Helsinki bound!  Sailing out of Stockholm past all the islands on the cruise ferry to Helsinki...  Courtesy of Michael Herbert & Bernadette Hyland

UK to Finland without flying...

It's easy to travel from London to Helsinki by train and ferry, a wonderful 3-day 2-night journey across Scandinavia with a lot to see on the way.  It's a great alternative to an unnecessary flight.  On this page you'll find a step-by-step guide to planning, booking & making a journey from the UK to Finland by train or ferry, with train & ferry timetables, approximate fares, and the best way to buy tickets.

Train times, fares & tickets...

  Which route should you choose?

  UK to Scandinavia route map

  London to Helsinki via ferry from Stockholm

  London to Helsinki via ferry from Travemünde

  Train travel within Finland - Night Train to Lapland...

  Helsinki to other European cities by train or ferry

  Other European cities to Helsinki by train or ferry

  Helsinki to St Petersburg & Moscow by train

Useful country information

Which route should you choose?

There are several good options for reaching Finland in comfort without flying:

• London to Helsinki by train to Stockholm then ferry to Finland:  This is the fastest option, with daily departures taking 2 nights, 3 days from London to Helsinki.  You travel from London to Hamburg by comfortable daytime trains on day 1, from Hamburg to Stockholm by comfortable daytime trains on day 2, and by luxury cruise ferry from Stockholm to Finland on day 3.  You stop overnight in Hamburg and Stockholm.  By all means stop off to see Copenhagen or Stockholm for a day or two on the way if you like!  This route is the one shown in red on the route map below.  Times, fares & how to buy tickets are shown below.

• London to Helsinki by train to Hamburg then ferry from Travemünde to Finland:  Take a morning Eurostar to Brussels & onward trains to Hamburg, spend the night there before taking a local train to Travemünde and the daily Finnlines ferry from Travemünde to Helsinki.  This route is shown in dark blue on the route map below.  Details are shown below.

London to Helsinki via Stockholm

This is the fastest option, with daily departures.  You travel from London to Hamburg by Eurostar & onward trains on day 1, stay overnight in Hamburg, then travel from Hamburg to Stockholm on day 2.  Take a bottle of wine and a good book, and enjoy a 2-day train ride across Europe on modern & comfortable trains with not an airport security queue in sight.  Stay overnight in Stockholm and take the daytime ferry+train service to Helsinki next day.  Or spend the day in Stockholm and take the overnight cruise ferry to Helsinki with a comfortable en suite cabin reserved.  What's the journey like?  Note that the Cologne to Copenhagen sleeper train was discontinued from November 2014.

London ► Helsinki

• Day 1, travel from London to Hamburg using any of the services suggested on the London to Germany page.

  For example, you can leave London St Pancras at 08:55 by Eurostar to Brussels Midi and high-speed ICE train to Cologne Hbf, then comfortable InterCity train to Hamburg Hbf arriving 19:14.  A later 11:04 departure is possible, but with little allowance for any delay.  See video guide to London to Cologne part of the journey.

• Spend the night in Hamburg.  The Hotel Reichshoff Hamburg is just 200m from the station, features art deco-based design and gets great reviews.  Other hotels next to Hamburg Hbf with good or great reviews include (starting with the cheapest) the Hotel Continental Novum, Hotel Furst Bismarck, Hotel Europaischer Hof, Hotel Atlantic Kempinski.  If you're on a budget, private rooms in the A&O Hotel near Hamburg Hbf start at around £33 for one person or £49 for two people booked at www.hostelworld.com.

• Day 2, travel from Hamburg to Copenhagen by fast Danish IC3 Intercity train, leaving Hamburg Hbf at 08:53 and arriving Copenhagen at 13:33.  See photos, tips & information for the Hamburg to Copenhagen journey.

• Day 2, travel from Copenhagen to Stockholm by 125mph X2000 high-speed tilting train, leaving Copenhagen at 14:10 and arriving Stockholm Central at 19:38.  You can check train times from Hamburg to Stockholm using www.bahn.de.  Trains from Copenhagen to Stockholm cross the impressive Öresund Fixed Link, a tunnel & double-decker road/rail bridge opened in 1999 linking Denmark with Sweden.

• Spend the night in Stockholm.  Check hotels in Stockholm.

