How many kilometers from Helsinki to Lapland? How to get to Lapland, and what to see there? Pielke Science and Education Center

Train to Lapland

The developed railway network allows you to travel around the cities and resorts of Lapland with maximum comfort. The journey from Helsinki to the Lapland capital Rovaniemi takes approximately 10 hours. Lapland trains have special carriages for transporting personal vehicles.

The price of a train ticket to Lapland depends on the class of carriage and the age of the passenger (n/a the popular ticket Helsinki - Rovaniemi costs 84-118 €). You can book a ticket to Lapland on the Finnish Railways website.

Plane to Lapland

Many tourists wishing to holiday in Northern Finland use flights connecting Helsinki to Lapland's main airport, which is 18 km away. from Rovaniemi.

Rovaniemi Airport (RVN)

Address: Rovaniemi Airport, 96101 Rovaniemi, Finland
Telephone: +(358-16) 363-65-11
www.finavia.fi

The cost of a Helsinki-Rovaniemi air ticket is between 80-130 €. Flight time is 1.5 hours.

Other commercial airports in Lapland are located in Enontekio, Ivalo, Kemi and Kittila.

Rovaniemi Airport on the map

Getting around Lapland

The main modes of transport for traveling between cities and resorts in Lapland are trains and buses. Hitchhiking around Lapland is extremely difficult due to long distances and poor traffic flow.

If you see a stamp in the form of “Father Frost” or “Santa Claus” in your passport, you know that you are in Lapland! Lapland is the most famous region of Finland.

Capital of Lapland - Rovaniemi, a small and cozy town.

Rovaniemi is a northern city, so in winter it is still dark here at 11 am, and the sun sets by 1 pm, and this is where you can see the famous Northern Lights.

But in summer the sun shines here almost all night. Lapland is an unusual place - New Year's miracles and fairy tales are born here, there are dense forests, deer and beautiful wildlife.

How to get to Lapland

The city of Rovaniemi has its own airport. Direct flights fly there from Moscow and St. Petersburg. You can also get there with a transfer to. You can get from Rovaniemi airport to the city (only 10 km) by bus for 7 euros.

You can view the flight schedule and book tickets to Lapland yourself using the search form:

What to see in Lapland

There are few attractions in the city, but they deserve attention:

1. Bridge over the river - Yatkan Kunttilä, "Raftsman's Candle" - one of the symbols of Rovaniemi
2. Arktikum Museum
3. Central square of Lordi - “Lordi” (in honor of the winners of Eurovision 2006)
4. Rovaniemi Art Museum
5. And finally, the main attraction, the place where everyone wants to go - the residence of Santa Claus.

The residence of Santa Claus is located just 8 km from Ravanieme. You can get there by bus - for €5.

Santa Claus Village consists of 7 shops, 3 cafes, a post office and the house of Santa Claus himself (Youlu-pukki). According to local legend, in the village there is a huge mechanism that slows down the movement of the earth so that Santa has time to distribute all the gifts to the children. You can visit Santa absolutely free, talk to him and ask for a gift. But, if you want to immortalize this meeting, you will have to pay €30 for a photo.

Nearby there is a post office, which receives up to 700 thousand letters annually; the elves help Santa deal with the correspondence.

Not far from Santa’s village there is “Santa Park” - a kind of answer to “Disney Land”. A ticket to Santa Park will cost you €28. This is a rock that has a long tunnel with elves, an elf school, a panic room, the Snow Queen's Palace, a magic train and all kinds of entertainment.

From entertainment in Lapland, except Santa:

1. You can ride a snowmobile
2. You can ride a reindeer sleigh - the Arctic Express, the speed can be up to 60 km per hour. But tourists are usually driven at low speed
3. There is also the Luosto Amethyst Mine (located 130 km from Rovaniemi to the north), the only one in the world, and you can even go down into the mine to get a pebble yourself. Just €60 and you can find an amethyst yourself.

Lapland is an expensive place, so it's best to plan your budget in advance.

Among the unusual restaurants we can highlight “ Nili", where Lapland delicacies are served - wild meat - bear meat, wild boar, venison. The exact address of the restaurant is Valtakatu 20, Rovaniemi, Finland. Website: http://www.nili.fi/

Where to stay in Rovaniemi

Rovaniemi is a very small town, but, in principle, there are enough hotels here. However, with inexpensive housing, everything is not so simple. Judge for yourself - there is only 1 hostel in Rovaniemi - Santa's Hostel Rudolf, a bed in which costs from €48 per night and places in it must be booked z-a-r-a-n-e!!!

