There’s a reason you’ll find cheap flights to Finland in the winter – the weather is bitterly cold. The capital city, Helsinki, is on the southern coast and has milder summer and winters. Note that the sun doesn’t completely set for 73 days in the summer, and barely rises above the horizon in the winter.
Once your flight to Finland lands, you’ll probably be aching to see as much of the country as you can. Cover long distances with the country’s expansive public transportation system to make sure you see it all.
Train service is not only efficient, but long range, so you can go from the Sweden border to the Russian border to the southern coast as you please. Buses take you more shallow distances, but make is possible to get out of the bustling cities and experience the smaller, more remote towns. Buses are typically a comfortable means of getting around, and are usually affordable.
If you’re more of an independent sightseer, then renting a car is the perfect way to accomplish your own version of Finland travel. If you’re staying in Helsinki, there are a few short road trips you can take. By road, Tampere takes 3 hours, Turku takes 2 hours and 45 minutes, and Rovaniemi takes about 13 hours. Buckle up!
The following chart gives approximate journey times from Helsinki (in hours and minutes) to other major cities and towns in Finland.
| Air | Road | Rail |
|---|
| Tampere | 0.35 | 2.50 | 1.50 |
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| Turku | 0.30 | 2.40 | 1.50 |
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| Rovaniemi | 1.15 | 13.30 | 9.10 |
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