• Day 3, travel from Stockholm to Helsinki by ferry+train.  Two ferry companies compete on this route, both offering luxurious cruise ferries which sail out of Stockholm past many islands into the Baltic.  Consider this a cruise, see the video!

  If you choose Silja Line (www.tallinksilja.com, for English change locale=de to locale=en in your browser address bar), you sail from Stockholm's Silja Line terminal at 07:10 arriving Turku Harbour at 19:15, a connecting InterCity train will be waiting at the quayside, this leaves Turku Harbour (=Turku Satama) at 20:18 arriving Helsinki's wonderful art nouveau station at 22:26.  In Stockholm, the Silja Line terminal is about 2.5km from Stockholm city centre, 500m from Gärdet metro station.

  If you choose Viking Line (www.vikingline.fi), you sail from Stockholm's Viking Line terminal at 07:45 aboard a luxurious Viking Line ferry, arriving in Turku in Finland at 19:50.  A connecting Finnish InterCity train leaves Turku Harbour (Turku Satama) at 20:18 arriving at Helsinki station at 22:26.  See www.vikingline.fi.

• Alternatively, spend day 3 exploring Stockholm and sail overnight to Helsinki.  Both Viking Line and Silja offer luxurious overnight cruise ferries from Stockholm direct to Helsinki - I'd suggest Silja, www.tallinksilja.com.  Silja's ferry sails from Stockholm at 16:45 every day arriving in Helsinki at about 10:30 next morning (which would be day 4 from London).  Viking Line sails at 16:30.  It's a very scenic voyage, as the liner sails out of Stockholm past all the islands, see the video.  You can have dinner in the restaurant and retire to your cabin, or party all night in the nightclub, it's up to you!  The Silja terminal is about 2.5km from Stockholm city centre, 500m from Gärdet metro station.  A shuttle bus links the Cityterminal (the bus terminal next to the central railway station) with the Silja terminal.  Map of Helsinki showing Silja terminal.

Helsinki ► London

• Day 1, travel from Helsinki to Stockholm on the daytime train+ferry service.  The luxurious Scandinavian ferries sail across the Baltic and into Stockholm past many pretty islands, consider this a cruise!

  If you choose Silja Line (www.tallinksilja.com), you leave Helsinki's wonderful art nouveau station at 05:28 by InterCity train, arriving Turku Harbour (Turku Satama) at 07:47.  The Silja Line cruise ferry sails at 08:20 arriving Stockholm Silja Line terminal at 18:15.

  If you choose Viking Line (www.vikingline.fi), you leave Helsinki station at 05:28 by InterCity train, arriving Turku Harbour (Turku Satama) at 07:47.  The Viking Line cruise ferry sails from Turku at 08:45 arriving Stockholm Viking Line terminal at 18:55.

  Alternatively, both Viking Line and Silja offer luxurious overnight cruise ferries direct from Helsinki to Stockholm - I'd suggest Silja, www.tallinksilja.com.  The Silja ferry sails from Helsinki at 17:00 arriving in Stockholm at about 09:45 next morning, after sailing past all those islands.  Departures are daily, and a range of comfortable cabins is available.  Map of Helsinki showing Silja terminal.  If you choose this option, you obviously have to leave Helsinki the night before (let's call that day 0) but you then get a free day to explore Stockholm (on the day we're calling day 1).

• Spend the night in Stockholm.  Check hotels in Stockholm.

• Day 2, travel from Stockholm to Copenhagen by 125mph X2000 tilting train, leaving Stockholm Central at 08:21 arriving Copenhagen 13:13.

• Day 2, travel from Copenhagen to Hamburg by Danish IC3 Intercity train, leaving Copenhagen at 15:26 and arriving Hamburg Hbf at 20:02.  See photos, tips & information for the Hamburg to Copenhagen journey.

• Stay overnight in Hamburg.  The Hotel Reichshoff Hamburg is just 200m from the station, features art deco-based design and gets great reviews.  Other hotels next to Hamburg Hbf with good or great reviews include (starting with the cheapest) the Hotel Continental Novum, Hotel Furst Bismarck, Hotel Europaischer Hof, Hotel Atlantic Kempinski.  If you're on a budget, private rooms in the A&O Hotel near Hamburg Hbf start at around £33 for one person or £49 for two people booked at www.hostelworld.com.

