Helsinki Travel Forum

Is it possible to get a russian visa in Helsinki, travel agent or such with Brit passport at short notice.

I am going to helsinki from 21/10 to 25/10.
i got 2 children and my partner, how much to spend on food and transportation and visting popuar places, buying some presents?
is it cheap to buy cloths from finland?can you tell me by the interesting places to visit in finland?

On my way to Asia, I have few hours to spend at the Helsinki airport. I will be waiting there for seven hours before my plane take off.
I would like to know if, arriving at 2PM, there is any chance to go to the city by bus, have a quick view of the city and go back to the airport where my plane leaves at 22.30.
I would appreciate any suggestions / advices.

Hi Guys, I am a 30 something guy from London and I am flying
into Helsinki this weekend.Are there any backpackers out there
or Finns this weekend who want to join my friend & I for a few beers?
Could do with some local knowledge on best bars & restaurants to go to.

Cheers Justin

Cheapest prepay mobile in Finland?

What is the best prepay card for a visitor to Finland staying 3 weeks? DNA, Saunalahti, Sonera, or something else??? I am interested in sending SMS (to Finnish mobiles) ONLY. No roaming, no international. Just cheap SMS, including countryside coverage. Which one do you have? Which company do you recommend (if it's prepay)?

How much is the startpack?

Thanks

Does anyone know how to find the time schedule for trains running from Helsinki up to Vainikkala and/or Lappeenranta? I've checked the Finn Rail site but am only receiving errors when doing searches.

I'm also wondering about prices. Does it cost less to make a two-way reservation instead of just buying tickets at the time of departure?

Thank you.

Does anybody know of any Irish Pub you can watch the leinster final between Dublin V Kildare on Sunday 12 July in Helsinki.

hey just joined vt so this is my first post! :D
im going to be 21 on the 21st of september and really really wanna be in helsinki when its my birthday. so really my questions are;
Q1: what is helsinki like in september?
Q2: where would you reccommend to stay?
Q3: what are the prices like for, example one beer, two course meal, etc?
Q4: what are the best clubs bars or resturaunts?
Q5: what kind of activities are there to do during the day?
Q6: how much money would you reccommend i take for one weeks stay?

thats all i can think of to ask just now (haha just six questions...)
sorry its a long one but if you can offer any advice or answers that would be very helpful :D
thanks in advance
Lisaxx

Hello everyone. My wife and I (mid 40's Australian couple, active and fit) are going to be in Helsinki for two nights in late August and were after some advice on where to stay and must see things. We never thought that we would get the opportunity to visit Finland so we are very excited. We are both water people and would like to stay somewhere about $150USD range with water views if that is possible. Is there a last minute hotel guide that offers cheaper rates?
Is it a good idea to hire a pushbike and see a bit of the city that way ourselves or are better off joining a sightseeing tour? We would love to have a chat to some locals in a pub and learn a bit about the country. Is there any scheduled VT meetings around that time?
Thanks in advance for your help.

hello, whats the best way from terminal viking line to airport Vantaa, beforehands thanks a lot.

We are heading over to Europe for Christmas and the New Year and my 5 year old daughter wants to see snow at Christmas......will there be snow in Helsinki or surrounding regions? Also do the Finnish REALLY celebrate Christmas with all the lights and trimmings? We live in Australia and I would love the kids to experience a Northern Hemsisphere Christmas, I am open to all and any suggestions, we have from approximately 20th - 26th December before flying onto Nice. Thanks!!

Hello!

I will be flying in and out of Helsinki this August. On my way back home I would like to spend some time in the city.

Should I stay 1 or 2 days there? While I'm there, what would you recommend I see?

Thanks in advance!

Best "natural landscape" Route to take in Finland in summer?

I'm not sure if I should explore the interior of Finland on my trip to Scandanavia this summer. I know Finland is a flat country, and I'm a landscape photographer. I know there are lakes, and forests, but Finland distances are great, and my time in the country is limited to 3-4 weeks, and I want to know Helsinki well. My question is what can I expect to find If I go hitchiking, exploring the heart of Finland?

What route should I take that will lead me back to Umeo, or Stockholm, Sweden (my next destination after Finland)? I've heard the archipelego around Turku is the nicest area of the country. I don't have time, resources to go all the way to Lapland, but I heard for example rt. 62 around Pumaala is the nicest area of the country for photography, nature, and untouched wildernesss.

What do you think?

I am using frequent flyer miles for my summer travel to Europe. The only day that I could leave Rome is July 28th at approximately 7pm. I arrive in Helsinki after midnight! While I have found some hostels with 24 hour reception, I am mainly concerned about getting there. Is there a bus, tram or train from the airport at that time of night??? I have tried looking at the airport's website and the time schedules are not clear to me.

Also, I will have some time to explore the city the following morning. Any must see suggestions?

Help!

Thanks in advance,
Revlynn

Hello. I would like to visit Tallinn while I am in Helsinki. Which ferry, catamaran etc. options would you recommend? (price, travel time options etc) As far as I can see, there are many operating companies. Thanks a lot.