Routes and cheap air tickets:

So, Finnair is now selling tickets to Lapland (Helsinki-Rovaniemi) at an excellent price - one way for only 29 €.

Dates of cheap flights are August 2018 - February 2019. For example, in August there are 6 and 12, back - 11 and 22. For the New Year - 12.28-03.01.

The ticket price includes hand luggage only.

Don't forget that you need a Schengen visa to visit Finland!

How do we buy these tickets? Of course it's online. Now the service offers the best price. But we advise you to check whether the situation has changed - look at the websites aviasalesru And .

The city of Rovaniemi is famous for being located on the Arctic Circle line.

Example of cheap flights to Rovaniemi:

Lapland... Rovaniemi... Santa Claus Village... New Year... Christmas... And a clear picture before your eyes. What can you do here in the summer? What attractions are there that will be of interest to both children and adults? Read - count!

Santa Claus Village (Jolupukki)

Santa Claus Village You will find it in the Arctic Circle! Seven kilometers from the city center of Rovaniemi to the north. And it works all year round! Moreover, entry to it is free. And you can chat with Yolupukki without money. The only thing you can pay for (if you wish) is photo and/or video filming with Finnish Santa Claus.

The village's opening hours are from 10 to 17. In the high season - until 18. And on holidays (December 24 and 25, January 1 - from 12 to 16).

How to get to Santa's Village from Rovaniemi? By taxi for 25 € or by bus number 8 from the train station for 3.8 €.

The bus runs every half hour to an hour. The schedule can be viewed at stops along the route.

It is, of course, more beautiful here in winter. For Christmas, free performances are held on the twentieth of November and on the 23rd of December.

Only in winter you can ride reindeer and mini-snowmobiles.

Santa park in Rovaniemi

Santa Park works in summer (!) and winter. That is, from June 25 to August 11 and from November 17 to January 12. The park is closed on Sundays.

Opening hours: from 10 to 17.

There is an elf school, the kingdom of the good ice princess, a post office, Mrs. Santa's bakery, an Angry Birds-themed playground...

To visit the park, you need to purchase entrance tickets.

Ticket price? In summer, adults - 17.5 €, children (3-12 years old) - 15 €. In winter - 34 € and 28.5 €. Tickets are valid for the current and next day.

How to get to Santa Park from Rovaniemi? By bus number 8 (3.8 €) or taxi (15-20 € for 5 minutes).

Ranua Zoo

IN Ranua Zoo white and brown bears, wolves, wild boars, lynxes, wolverines, deer, birds of prey... In total there are about fifty species of animals. To observe “our smaller brothers,” you need to take a walk along a forest path.

Near the zoo you can eat in a restaurant and/or buy sweets in a shop from the Fazer chocolate factory.

The distance from Rovaniemi to the zoo is 80 kilometers. You can get there by car, by bus or by purchasing a tour.

The bus leaves from the bus station at 8.45. Leaves the zoo at 17.20. The journey takes about an hour and a half. Tickets cost 27 € roundtrip for an adult. Children 4-11 years old - 15 €, 12-12 - 21 €.

The zoo is open daily. Tickets for an adult in summer (April-September) cost 17 €, in winter (10.12-10.01) - 18.5 €, in the off-season - 15 €. Children (4-11) – 14 €, 16 € and 13.5 €.

Angry Birds Playgrounds

The Angry Birds free playground is located in the city center between the bridges.

Venue address: Valtakatu 4

There is another site dedicated to angry birds. You can find her in Santa Park.

Crafts workshop of Irina Kangasniemi

This is perhaps one of the most Finnish places in Lapland. By visiting the workshop of Irene and her husband Ari, you will not only make a traditional souvenir with your own hands, but also learn better about the life of the Sami. Here they make shamanic drums, Lapland kuks, Sami knives, jewelry and souvenirs.

Irene Kangasniemi, the owner of the workshop, teaches how to work with deer “spare parts” (antlers, skins, bones) and other natural materials. Irene gets her material from her herd.

The lesson lasts about two and a half hours. Guests are treated to homemade cakes and aromatic coffee. You must register for a class in advance by phone or email online.

A taxi from the center of Rovaniemi will cost 30 €.

Tickets cost 36 €.

Reindeer and dog breeding farms

Best time to visit reindeer farms Of course, winter is when you can ride a reindeer sled. In summer, deer grow antlers that are easily damaged. But you will not be prohibited from feeding them moss and gently petting them.