• Day 3, travel from Hamburg to London by InterCity train to Cologne, high-speed ICE train to Brussels and Eurostar to London, using any of the services suggested on the London to Germany page.  For example, the earliest departure leaves Hamburg Hbf at 06:46, changing at Cologne Hbf & Brussels Midi to arrive London St Pancras at 16:05.  Or you can leave at 08:46 arriving London 18:06 (16:57 Fridays & Sundays).  Or have a leisurely breakfast and leave Hamburg at 10:46 arriving London at 19:57 (21:03 on Saturdays & some other dates).

How much does it cost?

• London to Brussels starts at £44 one-way or £58 return 2nd class, £112 one-way or £168 return 1st class.

• Brussels to Hamburg starts at €39.90 each way in 2nd class or €69.90 each way  in 1st class.

• Hamburg to Stockholm starts at €39.90 each way in 2nd class or €69.90 each way  in 1st class.

  These train fares are dynamic like air fares, so book early for the cheapest prices and avoid busy days such as Fridays or Sunday afternoons.

• Stockholm to Turku by Viking Line ferry costs as little as €15 each way without any cabin accommodation, but you can add various types of private cabin from €13 upwards.  Silja Line is similarly priced.

• Turku to Helsinki by train costs starts at €8.90 if booked in advance in Eco class (2nd class) or around €35 full-price on the day.

• Stockholm to Helsinki by direct overnight ferry starts from around €88 including a bed in a shared 4-berth with Viking Line or €111 with sole occupancy of a cabin with Silja Line.  But there are whole range of cabin types and prices, just check both ferry company websites.

	Above:  Helsinki's beautiful art nouveau station, by famous Finnish architect Eliel Saarinen. Photo courtesy of Adrian Tanovic

How to buy tickets online...

• Step 1, book from London to Hamburg (and back, if returning) at raileurope.co.uk and add to basket...

• Step 2, book from Hamburg to Stockholm at raileurope.co.uk, add to basket and check out...

  Booking tips for these trains...

  Anyone from any country can use raileurope.co.uk, it allows you to book all your tickets together in one place in plain English, international credit cards accepted and fares shown in multiple currencies.  A small booking fee applies.

  Booking for all these trains usually opens up to 180 days ahead, but significantly less than this when the mid-December timetable change intervenes, see more about when booking opens.

  Fares are dynamic like air fares, for the cheapest prices book early and avoid busy days such as Fridays or Sunday afternoons.

  Eurostar return fares are significantly cheaper than two one ways, so any return journey involving Eurostar is best booked as a round trip.  However, with the Brussels-Hamburg & Hamburg-Stockholm tickets a round trip is simply two one-ways, so makes no difference.

  A seat reservation is automatically included with every ticket on Eurostar and on Swedish X2000s.  However, seat reservations on the German & Danish trains between Brussels & Copenhagen are usually optional, if you want a reserved seat it can be added during the booking process for fee of around €4.50 each way.  A reserved seat is a good idea, especially at busy periods, so I'd add one when prompted.

  You print your own tickets, or after booking you can load the Eurostar ticket into the Eurostar app, and load the DB tickets into the DB Navigator app, to show on your smartphone.

  After booking you can use the Eurostar Manage Booking system to select an exact seat on Eurostar.

  About those tight 20-minute connections at Brussels Midi...

  The slick 20-minute connection in Brussels between Eurostar and an onward ICE, sometimes less than this, is usually a recognised connection which lots of people make.  It's not usually a problem, especially if you use the Brussels Midi short cut between platforms.  Even though the system sells you separate tickets either side of Brussels, you are protected by the Railteam Promise/HOTNAT so if there's a delay and you miss the connection you will be allowed to travel on later onwards trains at no extra charge.  Just make sure that if you did miss that 20 minute connection in Brussels, there are later trains that would still get you to Hamburg by close of play that day.

  Alternatively, nothing stops you booking an earlier Eurostar than the one which directly connects with your chosen onward ICE, if it has cheaper fares or if you want a more robust connection.  To do this using raileurope.co.uk, click More options, then enter Brussels (any station) as a via station with a stopover duration of (say) 1 or 2 hours.  There are plenty of places for a meal, coffee or beer between trains in Brussels!

  If you don't see any cheap Hamburg-Stockholm fares...

