This article discusses how to get from St. Petersburg to Finland. What is needed for this, besides an ardent desire to see this Scandinavian country and a foreign passport? What transport is better to get there? Which city to visit for shopping or for excursions?
It's no secret that many low-cost airlines fly out of Helsinki airport. On the wings of AirBaltic, Norwegian, Vueling and other low cost airlines you can travel the world cheaply. Therefore, residents of St. Petersburg often use the proximity to the Finnish border to purchase high-quality and inexpensive products, as well as to travel further to other European countries.
What options do such travelers have? The article offers tourist advice on how to get to Finland without unnecessary trouble and cheaply.
How from Peter to get to Finland by car
The distance between Helsinki and St. Petersburg is 384 kilometers. And between Vyborg and the nearest border point in Finland, even less. So shopaholics can very well manage in one day.
Traveling by car is most convenient: you do not depend on the schedule and choose your own route. Roads in Finland are not only good, but excellent, which makes driving a pleasure.
You will get to Helsinki from St. Petersburg in five hours. In addition, the motorist can choose checkpoints. If you’re thinking about how to get from Finland to Finland by car for one day, it’s better to go through the border posts operating around the clock.
This is Torfyanovka - Baalimaa and Lingonberry - Nuyamaa. The rest of the checkpoints (in Vyartsila, Svetogorsk, Salla, Luta and Lotti) work according to the schedule. They are closed at night, sometimes already from 21:00. When crossing the border, a motorist will require:
- valid passport with visa;
- driving license of international standard;
- Original Health Insurance
- documents for the car;
- Greencard policy;
- CTP.
Cons of traveling by car
Why do so many car owners when deciding how to get from St. Petersburg to Finland, choose a different mode of transport? Yes, because the Finns are very meticulous about what should be a car on their roads.
Winter tires are required from November to Monday, following Easter. And the height of the summer pattern on wheels should be at least 1.6 millimeters. A light-protective film is prohibited in Finland at all, and glass tinting should be no more than 70 percent.
Despite the fact that traffic rules in the Scandinavian country are similar to Russian, they are distinguished by strict adherence to the prescribed rules:
- all passengers in the passenger compartment must be fastened;
- you can not go to the red light;
- you must pass pedestrians on the "zebra";
- It is forbidden to talk on a cell phone while driving, etc.
In addition, wild animals are often found on Finnish roads, and the law requires them to be protected. The fines for violating traffic rules are impressive: from 50 to 200 euros (3661 and 14 647 rubles).
By plane
This option is not for those who are considering how to get cheaper from St. Petersburg to Finland. The price of the issue is too high and starts from five thousand rubles. A flight from St. Petersburg to Helsinki will be convenient only for those who are thinking of traveling further using low-cost airlines flying from the capital of Finland.
Every day, from the Pulkovo airport in St. Petersburg, airliners fly into the sky, landing in Vantaa, 19 kilometers from Helsinki. Flight time is 50 minutes. The only thing that keeps tourists from choosing air transport is the price. In the cold season, it can also happen that the flight is delayed due to weather conditions.
Bus tours
In St. Petersburg there is a certain “caste” of citizens who every week go shopping exclusively in Suomi. And the question of how to get from St. Petersburg to Finland, they answer simply: by bus.
There are two types of such vehicles. Regular buses are a little cheaper. The ticket price for them starts at 690 rubles. But if you are going to Finland for one day - for shopping or on vacation - it is best to book a sightseeing bus. The ticket price starts at 800 rubles. But this price includes not only the services of a guide. Sightseeing buses are more comfortable, with airplane-type seats, coffee, a video system and Wi-Fi on board and other amenities.
A group of tourists are brought to shopping centers in the border cities of Finland, for example, to Lapperanta, where they give time for shopping. The program also provides a short sightseeing tour.
By bus
As regular passengers note, the absence of a guide on board and a lower ticket price - that’s the whole difference between sightseeing tours and an independent trip. Cars departing daily from the main bus station and square near the Baltiyskaya metro station are not inferior in comfort to those provided by the travel agency.
Regular transport also has the advantage that, when crossing the border, it passes through a specially designated lane, and the lines at the checkpoint do not threaten it. Therefore, if you are thinking of how to get from Finland to Finland in order to catch a train or plane, it is better to choose a simple bus rather than a sightseeing bus.
There are several shipping companies. Especially well-proven are Lux Express, BasFor and Unitiki. They follow not only in Helsinki, but also in other cities of Suomi: Porvoo, Imatra, Lapperanta or Kotka. Travel agencies in a healthy struggle for clientele often announce discounts and pursue a loyalty policy.
By train
The Lev Tolstoy branded team departs daily from the Ladoga station in St. Petersburg for Helsinki. Travel time is seven hours, and the cost of a ticket in a compartment is three thousand rubles. But this train is not popular with tourists, because Allegro competes with it.
This speed train, popular with frequent visitors to Finland, reaches its capital in three and a half hours. The Allergo train leaves several times a day from the Finland Station in St. Petersburg. The ticket price starts at 1800 rubles.
On the minibus
According to experienced travelers, such taxis are good in that they pick you up “from the door” in St. Petersburg and bring you either to Helsinki International Airport or to another agreed point in Finland. The cost of such pleasure ranges from one thousand two hundred rubles (to the first border crossing point in Suomi) to two and a half thousand (to the capital).
How to get from St. Petersburg to Finland by ferry
Between St. Petersburg and Helsinki runs and water transport. If you have a Schengen visa, you can take a one-way ticket or enjoy a sea ferry cruise. The price of such pleasure starts from seven thousand rubles.
A ferry is not a high-speed mode of transport at all; here, the comfort of passengers is at the forefront. Therefore, the journey will take 13 hours. From the port of Helsinki you can reach other Baltic cities: Stockholm, Tallinn, Riga, Copenhagen, Kiel.
Many Russians think about how to get from St. Petersburg to Finland without a visa. In the summer of 2018, some travel agencies in St. Petersburg organize such sea tours. But the landing of passengers ashore "visa-free liners" do not produce.
Tourists are invited from afar to admire the nature of Finland and breathe in the sea air. But on board a comfortable liner there are casinos, restaurants and bars.