets (minimum of three people), giving 20% discount,
Family tickets, allowing six to 16 year olds to travel free when traveling with one adult from the same household;
Finnish Senior Citizens Rail Card, for persons over 65 years of age, entitling the holder to a 50% discount (passport has to be shown); and
Student Rail Discounts, entitling someone studying in Finland to 50% discounts.
Getting Around by RoadTraffic drives on the right. The main roads are passable at all times. In some areas, warnings of elk and reindeer crossing will be posted; the danger of collision is a very real one. Many petrol stations are unmanned but the machines take banknotes and credit cards.
Bus: The coach network is comprehensive and covers more than 90% of the public road network. Coach services are ticketed and coordinated by
Matkahuolto (tel: 0200 4000; website:
www.matkahuolto.fi).The buses aren’t particularly fast, as there are few motorways in Finland, so the train is always quicker between major cities. Buses are much less frequent at weekends and in school holidays. Ticket prices are fixed and depend on the distance traveled; express buses are marginally more expensive. Children aged four to 11 years pay half fare, children aged 12 to 16 pay 30% less, and groups of three or more adults get a 25% discount. Students should purchase a student discount card from any bus station (€6); this entitles the user to 50% off all bus travel.
Car hire: Available from local and international firms. The minimum age varies from 20 to 25 years of age depending on the company. All drivers must have a minimum of one year’s driving experience. A few caravans are available for hire.
Regulations: Seat belts must be worn by all. Headlights must be kept on at all times. In towns, traffic entering from the right has right of way. Cars towing caravans may not exceed 80kph (50mph). From 1 December until 31 March, snow tires are a legal requirement; they can be hired. Further information can be obtained from
Autoliitto (Automobile and Touring Club of Finland) (tel: (9) 774 761; website:
www.autoliitto.fi).
Documentation: National driving license or International Driving Permit and insurance required.
Getting Around Towns and CitiesEfficient and integrated
bus,
metro and
tramway services,
suburban rail lines and
ferry services to Suomenlinna Islands are operated in
Helsinki. A common fares system applies to all the modes (including the ferries) with a zonal flat fare and free transfer between services. Multi-trip tickets are sold in advance, as are various passes. Tickets can be purchased from the driver, ticket machine or via mobile phone text message (Finnish service providers only).
Tramline 3T runs past most of the main tourist attractions - a free brochure in English is available for those who wish to take the trip.
Helsinki Card: This is available for one, two or three days. Once purchased, it gives free travel on public transport (including the Suomenlinna ferry) and free entry to about 50 museums and other sights in the city. Enquire at Helsinki City Transport (website:
www.hel.fi)
or the Finnish Tourist Board (see
General Info) for prices and further details. It only saves money by seeing a great deal in a hurry. Other cities in Finland offer similar transport cards.
Taxi: Available in every city and from airports or major hotels. Taxi drivers are not tipped. Taxis have a yellow
taksi sign that is lit when the taxi is vacant. They can be booked at taxi ranks, signalled from the street or by calling locally (tel: 0100 0700). Fares are more expensive at night and at weekends.
Journey TimesThe following chart gives approximate journey times (in hours and minutes) from
Helsinki to other major cities/towns in Finland.
| Air | Road | Rail |
| Tampere | 0.35 | 2.30 | 2.00 |
| Turku | 0.30 | 2.30 | 2.00 |
| Rovaniemi | 1.15 | 15.00 | 11.00 |
Next Page »