  Availability of Hamburg-Stockholm tickets is limited, so if you don't find any cheap fares between Hamburg and Stockholm using raileurope.co.uk, split the booking like this:

  First book Hamburg to Copenhagen at German Railways www.bahn.de and print your own ticket.

  Then book Copenhagen to Stockholm using either Omio.com (small booking fee, happily accepts overseas credit cards, you can pay in Swedish Kr, £, € and $) or www.sj.se (in Swedish Krona, no booking fee, you can usually choose a specific seat from a seating plan, but it can sometimes be fussy with overseas credit cards).  You simply print out your own ticket or show it on your smartphone, or you can choose to collect tickets from the SJ ticket machines at Copenhagen station.

• Step 3, book the ferry from Stockholm to Turku...

  You can check sailing dates & prices for both Viking Line & Silja Line ferries on both the Stockholm-Turku & Stockholm-Helsinki routes using the seat61 Ferry Shop, powered by Direct Ferries.  Remember to select '18+' for adults and change With vehicle to No vehicle.  The price you initially see is for a basic passenger place on the ferry, you can add a cabin at the next stage.  When you book online you will be emailed a confirmation which you present at check-in to exchange for your boarding pass.

  Alternatively you can book direct with the relevant operator at www.vikingline.fi or www.tallinksilja.com (for English, change locale=de to locale=en in your browser address bar).  You can book individual beds in shared cabins if you book directly with the operator, which is much cheaper than sole occupancy, that's the one thing Direct ferries can't do.  Tips for using www.vikingline.fi:  For English, change 'Suomi-Suomeksi' to 'International'.  Now look for the 'Book' box on the right, and remember to change the selection from 'Cruise' to 'Regular voyage'.  Now you can select Stockholm to Turku!

• Step 4, book the train from Turku to Helsinki:  If you book the daytime or overnight Stockholm-Turku ferry, you'll need an onward train ticket to Helsinki.  You can do this online at www.vr.fi (click 'EN' for English).  It's Turku Harbour (Satama) station that you should select.

How to buy tickets by phone...

• Step 1:  Buy your train tickets from London to Stockholm.  You can buy all these tickets through a number of UK agencies, but the best for this trip is probably Deutsche Bahn's UK phone line on 08718 80 80 66 (lines open 09:00-20:00 Mon-Fri, 09:00-13:00 Sat & Sun, no booking fee, 2% credit card charge, no charge for debit cards).  Click here for a list of agencies and more info on how to book.

• Step 2:  Viking Line tickets can be booked online at either the Seat61 Ferry Shop or www.vikingline.fi or by phone though its UK agent, Emagine Ltd, on 01942 262662.  Silja Line tickets can be bought online at www.tallinksilja.com or through their UK agents, DFDS Seaways, on 0871 522 9955.

Custom-made train travel + hotel arrangements...

• If you want a custom-made trip with train & ferry travel, hotels & transfers all arranged for you, contact Railbookers.  Tell them what you want and they'll advise you on the best trains, routes & hotels and sort it all out.  They get positive reviews and look after their customers very well.

    UK call 020 3327 0761, www.railbookers.co.uk. 

    US call free 1-888-829-4775, see website.

    Canada call free 1-855-882-2910, see website.

    Australia call toll-free 1300 971 52 see website. 

    New Zealand call toll-free 0800 000 554 or see website.

What's the journey like?

(1)  London to Brussels by Eurostar.  More information.

A Eurostar e300 about to leave St Pancras...		1st class (Standard Premier or Business Premier)

(2)  Brussels to Cologne by ICE3.  More information.

ICE3 from Brussels to Frankfurt, seen at Frankfurt...		ICE3 2nd class seats...

ICE3 1st class, with leather seats & power sockets...		Lunch in an ICE3 bistro car...

(3)  Cologne to Hamburg by InterCity train.  More information

Most Cologne-Hamburg trains are InterCity trains like this one, a few are high-speed ICEs.  There's usually a bistro car serving food & drink.  Virtual tour of InterCity train...

1st class seats in traditional 6-seater compartments.  Some cars are open-plan.		2nd class seating is usually in open-plan saloons like this, although there are also cars with 2nd class 6-seat compartments.

(4)  Hamburg to Copenhagen by Intercity train.  More information

Hamburg-Copenhagen trains are operated by Danish IC3 trains like this, shown in the timetable as IC for Intercity.  See more photos, tips & information about the Hamburg to Copenhagen journey.

