Helsinki

Hilton Helsinki-Vantaa Airport

Full-service hotel right next to the airport, opened in late 2007. Soundproof windows, bar, restaurant, sauna.

Cumulus Airport Hotel

Mid-range Finnish chain hotel, 10 min away by free shuttle bus. Renovated in 2007.

By plane

For general aviation small planes the Helsinki-Malmi Airport IATA: HEM, ICAO: EFHF is available, with fuel and customs facilities available at the airport.

Finally, from some points in Europe, it may be cheaper overall to fly with Ryanair to Tampere, Turku or Lappeenranta 2 hours away by train or even to Tallinn, Estonia, a short ferry ride away.

By plane

All international and domestic flights land at the compact, modern and airy Helsinki-Vantaa International Airport (http://www.helsinki-vanta...) IATA: HEL, ICAO: EFHK, which is located in Vantaa, 20 kilometers to the north of the central Helsinki. Note that in recent years the airport has become crowded, so expect delays when going through security, particularly during the Scandinavian summer holiday period. There are two adjacent terminals, connected by a short walkway:

T1: SAS, Blue1 and other Star Alliance airlines except Turkish Airlines in T2.

T2: Finnair, OneWorld partners, KLM, Norwegian and most other airlines.

Regular taxis to the center cost €30-40. Shared Airport Taxi (http://www.airporttaxi.fi...) tel. 0600 555 555 for bookings mini-vans start from €29 for two mind that infants count as an adult. A train line to the airport is under construction, but until it's completed in 2014 or so, public transport options are:

Regional bus 615 €4.50, every 15 min, about 40 min to the Central Railway Station in the heart of Helsinki. The price includes onward transfers to tram, bus, metro, etc.

Finnair City Bus €6.20, every 20 min, about 35 min to Central Railway Station via Scandic Continental Hotel. Credit cards accepted, slightly faster and uses luxury coaches, but no further connections included in the ticket price.

Regional buses 519/520 to Itäkeskus €4,50, every 30 min, for convenient connections to the metro and eastern suburbs of Helsinki.

Vantaa bus 61 to Tikkurila €2.70, connections to the center and eastern parts of Vantaa and access to the closest railway station for intercity and regional train connections. All north and east-bound trains stop here Tikkurila Station.

Vantaa bus 51 to Hämeenkylä €2.70, every 30 min, connections to western Vantaa: suburbs of Myyrmäki, Martinlaakso and Hämeenkylä.

Regional U-line bus 540 to Espoo €4,50, for connections to the areas of Leppävaara, Nihtisilta, Ikea and Espoonkeskus in Espoo.

Regional buses 514/535 to Espoo €4,50, for connections to the areas of Leppävaara, Westend, Tapiola and Espoonkeskus in Espoo.

If you need a place to sleep between flights, there are several reasonable hotels in or very near the airport:

Airport Hotel Bonus Inn

Friendly family-owned hotel with basic but very clean and comfortable rooms. Restaurant, sauna evening only, free shuttle service to airport 5-7 min.

Scandic Gateway-Helsinki Airport

This rather unique transit hotel is located under the runway, so all rooms are small and windowless, but it's located airside Schengen area and directly accessible from the international terminal. Free wifi. Fairly expensive for what you get, but you're paying for the convenience.

By plane

Copterline (http://www.copterline.com/) halted their scheduled flights between Helsinki and Tallinn in December 2008. Copterline begins service again on Tallinn-Helsinki route in September 2011.

By ship

Helsinki is well connected with ferry services to Tallinn Estonia and Stockholm Sweden, and there are limited services to Travemünde & Rostock, Germany as well as Gdynia, Poland. Scheduled service to St. Petersburg Russia operates again since April 2010, and there are occasional winter/summer cruises.

