Helsinki Transport

Helsinki Airport

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Helsinki Airport was opened in 1952 for the Helsinki Olympic Games. Today, the airport handles nearly 13 million passengers a year and provides around 20,000 jobs. The airport is in Vantaa, 19km north of Helsinki. Measured by the number of destinations connected to this airport, this is the leading long-haul airport in northern Europe. It is however, far from the busiest. The airport has direct flights to over 120 destinations around the world and there are 300 departures a day.We found it easy to navigate the airport and so I was only mildly surprised when I saw that in its December-January issue, British Monocle magazine named Helsinki Airport the Best Airport for Connections. The magazi...Read More

Helsinki Airport was opened in 1952 for the Helsinki Olympic Games. Today, the airport handles nearly 13 million passengers a year and provides around 20,000 jobs. The airport is in Vantaa, 19km north of Helsinki. Measured by the number of destinations connected to this airport, this is the leading long-haul airport in northern Europe. It is however, far from the busiest. The airport has direct flights to over 120 destinations around the world and there are 300 departures a day.

We found it easy to navigate the airport and so I was only mildly surprised when I saw that in its December-January issue, British Monocle magazine named Helsinki Airport the Best Airport for Connections. The magazine praised Helsinki Airport for "...its human scale, outstanding wayfinding, sensible shopping and good network of destinations". The airport has two terminals but they are actually in the same building so it is not difficult to get from one to the other. This helps greatly to make the airport feel comfortable when you first arrive and when you arrive for departure. There are bus stops outside each of the terminal entrances.

The shops offer the top brands in cosmetics, perfumes and electronics, and the latest in Finnish and international fashion in accessories, shoes and bags. Most of the shops are open every day from 5.30am to 8.30pm. Those after passport control are open until 11.30pm. There are many cosy cafés, bars and restaurants. You can also get a take-away breakfast or a lunch to take with you to the plane.

The airport has several interesting pieces of art. The timber sculpture called Fatmi, by the artist Martti Aiha, is the trademark of Helsinki Airport. The 8 metres high sculpture has been named after an air traffic control system. It is in the Terminal 2, arrival floor. Juha Ojansivu’s Kiss is like two matchsticks leaning against each other. The work is made of aluminium and it took a year and a half to make it. The work was finished in 1983. It is in the Terminal 2, departure floor. The sculpture Concorde, by the artist Stefan Lindfors is made of stainless steel and glass fibre. It resembles a dragon fly and is in Terminal 1.

There are bus services to and from Helsinki City and the Tikkurila railway station which are comfortabe and rapid. To/from Tikkurila you take bus 61. We took Bus 615 to the city. It only took 35 minutes and cost around €4. This is run by the public transport operator. You can also take a Finnair City Bus to downtown. The taxi journey from the airport to the centre of Helsinki takes nearly half an hour and costs about 35-40 €. The taxi stations are located right outside the arrival areas of the terminals.
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Helsinki Airport
19 Km from the centre of Helsinki
Helsinki, Finland

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Helsinki Central Railway Station

Attraction | "Central Railway Station"

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The main railway station is located in the very heart of Helsinki. Both commuter traffic as well as long- distance trains depart from this station. It is the main hub of transportation in the city--trains, trams, busses, and airport bus services all come there. The original prize-winning scheme for the Helsinki Main Station was made in 1904 by Eliel Saarinen. The outer structure of the station was finished in 1914, but due to the war, the station was only put into operation in 1919. The station is used by around 200,000 people each day making it Finland’s most visited building.This classic building has some wonderful touches inside and out, especially the large sculptures on the building o...Read More

The main railway station is located in the very heart of Helsinki. Both commuter traffic as well as long- distance trains depart from this station. It is the main hub of transportation in the city--trains, trams, busses, and airport bus services all come there. The original prize-winning scheme for the Helsinki Main Station was made in 1904 by Eliel Saarinen. The outer structure of the station was finished in 1914, but due to the war, the station was only put into operation in 1919. The station is used by around 200,000 people each day making it Finland’s most visited building.

This classic building has some wonderful touches inside and out, especially the large sculptures on the building of two men holding gigantic spheres. The design echoes the then-popular Jugendstil style – a Nordic version of European Art Nouveau – which acted as an early influence on Saarinen. The building is defined by its vertical lines, its rows of windows, and the clock tower. The red Finnish granite makes the building appear weighty, solid, and dynamic – an impression that is reinforced by the stern-faced, gigantic male statues holding lamps at either side of the entrance. Inside, the ceilings arch high with a flood of light, a sight that greatly impresses arriving travellers.

Helsinki is the terminus for three main railway lines, with regular trains from Turku in the west, Tampere in the north and Lahti in the northeast. There is a separate ticket counter for international trains, including the ones that go to St Petersburg and Moscow.