A Danish IC3 train at Copenhagen station...		1st class seats on an IC3 train...

2nd class seats on an IC3 train...		Boarding an IC3 train to Copenhagen in Hamburg.

(5)  Copenhagen to Stockholm by X2000.  More information

A Copenhagen-Stockholm X2000 train boarding at Copenhagen main station...		2nd class seats on an X2000 train from Copenhagen to Stockholm.

X2000 bistro car...		X2000 bistro car seating area...		Bistro self-service...

Winter scenery from a train between Copenhagen & Stockholm. Courtesy of Radoslav Sharapanov

(6)  Stockholm to Turku by cruise ferry & train to Helsinki...

The Viking Line ferry from Stockholm to Turku.  Silja line operate a competing ferry.  These  photos courtesy of Matthew Philips		2-berth cabin on the cruise ferry to Finland...		The InterCity boat train from Turku Harbour to Helsinki is a double-deck InterCity train. Note the children's play area!

The Silja Line ferry:  Competing with Viking Line with almost identical timings and the same train connection to Helsinki, Silja's Galaxy sails out of Stockholm bound for Turku.  Courtesy Jeremy Nicholls.

...or Stockholm to Helsinki by direct overnight cruise ferry.

The Stockholm-Helsinki overnight ferry...  Sail direct from Stockholm to Helsinki by overnight luxury ferry, a true floating hotel.  Two operators, Silja Line & Viking Line compete with almost identical timings.  Above, the massive Silja Symphony towers over the Silja Line terminal in Helsinki.  Photos courtesy of Discoverbyrail.com

Viking Line's Gabriela sails out of Stockholm en route to Helsinki.  Courtesy Jeremy Nicholls.

Near midnight, the Silja Serenade sails past the Åland islands en route from Stockholm to Helsinki.  Courtesy Jeremy Nicholls.

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London-Helsinki via Travemünde

	Don't fly to Finland, cruise there!  A Finnlines Travemunde-Helsinki Star class ferry.  Below:  A cabin on the Finnlines ferry. Photos courtesy of www.finnlines.com

This leisurely option runs every day and takes 3 nights outward to Helsinki, just 2 nights inward back to London.  In the outward direction it includes a day at leisure exploring Hamburg, too.  Take a morning Eurostar to Brussels and onward trains to Hamburg, and stay overnight.  After a day exploring Hamburg, transfer by local train to Travemünde on Germany's Baltic coast, then take the daily Finnlines ferry from Travemünde to Helsinki, a 2-night cruise.  This route is shown on the route map above in red between London & Hamburg and in dark blue between Hamburg & Helsinki.

London ► Helsinki

• Day 1, travel from London to Hamburg using any of the services suggested on the London to Germany page.

  For example, you can leave London St Pancras at 11:04 by Eurostar to Brussels Midi and high-speed ICE train to Cologne Hbf, then comfortable InterCity train to Hamburg Hbf arriving 21:14.  See video guide to London to Cologne part of the journey.

• Spend the night in a hotel in Hamburg.  Starting with the cheapest, suggested hotels next to Hamburg Hauptbahnhof with good reviews include the Hotel Continental Novum, Hotel Furst Bismarck, Hotel Europaischer Hof, Hotel Atlantic Kempinski.  If you're on a budget, private rooms with en suite shower & toilet in the A&O Hotel near Hamburg Hbf start at around £33 for one person or £49 for two people booked at www.hostelworld.com.

• Day 2, enjoy a day exploring Hamburg...

• Day 2 evening, transfer from Hamburg to Lübeck Travemünde Skandinavienkai Terminal by local train and bus.  You take a local train from Hamburg Hauptbahnhof to Lübeck which runs every 30 minutes throughout the day, hourly in the evening, journey time 42-43 minutes.  At Lübeck, leave the station and follow the signs to the ZOB bus station.  Lübeck is a good place for an early dinner, there are plenty of bars and restaurants in the old town just 5 minutes walk from the bus station.  Now take a bus from Lübeck bus station to 'Travemünde Skandinavienkai Terminal' (note that this is not the same stop as 'Travemünde Skandinavienkai'), the bus ride takes 28 minutes and the last bus goes around 21:00.  You can check journey times from Hamburg to Travemünde Skandinavienkai Terminal at the German Railways website, just use this link to bahn.de as it has the bus times in its database as well as the trains, or you can find bus information at www.xn--sv-lbeck-95a.de.  At the terminal, walk into the unassuming building next to the bus stop for check in.  You're looking for a large building marked HafenHaus and with a green neon 'Check in' sign by the front door.  After check-in, you go downstairs to a large waiting hall, with a bar/cafe open until 10pm, toilets and a large supermarket open until 01:30 selling alcohol and chocolate.

