FI Finland: how to get around

"Street addresses" work with many electronic maps also for the countryside. "Street numbers" outside built-up areas are based on the distance from the beginning of the road, in tens of metres, with even numbers on the left hand side: "Metsätie 101" is about a kilometre from the junction, on the right hand side, distance from the named road to the house not counted. Many roads change names at municipality borders; what is Posiontie in Ranua becomes Ranuantie in Posio. The names are unique in any given municipality. An address of "Rantakatu 12–16 A 15" means lots 12, 14 and 16 on that street, stairwell A (or house A), flat number 15. "Rantakatu 10 a" means the first lot of an original lot 10 that was split. Most map services handle only single numbers and the distinction between uppercase and lowercase letters is often ignored also otherwise.

VR (Valtion Rautatiet, lit. "State's Railways") operates the railway network, in the capital region on behalf of the local HSL. Trains are usually the most comfortable and fastest method of intercity travel. From Helsinki to Tampere, Turku and Lahti, there are departures more or less every hour in the daytime.

Ticket sale is mostly online, with tickets bought days or weeks in advance often significantly cheaper, although the same-day prices are reasonable. Few stations are manned and conductors generally don't sell tickets, so the main alternative is debit/credit-card ticket machines found at most stations; they do offer an English interface. If you intend to board on a minor stop, buy your ticket in advance to be safe. You can also buy tickets over the phone, which may be the best option if your situation is complicated.

While differences between different train types aren't crucial – if you need specific facilities you should check anyway – rules for regional trains (about pets, bikes and tickets) may differ from those on the long-distance trains, and some regional trains travel quite far. On long-distance trains, the ticket's price includes a seat, while there is no seat reservation on the regional ones.

The trains are generally very comfortable, especially the intercity and long-distance services, which may have restaurant and family cars, power sockets, and a sometimes congested free Wi-Fi connection. The accessible toilets on IC2 trains double as family rooms. Check the services of individual trains if you need them, e.g. facilities for families and wheelchair users vary considerably.

Overnight sleepers are available for long-haul routes and very good value. Pillows, sheets and blankets are provided. There are en suite showers in the upper floor cabins in the modern overnight trains; the base-floor cabins use shared showers and the old ones have just the sink.

Pets can be taken on trains (€5), but seats must be booked in the right compartments. If your pet is big, book a seat with extended legroom (or, on some trains, a separate seat for the pet).

Finland participates in the Interrail systems. You would have to travel a lot to make these pay off, though; the price for a typical 2-hr journey, such as between Helsinki, Turku and Tampere, is about €20. Interrail pass holders do not need any reservations to travel on day trains, though reservations are recommended for travel during peak season on busy routes.

Seniors over 65 years old and students with Finnish student ID (ISIC not accepted) get 50% off. Children younger than 10 years travel for free in sleeper cabins if they can be accommodated. Otherwise children aged 4–16 pay a child fee on long-distance trains, those aged 7–16 on commuter trains, usually half the ordinary price. Carry your ID or passport to prove your age.

There are coach connections along the main roads to practically all parts of Finland. This is also the only way to travel in most of Lapland, since the rail network doesn't extend to the extreme north. Connections may be scarce between the thoroughfares.

There are many operators, but Matkahuolto maintains some services across companies, such as timetables, ticket sale and freight. Their route planner services do have some quirks, so don't despair if you don't find a connection.

Long haul coaches are generally quite comfortable, with toilets, reclining seats, AC, sometimes a coffee machine and perhaps a few newspapers to read (mostly only in Finnish, though). Power outlets (USB or 230 VAC) have become common and at least Onnibus double-deckers have Wi-Fi.

Onnibus dominates the intercity market with their "Onnibus Mega! double-deckers. They offers bargains for tickets bought early enough (in that case often €5–10 even for long rides) but offer little legroom unless you pay extra, and there are restrictions on children, pets and luggage. The routes do not necessarily serve the centres of intermediate destinations; often they have their stop by the thoroughfare some distance away.

Most coaches between bigger towns are express services (pikavuoro/snabbtur), having fewer stops than the "standard" (vakiovuoro/reguljär tur) coaches, near extinction on some routes. Between some big cities there are also special express (erikoispikavuoro/express) coaches with hardly any stops between the cities. Non-express services have stops at most a few kilometres apart and often make detours to settlements off the main road.

Tickets can be bought in advance with bargains possible on some routes, although paying to the driver is common – except on Onnibus. Credit and debit cards should be accepted on the main express and long-haul services (and when buying tickets in advance); on "regular" services on short distances you are more likely to need cash. The driver may have little change, so avoid paying with big notes. Onnibus and some local and regional buses don't accept cash at all.

