“Helsinki: The Capital City” (part 1). After an incredible journey started in Canada we moved on to Finland
and already had a chance to discover some of its eastern part. We have seen
some towns in Finland and some of the festivals taking place. So now, it is time to have
our next “chapter of the journey” in the capital of Finland, the city of
Helsinki.
Where: Helsinki, Finland
What: “Travel Smart”
series
In this “chapter”, we are going to focus mainly on
some tips on transportation and an overall idea of what Helsinki really
is. In our next chapter
in this city, we are going to take a closer look at some sightseeing and places
to go.
First of all, Helsinki is a big city, but it is part of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area or, the
way it is often called, Greater Helsinki. So, this area basically comprises the
city of Helsinki itself, Vantaa and
Espoo. There are other smaller towns, which are also
considered as part of the area, however, they are not in the reach of the major
area. By this I simply mean that even plans on subway line extension include
only Espoo and Vantaa, other towns are mostly considered as nearest towns,
although, the train connection is perfect in most of the areas.
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| View from Kauppatori (Market square) in winter |
As it was mentioned before in the previous article, Finland has two official languages: Finnish and
Swedish; just like in Canada with English and French. Therefore, most of the cities and towns often have two official names
in both languages; sometimes they do not seem too different, however, in the
Helsinki Metropolitan Area you can feel it much better. You can see both names
at every station and official buildings, for example, post office, which is
called “posti” in Finnish, is “posten” in Swedish, so you see both
names in Helsinki, whereas in other towns and cities it is often only the Finnish
way. For instance, the town of Mikkeli
has its second (Swedish) name, which is St.
Michel. What comes to Helsinki, do not
get confused by the name “Helsingfors”,
it is just the Swedish way for Helsinki. The same applies when you see Espoo, which becomes Esbo, and Vantaa, which becomes Vanda.
It is good to know such an unusual aspect in order not to get confused by
familiar but unknown signs. However, remember that most of Finns do not really
like Swedish language due to some historical reasons, so do not make much emphasis
on the second language while speaking.
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| Olympia Terminal (Silja Line) |
Helsinki has a lot to offer and people come to this
city because of many different reasons. Recently due to a huge number of
immigrants from the outside of Europe, the city has changed its face. Nowadays
it is more international. Whether it is good or bad, well, it is up to everyone
to judge. I will not share my opinion but it is obvious that changes are seen.
Helsinki (as part of its Metropolitan Area) has a good advantage mainly thanks
to its Helsinki Vantaa International Airport, but we will focus on it in our forthcoming
chapters. Lots of Russian tourists, especially
from Saint Petersburg, fly to
their destinations via this airport; it is much more convenient nowadays to
travel this way. However, not all of the flights go through Helsinki, some of
them are conducted through Lappeenranta
or Tampere.
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| Rapid trains in Helsinki Metropolitan Area (Pasila station) |
As you might know, there is a rapid train connection
between Saint Petersburg and Helsinki. It was a great idea to create this
train. There are lots of trains going between
these two destinations, but I am willing to concentrate now on this specific
rapid train, which is called “Allegro”. It is a little more expensive than the regular one, but it is very
comfortable and rapid. Visa and passport control takes place right inside of
the train while you are moving to your destination.
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| Allegro Train |
Leaving Saint Petersburg the Allegro train only
stops in Vyborg, Vainikkala, Kouvola, Lahti, Tikkurila, Pasila and Helsinki. As
you know, Vyborg is a town in Russia, which is used to be Finnish/Swedish.
Vainikkala is a very small town and station right after the border (in
Finland). Kouvola is quite a big town or a small city. It is very important
because all the trains coming from such destinations as Joensuu, or Kajaani
(and lots of other stations in between and some further stations in the north
after Kajaani) arrive to Kouvola. From Kouvola there is a railroad to Lahti,
which is a big city (in size of Finland). Tikkurila is part of Vantaa, and Pasila
is part of Helsinki. Some of the abovementioned stations, towns and cities will
be covered in the following “chapters of the journey”; as for now, it is time
to concentrate on transport.
