Registration and Practicalities

Helsinki is the capital of Finland with more than 650 000 inhabitants in the City of Helsinki and close to 1 250 000 in the Greater Helsinki Area. It is a safe & lively city with great infrastructure including easy and reliable public transport. 

Weather in Helsinki can be unpredictable in October, so please check in advance and prepare for anything from +12°C to -5°C — with or without snow!

Electricity: In Finland the power sockets are of type F. The standard voltage is 230 V and the standard frequency is 50 Hz.

Water: Tap water in Helsinki beats most bottled waters. You can refill your bottle anywhere. It's a safe and ecological choice.

Free time: There's lots to see and do (and eat!) in Helsinki, all year round. To plan your visit check out . 

Ar­riv­ing at the air­port

Always check out the up-to-date information on .

Trains

There are direct trains to the Central Railway Station. Just hop on either the  and get off at the last stop. The station is right in the city centre, near the University's City Centre Campus and its main conference venues.  

The entrance to the train station is located in the corridor between the T1 and T2 terminals.

You'll have to buy a regional ticket before getting on the train as tickets aren't sold on the train. Tickets are available from:

• HSL ticket machines (at the train station entrance in the corridor between the T1 and T2 terminals, in the baggage claim hall in T2 and at bus stops)
• Alepa grocery store
• WH Smith kiosks (T1 and T2 Departures hall)
• R-kiosks (Arrivals hall 2A in T2)
• Tourist Info (Arrivals hall 2A in T2)

When using the ticket machine, please select the option "regional ticket" for journeys between the airport and Helsinki.

The Central Railway Station is the final stop. 

Buses

 operates between the Central Railway Station and the airport.

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The bus stops for both arriving and departing buses are located in front of Terminals 1 and 2.

Taxis

A taxi from the airport to the city centre takes about 30 minutes. The taxi stands are located right outside the arrival areas of the terminals.

• Taksi-Helsinki: +358 (0)100 0700
• Airport Taxi Yellow Line: +358 (0)600 555 555
• Lähitaksi: +358 (0)100 7300
• Kovanen: +358 200 6060
• Ar­riv­ing on a ferry

Olympia Ter­minal

 is located at the South Harbour and there is a regular passenger ship link to Stockholm, Sweden. The terminal has an ATM, luggage lockers, a trolley rental, a restaurant, kiosk, and the Tallink Silja service point. Trams 2 and 3 stop next to the Olympia Terminal.

West Ter­minal 1

 is located at the West Harbour and it serves ferries to and from Tallinn, Estonia. There is also a regular passenger ship link to St. Petersburg, Russia. The terminal has luggage lockers, a restaurant, café, kiosk, an ATM, money exchange office (open when the St. Petersburg ship is there) and the Eckerö Line, St. Peter Line and Tallink Silja Oy service points. Trams 7 and 6T stop at West Terminal 1.

West Ter­minal 2

 is located at the end of West Harbour. There is a regular passenger ship link to Tallinn. The terminal has a restaurant, café, ATM, Tallink Silja and Eckerö Line service points. Trams 7 and 6T stop at West Terminal 2.

Kata­jan­okka Ter­minal

 is located at Katajanokka, with a regular ferry connection to Stockholm and Tallinn. The terminal has a restaurant, kiosk, a money exchange, an ATM, luggage lockers, and the Viking Line service point. Trams 4 and 5 stop next to the Katajanokka Terminal.

Use­ful web­sites to plan your jour­ney

•  for the the City of Helsinki
•  – Provided by the Finnish railway company VR
•  – Provided by Matkahuolto

Trams, buses, metro, com­muter trains and ferry to Suo­men­linna

The Helsinki region has an integrated public transport ticket system. This means that the same tickets can be used on buses, trams, the metro, commuter trains and the ferry to the Fortress of Suomenlinna (a popular place to visit whilst in Helsinki).

You can travel around the city with single tickets or with a day ticket. The tickets available on single-charge cards allow you to travel easily and at low-cost for 1–7 days. They are sold e.g. at the Helsinki City Transport service point in the Central Railway Station or at R-kiosks.

Please note that bus drivers sell tickets, but for tram and commuter train journeys tickets must be bought before boarding, for instance at ticket machines or R-kiosks. There's also a mobile application, which you can use to buy tickets.

City Bikes

You can also whizz around on one of Helsinki's yellow city bikes.

Taxis

• Taxi stands are located throughout the city centre.
• Taksi-Helsinki: tel. +358 (0)100 0700 (1,17€/call +0,25€/10 seconds + local call charge)