Helsinki Multi-Day Trips by Sea, Rail, Night Train
Helsinki Multi-Day Trips by Sea, Rail and Night Train
Three kinds of transport open up the longer trips from Helsinki: a ferry, a daytime train and an overnight sleeper. Each leads somewhere very different, from a medieval Baltic old town to a lake city of saunas and Moomins to the edge of Lapland. Choose by how much time you have.
By sea: Tallinn, 3 to 4 days
Helsinki and Tallinn pair well because the crossing, at about 2 hours, takes less time than most airport transfers. Tallink and Eckerö Line sail from West Terminal 2, and Viking Line from Katajanokka. Tallink one-way fares begin around €28.80, and prices vary by date; see tallink.com , vikingline.com and eckeroline.com for sailings. Spend two nights in Helsinki, using the first day for Senate Square, the cathedral, Market Square, Oodi and the rock church, and the second for Suomenlinna and a sauna at Löyly. Then cross to Tallinn for one or two nights: Town Hall Square and Toompea on arrival, Kadriorg Palace and the Kumu art museum on the last day. If you want help with Tallinn logistics, you can browse Tallinn tours on Viator .
By rail: Porvoo and Tampere, 4 to 5 days
Tampere is a good counterweight to the capital. Take a morning coach to Porvoo on day three, then VR trains onward (times at vr.fi ). Tampere sits between two big lakes and calls itself the sauna capital of the world. Its Rajaportti sauna dates from 1906 and is the oldest public sauna still in use (visittampere.fi ). The Moomin Museum is open Tuesday to Friday 10:00 to 18:00 and at weekends 09:00 to 17:00, closed on Mondays (muumimuseo.fi ). Give the city two nights so that the sauna and the museum are not squeezed into one afternoon.
By night train: Rovaniemi
A VR sleeper runs from Helsinki Central to Rovaniemi on the Arctic Circle. Compartments are priced per compartment, so a pair travelling together shares the cost. Departure and arrival times are set by the timetable, so read the current ones on the VR site. Winter brings snowmobile and husky excursions, and warm layers are essential. If you travel in the dark months, the day is short, and the sleeper makes sense because the journey itself fills the dark hours.
Money and tickets
Everything within Helsinki runs on an HSL AB ticket (€3.30 on the app, €3.50 contactless), and the airport needs ABC (€4.50 or €4.80). The cheapest Helsinki Card tier has no transport. Finland is almost cashless, so bring a card.
For the first two days in the capital, the two-day Helsinki itinerary gives a route.
Verdict: the sea route is the easiest, and the rail route gives the most variety. Tip: book the sleeper first, because it fixes the other nights.