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| Trains operating in Finland (Railway station) |
It is logical to continue with the topic of trains,
therefore, I am going to give you some ideas of Helsinki public transport. If you need to purchase a ticket for a
domestic train, you will need to go to the railroad station (right in the city
center of Helsinki) or go to the website of the company, which operates in Finland, VR. It even has an option in Russian for
Russian tourists. You can check the destination, schedule and price for the
train you need as well as to see if there are any “change-train” stations. If
such change takes place, it is usually in Kouvola
(if you go to the eastern part of Finland). If you choose short-distance trains,
you need to purchase a ticket right at the station, which is easily done. All
the trains are comfortable and they are a little different in their look, so
you can enjoy your trip.
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| Local train leaving from railway station to Lahti (Lahtis) |
The central railroad station in Helsinki is big and comfortable, it has different cafés, small shops
(even souvenirs), and so on. Basically you can go anywhere from here. You can
descend to the metro station “Rautatientori”
and go to elsewhere or you can
simply walk out and get to the square full of buses. If you need long-distance
buses, you need to get to Kamppi
station. You have many options: by subway, just one station, by bus, or the
simplest and best, to walk there. It is really near. Kamppi station has its bus
terminals and ticket office. For long-distance buses, you can visit the website or just walk
in. And here is the website for local
buses in Helsinki, Vantaa and Espoo. The company is called “HSL”.
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| Railway square near railway station (incl. stops local buses) |
Helsinki is located at the shore of the Baltic Sea. It means that Helsinki has
lots of sea routes to different destinations, but the most popular ones are Tallinn in Estonia, Stockholm in Sweden, and Saint Petersburg in Russia.
You can also find a ferry to Åland
Islands, which belong to Finland but there is mainly Swedish language
spoken there. There are various companies operating in that area, the most
well-known ones are Viking Line, Tallink and Tallink & Silja Line. It takes about
only 2 hours to get to Tallinn and a night to get to either St. Petersburg or
Stockholm. Visitors often come to enjoy the trip by ferry as well as Finns. It is
quite exciting and enjoyable. However,
remember that if you travel by ferry and take your car with you (onto the
ferry) it costs more and you need to make sure there is an available space
there (even to Tallinn). Helsinki is not the
only city from which ferries depart. You can also go to the city of Turku, which is in the south-west of
Finland.
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| Kauppatori (Market square) |
A lot of ferries depart to Stockholm and Åland Islands from that city. It is
logical due to its location proximity. But
if you go from Helsinki, you are going to need to get to one of the terminals.
You can walk, because it is not really far, or you can take a bus or tram. The Olympia Terminal is where Silja Line and Tallink ferries depart from. From Kauppatori, famous square in the harbor,
you need to go down on Eteläranta to Laivasillankatu and you will see the
terminal. It takes about 5-10 minutes to walk there. If you need to go to Viking Line, you have to go from the
same Kauppatori on Esplanadin Puisto and then turn right on
the first turn (to the island). This street is called Katajanokanlaituri. There you just have to go straight and you get
to the terminal. It also takes about 5-10
minutes.
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| Viking Line |
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| Olympia Terminal (Silja Line) |
All in all, the city of Helsinki is quite big and
quite small at the same time; you can walk from one place to another and
basically you do not require transport for that. During a good season and good
weather try to enjoy walking and you will manage to see more than you would do
sitting behind the window of a bus, tram or train. Logically, the city center
of Helsinki is concentrated in one area and it is quite enjoyable to see it
all. If you walk back to the railroad station but through the Senate Square you
will see a lovely cathedral, Helsinki
Cathedral. In the wintertime, you can see a Christmas market on the square,
which is called “Joulutori”. You can
find a lot of hand-made things, souvenirs, jams, and so on. Just take this
chance to see it and bring back some memory.
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| Joulutori (Christmas Market) on the Senate Square |
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| Joulutori (Christmas Market) and Helsinki Cathedral |
We are going to continue our “journey” with various
destinations, therefore, get ready to Travel Smart!
Kirill “Traveler” Malyutin
About Travel Smart series:
“Travel Smart” is a section,
narrating about different countries and good travel tips, advised by the
author, Kirill Malyutin. The series contains recommendations, including selected
places to visit, character accommodation, and reasonable
shopping. Simply get inspiration!
All stories of the series → О серии «Travel Smart»:
«Travel Smart»
– раздел, в котором автор Кирилл Малютин рассказывает о разных странах и дает
необходимые в путешествии советы. Серия включает в себя рекомендации по
посещенным автором местам, характерным средствам размещения, а также разумному шопингу.
Вдохновитесь приключением!
Все выпуски серии →
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