London to Finland . . .

Train operator in Finland:

VR, www.vr.fi for train times & fares within Finland.

Trains between Helsinki & Moscow

Trains between Helsinki & St Petersburg

Ferries to Finland:

www.silja.com & www.vikingline.fi (Stockholm to Turku & Helsinki)

www.tallinksilja.com/en/ (Germany to Helsinki)

Railpasses:

Beginner's guide to European railpasses    Buy a rail pass online

Time:

GMT+2 (GMT+3 from last Sunday in March to last Saturday in October)

Currency:

£1 = approx 1.25 Euros     Currency converter     Best guidebooks

Tourist information:

www.finland-tourism.com.  Helsinki metro, bus, tram info: www.hel.fi

Page last updated:

17 November 2008.  Train times valid from 14 Dec 2008 to 13 June 2009.

Above:  Sailing out of Stockholm past all the islands on the cruise ferry to Helsinki...  Photo courtesy of Michael Herbert & Bernadette Hyland

It's easy to travel from London to Finland by train+ferry, a wonderful journey across Scandinavia with a lot to see on the way.  This page will tell you train & ferry times, approximate fares and how to buy tickets.  Broadly-speaking, there are three options:

• London to Helsinki by train to Stockholm for ferry to Finland:  This is the fastest option, taking well under 48 hours from London to Helsinki, with daily departures.  It also involves the least sea travel if that's an issue for you.  Take a lunchtime Eurostar to Brussels, a connecting train to Cologne and the City Night Line sleeper train overnight to Copenhagen.  Then take a fast train to Stockholm for the overnight Viking Line cruise ferry to Turku and connecting train to Helsinki.  By all means stop off for a day or two in Copenhagen or Stockholm if you like, it would be a shame not to!  Details are shown below.

• London to Helsinki by train to Germany then ferry to Finland:  This is a more leisurely option, taking 2 days & 3 nights, but gives you time to explore Berlin on the way and is a bit simpler to book.  Take an afternoon Eurostar to Paris, the overnight City Night Line sleeper train to Berlin, a train to Rostock and the four-times-a-week Tallink cruise ferry from Rostock to Helsinki.  The ferry from Rostock to Helsinki runs four times a week, year-round.  Details are shown below

• London to Helsinki by ferry to Denmark, train to Stockholm, ferry to Finland:  This is a variation on the first option, with more cruising and fewer trains.  Take DFDS Seaways overnight cruise ferry from Harwich to Esbjerg in Denmark, a train from Esbjerg to Copenhagen and the sleeper train to Stockholm, then a magnificent overnight cruise ferry run by Silja Line or Viking Line from Stockholm to Helsinki.  This takes 3 nights and gives you a free day in Stockholm.  Don't miss the amazing Vaasa Museum.  Sailing out of Stockholm past the small islands as night falls is one of the most scenic and romantic parts of the journey.  Departures 3 or 4 times a week, year-round.  Details are shown below.

On this page:

London to Helsinki by train to Stockholm then ferry to Finland  train & ferry times, fares and how to buy tickets

London to Helsinki by train to Germany then ferry to Finland  train & ferry times, fares and how to buy tickets

London to Helsinki by train+ferry via Esbjerg & Stockholm  train & ferry times, fares and how to buy tickets

Trains between Helsinki & Moscow

Trains between Helsinki & St Petersburg

Sponsored links:

This is the fastest overland option between the UK and Finland, with daily departures taking less than 48 hours (2 nights) from London to Helsinki.  Though it would be a shame not to allow an extra day or two and see Stockholm (or Copenhagen) on the way!

London ► Helsinki

• Day 1:  Travel from London to Brussels by Eurostar, leaving London St Pancras at 14:34 and arriving in Brussels at 17:50.

• Day 1:  Travel from Brussels to Cologne by high-speed Thalys train, leaving Brussels at 19:25 and arriving in Cologne at 21:45.

• Day 1:  Travel overnight from Cologne to Copenhagen on the City Night Line sleeper train 'Borealis', leaving Cologne at 22:28 and arriving next morning in Copenhagen at 09:59.  This train has a sleeping-car (1, 2 & 3 bed compartments, standard with washbasin or deluxe with private shower & toilet), couchettes (4-berth & 6-berth) & seats, see the London to Denmark page for more details about this train.

