Finland Travel Guide - Communications

Country code: 358. Local and international calls can be made from booths and, in larger cities, telecentres. Most public telephones operate using a pre-paid card purchased from R-kiosks, shops and post offices. The same places also sell cards that can be used to make significantly discounted international calls.

Roaming agreements exist with most international mobile phone companies. Coverage is good. You may find it cheaper to buy a Finnish SIM card; they are widely available for about €15, which includes €10 of calling credit.

Free public access is widely available in tourist offices and libraries. Internet cafes are available in large cities only. Most business hotels and even some city centres offer wireless Internet access.

Letters and postcards sent by airmail usually take about three days to reach destinations within the rest of Europe. Stamps are available from post offices, bookshops and newspaper shops, stations and hotels. The central post office at Mannerheimintie 11, 00100 Helsinki, is open Mon-Fri 0700-2100, Sat-Sun 1000-1800. 

Post office hours: Generally Mon-Fri 0900-1800, with regional variations.

Finland has a strong and independent media sector with newspapers that are privately owned and reflect a broad spectrum of political views. Public communications network YLE provides national radio and TV programming. Freedom of the press is enshrined in Finnish law, and Finns read the newspapers avidly.

• There are numerous daily newspapers, with the most respected being Aamulehti and Helsingin Sanomat.
• Ilta-Sanomat and Iltalehti are tabloids with an unwavering focus on the sensational and lurid.
• Apu and Seura are weekly illustrated news magazines.
• Kauppalehti is one of the leading daily business newspapers.
• Foreign newspapers and magazines are widely available, and The Helsinki Times is a good weekly newspaper published in English.

• Yleisradio Oy (YLE) is a public service broadcaster that operates several channels in Finnish and Swedish.
• MTV3 and Nelonen (Channel 4) are private stations.
• Cable and satellite TV is very common.
• Foreign programs are broadcast in the original version with subtitles.

• Yleisradio Oy (YLE) is a public service broadcaster that operates radio channels in Finnish, Swedish and Sa'mi languages.
• Commercial stations include Kiss FM, Classic FM and Radio Nova.