New Train service between Helsinki airport and city centre

[Foreigner]

New service from this month makes for faster travel instead of bus shuttle...

Helsinki Airport Train Station Now Open - The GateThe Gate

 

[RooFlyer]

'suppose that's good - but never faulted the good 'ol Finnair bus.

 

[Hvr]

Hmmm, the train to HEL, I can travel on that here in MEL.

 

[Isochronous]

You still need to take a shuttle to the station since apparently the direct entrance from the airport is not yet ready. We were told the other day that Finnair bus is still quicker - and they also offer free wifi!

 

[Foreigner]

You still need to take a shuttle to the station since apparently the direct entrance from the airport is not yet ready. We were told the other day that Finnair bus is still quicker - and they also offer free wifi!

The bus service remains though less frequent. Was pretty reasonable when I last used...euro 5, OW I think.

 

[Kaiser]

Bus worked well for me - apart from underestimating the temperature at 4:30am while waiting for it to show up.

 

[kevinkhchan]

Watching this thread with interest as we are heading to HEL in March '16

 

[kamchatsky]

Caught the bus from HEL to city centre a few years ago. Fast, clean and efficient. There were virtually no cars on the freeway. Train would certainly bring even more convenience but I thought the bus was really good. It was even better that I was staying at Holiday Inn Helsinki City Centre (on Point Breaks) at that time, where the bus terminates at city.

 

[Jacques Vert]

Watching this thread with interest as we are heading to HEL in March '16

March? Take some warm clothes with you.

Caught the bus from HEL to city centre a few years ago. Fast, clean and efficient. There were virtually no cars on the freeway. Train would certainly bring even more convenience but I thought the bus was really good. It was even better that I was staying at Holiday Inn Helsinki City Centre (on Point Breaks) at that time, where the bus terminates at city.

Did the same at the end of June (although I paid for the accommodation). The Finnair bus (@eur6-30 one way) is very convenient if staying at the HICC as you say. Also the HI is adjacent to the main railway station which is perfect if heading to/from St Petersburg.

Also found the trams were great for getting around Helsinki, and they go to the ferry terminals when ships are due. We returned on the ferry from St Pete to the West Wharf terminal and there is a tram stop (with ticket machine) immediately outside the terminal from where the low-access tram took us to the stop outside railway station (and HI). Easy.

JV

 

[JohnM]

Thanks for the heads-up. I'll be there in late Sept/early Oct. Had scoped the bus but will check out the train.

 

[kamchatsky]

March? Take some warm clothes with you.



Did the same at the end of June (although I paid for the accommodation). The Finnair bus (@eur6-30 one way) is very convenient if staying at the HICC as you say. Also the HI is adjacent to the main railway station which is perfect if heading to/from St Petersburg.

Also found the trams were great for getting around Helsinki, and they go to the ferry terminals when ships are due. We returned on the ferry from St Pete to the West Wharf terminal and there is a tram stop (with ticket machine) immediately outside the terminal from where the low-access tram took us to the stop outside railway station (and HI). Easy.

JV

Yes Helsinki is a smallish city so it was very easy to navigate. Given the smallness I was walking most of the time, and it helped that HIHCC is very central and convenient. Also it is very easy to go to Tallinn by ferry for day trip.

 

[mrs.dr.ron]

We flew into and out of HEL in June and July this year. The airport is currently having a refurb, and it was almost finished when we flew out on the 08/07/15. Lots of new shops, an ICE bar ( !! ) light and easy to get around. We got a taxi to and from the hotel - both drivers spoke excellent English. We had a lot of luggage - so a taxi is so much easier for us oldies

 

[Isochronous]

We flew into and out of HEL in June and July this year. The airport is currently having a refurb, and it was almost finished when we flew out on the 08/07/15. Lots of new shops, an ICE bar ( !! ) light and easy to get around. We got a taxi to and from the hotel - both drivers spoke excellent English. We had a lot of luggage - so a taxi is so much easier for us oldies

Where's the Ice Bar in HEL? How does it compare to the one in Stockholm?

 

[mrs.dr.ron]

Where's the Ice Bar in HEL? How does it compare to the one in Stockholm?

OK just checked the HEL airport website and it is actually called the ARCTIC bar ! We only walked past it ( it is at gate 30) and it has lots of pictures of ice and the arctic lights, so to me that's an ice bar ! Blame jet lag. Didn't go inside and haven't been to the one in Stockholm either

 

[Foreigner]

From memory, there's a Hilton at airport complex. I had hand luggage which I left for storage (few Euro in charge) at airport and took shuttle to the city centre. There's a terminus there where you can catch return bus. City centre is in grids and port area is walking distance. Ferry to Tallinn leaves here. Decent city Helsinki. Maybe expensive relative to other European cities.

 

[Isochronous]

From memory, there's a Hilton at airport complex. I had hand luggage which I left for storage (few Euro in charge) at airport and took shuttle to the city centre. There's a terminus there where you can catch return bus. City centre is in grids and port area is walking distance. Ferry to Tallinn leaves here. Decent city Helsinki. Maybe expensive relative to other European cities.

But quite reasonable compared to the rest of Scandinavia!

 

[Jacques Vert]

We flew into and out of HEL in June and July this year.

Missed you by a few days!

 

[kermatu]

I'll be in Helsinki mid-September for a couple of days. Arrival mid-afternoon - how convenient is the Finnair bus, and do they assist with luggage etc? I usually take taxis for convenience but if the bus or train are good options I'd be keen to know experiences.

Cheers.

 

[esseeeayeenn]

But quite reasonable compared to the rest of Scandinavia!

Contrary to a popular misconception, Finland is NOT part of Scandinavia.
They don't share the German cultural or linguistic heritage, and Finnish is neither related to nor mutually intelligible to speakers of Danish, Swedish, Norwegian and Icelandic.
All of which are regarded by linguists as mutually intelligible, although speakers of them might disagree, at least until they've had a few vodkas.
Foreign usage of Scandinavia does sometimes mistakenly include Finland, perhaps because it was annexed by Sweden from the late 12th century until 1809.

However you're right to observe that it is less expensive than some other Nordic countries, especially Norway (ouch!).

The Finnair bus is quite comfortable and has good free wifi. I'm fairly sure it was free - either because I was OWE or because I had flown in J on Finnair.
I caught it from the airport to the city.
However I was unable to find the stand at the city train station to catch it back to the airport, so with time running out I caught a taxi instead.
You might want to research this in advance if you will be relying on it for your departure.

 

[RooFlyer]

Fortunately nearly everyone tourists are likely to meet in Finland speak English .

Here is an important link (bus service changes due to rail introduction).

When travelling with friends 18 months ago, we had to get tickets at the airport and at that time the ticket booth was a bit hard to find - down a corridor connecting the 2 'wings' of the airport. Bit of a walk there, then back to where we were to board the bus at international arrivals end. However this too may have changed. Airport web site.

I'm sure they help with bags - most large ones will go under the bus. Its a good service (one of the few overseas airport busses I ever use), but again, the recent changes MAY make it less convenient.