Helsinki

Getting there & away

Land

Bus

Purchase long-distance and express bus tickets at the new underground Kamppi Bus Station (Frederikinkatu; 7am-7pm Mon-Fri, 7am-5pm Sat, 9am-6pm Sun) or on the bus itself. There's a terminal for local buses to Espoo in one wing, while longer-distance buses also depart from here to all of Finland. Destinations with several daily departures including Jyväskylä (€36.90, four to six hours), Kuopio (€49, five to seven hours), Lappeenranta (€32.30, four hours), Oulu (€77.40, 11½hrs), Savonlinna (€46.70, five to six hours), Tampere (€28.10, 2½ hours) and Turku (€28.10, 2½ hours).

Train

The rautatieasema (train station) is in the city centre and is linked by pedestrian tunnel with the Helsinki metro system. 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.

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Boat

International ferries travel to Stockholm and Tallinn. There is also a regular catamaran and hydrofoil service to Tallinn.

Four of the five ferry terminals are just off the central kauppatori: Kanava and Katajanokka terminals are served by bus 13 and trams 2, 2V and 4, and Olympia and Makasiini terminals by trams 3B and 3T. The last terminal, Länsiterminaali, is served by bus 15.

Ferry tickets may be purchased at the terminal, from a ferry company's office in the centre or (in some cases) from the city tourist office. Book in advance during the high season (late June to mid-August).

Ferry company offices in Helsinki:

Eckerö Line (228 8544; Mannerheimintie 10, Länsiterminaali)

Linda Line (668 9700; Makasiini terminal)

Nordic Jet Line (681 770; Kanava terminal)

Silja Line (0203-74552; Mannerheimintie 2, Makasiini & Olympia terminals)

Tallink (2282 1222; Erottajankatu 19, Kanava Terminal)

Viking Line (123 577; Mannerheimintie 14, Katajanokka & Makasiini terminals)

In summer there are daily ferries between Helsinki and Porvoo, through the southeast archipelago.

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Air

There are flights to Helsinki from the USA, Europe and Asia on many airlines. Finnair and its subsidiaries offer international as well as domestic services, with flights to 20 Finnish cities - generally at least once a day. Blue1 (0600 25831; www.blue1.com) has budget flights to some Finnish destinations. The Finnair office (reservations 0600 140 140; www.fin nair.fi; Asema-aukio 1; Mon-Sat) is in the train station complex. The airport is in Vantaa, 19km north of Helsinki.

The quickest way to Tallinn is by helicopter. Copterline (0200 18181; www.copterline.com; h7am-10pm) flies hourly from Helsinki to Tallinn and back. The trip takes 20 minutes one way and costs from €118 for a limited ticket (book at least two days in advance) to €228 for a guaranteed seat. At time of writing, weekend services had been suspended after a crash, but were due to resume.

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