Ferries arrive at three harbours with five terminals:

West Harbour

Länsisatama (http://www.portofhelsinki...) - Hietasaarenkuja 8 - Tallink ships M/S Star, M/S Baltic Princess and M/S Superstar to Tallinn, Eckerö Line ship M/S Nordlandia and St. Peter Line ships Pricess Maria and Princess Anastasia use the West Terminal also. The terminal has luggage lockers, café, a trolley rental, kiosk, a restaurant, public transport ticket machine, bank, an ATM and the Eckerö Line and Tallink Silja Oy service points. Starting from August 2012, tram line 9 goes from the harbour to Central Railway Station and Kallio.

South Harbour

Eteläsatama - Olympia Terminal (http://www.portofhelsinki...) - Olympiaranta 1 - West shore of the bay. Tallink Silja cruise ferries M/S Silja Serenade and M/S Silja Symphony dock at Olympia Terminal, as well as St.Peter Line cruise ferry M/S «Princess Maria». The terminal has a money exchange, an ATM, luggage lockers, a trolley rental, a restaurant, kiosk, and the Silja Line service point. Served by trams 1A and 3T.

South Harbour

Eteläsatama - Makasiini Terminal (http://www.portofhelsinki...) - Eteläranta 7 - West shore of the bay. Linda Line fast catamarans M/S Merilin and M/S Karolin arrive to Makasiini Terminal during open water season. The terminal has a kiosk, currency exchange, luggage lockers and Linda Line and Silja Line service points. Served by trams 1A and 3T, or just walk to Market Square.

South Harbour

Eteläsatama - Katajanokka Terminal (http://www.portofhelsinki...) - Katajanokanlaituri 8 - Right shore of the bay. Viking Line ships M/S Gabriella, M/S Mariella, M/S Viking XPRS arrive at Katajanokka Terminal. The terminal has a restaurant, kiosk, an ATM, a currency exchange, luggage lockers, and the Viking Line service point. The terminus of tram 4T is in front of the terminal. Trams only depart from the terminal at 10-12AM, 3-5 and 8-9PM.

Vuosaari Harbour

Vuosaaren satama - Hansa Terminal (http://www.portofhelsinki...) - Provianttikatu 5 - Mainly a cargo port, but used also by Finnlines (http://www.finnlines.com) services to Rostock, Gdynia and Travemünde and Tallink Silja to Rostock. Take metro to Vuosaari and continue by bus 90B/90BK.

See the Port of Helsinki (http://www.portofhelsinki.fi) for the latest details.

By bus

Long-distance national and international buses terminate at the new underground Central Bus Station Linja-autoasema in the Kamppi Center (http://www.kampinkeskus.f...) Kampin Keskus. The station is adjacent to Mannerheimintie, directly connected to the Kamppi metro station and within a short walking distance from the Central Railway Station.

Low-cost bus operator Onnibus (http://www.onnibus.fi/) operates two lines to Tampere and Turku with prices starting from 3 EUR if booked in advance. Buses to Tampere leave from the small curbside stop in front of the Kiasma art museum and the ones to Turku depart from the Kamppi long-distance bus terminal.

For travel from St. Petersburg Russia, Russian minibuses depart from the Oktyabrskaya Hotel opp Moskovsky train station around 10PM and arrive behind Tennispalatsi at Eteläinen Rautatiekatu 8, one block away from Kamppi, early in the morning. Departures back start around 10AM in the morning. Other minibuses are parked along Fredrikinkatu, with the departure time and price often posted on them. The trip costs around 15 euros, making this by far the cheapest option, but the buses are cramped and uncomfortable and some of them stop at numerous supermarkets on the way so that Russian passengers can go for tax-free shopping. Do not expect drivers to speak anything but Russian. The border crossing time might be substantially longer than with regular buses.

By train

All long-distance trains throughout Finland and the Russian cities of Moscow and Saint Petersburg terminate in the heart of the city at the Rautatieasema Central Railway Station. This station also provides easy interchange to the metro and tram lines. All the trains also stop at Pasila station, which is the last station before Central Railway Station. From Pasila you can change to tram and bus lines.