• Day 2-3, sail from Travemünde to Helsinki on the daily Finnlines ferry, see www.finnlines.com.  The ship boards from 22:30 to 24:00 (day 2), foot passengers are driven onto the car deck in a minibus.  The ship sails at 03:00 (day 3), arriving at Helsinki Vuosaari ferry terminal outside Helsinki at 08:00 on day 4.  The ship may not be quite as glamorous as some other cruise ferries on the Baltic, but it has all the essentials:  Comfortable cabins with private shower & toilet and free internet access (but not WiFi, so bring a network cable), restaurant, shop, bar, sundeck, and (naturally, being Finnish) a sauna.  It's a very civilised way to travel.

• Day 4, transfer from the Vuosaari terminal to central Helsinki.  Helsinki's new Hansa Ferry Terminal in the Vuosaari Harbour is 16km east of central Helsinki.  There is a bus connection (bus 90B) between Vuosaari harbour and Vuosaari metro station.  Take the metro from Vuosaari into central Helsinki, journey time 25 minutes.  Map of Helsinki showing Vuosaari.

Helsinki ► London

• Day 1, transfer from Helsinki to the Vuosaari ferry terminal, some 16 km east of Helsinki.  You can take the metro from anywhere in central Helsinki to Vuosaari station, then bus 90B from Vuosaari metro station to the Vuosaari's Hansa ferry terminal.  Map of Helsinki showing Vuosaari.

• Day 1, sail from Helsinki to Travemünde on the daily Finnlines ferry, see www.finnlines.com.  Check in is between 13:30 and 16:30.  The ship sails at 17:30 (15:00 Sundays) and arrives at Travemünde at 21:00 the next day (day 2).  The ship is has all the essentials:  Comfortable cabins with private shower & toilet and free internet access (but not WiFi, so bring a network cable), restaurant, shop, bar, sundeck, and sauna.

• Day 2, transfer by bus and local train to Hamburg Hauptbahnhof.  Buses link the ferry terminal (Travemünde Skandinavienkai Terminal) with Lübeck ZOB bus station, it's a short walk to Lübeck station, then local trains run every 30-60 minutes to Hamburg Hbf.

• Spend the night in a hotel in Hamburg.  Starting with the cheapest, suggested hotels next to Hamburg Hauptbahnhof with good reviews include the Hotel Continental Novum, Hotel Furst Bismarck, Hotel Europaischer Hof, Hotel Atlantic Kempinski.  If you're on a budget, private rooms with en suite shower & toilet in the A&O Hotel near Hamburg Hauptbahnhof start at around £33 for one person or £49 for two people booked at www.hostelworld.com.  Alternatively, you could spend the night in Travemünde or Lübeck if you prefer, and transfer into Hamburg next morning.

• Day 3, travel from Hamburg to London using any of the options shown on the Germany page.  For example, the earliest departure leaves Hamburg Hbf at 06:46, changing at Cologne & Brussels to arrive London St Pancras at 16:05.  Or you can leave at 08:46 arriving London 16:57 (18:06 on certain dates).  Or have a leisurely breakfast and leave Hamburg at 10:46 arriving London at 19:57 (21:03 on Saturdays & some other dates).

How much does it cost?

• London to Brussels by Eurostar starts at £44 one-way or £58 return in 2nd class, £112 one-way or £168 return in 1st class.

• Brussels to Hamburg starts at €39.90 each way in 2nd class, €69.90 each way in 1st class.

• Hamburg to Travemünde by local train and bus costs only a few euros.

• Travemünde to Helsinki by Finnlines ferry costs between €120 and €155 (£95-£120) each way in a reclining seat depending on the day and season.  However, I recommend a cabin.  The fare including a bed in a 3-bed shared inside cabin is between €200 and €287 each way.  The fare including a bed in a 2-bed outside cabin is between €279 and €413 each way.  Children under 6 go free, and there are reduced fares for children 6 to 12 and youth fares for children 13-17.  See the fares at www.finnlines.com.