Communication with Husky will bring a lot of positive emotions to both adults and children. You can ride a dog sled both on runners in winter and on wheels in summer. It is harder to roll carts, so in summer, riding time is limited to jogs of 5-10 minutes.

Pielke Science and Education Center

Pielke Center- an entertainment-attraction dedicated to the Finnish forest industry and forest conservation.

Open daily from 10 to 18.

From the center of Rovaniemi you can walk in five minutes (to the banks of the Kemijoki River). The Arktikum Museum is located nearby.

A ticket for an adult costs 7 €, a child ticket (7-15 years old) – 5 €. Family (two adults and two children) - 20 €.

Arktikum Museum in Rovaniemi

Arktikum Museum dedicated to the life of the aborigines of the Arctic (Sami, Nenets, Eskimos...) and the history of Lapland and Rovaniemi.

During low season the museum is closed on Mondays. You can visit it from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Tickets for adults cost 13 €, for children (7-15 years old) – 6 €. Family ticket (two adults and two children) - 30 €.

Sports complex Santa Sport

If you are staying at the hotel Santasport, you will receive accommodation with a kitchenette, a SPA complex, and sports activities for your child. The complex is located on the Ounasvaara hill. The center of Rovaniemi is two kilometers away.

There is a Funpark - a children's play pavilion, a gym, a small swimming pool, bowling alley, and massage.

Rovaniemi City Beach and Swimming Pool

Finland's geographical location suggests a harsh climate. But even here there is tropical heat - sometimes temperatures around +30° C are recorded here. Rovaniemi natives in such cases visit the city beach. To get to it from the city center, you need to cross the bridge.

Since the weather doesn’t often give such gifts, you can go to the city pool. There is a jacuzzi, a splash pool and a slide.

Entrance ticket for adults - 7 €, for children - 3 €.

White nights and northern lights

In St. Petersburg, during white nights, the sun drops below the horizon by 9°. In Rovaniemi, from June 6 to July 6, the sun is above the horizon 24 hours a day. The best place to admire the midnight sun in Rovaniemi is at the Woodcutter's Candle Bridge.

The Northern Lights are observed from mid-August to April. The spectacle lasts from several minutes to several hours.

Luosto Amethyst Mine

Do you want to bring amethyst from Lapland? Must visit Luosto Amethyst Mine. It is located in the Pyhä-Luosto National Nature Park near the Luosto resort. You are allowed to find and take with you a small amethyst stone.

The distance from Rovaniemi to Luosto is 130 kilometers.

Tankavaara Gold Museum

It’s a pity that you can’t pan “kilos of…” gold in Tankavaara. But you can feel like a gold miner. In summer they wash gold outdoors, in winter they wash it inside the museum. You will also learn the history of the gold rush in Lapland.

Tankavaara Gold Museum is located 225 kilometers from Rovaniemi.

Tickets for adults cost 12 €, children (7-16) – 6 €.

Website: https://www.kultamuseo.fi/ru/

Arctic Golf

"Hot Finnish guys" love to play golf. Tourists can take golf lessons in Rovaniemi. One lesson costs about 20 €.

At the Arctic Golf club you can conquer 18 holes. The club is located near the ski center.

Outdoor recreation - mushrooms, berries, fishing

Holidays in Rovaniemi are difficult to separate from nature. For fishing in Finland, do not forget to purchase a permit. And anyone can pick mushrooms and berries. For outdoor recreation, you can rent a cottage on the banks of a river or lake.

River walks and rafting

In warm weather, you can go on a river walk (usually combined with a visit to a reindeer farm) or rafting on the Lapland river.

Ruka-Kuusamo - skiing, fishing, rafting, nature...

Until mid-June you can ski in ski center Ruka. In the summer you can receive “gifts” from nature - fishing, rafting on the river, walking in the forest, riding a bike.

25 kilometers from Ruka in the town of Kuusamo there is a large Angry Birds playground.

Levi Ski Center

The advantages of a holiday at the Ruka-Kuusamo resorts for Levi ski center can be attributed to the high level of hotels and restaurants. There is golf, a water park, and nature here.

Railway transport - not the cheapest way to travel in Finland, but nevertheless,very comfortable, and sometimes evenquite competitive. It is cheaper for a family or a company of several people (3 and above) to travel long distances in Finland with their own car, however, from a comfort point of view, the train may seem more convenient - at least when moving from north to south on the route Helsiki - Rovaniemi, Lapland. One or two adult passengers should consider air travel, and only then train. Flying discounter Norwegian more often is cheaper and, of course, faster. However, Finnish railway workers have different campaigns and promotions, and discount tickets for the desired date may run out or turn out to be not so cheap. Alternative to Norwegian — more expensive, but “high-quality” Finnair.