My daughter and I will be flying into Helsinki on 2 June and arrive at approximately 9am, our next flight does not leave until the mid-evening hours, so we hoped it might be possible to meet for lunch at a restaurant or cafe within reasonable distance from the airport. We are unfamiliar with the city, so any suggestions would be very welcome even if the member won't be able to attend. Anybody care to meet up?

Much to my own surprise, this will be my first visit to Helsinki, and Finalnd, this year. Would any VTers like to meet up for a coffee or lunch?

Gordon

Hi.

This summer i am coming in Finland, flying round trip from Helsinki, i have 11 days

I am going to vist south Finland and north-center Estonia.

Now it's time to design an itinerary: we are only 2 so we aren't going to rent a car, so we'll move with bus or train.
Is possible to reach to east part of Estonia by ferryboat from Finland or i have to do the route Helsinki-Tallin 2 times ?

Hello all
I am visiting Helsinki in a few weeks and i was thinking about whether or not there might be some memorials to The Winter War of 1939-40 in Helsinki?
Would it fair to assume there aren't any monuments or memorials to The Continuation War 1941-44?
I understand there are a couple of museums worth visiting in the city which deal with these historical subjects but i'm interested in seeing memorials/monuments in or around Helsinki which deal with this sometimes sensitive subject.

If anyone can advise i would be most grateful

Regards to all!

DG

The cost of Finnish train in comparison to bus is so much more expensive.

Aparently there is a Finnish train and a Russian train that leaves Helsinki to St. Petersburg. Is the Russian train less expensive and where is the site to purchase tickets? I would imagine the Russian train would have more culture. Does the train stop anywhere along the way and can one get off to take photos? Is English spoken and does one bring one's own food on board?

What is the cost?

Thanks

Don
Peterborough, Canada

Are we able to walk to town from the cruise ship terminal? How far is town from the cruise terminal. Thanks

Does anyone know if the overnight ferry service from Petersburg to Helsinki has resumed?

--Renaud

I haven't been able to obtain accurate information about trains from Petersburg to Helsinki. I will be going on June 24. Is departure from the Finland station or Ladozhsky?

It seems that there are no overnight trains, and trains leave at either 7:15 or 16:30 (not counting Tolstoy). How long is the trip? I have seen travel times ranging from 5 hours to 6.5.


-Renaud
New York

Hello all
Is Hostel Mekka still operational in Helsinki? I've tried to find their website but without success.
If anyone can help i would be very grateful
Regards to all
DG

I have an adaptor plug for US->Europe power outlets. Is that all I need and can it be used for most applicances? Thanks for any information.

Hi, I will be arriving at Helsinki airport this Wednesday evening (1apr) and need to meet up with another individual flying in on a separate international flight. Thought maybe the red carpet/star alliance lounge but I am a member but she is not. Possibly a convenient location to meet after collecting baggage? Thank you!

Has anyone tried the Finnish Sauna and Swimming in a lake?

I'm a little nervous about trying but found this video, looks like lots of fun:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZkaUa3BMqU

One of my friends went a day tour with these guys last year thinks they're cool.....??

we arent staying in helsinki for long and booked a hotel SOKOS HOTEL HELSINKI thinking that it would be convenient to get to the harbour to catch fast ferry to tallinn for the day

now we find out that there are actually lots of ferries that run from different ports in helsinki
and we need to find out which one is the closest to our hotel- no sense in going cross town when we made the effort to find a hotel close to the harbour we thought wed be using

so
what is the harbour round the katajannoka area called - i cant make it out on the google map
and which ferry lines depart from there

i know this has been asked and so i know that you can actually just turn up to get a ticket
but we will be arriving in helsinki late in the afternoon and by the time we get settled the harbour ticket sales may not be operating????
i didnt want to rush in the morning and actually wanted to get as much sleep as possible being our first night on the ground so i thought pre-booking might be best - even if we do it from australia through our agent just to have peace of mind

but im nervous
my agent doesnt seem to realise there are different lines and i think he was talking to tallink and im not sure they depart from that harbour we are close to
i think we need to book the viking express ferry
am i right?
what other fast options do i have?
and does anyone know how i can find out when the ferry ticket sales close for the evening?
if we miss out - how early do we need to be at the harbour to buy tickets for the first departure?
thanks people

Hey guys,
i've finally saved enough to make my trip to Helsinki in the summer and i was wondering if there were any hidden gems to be found, other than the usual tourist attractions?
i wanna see as much as possible in my two weeks there and was hoping that there might be a kind soul on here that might be able to suggest some places?
Any help greatly appreciated
Miss_Valo
xXx

Hi everyone

Two (hopefully) quick questions:

1/ How long does it take to get from Vantaa Airport to the Ferry harbour in Helsinki by taxi and how much would this cost approximately?

2/ When you take the ferry to Tallinn, what exactly is the procedure when you are boarding in Helsinki? Do you carry all your luggage on board with you, or is there some sort of other system (we will be foot passengers)? I've never caught a ferry so I'm not sure what happens... especially with luggage.

Thanks for any help possible!

Peter