• Hamburg to London by daytime trains starts at just €49 (£46) with a Sparpreis London fare, if one is available, though the price varies.

How to buy tickets online...

It takes several websites so it's best to try a dry-run on all of them first to check prices and availability before booking for real.  Here's how it's done:

• Step 1, book the Travemünde-Helsinki ferry, online at www.finnlines.com.

• Step 2, book from London to Hamburg as explained on the Germany page.

• You can buy your Hamburg-Lübeck-Travemünde local ticket at the station when you get to Hamburg (although you could try booking from London direct to Lübeck instead of Hamburg, it may well be the same price so could save a few euros).

How to buy tickets by phone...

• Step 1, buy your ferry ticket:  Finnlines telesales number in Germany is 00 49 451 1507 443.

• Step 2, buy your London-Hamburg train tickets:  You can buy tickets from the UK's Deutsche Bahn office, on 08718 80 80 66 (lines open 09:00-20:00 Monday-Friday, 09:00-13:00 Saturday & Sunday, no booking fee, 2% credit card charge).

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Train travel within Finland

How to check train times & buy tickets for Finland...

It's easy to check Finnish train times and buy tickets online at the Finnish Railways site www.vr.fi, for English click EN  top right.  Bookings now open up to 130 days in advance, and you may find it goes offline from 01:30 to 04:00 Finnish time.  Mainline train fares are now dynamic like flights, cheaper in advance and on less popular dates and trains, more expensive closer to departure date and on more popular dates and trains.  You can choose to print your own ticket, collect it from the self-service machines or staffed ticket counter at any main VR station, or in some cases an e-ticket can be sent to your mobile phone.

Helsinki station...

Designed by famous Finnish architect Eliel Saarinen, at Helsinki station you'll find the  usual range of services:  Ticket counters, left luggage, food stores, newsagents, restaurants and cafes.  Photos courtesy of Michael Banbrook

The night train to Lapland...

There are daytime trains from Helsinki to Oulu, Kemi, Rovaniemi & Kemijärvi, or you can use one of the time-effective sleeper trains, now equipped with air-conditioned double-deck sleeping-cars, all sleepers with cosy duvets, washbasin, soap & towels provided.  Some deluxe compartments have a private toilet & shower.  You can buy sleeper tickets to Lapland at www.vr.fi and print out your own ticket.

A snowy scene at Helsinki station, with a Pendolino train on the left and a double-deck sleeping-car on the right...  Photos courtesy of Michael Banbrook		2-berth sleeper in one of VR's double-deck sleeping-cars.  Some have a private toilet & shower.

A double-deck sleeping-car...  Photos courtesy of Michael Banbrook		The sleeper train to Rovaniemi features a restaurant car (above) and on-board shop..

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Recommended guidebooks

You should take a good guidebook.  For the independent traveller, I think this means either the Lonely Planet or the Rough Guide.  I personally prefer the layout of the Lonely Planet, but others prefer the Rough Guide.  Both guidebooks provide the same excellent level of practical information and historical background.  You won't regret buying one!  My own book, an essential handbook for train travel to Europe based on this website called "The Man in Seat 61", was published in June 2008, and is available from Amazon with shipping worldwide.

Click the images to buy at Amazon.co.uk...

Or buy direct at the Lonely Planet website, shipping worldwide.

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European Rail Timetable & maps

The European Rail Timetable (formerly the Thomas Cook European Timetable) has train & ferry times for every country in Europe plus currency & climate information.  It is essential for regular European train travellers and an inspiration for armchair travellers.  Published since 1873, it had just celebrated 140 years of publication when Thomas Cook decided to pull the plug on their entire publishing department, but the dedicated ex-Thomas Cook team set up a private venture and resumed publication of the famous European Rail Timetable in March 2014.  You can buy it online with worldwide shipping at either www.stanfords.co.uk or www.europeanrailtimetable.eu.  More information on what the European Rail Timetable contains.