Pets are usually accepted on coaches as well as buses (except on Onnibus), but not very common. In buses, bigger dogs often travel in the area for prams and wheelchairs. There is a fee for some pets on some services (Koiviston auto: €5 in cash unless they can fit on your lap).

Senior discounts are for those over 65 years old or with Finnish pension decision.

As with trains, student discounts are available only for Finnish students or foreign students at Finnish institutions; on Onnibus, also an Erasmus Student Network (ESN) logo on your card gives their 10–25% discount, but not on all services.

For most coaches, children aged 4–11 pay about half the price (infants free), juniors (12–16) get a 30–50 reduction on some journeys. On city buses age limits vary from one city or region to another, often children fees apply for 7–14 years old. An infant in a baby carriage gives one adult a free ride in e.g. Helsinki and Turku (but entering may be difficult in rush hours). On Onnibus, children under 15 are not allowed on their own without bureaucracy and their junior discount is just 10–25%.

Local transport networks are well-developed in the regions around Helsinki, Tampere, Turku, Oulu, Kuopio, Jyväskylä and Lahti. In other big towns public transport networks are often usable on workdays, but sparse on weekends and during the summer, while many small towns only have rudimentary services.

Both coaches and city buses are stopped for boarding by putting your arm out at a bus stop (mostly blue sign for coaches, yellow for city buses). A reflector or source of light, such as a smartphone screen, is useful in the dusk and night.

You pay or show your ticket to the driver or to a machine near the driver. On city buses, those with pram or wheelchair usually enter through the middle door. On coaches, the driver will often step out to let you put most of your luggage (including prams) in the luggage compartment – have what you want to have with you in a more handy bag.

Traffic drives on the right. Main roads are usually fairly well maintained and extensive, although motorways are limited to the south of the country and near the bigger cities.

Speed limits default to 50 km/h in built-up areas (look for the yellow-black coloured sign with a town skyline) and 80 km/h elsewhere. Other limits are always signposted.

A few unusual or unobvious rules to be aware of:

• Headlights or DRLs are mandatory even during daylight. New cars usually come with headlight-related automatics that do not always work properly. Particularly: make sure that the tail lights are lit in winter and dusk.
• Always give way to the right, unless signposted otherwise. The concept of minor road refers only to exits from parking lots and such (a decent rule of thumb is whether the exit crosses over a curb).
• Turning right on red at traffic lights is illegal. Intersections may have a separate set of traffic lights for those turning.
• Trams (present in Helsinki and Tampere) always have the right of way over other vehicles.
• Vehicles are required by law to stop at zebra crossings if a pedestrian intends to cross the road or if another vehicle has already stopped, to presumably give way – stopping for other reasons, such as pickup, in front of a zebra crossing is forbidden.
• Using seat belts is mandatory. Children under 135 cm tall must use booster seats or other safety equipment (the requirement is waived for taxis, except for children under 3 years of age).

A blood alcohol level of over 0.05 % is considered drunk driving. Finnish police strictly enforce this by random roadblocks and sobriety tests.

Car hire in Finland is expensive, with rates generally upwards of €80/day, although rates go down for longer hire.

VR's overnight car carrier trains are popular for skipping the long slog from the south up to Lapland and getting a good night's sleep instead: a Helsinki–Rovaniemi trip (one way) with car and cabin for 1–3 people costs €200–500.

Look out for wild animals, particularly at dawn and dusk. Animal collisions are common and sometimes fatal. If an animal might have been injured, note where and call 112.

Winter driving can be risky, especially for drivers unused to cold weather conditions. Winter tyres are compulsory in wintry conditions November–March. The most dangerous weather is around freezing, when slippery but near-invisible black ice forms on the roads, and on the first day of the cold season, which can catch drivers by surprise.

Flights are the fastest but also the most expensive way of getting around, unless you find a bargain. Mostly flying makes sense only if the alternative would take all day or you will transfer from an international flight to Helsinki. However, there are flights from Helsinki to places all over the country, and a few other domestic services.

It's worth booking in advance if possible: on the Helsinki–Oulu sector, the country's busiest, a fully flexible return economy ticket costs a whopping €251 but an advance-purchase non-changeable one-way ticket can go as low as €39, less than a train ticket. Finnair has cheaper fares usually when you book at least three weeks before your planned trip and your trip includes at least three nights spent at the destination or one night between Friday and Sunday. You may also be able to get discounted domestic tickets if you fly into Finland on Finnair and book a combination ticket directly to your final destination. Finnair also has a youth ticket (16–25) and senior ticket (age above 65 years or pension decision) that is substantially cheaper and fixed price regardless of when you book.