• Day 2:  Travel from Copenhagen to Stockholm by high-speed tilting X2000 train, leaving Copenhagen at 12:31 and arriving in Stockholm at 17:40.  See the X2000 pictures above.

• Day 2:  On arrival at Stockholm Central station, transfer to the Viking Line terminal.  Sail from Stockholm to Turku on Viking Line's luxurious overnight cruise ferry, departing Stockholm at 20:10 and arriving Turku at 07:35 next morning.  A range of comfortable cabins is available, or you can party till dawn in the nightclub, your choice!

• Day 3:  A connecting Finnish InterCity train leaves Turku Harbour station (Turku Satama) at 08:30, arriving Helsinki main station at 10:57.

• Alternatively, why not spend a night and day seeing Stockholm, and reach Helsinki a day later, in the morning of day 4?  You can use the ferry+train service via Turku mentioned above, or there are direct ferries from Stockholm to Helsinki run by both Viking Line and Silja Line - I'd suggest Silja.  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.  Silja Line's ferries sail daily at 17:00 arriving in Helsinki at about 09:30 next morning.  It's a very scenic voyage, as the liner sails out of Stockholm past all the islands - see video.  Map of Helsinki showing Silja terminal.

Helsinki ► London

• Day 1:  Travel from Helsinki to Turku by train, leaving Helsinki main station at 17:09 by fast 'Pendolino' train, arriving Turku Harbour (Satama) at 19:14.

• Day 1:  Sail from Turku to Stockholm on the Viking Line cruise ferry, leaving Turku Harbour at 21:00 and arriving Stockholm Viking Line terminal at 06:30 next morning (day 2).  A range of comfortable cabins is available, or you can party till dawn in the nightclub, your choice!  Transfer to Stockholm central station.

• Alternatively, why not leave a day earlier, using the luxurious Silja Line or Viking Line overnight cruise ferries direct from Helsinki to Stockholm, then spend a day and night seeing Stockholm?  The Silja ferry sails from Helsinki at 17:00 arriving in Stockholm at about 09:30 next morning.  Departures are daily, and a range of cabins is available.

• Day 2:  Travel from Stockholm to Copenhagen by by fast X2000 tilting train, leaving Stockholm at 12:21 and arriving Copenhagen at 17:30.  See the X2000 pictures above.

• Day 2:  Travel overnight from Copenhagen to Cologne by City Night Line sleeper train 'Borealis', leaving Copenhagen daily at 18:53 and arriving Cologne at 06:14 next morning.  This train has couchettes (4-berth & 6-berth) and a modern sleeping-car (1, 2 & 3 bed compartments, standard with washbasin or deluxe with private shower & toilet).  See the London to Denmark page for more details about this train.

• Day 3:  On Mondays-Saturdays, a high-speed Thalys train leaves Cologne at 07:14, arriving Brussels at 09:35.  On Sundays, a high-speed Thalys train leaves Cologne at 07:40, arriving Brussels at 10:01.

• Day 3:  A Eurostar leaves Brussels at 11:50 and arrives London St Pancras at 13:08.

Introducing the Cologne-Copenhagen City Night Line sleeper train 'Borealis'...

The Cologne-Copenhagen overnight train is one of the German Railway's excellent City Night Line sleeper trains.  It has a modern sleeping-car (1, 2 & 3-berth deluxe rooms with private shower and toilet, 1, 2 & 3-berth standard rooms with washbasin, there's a shower at the end of the corridor and all rooms have power-points for laptop computers), modern air-conditioned couchettes (choose between a berth in a 4- or 6-berth compartment), and ordinary seats (not recommended).  Inclusive fares are charged covering travel plus sleeping accommodation.  Click for more pictures and information about this train.

1, 2 or 3 bed sleeper: The most comfortable & civilised option, standard with washbasin or deluxe with shower & toilet.		4-berth couchettes:  Ideal for families, much more space per person than 6-berth couchettes.		6-berth couchettes:  A very economical option, far better than a seat for just a few euros more...		Above:  One of the new 'Comfortline' sleeping-cars on the Cologne-Copenhagen City Night Line sleeper train.  More pictures...

With Viking Line or Silja Line from Stockholm to Turku & Helsinki...

The Viking Line and Silja Line Stockholm-Turku & Stockholm-Helsinki cruise ferries are more like floating cities than ferries, with luxurious cabins, nightclubs, bars, restaurants, cafés, shopping centres & cinemas.