A Traveller's Railway Map of Europe covers the whole of Europe from Portugal in the west to Moscow & Istanbul in the east, Finland in the north to Sicily & Athens in the south.  On the back are detailed maps of Switzerland, Benelux & Germany, plus city plans showing stations in major cities.  Scenic & high-speed routes highlighted.  Buy it online for £14.50 + postage worldwide (UK addresses £2.80) at www.stanfords.co.uk/Continents/Europe-A-Travellers-Railway-Map_9789077899090.htm or (in the Netherlands) for €13 + €5.50 postage from www.treinreiswinkel.nl.

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Hotels in Helsinki & Scandinavia

My favourite hotel search site: www.booking.com www.booking.com is my favourite hotel booking site and I generally prefer booking my hotels all in one place here.  You can usually book with free cancellation - this allows you to confirm your accommodation at no risk before train booking opens.  It also means you can hold accommodation while you finalise your itinerary, and alter your plans as they evolve - a feature I use all the time when putting a trip together.  I never book hotels non-refundably.  I have also come to trust their review scores - you won't be disappointed with anything over 8.0.

Other hotel sites worth trying...

www.tripadvisor.com is the place to find independent travellers' reviews of all the main hotels.

Backpacker hostels: www.hostelworld.com...

www.hostelworld.com:  If you're on a tight budget, don't forget about backpacker hostels.  Hostelworld offers online booking of cheap private rooms or dorm beds in backpacker hostels in Paris and most other European cities at rock-bottom prices.

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Travel insurance & health card

Take out decent travel insurance, it's essential...

Never travel without proper travel insurance from a reliable insurer with at least £1m or preferably £5m medical cover.  It should also cover loss of cash & belongings (up to a limit), and trip cancellation.  An annual multi-trip policy is usually cheapest even for just 2 or 3 trips a year - I have an annual policy myself.  However, don't expect travel insurance to bail you out of every missed connection, see the advice on missed connections here.  Here are some suggested insurers, Seat61 gets a little commission if you buy through these links, and feedback from using insurance for rail & ferry travel is always welcome.

In the UK, use www.confused.com to compare prices & policy features across major insurance companies.

If you have a pre-existing medical condition or are over 65, see www.JustTravelCover.com - 10% discount with code seat61.

        If you live in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland or the EU, try Columbus Direct's other websites.

  If you live in the USA try Travel Guard USA.

Get an EU health card, it's free...

If you're a UK citizen travelling in Europe, you should apply for a free European Health Insurance Card, which entitles you to free or reduced rate health care if you become ill or get injured in many European countries, under a reciprocal arrangement with the NHS.  This replaced the old E111 forms as from January 2006.  The EHIC card is available from ww.nhs.uk.  It doesn't remove the need for travel insurance, though.

Get a free Curve card to save on exchange rates & foreign transaction fees...

Banks often give you a poor exchange rate, then charge you a currency conversion fee on top.  A Curve MasterCard means no foreign transaction fees and gives you the mid-market exchange rate, at least up to a certain limit, £500 per month as I write this.  The balance goes straight onto one of your existing debit or credit cards.  And you can get a Curve card for free.

How it works:  1. Download the app for iPhone or Android.  2. Enter your details & they'll send you a Curve MasterCard - they send to most European addresses including the UK.  3. Link your existing credit & debit cards to the app.  4. Now use the Curve MasterCard to buy things online or in person or take cash from ATMs, just like a normal MasterCard. Curve does the currency conversion and puts the balance onto whichever of your debit or credit cards you choose.  You can even change your mind about which card it goes onto, within 14 days of the transaction.

I have a Curve Blue card myself and it's great - I get some commission if you sign up to Curve, but I only recommend such things when I've read up on reviews and tried it myself.  See details, download the app and get a Curve card. Use code MAN61 to get £5 cashback after signing up and using your Curve card the first time.

Get a VPN for safe browsing when you travel.  VPNs & why you need one explained...

When you're travelling you often use free WiFi in public places which may not be secure.  A VPN means your connection to the internet is encrypted & always secure, even using unsecured WiFi.  In countries such as China where access to Twitter & Facebook is restricted, a VPN gets around these restrictions.  And lastly, you can select the geographic location of the IP address you browse with, to get around geographic restrictions which some websites apply - for example one booking site charges a booking fee to non-European visitors but none to European visitors, so if you're not located in Europe you can avoid this fee by browsing with a UK IP address using a VPN.  VPNs & why you need one explained.  ExpressVPN is a best buy and I use them myself.

 

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