Travel to Finland

Flying to Finland

Finland's national carrier is Finnair (www.finnair.com), which flies direct from numerous countries, including the UK and the USA. Other airlines operating direct flights to Finland from the UK include British Airways (www.ba.com) and Norwegian (www.norwegian.com).

Major airport is: Helsinki-Vantaa Airport.

Airport Guides

Flight times

To Helsinki: from London - 2 hours 50 minutes; New York - 8 hours 10 minutes.

Departure tax

Included in ticket price.

Travelling to Finland by Rail

Trains run daily to Helsinki from St Petersburg and Moscow. Contact Valtion Rautatiet - VR (+358 923 192 902 (from abroad); www.vr.fi).

Rail passes

Interrail: Offers unlimited first- or second-class travel in up to 30 countries for European residents of over six months with two pass options. The Global Pass allows travel for 15 days, 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 European countries except Bosnia & Herzegovina and Montenegro.

Travel is not allowed in the passenger's country of residence except for one outbound and one inbound journey. Reductions of up to 25% are available for travellers under 27 with the Interrail Youth Pass. Children aged 11 and under travel for free on their first day with a Child Pass as long as they are with an adult using an Adult Pass. Travellers 60 or over get a senior discount. Supplements are required for some high-speed services, seat reservations and couchettes. Discounts are offered on Eurostar and some ferry routes. Available from Interrail (www.interrail.eu).

Eurail: Offers unlimited train travel in up to 28 European countries. Tickets are valid for 15 days, 21 days, one month, two months, three months, five days in 10 days, 10 days in two months or 15 days in two months. The Global Pass allows travel across all participating countries. The Select Pass is valid in four bordering countries. The Regional Pass lets you travel in two bordering countries. The One Country Pass offers travel in one of 27 countries.

Adult passes are valid for first-class travel, while youth passes (under 26) are valid for second-class travel. Children under 12 are free when accompanied by an adult using an Adult Pass. The passes cannot be sold to EU citizens or residents. Available from Eurail (www.eurail.com).

Driving to Finland

Getting to Finland by boat

Helsinki (www.portofhelsinki.fi), Turku (www.port.turku.fi), Mariehamn (Åland; www.visitaland.com) and Vaasa (www.vaasa.fi/port). Car ferries sail daily to Finland from Stockholm and other Swedish ports, as well as from Tallinn (Estonia).

International ferry companies include Viking Line (tel: +358 600 41577; www.vikingline.fi) and Tallink Silja Line (tel: +49 40 547 541 222; www.tallink.com). Note that many locals use the international ferries for overnight 'booze cruises' as duty-free alcohol is sold on board; therefore they can be noisy and crowded at weekends.

Finnlines (tel: +358 10 34350; www.finnlines.com) runs ferry services to Finland from Rostock and Travemünde (Germany).

Several major international cruise lines call at Finnish ports.