Helsinki Flights

When we were preparing to land in Helsinki, from Dublin-Copenhagen, I was lucky enough to get the window seat. When looking out I could see lush forests, the city skyline and the Baltic coastline, it looked awesome...

Helsinki airport isnt particularly huge. However there is a regular bus service every 15 mins from the airport to Senate Square (17Mk, Helsinki card not accepted).

Thanks to Finnair, Helsinki's international airport is one of the busiest in Europe, and a busy hub for the Baltics and intercontinental planes. Most European capitals have direct flights to Helsinki, but you can also fly directly to cities like Beijing, Delhi, Tokyo, Toronto and New York.

The airport is clean and pleasant, but very expensive. Expect to pay in the region of 5 euros for a sandwich the size of a matchbox, and 2-3 euros for a small donut.

Getting there is relatively cheap easy, however. Although there are no trains, you can get a bus from the center to the airport for about 4 euros. There are a number of regular buses running the route, some faster than others. Check the airport's website below for details.

There's also the Finnair bus, which is an air-conditioned express bus. It's quicker, more comfortable, but about 50% more expensive. It's a good option if you haven't figured out the right bus numbers and are in a rush, or if it's a stinking hot day (no air conditioning on the regular buses).

All buses run to locations around the main train station. If you can see a Finnair bus, the regular buses leave from the stops next to it.

1 more image

I flew from Zurich (Switzerland) to Helsinki with the budget airline Blue1. It was a 2,5 hours flight and on board you can buy drinks and snacks. It was much cheaper than e.g. Finnair. It was a code-share flight with Swiss and I booked on the Swiss website as it turned out a little cheaper than the Blue1 website.

If you are from a non-EU country then don't forget to claim your tax back from your shopping. If you buy for more than 40 Euro in anyone place that offers tax free shopping, you're on. If you have your shopping in your check-in lugguage then you need to get a stamp from the check-in counter. If you carry it in your hand lugguage you can go directly to one of the two tax free refund counters.

4 more images

I always enjoy travelling through Helsinki-Vantaa airport. The experience is pleasant, and although it is a relatively small international airport - it has a great atmosphere and there are many shops, restaurants and cafes to experience.

There are wonderful finds such as the Moomin Shop - a Stockmann outlet to name but two.

The one thing I have found however is that sometimes, you will land from an international flight in the domestic gates. My recent trip saw us dock at the most distant gate - and an extremely lengthy walk to arrive at the international baggage hall. However, I collected my luggage and was through into the main arrivals area faster than anticpated it seems.

4 more images

I loved my trip on Finnair. I left from New York's JFK airport, which is fantastic since Finnair offers direct flights to Helsinki. The trip takes around 8 hours non-stop but time always goes quickly for me on airplanes. While Finnair's planes do not offer a lot of extra gadgets sometimes found on the 'brand name' airlines, they do not have to since they are not really engaged in a hyper-competition of sorts, but their planes are certainly adequate, and first things first here, safe. They also offer some nice windows where one can take pictures of the sky such as the ones I've taken. I booked early enough in advance to consider this flight travelling on a budget.

1 more image

i flew to helsinki with the airline blue1.com
it was a very cheap and quite pleasant flight and i would certainly recommend the airline to anyone who wants to get to finland cheap and efficient.
blue1.com flies from several airports in finland to several destinations abroad.

Finnair, bless 'em. are a lovely little airline with Nordic Ice Goddesses as cabin crew. On the other hand they don't come cheap (the flights rather than the trolly dollys that is).

Some years ago there were cheap flights from the UK on 'Buzz' a low-cost offshoot of KLM. When Ryanair gobbled them up the route was dropped.

Although German wings fly from Cologne, the low-cost boys seem to have steered clear of Helsinki.

One solution is to fly to Tallin in Estonia and take the ferry across. This makes for an interesting two-centre approach.

1 more image

On my two trips to Helsinki, I arrived by plane (Lufthansa, GermanWings). The airport is located in the suburb Vantaa, which is located about 20 km north of the city centre.
You can get to the city centre by Finnair airport buses, local buses (No. 615 and 617) or taxis of different companies. If you are lucky and have a VT friend in Helsinki, they might even collect you.