World Country Guide

Travel - Internal

Air
There are 22 domestic airports in Finland. Finnair runs an excellent network of domestic services. For further information, contact their UK Head Office, 14 Clifford Street, London W1S 4BX, UK (tel: (0870) 241 4411; fax: (020) 7629 7289 or (0870) 787 4988; website: www.finnair.com). Other domestic airlines include Blue 1 (website: www.blue1.com) and Golden Air (website: www.goldenair.se).

Cheap fares
There are some money-saving offers available. These include: Group discounts which vary between 15 per cent and 35 per cent, depending on the size of the group; Senior Citizens’ fares giving special rates (with some restrictions) for persons over 65; Junior fares giving special rates for children aged 12 to 16; and Youth fares giving special rates (with some restrictions) for persons aged 17 to 25. There are special ‘Midnight Sun’ packages to Rovaniemi (Lapland) in June and July. For further information, contact Norvista, 31-5 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TE, UK (tel: (0870) 744 7315; fax: (0870) 744 7310; e-mail: reservations@norvista.co.uk; website: www.norvista.co.uk); or the Finnish Tourist Board (see Contact Addresses section).

River/Lake
Traffic on the inland waterways is serviced by regular water buses and ferries. There is a wide choice of routes and distances. Popular routes are the ‘Silver Line’ between Hmeenlinna and Tampere and the ‘Poet’s Way’ between Tampere and Virrat. Saimaa Ferries operate lake routes from Lieksa, Koli and Joensuu. There are also regular services on Lake Pijnne and Lake Inari. Lake Pijnne Cruises run services from Lahti, Heinola and Jyvskyl and Roll Cruises operate from Kuopio and Savonlinna. On Lake Pielinen, there are regular services, also by car ferry. Overnight accommodation in small cabins and meals and refreshments are available on lake cruises. For more detailed information on schedules and routes, contact the Finnish Tourist Board (see Contact Addresses section).

Rail
There are 6000km (3700 miles) of rail network with modern rolling stock. VR Ltd (website: www.vr.fi) operates an extensive rail service around Finland. The ‘Pendolino’ fast train runs at a maximum speed of 220km (132 miles) per hour and is designed to operate on all main routes by the end of 2006. Current lines include Helsinki–Turku, Helsinki–Tampere–Jyvskyl, Jyvskyl–Kuopio and Helsinki–Seinjoki–Oulu. Other trains include express trains (for which seats must be booked in advance), night and car-carrier trains, regional trains and InterCity trains (InterCity2 trains have double-decker cars). Rail travel is cheap and efficient. Children under six years of age travel free of charge, children aged six to 16 pay half price.

Cheap fares
Special tickets offering discounts are available including: Group tickets (minimum of three people), giving 20 per cent discount, valid for one month; Finnrail pass, giving unlimited travel for three, five or 10 days within a period of one month, first- or second-class; Finnish Senior Citizens Rail Card for persons over 65 years of age, entitling the holder to a 50 per cent discount (passport has to be shown); Student Rail Discounts, entitling the student to 50 per cent discounts with a valid student card; Scanrail Pass, valid for 21 days for travel in the Scandinavian countries with reductions of 25 to 50 per cent for young people according to age; Inter-Rail Ticket, valid in Finland as well as the rest of Europe; Eurail Passes and Euro Domino passes are also accepted.
For further details and reservations, contact the Finnish Tourist Board (see Contact Addresses section) or Finnish Railways, PO Box 488, 00101 Helsinki (tel: 3072 0902; fax: 3072 0111; e-mail: yhteyskeskus@vr.fi; website: www.vr.fi).

Road
There are 77,000km (47,000 miles) of road. The main roads are passable at all times and are surfaced with asphalt or oil and sand. There are weight restrictions on traffic from April to May in southern Finland, and from May to early June in northern Finland. Traffic drives on the right. Horn-blowing is frowned upon. In some areas, warnings of elk, deer and reindeer crossing will be posted. Drivers involved in an elk or reindeer collision should report the event to the Police immediately. Bus: This is an excellent means of transport. Coach services are run by ExpressBus (a consortium of 30 bus companies; website: www.expressbus.com) and there are more than 300 services daily from Helsinki and connections can be made to the most remote and isolated parts of the country. In Lapland, buses are the major means of surface travel. Bus stations have restaurants and shops. Baggage left at one station is dispatched to its destination, even when bus transfers and different bus companies are involved. One child under four is carried free (children aged four to 11 years pay half fare). Seats for coaches can be reserved in advance by paying the full fare and reservation fee. Timetables are widely available. Cheap fares: Group tickets are sold for groups travelling at least 80km (50 miles) and including at least three persons (at least one of whom is aged over 12 years). There is a 50 per cent discount for students when travelling a minimum of 80km. The state post office also runs a bus service with routes that serve the rural areas. Up-to-date details of bus services may be obtained from Matkahuolto (website: www.matkahuolto.fi). Taxi: Available in every city and from airports or major hotels. Taxi drivers are not tipped. Taxis have a yellow taksi sign which is lit when the taxi is vacant. They can be booked at taxi ranks or signalled from the street. Fares are more expensive at nights (Sun-Fri 2000-0600, Sat 1600-0600). Car hire: Cars can be rented in Helsinki and other places. The minimum age varies from 19 to 25 years of age depending on the company and all must have a minimum of one year’s driving experience. The rates usually include oil, maintenance, liability and insurance, but no petrol. A few caravans are for hire. Regulations: Seat belts must be worn by the driver and all passengers (front and back seat). Car headlights must be kept on at all times. Cars towing caravans may not exceed 80kph (50mph). Cars and caravans must have the same tyres. Studded tyres are allowed from 1 October to 30 April or when weather conditions are appropriate. From 1 December until 28 February, snow tyres are a legal requirement for vehicles under 3.5 tonnes. It is possible to hire tyres. Further information can be obtained from Autoliitto (Automobile and Touring Club of Finland), Hmeentie 105A, 00550 Helsinki (tel: (9) 7258 4400; fax: (9) 7258 4460; e-mail: autoliitto@autoliitto.fi; website: www.autoliitto.fi). If involved in an accident, immediately contact the Finnish Motor Insurer’s Bureau (Liikennevakuutuskeskus), Bulevardi 28, 00120 Helsinki (tel: (9) 6804 0611; fax: (9) 6804 0474; e-mail: uk.ic@vakes.fi). Documentation: National driving licence or International Driving Permit and insurance required.

Urban
Efficient and integrated bus, metro and tramway services, suburban rail lines and ferry services to Suomenlinna Islands are operated in Helsinki. A common fares system applies to all the modes (including the ferries) with a zonal flat fare and free transfer between services. Multi-trip tickets are sold in advance, as are various passes. The peninsular location of the city has led to an emphasis on public transport. Tram no. 3 passes most of the main tourist attractions – a free brochure in English is available for those who wish to take the trip. Helsinki Card: This is available for one, two or three days. Once purchased, it gives free travel on public transport and free entry to about 50 museums and other sights in the city. The card comes with a guidebook giving details of the museums, sights and other discounts on offer. Enquire at the Tourist Board for prices and further details.

Travel times
The following chart gives approximate travel times (in hours and minutes) from Helsinki to other major cities/towns in Finland.

	Air	Road	Rail
Tampere	0.35	2.50	1.48
Turku	0.30	2.40	1.50
Rovaniemi	1.15	13.30	9.07