High-speed Allegro services between Helsinki and St. Petersburg started in December 2010. The travel time is approximately three and a half hours which is more than two hours less than the previous service. At present there are two daily return services: The 10am and 3pm services from Helsinki to St. Petersburg and the 6.40am and 3.25pm services from St. Petersburg to Helsinki. Tickets fro these services are sold at Central station and in several travel agencies and at major VR stations. They are not available on-line or on the train.

The Central Railway Station is also the busiest metro station in Helsinki. The train station is linked by pedestrian tunnel with the metro system and escalators connect the station to the renowned Kompassitaso. The reliable and frequent metro connects the centre of Helsinki and the eastern parts of the city. This however, will be of limited interest to most visitors who stay near the central city. Helsinki Metro has 17 stations and 21 km of track. Almost 58 million passengers are carried annually.

The station has a shopping wing along with a hotel. We were told that one of the station's less well known features is a private waiting lounge exclusively for the use of the President of Finland and his/her official guests. Apparently it was originally intended for the private use of the Emperor of Russia, but the First World War put a stop to that. Read Less

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on February 26, 2011

Helsinki Central Railway Station
Kaivokatu 1
Helsinki, Finland
0600 41900

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Ferry

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Viking line ferries Photo - Helsinki, Finland

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International ferries travel from Helsinki to Stockholm and Tallinn, and since 2010 to St Pertersburg. The ferries are a very popular way to arrive into or depart from Helsinki. The terminals are close to the centre of the city, a short drive from hotels. We travelled from Tallinn on one occasion and could almost have walked to our hotel. There are currently only two ferry operators and we have only had experience with one so cannot compare the services.The well-publicised SuperSeaCat service which was established in July 2006, and delivered a high speed ferry service between Helsinki in Finland and Tallinn in Estonia ceased operations in 2008 due to lack of funding and increased competiti...Read More

International ferries travel from Helsinki to Stockholm and Tallinn, and since 2010 to St Pertersburg. The ferries are a very popular way to arrive into or depart from Helsinki. The terminals are close to the centre of the city, a short drive from hotels. We travelled from Tallinn on one occasion and could almost have walked to our hotel. There are currently only two ferry operators and we have only had experience with one so cannot compare the services.

The well-publicised SuperSeaCat service which was established in July 2006, and delivered a high speed ferry service between Helsinki in Finland and Tallinn in Estonia ceased operations in 2008 due to lack of funding and increased competition on their route.

Viking Line is a Finnish operator. Aboard the ships between Helsinki and Stockholm you can enjoy a wide variety of entertainment and facilities including quality restaurants, live entertainers, dance floors, bars, lounges, shops, relaxing saunas, swimming pools and a number of other spa facilities. There is a variety of quality cabins to choose from, ranging from a single cabin to a four-berth family cabin, or from a De Luxe cabin to a spacious suite. All cabins have a toilet, shower, radio and air conditioning.

The ships between Helsinki and Tallin are not quite so spacious and they have fewer facilities because the trip is so short. They still have restaurants and lounges and there are some cabins. Viking Lines, has 2 boats daily departing Helsinki which arrive in Tallin two hours later. The price is around $25 US one way.

The Estonian Tallink Ferry Company also has daily routes from Helsinki to Tallinn, the lowest price is similar to Viking. There are six daily departures at present and the trip takes about two hours. From Tallin you can take a Eurolines bus to St. Petersburg or a train to Moscow.

On-board prices for duty-free goods appeared to be below onshore prices in Finland. The trendiest scents are on sale in the on-board Perfumes shop. My wife tried out peach, vanilla, rose and lemon. Clothes, sun glasses, bags and scarfs were also available but we were not tempted by these.

Tallink has buffet meals which you can pre-book or pay for on-board ship. Prices are slightly cheaper if you pre-book. Morning buffet is 9.50€/per person if prepaid or 10.5€ on board. The meal buffet at lunch or dinner is 20€/per person if prepaid or 22€ on board. The morning buffet includes water, tea, coffee and soft drinks while the meal buffet also includes wines and beers. The buffet onboard Tallink Star is served in the Food Wave restaurant while onboard Tallink Superstar it is served in the Toscana restaurant.
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Tram

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The tram is the main means of public transport in the inner city. Around 200,000 passengers use Helsinki’s extensive network of tram lines every weekday. About 55 million journeys are made by tram each year. Apparently the Helsinki tram network is one of the oldest electrified tram networks in the world.The new trams in particular are extremely silent and comfortable and we really enjoyed using them to get around the city. All city maps show tram routes so it is difficult to get lost. There are 12 tram lines in operation at present with three special lines operated during the summer. The system, which currently extends for about 90 kilometres, has been expanded in recent years and more extensions are ...Read More

The tram is the main means of public transport in the inner city. Around 200,000 passengers use Helsinki’s extensive network of tram lines every weekday. About 55 million journeys are made by tram each year. Apparently the Helsinki tram network is one of the oldest electrified tram networks in the world.The new trams in particular are extremely silent and comfortable and we really enjoyed using them to get around the city. All city maps show tram routes so it is difficult to get lost. There are 12 tram lines in operation at present with three special lines operated during the summer. The system, which currently extends for about 90 kilometres, has been expanded in recent years and more extensions are proposed.

