The capital
Helsinki
Time
It is 1 hour behind Moscow.
Language of Finland
The official languages in the country are: Finnish (92%) and Swedish (5.6%).
Currency
Monetary unit of the country: Euro (EUR).
Currency exchange is carried out in banks, at Helsinki Airport, in many hotels and in some post offices, often a passport is required for currency exchange. Cash withdrawal is also carried out through ATMs.
Payment by credit card is possible in most hotels, restaurants, shops, car rentals, and some taxis.
Banks work on weekdays: from 9:15 to 16:15; Saturday and Sunday are days off. Banks are also closed on public holidays.
Connection
Internet
GPRS roaming is available from the main Russian operators. The number of Wi-Fi access points is gradually increasing in the country. You can get regular access to the network in numerous Internet cafes.
Telephone communications
Telephone booths in cities are found everywhere, calls are made both by cards and by coins. Phone cards can be purchased at all post offices, shops and kiosks in the country.
When calling to Finland, you need to dial: 8 (beep) – 10 – 358 – area code – number of the called subscriber.
Telephone codes of some cities in Finland: Helsinki – 9, Ivalo – 16, Kuopio – 17, Turku, Salo – 2, Ilomantsi – 13, Vaasa – 6, Hämenlinna – 3, Kotka, Kouvola, Lappeenranta, Imatra – 5, Jyväskylä – 14.
When calling for an ambulance, police or fire brigade, dial: 112
Shops and shopping
On weekdays, shops are open from 9:00 to 20:00, on Saturdays from 9:00 to 16:00. Most private shops close later, and Sundays are open from June to August. Almost all shops are closed on holidays.
In Helsinki, on Mannerheimintie, in the central part of the city, there are the largest shopping centers Stokmann and Forum. There is also a wide range of goods offered at the Hakaniemi and Kauppatori open-air markets.
In Finland, you can buy excellent designer products made of ceramics, glass, metal and wood, deer antlers, skins, national Finnish dolls, Sami handicrafts (tin chasing, birch bark boxes), figurines of white deer and bears, as well as traditional Fizer chocolate. See liuxers for Finland customs and traditions.
Christmas sales are held in the country from December 27 until the very end of January. Summer sales run from late June to mid-August.
Transport
The national airline Finnair owns a wide network of both international and domestic air transportation in the cities of the country. The second most important company is Finncomm, which specializes only in domestic flights. Helsinki Airport is the main transit point and hub for flights from city to city. Regular flights are made to the following destinations: Varkaus, Turku, Savonlinna, Enoteki, Tampere, Ivalo, Vaasa, Kuopio, Jyväskylä, Kajaani, Joensuu, Kokkola, Pori, Kemi, Oulu, Rovaniemi.
Both companies often have air ticket sales promotions. In addition, there is a system of coupons that provide a discount of 25-40% cheaper than the standard rate.
The most common transport in the country is the bus. A wide network of bus routes covers almost the entire country. Almost every Finnish city has a bus station. There is also a flexible system of discounts for tickets. Especially for tourists in the country there is a Bus Pass – a travel card valid from 7 to 14 days. The pass applies to all bus routes in Finland, except for the city lines of Turku and Helsinki.
Rail transport in the country is very well developed, from the capital you can get to almost any city in Finland. Children under 6 enjoy the right to travel free of charge, for children under 17 and passengers aged 65 and over there is a 50% discount. Families traveling with 3 or more people are also entitled to a 20% discount. With a Finrailpass passport, the right of free travel is ensured for 3, 5 or 10 days, along the country’s railway network. Tickets are sold at railway stations.
Public transport in Helsinki is represented by trams, buses and metro (ticket prices for all types of public transport are exactly the same). The metro operates from 5:25 to 23:20, the interval of movement on Sundays has been increased.
Car rent
When renting a car in Finland, a driver’s license and a credit card are required. The age of the tenant must be at least 19-24 years old, driving experience must be more than one year. You should also pay a deposit in the amount of the estimated rental amount (some companies only accept credit cards for payment).
When renting a car for one way, the return transportation is also paid in the amount of up to 100 Finnish marks per day. The tenant also pays for gasoline.
Tourist safety
There is no particular need in the country to fear for one’s property or personal safety. However, a number of rules must be observed here.
- The country bans smoking in public places;
- Many late-night bars close their liquor sales at 1:30 (some do not have alcohol licenses at all);
- “Catching” a taxi on the street is also not accepted (the order should be made by phone, or hire a car at special parking lots);
- Valuables should be left in the hotel safe;
- Restaurants should only be attended in formal attire.
