Finland Transport

Finland has over 24 airports which are spread across the entire country. Many of these are international facilities providing connections with European countries and others beyond the EU. Helsinki International Airport is the country’s most significant gateway and sees the highest percentage of visitors pass through its gates. Tampere and Turku also have their own airports which see a reasonable number of international flights.

Helsinki-Vantaa International Airport is situated just 10 miles north of the city and is a very busy facility providing connections with a large number of EU cities such as Budapest, Paris, Stockholm, London, Geneva, Munich and Prague as well as international cities such as Hong Kong, Osaka, Bangkok and New York.

The airport offers comprehensive parking options with short- and long-term spaces as well as spaces for disabled drivers. Essential facilities in the airport include banks and currency exchange services, baby care rooms and ample facilities for shopping and dining. Travel agencies, a pharmacy and a barber are also available. VIP services are available for those willing to pay the necessary fees and include check-in and customs assistance as well as access to the VIP lounge.

Ground transportation options from the airport include a public bus service (bus numbers 415, 451 and 615) which connects both of the terminals with downtown Helsinki. Taxis are also available from outside the arrivals areas while the Finnair City Bus also operates to the city centre. 

The Eurolines Coach Company provides services between Finland and Russia, Poland, Germany, the Ukraine, Italy and the Czech Republic.

Land crossings by car can be made easily from Norway and Sweden. You can also enter from Russia; however, visitors have been known on occasion to experience some problems at the Russian-Finnish border. This situation is improving every year though so drivers shouldn’t necessarily be put off driving between the two countries.

Sea Ferries crossing the Baltic Sea provide connections to Helsinki and Turku from Sweden, Estonia and Germany. Services are provided by Viking Line.

Finland has an excellent public transport infrastructure with services of a high standard across the country. Within Helsinki, travellers will find bus routes covering a large proportion of the city and the possibility of purchasing a single travel card that permits travel on both buses and trains. The coach network provides transport from city to city and is among Europe’s most comprehensive. It offers over 40,000 daily bus departures and covers over 90% of the country’s roads.

Driving in Finland is an altogether pleasant experience with congested roads being something of a rarity. The road network is very well designed with uncomplicated routes between the four main compass points. EU visitors can drive on their domestic licences while visitors from other countries will need to apply to the Finnish police for a driving licence as an international licence does not permit you to drive in Finland.

Finland is as well equipped with taxis and taxi companies as any other country in Europe and visitors can recognise the vehicles by their distinct yellow colour. Taxis can be hailed on the street or booked by telephone and invariably operate on a metered fare basis.