If the main criterion for you - price, then you need to monitor the situation with airlines (but also with Finnish trains). If you want comfort and don’t mind traveling by train, then read our article!

Finnish Trains

Why do many people prefer to get to Rovaniemi by train?

Rovaniemi can be reached by day or night train. The daytime express train to Rovaniemi takes 9 and a half hours, the night one 13 hours (with a distance of more than 800 km). Daytime trains run 10.06 (Khki) - 19.50 (Rvn) and 13.06 (Khki) - 22.25 (Rvn). The schedule is valid until October 26, 2013. There are also options with transfers, but we are more interested in night trains.

Even though the night train takes longer, many people choose it over the day train, plane or car.

Firstly, you don’t need to spend 10 hours driving a car (+ an hour or two stopping). You wake up rested and full of energy!

Secondly, spending a night on the train allows you to save on a hotel if your route includes an overnight stay. A night in a good hotel in Helsinki, recently, costs about 150 € (less often lower), in Rovaniemi around 100-120 €. We’re not talking about hostels, dormitories and overnight stays with friends here. - if you have such options- the flag is in your hands.

Thirdly, there are various situations when the option of flying by plane is simply not considered for various reasons — plane tickets are sold out, there are medical contraindications or other life circumstances.

Fourthly, the railway is more tolerant of transporting a large number of bags or large luggage (alpine skis, strollers, bicycles...). Transporting a large number of bags and even skis will be free, and a bicycle for a small fee of 5€. Try to carry an extra kilogram on board a low-cost airline or a “regular” airline - you will have a blast!

Fifthly, by night train to Rovaniemi you can, in addition to your mortal bodies, transport a passenger car. This is very popular among Finns who travel from the South of Finland to the ski resorts of Lapland. After unloading the car in Rovaniemi in the morning, you can get to the desired ski resort in a couple of hours. Plus you retain all the mobility and flexibility of movement. From the end point in Rovaniemi or Kemijärvi you can get to the resorts and. From Kolari station in western Finland it is easy to get to.

But first, Russian travelers face the task of getting to Helsinki.

Leo Tolstoy and Allegro

From Moscow and St. Petersburg you can get to Helsinki by train. The night train Lev Tolstoy comes from Moscow.

Here are the prices and schedule of the Lev Tolstoy train for autumn 2013.

The high-speed daytime train Allegro runs from St. Petersburg.

Here are the ticket prices and schedule for Allegro until 10/26/2013. Prices vary depending on the specific day and train load.

If your final goal is Rovaniemi, and you already get to Helsinki by Allegro or Lev Tolstoy, then it’s a logical step — continue the journey by train.

Finnish railway company VR

There is a state-owned VR company operating within Finland. From Helsinki you can take the train to the major cities of Tampere, Turku and Oulu. In Lapland, one of the branches goes to the small town of Kolari in the west of Finnish Laplania (not far from the ski centers of Ylläs, Pallas and Olos) or to the cities of Rovaniemi and Kemijärvi.

VR currently has a monopoly on passenger transportation and other carriers in Finland are not expected to do so in the near future.

Tickets can be purchased at ticket offices, online on the VR website, by calling the VR sales line and at many travel agencies. Find out how to book train tickets in the VR online store at the very end of the article.

The maximum speed of Finnish trains is 140 km/h. Basically - this is quite enough, especially when traveling around southern Finland.

Helsinki railway station

Some useful information about the Helsinki railway station.

Both long-distance trains and electric trains depart from the station, but cars are loaded onto the night train to Rovaniemi at the next station, Pasila.

There is a small bus terminal 50 meters from the railway station. Here you can take the direct Finnair bus to Helsinki-Vantaa Airport. The bus runs from 5 am to 12 midnight at intervals of approximately 20 minutes. Ticket price - 6.20 € (in 2013), travel time - about half an hour. You can, of course, get there by city bus and save a couple of euros, but this is hemorrhoids and is not very convenient with bags.

Alternative - Taxis, which are found in abundance around the station. Cost of travel to the airport- around 40-50€.

Here is the main gallery of the station. There are several cafes and eateries, a mini-bar and kiosks of the local Soyuzpechat, where you can quickly buy something for the train. By the way, there are also Russian newspapers!
There is a paid toilet right there (on the left).