There are two major airlines selling domestic flights:

• Finnair, the biggest by far. Serves nearly all of the country, with some flights operated by their subsidiary Nordic Regional Airlines..
• Norwegian Air Shuttle flies from Helsinki to Oulu and Rovaniemi.

In addition there's a handful of smaller airlines, often just flying from Helsinki to one airport each. These services tend to come and go.

As a country with many lakes, a long coast and large archipelagos, Finland is a good destination for boating. There are some 165,000 registered motorboats, some 14,000 sailing yachts and some 600,000 rowing boats and small motorboats owned by locals, i.e. a boat on every seventh Finn. If you stay at a cottage, chances are there is a rowing boat available.

Yachts and motorboats are available for charter in most bigger towns at suitable waterways. You may also want to rent a canoe or kayak, for exploring the archipelagos, canoeing along calm rivers or going down rapid-filled ones.

In summertime, lake and archipelago cruises are a great way to see the scenery of Finland, although many of them only do circular sightseeing loops and thus aren't particularly useful for getting somewhere. Most cruise ships carry 100–200 passengers (book ahead on weekends!), and many are historical steam boats. Popular routes include Turku–Naantali, Helsinki–Porvoo and various routes on Saimaa and the other big lakes. Child tickets often have lower age limits than on other kinds of transport (such as 3–12 years).

The archipelago of Åland and the Archipelago Sea have many inhabited islands dependent on ferry connections. As these are maintained as a public service they are mostly free, even the half-a-day lines. Some are useful as cruises, although there is little entertainment except the scenery. These are meant for getting somewhere, so make sure you have somewhere to sleep after having got off.

There is a distinction between "road ferries" (typically on short routes, with an open car deck and few facilities), which are regarded as part of the road network and free, and other ferries (usually with a more ship-like look and primarily serving car-less passengers). Whether the latter are free, heavily subsidised or fully paid by passengers varies. See Archipelago Sea for some discussion. Åland has its own system, see Åland#Archipelago ferries.

Taxis are widely available and comfortable, although in the countryside night you may nowadays be out of luck (call a local company in advance). The taxi market was largely deregulated in 2018, causing a significant rise in already expensive prices – and cut income for the drivers. Pricing is free, and at busy times and places, some taxis may be significantly costlier than mainstream ones. The price using the meter must be told on a sticker, including an example ride of 10 km in 15 min in the night, which should cost around €35. Offers on a fixed price may be higher or lower. If a non-fixed price might exceed €100, you have to be warned.

If there is a taxi rank nearby, such as at significant railway and bus stations, just take a taxi from there. While there is some expectation of your taking the first taxi in the line, you don't have to (check the price unless you know the company). Less known companies are more common at the ranks, as they might not get many customers in other ways. Hailing a taxi in the street is possible, but often not easy.

Traditionally, taxis are mostly booked by phone. Prices for the call vary from free to significant; small companies often have an ordinary mobile-phone number. If asking a restaurant to call a taxi, they may want €2 or so for the service.

A growing trend is using a taxi app. Those usually offer a price based on estimated time and distance, but some (such as Uber & co) also take demand into account, so may be more expensive than using the meter.

Most companies have a flag fall of €4–9 (differing between daytime in weekdays and nights and weekends) and the meter ticking up by €2–4 per km or so (including a time based fare of around €1/min). Some companies have a minimum fee of €10–20. Pre-booking is free with some companies, while some call centres add €7 or so. Fares have to be clearly posted; while comparing price schemes is convoluted, getting severely ripped off using the meter is unlikely. Unless you know what your ride should cost, fixed prices may be riskier.

Once mostly plush Mercedes sedans, taxis can now come in any colour or shape, but they have a yellow taxi sign on the roof (usually with the spelling "TAKSI"), lit when the car is vacant. A normal taxi will carry 4 passengers and a moderate amount of luggage. For significant amounts of luggage, you can order a farmari taxi, an estate/wagon car with a roomier luggage compartment. There is also a third common type of taxi available, the tilataksi, a van which will comfortably carry about 8 people (if you ask for one, you are often charged for 5+ people, but not if you just happen to get one). Tilataksis are usually equipped for taking also a person in wheelchair (ask specifically if you need that service, and prepare for a surplus fee).

If you want child seats, mention that when ordering, you may be lucky. Transporting a child under 3 years of age without an appropriate device is illegal.

