Airplane: Ddirect flights to Finland are often not particularly cheap, but there are various offers from several airlines. From Helsinki there are flight connections to almost all European capitals. For example, it fliesRyanair(FR) from London and Frankfurt to Finland. Germanwings(4U) starts from Cologne and Blue1 (KF) from Copenhagen and Stockholm. Most of the flights are operated by Finnair (AY) and Scandinavien Airlines (SK). Visit computerdo for North Europe Tourism.
Other European airlines with flights to and from Finland are: SN Brussels Airlines (SN), Lufthansa (LH), Lithuanian Airlines (TE), Adria Airways (JP), Swiss International (LX), Air Finland (FIF), Air France (AF), Malev Hungarian Airlines (MA), British Airways (BA), Czech Airlines (OK), Iberia (IB), Icelandair (FI), KLM (KL) and Spanair (JK).
Airports: almost all flights to Finland land at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport (HEL), just under 20 kilometers north of Helsinki. Other major airports Finland’s are Tampere (TMP), Turku (TKU), Oulu (OUL), Vaasa (VAA) and Rovaniemi (RVN), the transport hub of Lapland.
Ship: a trip to Finland by ship can be very impressive, especially when you go ashore in Helsinki. The big Baltic Sea ferries are floating hotels and shopping centers at the same time. They house duty free shops, restaurants, bars, karaoke and night clubs, discos and saunas. Many Scandinavians use the ferries to party on the weekends. If you book in advance, you should keep in mind that the ferries can be quite noisy on Fridays and Saturdays. It is advisable to book in advance, especially in the summer months and when traveling with your own car.
Regular ferry connections exist between Finland and Estonia (Helsinki – Tallinn), Germany (including Helsinki – Travemünde and Rostock – Hanko) and Sweden (for example Helsinki-Stockholm or Turku – Stockholm). Discounts
can be requested for many ferry connections. There are, for example, discounts for holders of Eurail, Scanrail and Interrail tickets, as well as for seniors and young people, for families and groups. The tariffs vary according to the season. The ferry companies provide detailed price information and timetable information on their websites.
The ferry companies Birka Line, Eckerö Line, Finnlines, Linda Line, Nordic Jet Line, RG Line, SeaWind Line, Silja Line, Superfast Ferries, Tallink and Viking Line offer trips to and from Finland.
Rail: the train journey to Finland usually leads from Europe via Denmark and Sweden. There are long-distance trains between Stockholm and various European cities. From Stockholm you continue by ferry to Finland. There is no train connection
between Norway and Finland. However, Helsinki is a good starting point for starting a train journey to Russia and Central and East Asia. The prices correspond to those of comparable flight connections. Between Helsinki and Moscow there are regular train connections.
From Moscow there are three railway lines via Siberia to China, Japan and Korea: the Trans-Siberian (via Vladivostok), the Trans-Mongolian and the Trans-Manchurian route (both via Beijing). There is also a fourth route from Moscow via Kazakhstan, following part of the old Silk Road to Beijing. These trips, with various stops in between, last several days. The prices vary depending on the route and booking location. Tickets are available at the international ticket office in Helsinki Railway Station, among other places.
Car: from northern Sweden there are ten border crossings to northern Finland. They each lead over the border rivers Tornionjoki and Muonionjoki. The highways of both countries run from Tornio or Haparanda to Kaaresuvanto or Karesuando parallel to the border. There are no passport or customs formalities when crossing the border. There are six border crossings
between Norway and Finland plus a few “green” off-road border crossings. The most important North Cape route leads Rovaniemi via Inari and Kaamanen to Karigasniemi. Further west there is a border crossing at Kilpisjärvi.
Between Finland and Russia there are eight border crossings. In addition to the popular Helsinki-Wyborg-St. Petersburg route there are two other important road links between Finland and Russia: Nuijamaa-Brusnichnoe and Vaalimaa-Torfyanovka. A visa is required to enter Russia.
Motorists and motorcyclists need a vehicle registration document and liability insurance to enter Finland with their own vehicle. An international driving license is not explicitly required. The driving licenses of most European countries are recognized.
Bus: Traveling by bus to Finland from Central Europe or the UK is time consuming and expensive. Eurolines does not offer direct connections to Helsinki; an exception is the connection between Helsinki and Russia. Another provider of regular trips from Finland to various Russian cities is Goldline. A visa is required to enter Russia.
There are numerous buses from Finland to Norway, but many of them only run in summer. The routes mainly lead through north-east Finland. The main provider for trips to Norway is Eskelisen Lapin Linjat. There is detailed timetable information on its website.
The fastest way to get to Finland from southern Sweden is by ferry. In northern Sweden, Tapanis buses run regularly from Haparanda to Tornio in Finland.
Finland climate
Summer in Finland is relatively dry and warm, although temperatures can drop again as early as August. Of thewintercold in Finland, but the cold is dry. In most parts of the country the first snow falls in October and stays there until the end of March, in Lapland it can snow as early as September, here the snow can stay until the end of May.