Silja Line's 'Silja Serenade' (above left) and 'Silja Symphony' (above right) on the  Helsinki route, are more like cruise liners than ferries.  Pictures courtesy of Silja Line. The crossing is very scenic as the ship sails out of Stockholm past all the islands - see this short video of a Helsinki-Stockholm crossing with Silja Line...

How much does it cost?

• London to Stockholm by train:  See the London to Sweden page for fares information.

• Stockholm to Turku or Helsinki:  Viking Line fares can be checked at www.vikingline.fi, Silja Line fares at www.silja.com.

• Turku-Helsinki train fares can be checked at www.vr.fi.

How to buy tickets online...

The cheapest way to book the journey from London to Helsinki is online.  You will need to use several websites, but it's not difficult.  First, jot down each specific train and ferry you want to book and the date on which you want to book it, using the outward & return journey details above.  Then follow the booking steps below to book each stage of the trip.  It's best to do a dry run on each website first to check availability and prices, before booking for real.  You should also double-check all the train & ferry times to make sure there have been no changes and all the connections work as per the journey details above.  Remember you can't book the trains until 90 days before departure.  Here's how to book online:

• Step 1, book the Cologne-Copenhagen sleeper:  Go to the German Railways night train site, www.bahn.de/citynightline.  Select 'English' top right, and book a sleeper or couchette ticket from Cologne (Köln Hbf) to Copenhagen (Koebenhvn H) and back on the direct sleeper train, looking for the cheap 'Savings' fares ('sparnight' in German).  You pay online and print out your own ticket in .PDF format on your own PC printer.  Easy!

• Step 2, book your London-Cologne ticket:  Go to either www.eurostar.com or www.raileurope.co.uk and using the train times on this page as your guide, book a ticket from London to Cologne & back (Cologne is listed as Koln on the Eurostar website).  It's a good idea to try both of these websites, as sometimes one is cheaper than the other, for some strange reason.  Bookings for Eurostar+Thalys open 90 days (3 months) before departure, and the further ahead you book, the more likely you are to see the cheapest fares.  Tickets can be posted to any UK address or collected at St Pancras on departure.  One-way London-Cologne fares are usually more expensive than a cheap return, so for one-way trips buy a return ticket and throw away the return half.   It's obvious, but remember that your return departure date from Cologne will be the day after your departure date from Copenhagen!

• Occasionally, if there are no affordable London-Cologne through fares shown, it can be worth using www.raileurope.co.uk and trying to split the London-Cologne journey into separate London-Brussels & Brussels-Cologne sections, looking for cheap fares for each leg.  First, ask for 'Brussels' to 'Cologne' and your dates of travel.  After booking the Thalys from Brussels to Cologne, click 'continue shopping' and book a Eurostar from London to Brussels and back to connect.  Make sure you allow for the 30 minute Eurostar check-in at Brussels on the return journey.

• Step 3, book the Copenhagen-Stockholm train:  There are two options for booking this.  The easy way is to stay with www.raileurope.co.uk, click 'continue shopping' and book a ticket from Copenhagen to Stockholm and back online.  Rail Europe charges a standard fixed price for Copenhagen-Stockholm trains for all dates and departures, this is the international tariff made available to other European railway operators by the Swedish Railways.  The second much cheaper way is to book the Copenhagen-Stockholm train online using either www.sj.se (no booking fee) or www.bokatag.se (English button bottom right, small booking fee).  If you can't get your credit card to work, simply call SJ telesales on +46 771 75 75 75 (touch tone 6 for English).  The price you'll pay using www.sj.se, www.bokatag.se or SJ telesales is the actual Swedish Railways price, which varies like budget airline fares.  If you book several months in advance you can find really cheap fares available, much cheaper than with Rail Europe, rising to pretty much the same level as Rail Europe closer to departure.  You collect your tickets from the Swedish Railways (SJ) ticket machines which have been installed at Copenhagen main station.

• Step 4, book the Stockholm-Turku ferry:  You can book the Viking Line Stockholm-Turku ferry at www.vikingline.fi or the Seat61 Ferry Shop.  If you're staying a day or two in Stockholm and taking the direct Silja Line Stockholm-Helsinki ferry, you can book this at www.silja.com.