One of our hotels was a little out of the city but it was on a tram route so we used the tram frequently and always found it punctual and reliable. It is good to remember that the doors shut automatically so people with reduced mobility should use the door nearest the driver. When you want to get off, press the stop button once the tram has moved off from the previous stop.

It’s easy to pay for your journey using a travelcard or your mobile phone, however, many visitors will not use this system. You can load your travelcard with a period of time or an amount of money and this will work out cheaper than buying a ticket for each journey. Mobile phone tickets must be purchased before entering the tram. Single tickets can be bought on trams. We had a Helsinki Card and this gave unlimited free public transport so we had no difficulty at all with tickets. This is very good if you plan on moving around a lot. The Card also gives free access to many museums.

In the inner city there are screen at tram stops showing the number of the next tram and the number of minutes until it arrives. This sophisticated system was extremely useful. The screens at tram stops check the location of trams using GPS. If, for some reason, the tram cannot make contact with the satellite, the display at the stop will show the tram arrival time based on the time in the timetable (with a ~ sign before the minutes).

HKL Tram Transport runs the trams on behalf of HSL Helsinki Region Transport and is also responsible for maintaining and replacing rolling stock. In December 2010, HKL announced that it had awarded a €113m contract for the supply of 40 three-section trams to domestic manufacturer Transtech Oy, with deliveries scheduled for 2014-15.
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Bus

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Internal bus routes can be found almost everywhere in Helsinki and for some parts of the city these buses provide the backbone of the public transportation system. While some buses operate in the central city, many of the buses operate as feeder lines for the Helsinki Metro or the commuter rail network. This is especially true for eastern Helsinki. Most regular lines are operated between 5:30 and 11:45, and some until 1:30am. The Kamppi Bus Terminal which is located in the heart of Helsinki, is the busiest bus terminal in Finland. Every day, the terminal has around 700 bus departures, transporting some 170,000 passengers. As in many other cities, bus routes are not nearly as obvious as tr...Read More

Internal bus routes can be found almost everywhere in Helsinki and for some parts of the city these buses provide the backbone of the public transportation system. While some buses operate in the central city, many of the buses operate as feeder lines for the Helsinki Metro or the commuter rail network. This is especially true for eastern Helsinki. Most regular lines are operated between 5:30 and 11:45, and some until 1:30am. The Kamppi Bus Terminal which is located in the heart of Helsinki, is the busiest bus terminal in Finland. Every day, the terminal has around 700 bus departures, transporting some 170,000 passengers.

As in many other cities, bus routes are not nearly as obvious as tram routes and they are generally not shown on maps. This makes it difficult for visitors to use the system unless they have been told what bus number to catch from where. The only buses we used in Helsinki were those to and from the airport. Luckily for foreigners Helsinki has several very good free online planners such as Journey Planner for planning public transport connections, which are available in English. They can also be used with an Internet-enabled mobile phone.

Single fare tickets can be bought from bus drivers, tram operators, automats, and by a text message. Single trip tickets are valid for one hour. Day tickets s are available for unlimited use on public transportation for 1-7 days. They can be purchased from ticket machines, from the Tourist Information office or from the Helsinki City Transport service point in the Central Railway Station. The one day ticket is also sold by drivers.

Most local users of public transport have a Travel Card which is used as an electronic ticket. The price of a single trip is lower when paid with the travel card instead of buying a single fare ticket. The bus driver checks the tickets as passenger step in. Note that ticket controllers check tickets at random and a penalty fee of 80 EUR and the price of a single ticket is charged if you are caught without a valid ticket.

Bus is the logical way of getting between the airport and the city. The Helsinki-Vantaa Airport is located about 15 km from the Helsinki city. There are two bus connections between the main railway station and Helsinki airport. The Finnair shuttle bus leaves from Elielin aukio, which is on the left side of the railway station. The bus is blue-coloured and the platform is beside a Vltava restaurant. Travel time is about 35 minutes and ticket costs 5,90 €. Going to the opposite direction the bus departs from the international terminal. Heading towards the airport, the bus stops only at the Scandic hotel and the terminals. Going towards the city centre the bus will stop at certain places by request.

Another option to go to the airport is line 615. This is a regular city bus route and the one we used. The bus departs from platform five of the bus terminal on the right side of the railway station. It takes about 35-40 minutes to reach the airport depending on traffic and how many local passengers it has. From the airport the departure point is currently platform 21 in front of the international terminal. A ticket costs 4 € which is a current regional fare.
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