Traveling is one of the ways to change the familiar environment and get a whole range of positive emotions. European countries are in constant demand, where you can even get by your own car. For example, you can go from Moscow to Finland by car and enjoy magnificent views from the window, try out European roads, and also look at the lifestyle of the inhabitants of the northern country.
When exactly it is worth going to Finland is a moot point and directly depends on what exactly do you plan to do there. If you want to see the sights and visit the most secluded corners of the country, it is better to plan a trip in the warm season. If your goal is to learn alpine skiing, as well as enjoy the mountains covered in snow, winter is perfect for traveling.
What is the country interesting for?
Before traveling from Moscow to Finland by car, you must have at least a rough understanding of what this country is. As of the beginning of 2017, 5.5 million people live in it. The population speaks Finnish and Swedish. The state has repeatedly received the title of one of the most stable in the world; the standard euro is used here as the currency.
The most popular city among tourists is Helsinki, annually it is visited by up to 5 million people. Health tourism is very well developed in Finland; a large number of European people come there every year to improve their health. Separately, it is necessary to highlight the religious travelers who go to Lintul and Novo-Valaam monasteries and participate in pilgrimages. In 2015, a special museum card was introduced on the territory of the state, by purchasing which you can visit more than 150 museums scattered throughout Finland over the course of the year.
Route
If you still decide to travel from Moscow to Finland by car, you will need to drive along the toll road to Solnechnogorsk, from there go to the Tver region and then to Novgorod. In any case, you will have to go through St. Petersburg, and you can go to the highway leading to the border both through the paid Western high-speed diameter and through the northern capital itself. If you want to save a tidy sum, it is best to use atlases to look for workarounds for free tracks.
On average, the road to the border with Finland takes about 12-14 hours, it all depends on the speed limit and the reliability of the vehicle used. It should be borne in mind that when passing control you will get into a traffic jam, overcoming which can take from 15 minutes to 3-4 hours. If there are no delays at the border outpost, then you can go through all the necessary procedures and formalities in 15-20 minutes.
Moscow-Helsinki
If you decide to take the Moscow-Finland route by car, the distance between the two points will not be easy to calculate. It is much easier to do this if you decide to get to Helsinki, from there to the Russian capital about 1090 kilometers, 880 of which you will travel through our country. From the border crossing point Virooyoki-Mozhzhevelnikovo to the Finnish capital, only 210 kilometers can be covered in 3-4 hours.
You can head from Virojoki in any direction you are interested in, however, you must first acquire an atlas of roads or take a navigator with you. Roads in Finland differ from the Russian ones in a large number of secondary routes. It is easy to get confused and lost in them, this should be borne in mind.
Documents for crossing the border
When traveling by car to Finland from Moscow, you will need to bring along a number of documents to cross the border. First of all, we are talking about a passport and a Schengen (national) visa. You also need to have a medical policy with you, which can be used in the Schengen countries during your trip. At the border, you may be required to confirm the fact of your planned stay in Finland (for example, hotel reservations). In the event that you enter the country as a "savage", you will need to confirm that you have enough money in your account to visit it (50 euros per day for one person).
It is also necessary to present a driver's license of an international type, registration documents for a vehicle and the policy of compulsory insurance of the vehicle itself. If you are planning a trip with your children, be sure to bring along the original and a copy of the birth certificate (if the child is under 14 years old), as well as an insurance policy. If your child is already 14, you will need to take his passport.
Features of car traffic
Now that you know how many kilometers you need to travel from Moscow to Finland by car, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with the specific features of this country's traffic rules. When driving at any time of the day or night, the dipped beam should always work for you, you can’t use “foglights” in normal weather. The maximum speed in settlements is 50 kilometers per hour, outside them - 80, while the concept of “+20”, which is used on Russian roads, does not exist here. If the sign says "50", this means that the maximum speed is really 50 kilometers per hour. Please note: the actions of all signs are distributed until the appearance of their canceling brothers, in Russia, the signs are valid until the first intersection.
When driving on the highway, it is recommended to use the right lanes, the left ones are needed only for overtaking. At roundabouts, priority is given to cars that are in a circle. Please note that here the rules are built according to the method “what is not allowed is forbidden”, so if you do not see a sign that allows parking, then you cannot stop.
Vacation fell in January ...
If you are traveling to Finland by car from Moscow in winter (for example, in January), you should carefully prepare for the trip. Be sure to bring more warm clothes with you, as well as take care of the vehicle - conduct a full technical inspection. If the car breaks down, you need to call a tow truck, however, it can arrive both after 20 minutes, and after 3 hours. It is better to wait for help in warm clothes, because winters in Russia and Finland are quite cold.
In the event that your car is still broken, you need to turn on the emergency lights, dipped beam and put the appropriate sign 150-200 meters from the vehicle. Please note that the rules prohibit repairing on the side of the road, it is also impossible to tow a faulty car yourself, you can only use the services of a tow truck. Finland's traffic regulations are much stricter than Russian ones, for exceeding the speed of 40 kilometers the driver can not only take away the rights, but also expel them from the territory of the state.
How much money is needed?
If you plan to travel to Finland by car from Moscow, you need to calculate at least an approximate cost. Based on the fact that the price for 1 liter of the most popular gasoline (AI-95) ranges from 39-42 rubles, and also because about 90-95 liters of fuel are needed on the one-way road, simple calculations can be made. Calculations will make it possible to spend about 4000 rubles on the road.
A trip by car will cost you much less than plane and rail tickets. In particular, the cost of one ticket is about 10 thousand rubles one way, so the savings when traveling on your car can be 50-60%, especially if you travel in a company.
Conclusion
Traveling from Moscow to Finland by car can be even less costly if all possible risks are taken into account in advance. Car inspection, preparation of provisions and warm clothes, study of traffic rules - a necessary minimum that will help you avoid troubles and save a tidy sum.
Be sure to bring a Russian-Finnish phrasebook with you, since there are not so many Russian-speaking people in Finland, but you still have to contact local residents. As an alternative, you can take with them Swedish or English benefits, but the percentage of speakers of these languages is minimal, with the exception of hotel and hotel staff.