• Step 5, book the Turku-Helsinki train:  You can do this online at www.vr.fi.  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 office on 08718 80 80 66 (lines open 09:00-17:00 Mon-Fri), or European Rail on 020 7619 1083 (lines open 09:00-17:00 Monday-Friday, £25 booking fee per transaction).  Click here for a list of agencies and more info on how to book.

• Step 2:  Silja Line tickets can be bought online at www.silja.com or through their UK agents, DFDS Seaways, on 0870 5 333 000.  Viking Line 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.

Don't fly, cruise to Finland!  The Tallink ferry from Rostock to Helsinki, with cabins, bars, restaurants, sauna and health club.  Photo courtesy of Superfast Ferries, who originally operated this service.

This leisurely option runs 4 times a week and takes 2 days & 3 nights.  Take an afternoon Eurostar to Paris and the City Night Line overnight sleeper to Berlin, a train to Rostock on Germany's Baltic coast, then the superb Tallink ferry from Rostock direct to Helsinki, a 2-night cruise.  The ferry has cabins, bars, restaurants, WiFi, cinema, sauna, jacuzzi and massage service.  Heck, this non-flying business is hell, isn't it...

London ► Helsinki

• Day 1, travel from London to Paris by Eurostar, leaving London St Pancras at 15:00, arriving Paris 18:53.
  To connect with the four-times-a-week ferry you need to leave London on a Monday, Tuesday, Thursday or Friday afternoon.  By all means take an earlier Eurostar if this has cheaper seats available of if you'd like to stop off in Paris for a while.  It's a 10-minute walk from Paris Nord to Paris Gare de l'Est.

• Day 1 evening, travel from Paris to Berlin by sleeper train, leaving Paris Gare de l'Est at 20:20 and arriving at Berlin Hauptbahnhof at 09:02 next morning.  This train runs daily from 27 March to 2 November 2009, and on Mondays, Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays on all dates outside this period.  On days when it's not running, leave London in the morning using daytime trains to Berlin and spend the night in a hotel, see the London to Germany page).  The Paris-Berlin overnight train is one of the German Railway's excellent City Night Line sleeper trains.  It has modern sleeping-cars (1, 2 & 3-berth deluxe rooms with private shower and toilet, 1, 2 & 3-berth standard rooms with washbasin, shower at the end of the corridor, all rooms with power points for mobiles & laptop computers), modern air-conditioned couchettes (choose between a berth in a 4- or 6-berth compartment), ordinary seats (not recommended) and a bistro-restaurant car.   Inclusive fares are charged covering travel plus sleeping accommodation.  The sleeping-car fare includes a light breakfast in the restaurant car.  Click for more pictures and information about this train.

• Day 2, spend some time seeing Berlin, then take a train from Berlin to Rostock in northern Germany.  The train takes around 3 hours, there are regular departures through the day, you can check train times at http://bahn.hafas.de.  In Rostock, either take a taxi from the station to the port (Rostock Überseehafen), or use the Tallink transfer bus which leaves Rostock Hauptbahnhof at 21:30 (the bus stop is in front of the InterCity Hotel, buy the bus ticket on the bus, 5 euros).  You must reach the terminal no later than 22:30, as this is when the last boarding for foot passengers takes place.

• Day 2 evening, board the four-times-a-week Tallink cruise ferry from Rostock to Helsinki.  Boarding starts at 21:30 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays & Saturdays and you sleep the night on board.  The ferry actually sails from Rostock next morning (day 3) at 03:30, and arrives in Helsinki on day 4 at 06:30, as the Länsiterminaali (West Harbour).  The ship is fast, modern, and has a full range of cabins, bars, restaurants, cinema, children's play areas, and a health club with sauna and jacuzzi.  You can check details at www.tallinksilja.com/en/.  Map of Helsinki showing ferry terminal.

Helsinki ► London

• Day 1, sail from Helsinki to Rostok in Germany on the luxurious Tallink cruise ferry, leaving Helsinki Länsiterminaali (West Harbour) on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays & Fridays at 19:15 and arriving in Rostok Überseehafen at 22:00 some 24 hours later (day 2).  The ship is fast, modern, and has a full range of cabins, bars, restaurants, cinema, children's play areas, and a health club with sauna and jacuzzi.  Spend the night in a hotel in Rostock.

• Day 3, take a train from Rostock to Berlin.  The train takes around 3 hours, there are regular departures through the day, you can check train times at http://bahn.hafas.de.

