Transportation
There are excellent flight connections to Finland from all over
the world. Finnair and SAS have scheduled flights to Helsinki
from most major cities in Europe, as well as from New York, San
Francisco, Cairo, Bangkok, Singapore, Beijing, Sydney and Tokyo.
Twenty-two other international airlines offer regular flights
to Helsinki. There are no departure taxes when leaving Finland.
Land crossings into Finland from Sweden and Norway are hassle-free,
serviced by frequent buses and trains. Land crossings from Russia
are a little more problematic, but border crossings are becoming
more relaxed all the time. If you stick to the main tourist corridors
(eg. Helsinki-St Petersburg) you won't have any troubles, but
make sure you have a Russian visa before you roll up at the frontier.
The Trans-Siberian Railway connects Europe to Asia, although
its popularity has declined in recent years due to the general
state of chaos in Russia. You can buy a ticket in Helsinki for
the Chinese border via Moscow. Beware of sharks offering discounted
tickets on this service; it's almost certain you'll be ripped
off.
Baltic ferries run from Sweden, Estonia and
Germany to Helsinki and Turku. The ferries are impressive seagoing
craft and have been compared to hotels and shopping plazas; they
actually make more money from duty-free shops than they do from
passenger tickets! If you want to gamble while you sail, there
is also a casino boat that goes from Umeå, Sweden to Vaasa.
Finland has a superb network of domestic train, bus and air
connections. Over 20 cities are linked by daily air services,
as far north as Ivalo on the 67th parallel. Buses are the principal
carriers of domestic and visitor traffic to more remote parts,
although trains carry passengers efficiently along intercity routes
right up to the Arctic Circle. The highway and freeway network
is good between city centres, although you can encounter unsurfaced
dirt and beaten tracks in the forests. No international licence
is needed to drive in Finland, but you should carry your own licence
when driving. Traffic keeps to the right and you should always
drive with your headlights on. In most towns bicycles can
be hired and are a recommended mode of transport during the summer.
Lake and river ferries operate over the summer period,
and come in handy if you're walking or cycling around the country. |
