How to travel to Helsinki
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By airplane
The Helsinki-Vantaa airport is located in Vantaa, roughly 19 kilometres from the centre of Helsinki. From the airport you can get to Helsinki city centre by train, bus 615, the Finnair city bus or taxi. The journey time between the airport and the city centre is approximately half an hour with all means of transportation. See below for more details about the public transport.
Helsinki airport is currently being expanded and renovated: passengers are advised to reserve enough time both on arrival and departure.
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By train
There are train connections to Helsinki from all major towns in Finland as well as from Lapland. There is also a daily train service from St. Petersburg and Moscow. See the Finnish railway company VR website for train timetables.
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By Ferry
There are daily ferry services to Helsinki from Estonia and Sweden, see e.g. Tallink Silja Line, Viking Line or Eckerö Line, as well as from Germany by Finnlines. All the ferry companies offer also a possibility to take a car with you. Helsinki can be reached by ferry also from Russia and Latvia (but less frequent).
From Helsinki Airport to city centre
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Airport train
The train connection between Helsinki city centre and Helsinki Airport takes about 30 minutes. There are two services: train I and train P. Schedules, ticket prices and routes are available at HSL website. For the timetables see the HSL Journey Planner. At the airport you can buy a train ticket from the following spots: HSL ticket automates, Alepa Grocery Store, WH Smith, R-kioski, Tourist information or by using HSL mobile ticket app. Please note that it is not possible to buy a ticket in the train. The ticket to the Helsinki city centre should cover zones A, B and C and it costs 4,60 euros. ABC tickets are valid for 90 minutes.
If you arrive or leave in the night time, please, check timetables in advance to see if public transportation is an option. Last trains depart from the airport at 1:21 am (Sunday-Thursday), and at 1:51 am (Friday & Saturday).
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Buses
Lines 415, 615, and the Finnair City Bus operate between Helsinki Railway Station and the airport. The timetable are available in the HSL Journey Planner. HSL buses will drop off and pick up passengers only in front of T2 at Helsinki Airport. At the airport you can buy a bus ticket from the following spots: HSL ticket automates, Alepa Grocery Store, WH Smith, R-kioski, Tourist information, by using HSL mobile ticket app, or from a bus driver. The ticket to the Helsinki city centre should cover zones A, B and C and it costs 4,60 euros, or 6.50 euros if bought from a bus driver. ABC tickets are valid for 90 minutes.
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Taxi
The taxi agencies below are located closest to terminals 1 and 2. Agency-specific price information is available on the information screens next to the taxi stands. Taxi stands are located in front of the terminal 1 and on the ground floor at the terminal 2.
Other taxi agencies also offer their services to Helsinki Airport passengers. If the agency is not among those specified above, the customer negotiates the price with the taxi driver. However, also other taxis often have taxi meters which define the price.
Getting around in Helsinki
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Public transport
With a single ticket you can hop aboard trams, buses, the metro and even the ferry to Suomenlinna. Single tickets can be purchased online (mobile ticket), from the bus drivers, from HSL ticket machines, from selected parking ticket machines within the city centre, or from R-kioski. The closest sales points can be found from the HSL webpage. Note that tickets cannot be purchased on trams, trains, metro, or the ferry - you need to buy the ticket before boarding. The ticket price depends on the zone(s) in which you wish to travel. The ticket within the Helsinki city centre should cover zones A and B, and it costs 2,80 euros, or 4.00 euros if bought from a bus driver. AB tickets are valid for 80 minutes. You can transfer from one vehicle to another with the same ticket, as long as the ticket is valid. Day tickets are available for unlimited use on public transportation for 1-7 days. More information about public transportation can be found on the HSL website, for example about the tickets and fares. You can use the HSL Journey Planner to plan your route.
Helsinki Card holders can travel free of charge on public transportation within the city.
