Getting There

Main Airports

Helsinki (HEL) (Helsinki-Vantaa) (tel: 0200 14636; www.helsinki-vantaa.fi) is Finland's principal international airport, 19km (12 miles) north of the city (journey time - 25 minutes). To/from the airport: Finnair City Bus and the airport bus operate to the city regularly (journey time - 30 minutes). Taxis are readily available but much more expensive. Some Helsinki hotels run courtesy coaches. Facilities: Banks/bureaux de change, duty-free shops, hair salon, car hire, hotel reservation service, VIP lounge, a multimedia centre, conference rooms, restaurants, cafes and bars.

Other international airports:
International flights also land at Turku (TKU), 7km (4 miles) north of Turku city centre; Tampere (TMP), 15km (9 miles) from Tampere; Vaasa (VAA), 12km (7 miles) from Vaasa; and Rovaniemi (RVN), 10km (6 miles) from Rovaniemi. More information on Finland's airports is available at www.finavia.fi.

Getting There by Water

Main ports: Helsinki (www.portofhelsinki.fi), Turku (www.port.turku.fi), Mariehamn (Åland; www.visitaland.com) and Vaasa (www.vaasa.fi/port). Car ferries sail daily to Finland from Stockholm and other Swedish ports, as well as from Tallinn (Estonia). International ferry companies include Viking Line (tel: 0600 41577; www.vikingline.fi) and Silja Line (tel: 0600 174 552; www.tallinksilja.com). Note that many locals use the international ferries for overnight 'booze cruises' and they can be noisy and crowded at weekends. There are also ferry services to Finland from Rostockand Travemünde (Germany). Several major international cruise lines call at Finnish ports.

Rail Passes

InterRail: offers unlimited first- or second-class travel in up to 30 European countries for travellers who have been residents of Europe for more than six months. The Global Pass allows travel for 22 days, one month, five days in 10 days or 10 days in 22 days across all countries. Travellers under 26 years receive a reduction, but you cannot buy a pass for your home nation. Children get a discount of around 50%. Supplements are required for some high-speed services, seat reservations and couchettes. Discounts are offered on Eurostar and some ferry routes. Available from Interrail (www.interrailnet.com).

Eurailpass: There are four types of Eurailpass offering unlimited first-class train travel within the countries of Europe. The Eurail Global pass allows continuous travel for 15 days to three months, or 10 to 15 days in one two month period, in 21 European countries. The Eurail Select pass is valid in three, four or five bordering countries and allows five, six, eight or 10 travel days (or 15 for five countries) in a two-month period. The Eurail Regional pass allows three to 10 travel days in a two-month period in one of nine regions - the Scandinavia Pass covers Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark. Children aged 4 to 11 receive a 50% reduction; there are also discounts for under-25s. Eurail passes cannot be sold to residents of Europe and some other nations. Available from The Eurail Group (www.eurail.com).

Getting There by Road

There are eight official border crossings between Finland and Russia, six between Finland and Norway and 10 between Finland and Sweden. The most frequented borders are at Vaalimaa (from Russia), Karigasniemi (from Norway) and Tornio (from Sweden), providing a scenic alternative to the shorter sea-crossing from Turku to Stockholm.

Coach/bus: There are long-distance coach services to Finland from many European cities, though you may have to travel by ferry from Stockholm (Sweden) or Tallinn (Estonia). Eurolines (www.eurolines.com) is the main operator of international bus services in Europe. There are also slow but economical bus services between Helsinki and St Petersburg (Russia).

Getting There by Rail

There are rail-sea links to Finland via Copenhagen and Stockholm and several trains run daily from Helsinki to St Petersburg and Moscow. Contact VR (tel: 0600 41902, within Finland only or (9) 2319 2902 from elsewhere; www.vr.fi) or visit www.seat61.com/finland.htm.