Apps and call centres with taxis available in many cities include:

• Taksi Helsinki. Uses the Valopilkku smart phone app. (updated Aug 2019)
• 02 Taksi, ☏ +358 20-230 (€1.25/call+€3/min). Call centre and smart phone app offers address based routing and gives price offers from one or more taxi companies (mainly big companies, i.e. useful mostly in cities, towns and around them). Price or price logic told when booking. (updated Aug 2021)
• Menevä, ☏ +358 50-471-0470 (head of office), toll-free: 0800-02120 (booking), info@meneva.fi. Smart phone app offers address based routing and calculates price according to them. (updated Jan 2022)
• Taksini. Smartphone app with most coverage in the Ostrobothnian regions, but also in several other areas (130 of Finland's 300 municipalities). (updated Apr 2023)

In city centres, long waiting times can be expected in Friday and Saturday nights. The same is true at ferry harbours, railway stations and the like when a service arrives; there is usually a queue of taxis when the ferry arrives, but with all filled up it takes a while before any of them return. It is not uncommon to share a taxi with strangers, if going towards the same general direction. At airports, railway stations and other locations from where many people are going to the same direction at the same time, there may also be kimppataksi minivans publicly offering rides with strangers. They are as comfortable as other taxis and will leave without much delay.

While branding usually is by call centre, most actual taxi companies have just a couple of cars. For the countryside and in some special situations, you may want to get the phone number of that specific company, to negotiate a ride directly.

In the countryside, there may only be a single taxi company and they may have to drive a long way to get to you, so pre-booking is strongly recommended if you need to catch a train or flight, or you need one in the night (when no driver might be awake to answer a call). Calling a local driver is safer than booking through a call centre, which might not find any driver when the time comes. For a short trip in a remote location, you might want to tip generously, as the standard fares don't cover the fetching distance. For finding local taxi companies, ask locally or use Taksit.fi, an (incomplete) catalogue.

Uber operates in Helsinki and sparsely in a few other cities (Tampere, Turku, Oulu, Lahti). They are formally taxis, with the same requirements on equipment and licensing. The price may be higher or lower than that of ordinary taxis.

For inter-city trips, you can try your luck on peer-to-peer ridesharing services:

• kyydit.net – Carpooling site with search engine

Hitchhiking is possible, but the harsh climate does not exactly encourage standing around and waiting for cars. The thumb-up sign is the one to use. Spring and summer offer long light hours, but in the darker seasons you should plan your time. The most difficult task is getting out of Helsinki.

Many middle age and elderly people hitchhiked when they were young, but in the last decades high standards of living and stories about abuse have had a deterring effect.

Pedestrians walking in the dark on shoulders of unlit roads are required by law to use safety reflectors. Their use is generally recommended, since the visibility of pedestrians with reflectors improves greatly. Controlled-access highways (green signs) are off limits for pedestrians; the few other off-limit road stretches have explicit prohibition signs – but you may want to avoid any narrow highway shoulders regardless.

Bus stops can be used as long as it doesn't inconvenience bus traffic (so avoid the busiest ones, otherwise they are good places). For motorways, bus stops at the ramps are an option. Ferries and fuel stations can be used like elsewhere. See also Finland article on Hitchwiki.

Most Finnish cities have good cycleways especially outside the centres, and taking a bike can be a quick, healthy and environmentally friendly method of getting around locally. Farther from cities, where the cycleways end, not all major roads allow safe biking. You can often find suitable quiet routes, but sometimes this requires an effort. Locals often drive quite fast on low-traffic gravel roads; be alert and keep to the right. There are cyclists' maps for many areas.

Biking off-road is regarded as part of the right to access, but biking may cause erosion or other harm, so choose your route with consideration and unmount your bike at sensitive sections. There are some routes explicitly meant (also) for off-road bikes, e.g. at some national parks.

Children under 12 years can use the pavement where there is no cycleway, as long as they do not unreasonably disturb pedestrians. Where the cycleway is on the pavement, be respectful and watch out for to pedestrians, who may not always keep to their side. Bikers are obliged to give way for people getting on or off buses. Bikes on cycleways have to yield also for cars on crossing roads, unless there is a yield sign, the car is turning or the cycleway is marked as continuing over the crossing street (be careful, not all drivers watch out for cyclists). Leading your bike you are a pedestrian.

The roads are generally paved well, although gravel roads are sometimes unavoidable. As long as you don't go off-road, you will not need suspension or grooved tyres.

Beware that a good cycleway can end abruptly and force you out among the cars; the bike network building efforts are not too well coordinated. Also at road works, directions for cyclists are often neglected.