• Day 3, travel from Berlin to Paris by City Night Line sleeper train, leaving Berlin Hauptbahnhof at 19:58 and arriving Paris Gare de l'Est at 09:30 next morning.  This train runs daily from 26 March to 1 November 2009, and on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays at all other times outside this period.  On days when it's not running, spend the night in Berlin and use daytime trains back to London next day, see the London to Germany page).  The Berlin-Paris sleeper has ordinary seats (not recommended), couchettes (4-bunk or 6-bunk) and modern sleeping-cars (1, 2 or 3-berth standard rooms with washbasin or deluxe rooms with private shower & toilet, highly recommended), plus a bistro-restaurant car.  Breakfast is included in the fare for sleeper passengers.  Click for more pictures and information about this train.
  In Paris, it's an easy 10-minute walk from the Gare de l'Est to the Gare du Nord.

• Day 4, travel from Paris to London by Eurostar.  A Eurostar leaves Paris at 11:13 arriving London St Pancras at 12:28.

How much does it cost?

• London to Berlin by Eurostar+sleeper train starts at around £117 return including a couchette in a 6-bunk compartment.  For full details of fares in each type of seat, couchette and sleeper, see the London to Germany page.

• Berlin to Rostock costs around 33 euros (£25) one-way, 66 euros (£50) return.

• Rostock to Helsinki by Tallink starts at 91 euros (£63) one-way or 158 euros (£110) return in an airline-style reclining seat or 180 euros (£125) one-way, 295 euros (£205) return with a berth in a 4-berth cabin.  For details of prices in each type of cabin, including 2-berth cabins and deluxe suites, see www.tallinksilja.com/en/.

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, but here's how it's done:

• Step 1, book the Paris-Berlin sleeper train.  Go to www.bahn.de/citynightline, which is the German Railways official sleeper train website.  Select 'English' top right, then click through to the online booking system.  Or if the English button has disappeared again (!) you can click 'buchung' on the left, then 'fahrkarten buchung', then 'buchen sie jetzt ihre nachtzugreise', and a booking window then appears which has an English language button.

• Book from Paris to Berlin Hbf and back by the overnight sleeper train.  Availability of both cheap 'sparnight' special fares and fully-flexible full fares will be shown, for each type of seat, couchette & sleeper.  You pay by credit card and print out your own tickets in .pdf format.  Easy!  Note that the prices shown on www.bahn.de/citynightline are in euros, and are the total cost for all passengers selected, not per person.

• Step 2, book your Eurostar.  Go to www.eurostar.com to book your connecting Eurostar tickets between London and Paris, using the Eurostar times above as a guide.  By all means book an earlier Eurostar outwards, or a later Eurostar on the way back, if this has cheaper seats available of if you'd like to stop off in Paris for a while.  Return fares start at £59, but for one-way fares on Eurostar see this advice.  Eurostar tickets can be sent to any UK address or picked up at the station if you're travelling at short notice or booking from overseas.

• Step 3, book the Rostock-Helsinki cruise ferry.  If you speak German (or are handy with the language tools at www.google.co.uk), you can book the ferry online at the German version of Tallink's website, www.tallinksilja.com/de/, but this online booking system isn't currently available in English.  You can also book by email or phone direct with Tallink through Tallink's English-language international website, www.tallinksilja.com/en/.  Or you can book this bit by phone with Tallink's UK agents, DFDS Seaways, on 0870 333111.  Phone lines are open 08:30-20:00 Mondays-Fridays, 08:30-17:00 Saturdays, 10:00-16:00 Sundays

• Step 4, you simply can buy your Berlin-Rostock ticket when you get to Berlin at the station, or buy it online at http://bahn.hafas.de.

How to buy tickets by phone...

• London-Berlin-Rostock train tickets:  You can buy all the London-Berlin-Rostock tickets from the UK's Deutsche Bahn office, on 08718 80 80 66.  Lines open 0900-1700 Mon-Fri, no booking fee.  Alternatively, you can also buy them from www.europeanrail.com (a booking fee is charged).

• Rostock-Helsinki ferry ticket:  The best way to book is by phone with Tallink's UK agents, DFDS Seaways, on 0870 333111.  Phone lines are open 08:30-20:00 Mondays-Fridays, 08:30-17:00 Saturdays, 10:00-16:00 Sundays.