 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?
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
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Train operator in Finland: |
VR, www.vr.fi for train times & fares within Finland. |
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Ferries to Finland: |
www.tallinksilja.com & www.vikingline.fi (Stockholm to Turku & Helsinki) www.finnlines.com (Germany to Helsinki) |
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Railpasses: |
Beginner's guide to European railpasses Buy a rail pass online |
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Time zone & dialling code: |
GMT+2 (GMT+3 from last Sunday in March to last Saturday in October). Dial code +358. |
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Currency: |
£1 = approx 1.11 euros Check current exchange rates |
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Tourist information: |
www.visitfinland.com. Helsinki metro, bus, tram info: www.hsl.fi. |
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Page last updated: |
18 January 2020. Train times valid 15 Dec 2019 to 12 Dec 2020. |
Which route should
you choose?
There are several good options for reaching Finland in comfort without flying:
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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.
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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.
Interactive map: London to Helsinki by train & ferry...click on a route for train & ferry times from the UK, and how to buy tickets.
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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 from just €59, stay overnight in Hamburg, then travel from Hamburg to Stockholm on day 2 from as little as €39. 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, for as little as €39.50. 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
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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, arriving Hamburg Hbf at 21:14. See video guide to the London to Cologne part of the journey.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Spend the night in Stockholm. Check hotels in Stockholm.
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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.
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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
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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).
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Spend the night in Stockholm. Check hotels in Stockholm.
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Day 2, travel from Stockholm to Copenhagen by 125mph X2000 tilting train, leaving Stockholm Central at 08:21 arriving Copenhagen 13:13.
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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.
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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.
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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?
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London to Hamburg starts at €69.90 each way in 2nd class or €129.90 each way in 1st class with a Sparpreis London fare from Germany Railways (DB). Like air fares, the price varies significantly from date to date and departure to departure, and prices rise as departure date approaches, so book early and pick your date carefully for the cheapest prices.
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Hamburg to Stockholm starts at €39.90 each way in 2nd class or €69.90 each way in 1st class with a sparpreis fare from German Railways. Again, the price varies significantly, rising as departure date approaches so book early for the best deals.
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Stockholm to Turku by Viking Line ferry can cost as little as €15 each way without any accommodation, but you can add various types of private cabin from €13 upwards. Silja Line is similarly priced.
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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.
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If you take the direct overnight ferry from Stockholm to Helsinki, fares start 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.
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Above: Helsinki's beautiful art nouveau station, by famous Finnish architect Eliel Saarinen. Photo courtesy of Adrian Tanovic |
How to buy tickets online...
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Step 1, Buy a Sparpreis London ticket from London to Hamburg using these special links...
I recommend registering when prompted, as you can then log in and check or re-print tickets whenever you like, from any PC. Booking usually opens 92 days ahead, you can't book before bookings open. Prices vary like air fares, so book as far ahead as you can and shop around for the cheapest departure.
From London to Hamburg:
Departing London at 06:47 on Mondays-Fridays or 06:57 Saturdays
Departing London at 08:54 every day
Departing London at 11:04 every day
From Hamburg to London:
Departing Hamburg at 10:46 daily except Saturdays, not certain dates
Departing Hamburg at 10:46 on Saturdays plus certain other dates
Sparpreis London fares have limited availability as DB (German Railways) only have a small allocation on Eurostar. If you cannot find any cheap fares from London to Hamburg or have any other problems, try booking exactly the same trains, but using www.eurostar.com for the London to Brussels train and www.bahn.de for Brussels to Hamburg trains. Alternatively, try www.b-europe.com for London to Cologne and www.bahn.de for Cologne to Berlin. There are various ways to break this journey down!
Important update: German Railways' Sparpreis London through fares between London & Germany may disappear at some point in 2020, as Eurostar is changing its reservation system and DB will no longer be able to access the necessary Eurostar reservation. Try the booking method suggested above, but if this doesn't work, simply book London-Hamburg at either www.b-europe.com or Raileurope.co.uk.
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Step 2, buy a Sparpreis Sweden ticket from Hamburg to Stockholm using these links...
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Availability of Sparpreis Sweden tickets is limited, so if you don't find any cheap fares between Hamburg and Stockholm, split the booking:
First book Hamburg to Copenhagen using www.bahn.de and print your own ticket.
Then book Copenhagen to Stockholm using either Omio.com (formerly GoEuro.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.
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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!
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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...
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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.
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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...
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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.
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A Eurostar e300 about to leave St Pancras... |
1st class (Standard Premier or Business Premier) |
(2) Brussels to Cologne by ICE3. More information.
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ICE3 from Brussels to Frankfurt, seen at Frankfurt... |
ICE3 2nd class seats... |
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ICE3 1st class, with leather seats & power sockets... |
Lunch in an ICE3 bistro car... |
(3) Cologne to Hamburg by InterCity train. More information
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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... |
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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 informationHamburg-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.
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A Danish IC3 train at Copenhagen station... |
1st class seats on an IC3 train... |
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2nd class seats on an IC3 train... |
Boarding an IC3 train to Copenhagen in Hamburg. |
(5) Copenhagen to Stockholm by X2000. More information
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A Copenhagen-Stockholm X2000 train boarding at Copenhagen main station... |
2nd class seats on an X2000 train from Copenhagen to Stockholm. |
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X2000 bistro car... |
X2000 bistro car seating area... |
Bistro self-service... |
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Winter scenery from a train between Copenhagen & Stockholm. Courtesy of Radoslav Sharapanov |
(6) Stockholm to Turku by cruise ferry & train to Helsinki...
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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! |
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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.
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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 |
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Viking Line's Gabriela sails out of Stockholm en route to Helsinki. Courtesy Jeremy Nicholls. |
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Near midnight, the Silja Serenade sails past the Åland islands en route from Stockholm to Helsinki. Courtesy Jeremy Nicholls. |
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 |
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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
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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.
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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.
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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. 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). London to Hamburg by train starts from €69.90
each way in 2nd class or €129.90 each way in 1st class with a Sparpreis London fare at
www.bahn.de,
though the price varies. 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.Helsinki ►
London
How much does
it cost?
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:
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Step 1, book the Travemünde-Helsinki ferry, online at www.finnlines.com.
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Step 2, look for a cheap Sparpreis London fare from London to Hamburg using these links:
London to Hamburg leaving 11:04 every day or London to Hamburg leaving 08:54 every day
Hamburg to London leaving Hamburg at 06:46 daily or Hamburg to London leaving Hamburg at 10:46 daily except Saturdays, not certain dates or Hamburg to London leaving Hamburg 10:46 on Saturdays & some other dates.
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If you don't see any suitable fares from London to Hamburg using these links, split the journey, and book London to Brussels & back at www.eurostar.com then Brussels to Hamburg & back at www.bahn.de.
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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...
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Step 1, buy your ferry ticket: Finnlines telesales number in Germany is 00 49 451 1507 443.
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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).
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.
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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. |
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A double-deck sleeping-car... Photos courtesy of Michael Banbrook |
The sleeper train to Rovaniemi features a restaurant car (above) and on-board shop.. |
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...
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Or buy direct at the Lonely Planet website, shipping worldwide.
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.
Hotels in Helsinki &
Scandinavia
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.
Travel insurance & health
card
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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.
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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.
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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.