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ARE YOU PLANNING A TRIP TO FINLAND? HOW TO GET THERE AND SOME USEFUL TIPS. You can choose to travel by plane, by car, by bus or by train.
Travelling by plane is usually the easiest way to get to Finland but because of the traffic jams in St Petersburg it can also take more time than by other forms of transport. Of course this is the most expensive way. Planes leave from Pulkovskovo airport. Finnair tel. +7 812 303 98 98 Address: Malaya Konyushenaya. Timetables www.finnair.com Aeroflot tel. +7 812 718 55 55
It takes about 1½ -2 hours from St Petersburg to the border. There are two mostly used crossing border points: Vaalimaa and Nuijamaa. If you travel to Helsinki or to southern Finland choose Vaalimaa, closest town Hamina. If you are going to Lappeenranta or Imatra choose Nuijamaa. There is a half an hour break at the border in the mornings which usually starts at 7.30 or 7.45. If you want to avoid standing in line arrive at the border before 7.30 or after 8.30. There is also a break in the evenings after 7.30 pm. Busiest days on the way to Finland are Friday evenings and Saturday mornings or holidays. From Finland the worst time is usually on Sunday afternoons or evenings. On Finland side they have an EU-line which is unfortunately not open very often. If the border works normally it takes about an hour with all the boarder formalities. From the border to Helsinki (190km) it is 2 hours and to Lappeenranta, (20 km) half an hour. Remember that the regulations for drivers are stricter in Finland than in Russia. Seat belts have to be fastened, children in their own seats and only hands free telephone conversations. Fees for speeding can be very high because they depend on your annual salary. Traffic on the way from St Petersburg to Vyborg is quite dangerous through the year but especially during winter, night and rain because there are hundreds of long trucks and the speed of all the cars on the way is usually very high.
Normal big busses are leaving to Helsinki from the same spot. In the window you can see the sign Helsinki or Itäkeskus (in Russian). They will take you to the centre of Helsinki and you are there about 5am. Route busses from Helsinki to St.Petersburg leave at the lowest level (-3) at Kamppi bus station at 11 pm.
Trains to Finland (Repin and Sibelius) leave at Finlandskij voksal twice a day and once a day (Tolstoi) from Ladovskij voksal. Repin early in the morning before 8am and Sibelius at 4.28pm. Tolstoi arrives and leaves during the night. Repin and Tolstoi are Russian style trains with Russian officers. It has cabins for 6 people. Sibelius is an old-fashioned Finnish style train with Finnish officers speaking English and seats are like in the plane. In both trains there is a restaurant wagon. Foreigners prefer to take Sibelius because Repin is often very crowded and facilities are not very high standard. Although It has the eastern atmosphere itis also very recommendable. Just remember to book seats also for children. Timetables for trains www.vr.fi/heo/eng Train tickets to Finland can be bought e.g. in "Aviakaccy" at the corner of Nevsky and Malaya Morskaya. Enter right from the entrance hall for plane tickets (Pulkovskaya, Finnair) and straight from the entrance hall for train tickets. at Griboedova 24. Green sign with a picture of train and plane. From the entrance hall turn right to the second floor and again right. at Finlandskiy voksal. One way ticket for an adult bought in St Petersburg is about 1800r depending on the commission, including seat ticket. A one way ticket for second class bought in Finland costs around 52 per adult. In Helsinki tickets can be bought at the Central Railway Station. It is the same place where the train arrives from St Petersburg. Look at the signs and you find a hall for train tickets. International train tickets are sold at the very end of the hall. Coming back to Russia by any transport vehicle you are given a registration form in Russian, which you need to fill in. Regulations of registration and documents varies from day to day. Dont be surprised if the staff at the border want more copies of the documents (especially travelling by car).
www.visitfinland.com very informative pages, good links www.helsinkithisweek.fi what to see and do in Helsinki www.visithelsinki.fi www.helsinkiexpert.fi f.ex. accommodation online booking service Look at BBC web site to find out secrets of the Finns´ character! Finnish consulate in St Petersburg +7 812 331 76 00 Shops are usually closed on Sundays except during the summer and during Christmas time. The clock is one hour behind St Petersburg. In Finland usually all people speak English at least they try. Short course in Finnish language in case you want to start a conversation: Thank you - kiitos, Hello - hei, can you help me? - voitko auttaa? HAVE A PLEASANT TRIP TO FINLAND AND FEEL FREE TO ASK MORE TIPS FROM YOUR FINNISH IWC FRIENDS. Anu Ovaskainen, Sari Pulli, Riikka Paalanen |
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