Due to the relatively gentle topographic relief, too hilly terrain is rarely a problem, but in the cold months, wind chill and sweat require more careful choice of clothing than in walking. In some municipalities bike paths are well maintained in winter, in others they are not. Biking among the cars in winter is usually too dangerous (some locals do, but they know the circumstances). In dark hours headlight, rear light and a rear reflector are obligatory; side reflectors are recommended. Using a helmet is formally required "in general", and wise, but if you don't have one, the police won't trouble you.

Because of the long distances, long-haul bikers are advised to plan well and be prepared to use public transport for the less interesting stretches. Coaches are well-equipped to take a few bicycles on board (Onnibus Mega does not accept them, Onnibus Flex accepts like any other company). Fares vary by company and distance, typically about half of an ordinary ticket (which may be the same as your adult reduced-price one), or a flat €6. Packing the bike is not needed, but getting on at the bus station and arriving in time may help finding room for the bike. On some lines you should check the day before. If you buy tickets on the net, you should book bike slots at the same time, if possible.

Trains take bicycles for €5 if there is enough space in the racks (varies by train type, on some trains advance booking is necessary; on IC trains you also need a 50c coin; tandem bikes or bikes with trailers fit only on some trains, €10). Packed bikes are free if the package is small enough (requires taking the bike apart, exact dimensions vary by train type). If you have your bike in a bike rack behind your car, you can get it for free on car-carrier trains, but take the larger dimensions into account when booking your car slot (and if you need a bigger slot, booking the bike separately may be cheaper). On the trains from Russia (suspended in 2022) packing the bikes is necessary (100 cm x 60 cm x 40 cm). Bikes are free also unpacked on local trains in the Helsinki region, but are allowed only if there is enough space.

Road ferries (yellow open-deck ones) don't have fees. Fees on other ferries vary. For Åland and the Archipelago Sea, see the specific articles. Tour boats do not necessarily take bikes, even when they can be used one-way.

Renting a bike at your destination should be possible. In several towns, including Helsinki and Turku, there are also municipal bike-sharing systems. Some of the available bikes have an electric booster motor.

Bikes are often stolen, at least in cities, so have a lock and use it, and try to avoid leaving the bike in unsafe places.

In many cities there are electric kick scooters for hire; you will need to install a smartphone app. Check where the nearest scooter is, check the price and allowed areas, unlock with the app, ride, park it in an allowed sensible location (mind the vision impaired) and release it with the app. The scooters have a maximum speed of 20–25 km/h (12–16 mph), which is plenty; acquaint yourself with the scooter and its controls somewhere safe. There is a handful of companies, some active in more cities than others.

The scooters are legally mostly counted as bikes, with an operator-imposed minimum rider age of 18; a legal limit of 15 years was introduced in 2025. The drunk driving limit is the same as for cars. Whilst common, driving on the pavement (other than on cycleways) is illegal. Wearing a helmet is recommended by the operators, sort of mandated by law (wearing one is "generally" required) and going without one is dangerous – however, seeing somebody wear one is quite rare. Due to the general concern, there will probably be crackdowns on scooter driving also in 2026; drunk driving tests can be expected.

To reduce number and severity of accidents, lower speed may be enforced in the night (such as 15 km/h) and in some locations (5 km/h). In some municipalities the scooters are unavailable for some hours in weekend nights. Some companies ask you to take a photo of the scooter after parking it and might take action if it was left carelessly.

The price for a ride is typically significantly higher than by bus on any distance you couldn't walk (and typically used for short distances), but they are handy and cheaper than taxis.

There are usually adequate pavements and zebra crossings in towns. Cars are in principle obliged to stop at zebra crossings if a pedestrian intends to cross the road – but as most cross the road only when there is a sufficiently large gap in the traffic, drivers may assume you "do not intend to cross right now", and not stop. Do not leave a shadow of a doubt that you will cross the road, and cars will mostly stop. With some practice, this works out smoothly, efficiently and without taking undue risks. Don't try this when drivers cannot see you in time, and remember some will have their eyes on something else.

Often the pavement is combined with a cycleway, and some cyclists (and especially e-scooter drivers) expect you not to take a step sideways. Watch out if you have children or a pet, and when crossing the cycleway, especially if you have been standing and your starting to move may be unanticipated.

When walking on a road without a separate footpath, it is safest to walk on the left-hand side of the road so you can see oncoming cars.

In the night and dusk reflectors are in theory mandatory – and they are immensely useful for being seen by drivers. They are especially important on country roads with narrow shoulders, where also reflective vests (or similar arrangements) are recommended.