However, if you have a few free hours in Helsinki before the night train to Rovaniemi, then it's worth throwing your things in the luggage room and walking around the city. Luggage storage is located at the end of the main corridor and to the right.

The storage room is located on the floor below.

You can also go down by elevator.

The storage room operates in automatic mode. Having inserted 4 euros into one of the cells, you lock the cell with the key and take it with you. For this amount, your bags will be stored in the locker for 24 hours. If you don’t have change, you can change Euro bills at the machine.

If you don't have tickets yet, you should go to the ticket office.

They serve by number, and there are two ticket offices for trains departing in the next few minutes.

There is a restaurant in the station building, but it is much more interesting to visit the shops and cafes of the huge dungeon located under the station, or get out into the city.

You can get to them by going to the photo (only in the opposite direction).

Here they are - the catacombs!

There is a metro station (one level down), McDonald's, a K-Market grocery store with excellent take-out food (salads, sandwiches, buns). You can buy metro tickets from a machine near the escalators by throwing a few euros into them.

Through the catacombs you can get to the nearest shopping centers Forum and Kamppi. In fact, it’s even more convenient to get into the city through the catacombs, because you don’t have to wait at the pedestrian crossings.

The catacombs house the office of the Helsinki public transport organization HSL. It is notable for the fact that it sells tourist passes for Helsinki for a period of 1 to 7 days. Purchasing a travel pass - a great option to save money and not limit yourself in moving around Helsinki. An adult ticket for a day, for example, costs 7.50 €, for three days 14 €, while a single ticket costs 2.20 € if you buy it from a machine.

But we are going north. The night train to Rovaniemi is already waiting at the platform.

Transportation of cars by Finnish train

If you are also going to transport a car by train, then you need to first (several hours in advance) go to Pasila station (the first one from the railway station to the north). There is a special terminal for loading cars.

Cars can travel on two different trains and each train has its own loading time.

Here are the carriages in which cars are transported. After loading the car, they are attached to the train. The cars have two tiers.

In Rovaniemi, loading is carried out on a ramp near the station.

Night train travel in Finland

VR's modern sleeping cars are clean and comfortable. Sleeping cars are double-decker. The compartments are designed for 2 people. Each compartment has a power socket, a personal alarm clock and a couple of jars of clean drinking water for each passenger. Linen is always included in the price and includes a towel. There is free Wi-Fi throughout the train (almost always works). On the ground floor of the carriage there is one compartment that can accommodate a wheelchair (pictured). All compartments on the ground floor have a small washbasin.

All compartments are locked with a key, like in a hotel. There are two keys, for the number of passengers.

Here is the universal toilet on the first floor. A wheelchair will fit here. This is also a changing room — the changing table folds out over the toilet.

On the wall in this “expanded” version of the toilet seat there isbaby food warmer.

We go up to the second floor of the sleeping car.

There is also a compartment for two. If you are traveling as a couple, you book all compartments. If you are traveling alone, you indicate your gender when booking and you will automatically be assigned a travel companion of the same gender. There is space for luggage under the bottom bunk.

A place in a compartment on the second floor is more expensive, since these compartments are equipped with their own toilet and shower (an additional 11€ per person, that is 22€ per compartment if there are two of you). The wall with the mirror and washbasin folds down and you can start washing. True, the water is dosed in small portions and you won’t get too hot here, but you can wash yourself in the morning on the train - it's still a pleasure. The choice is yours — if you want to save money, then take a compartment on the first floor. If you want a personal toilet- take the second one. The only drawback — the toilet runs on compressed air and makes a lot of noise when it flushes, which can wake you up at night.

Before going to bed, you can visit the dining car. It is very easy to move around the carriages. All doors open at the touch of a button. Here is the transition between the cars - no smoky vestibules! By the way, smoking is absolutely forbidden on the train. The only option— while stopping on the street.

On the way to the restaurant car you can come across a "cargo compartment". Bicycles are mounted on the wall on the right. Strollers can be transported free of charge and there are special places for them in the carriages. If it so happens that there is no space in the carriage, then there will definitely be one here, you just need to explain the situation to the conductor. By the way, they are very friendly and, as a rule, men.

Dining car

Finnish dining cars are very cozy. Although, at peak hour in the evening, the dining car can be crowded. Although, if you want some “action,” then the dining car is where life glimmers. The restaurant serves alcohol and local Finns can become very talkative after a couple of glasses of beer or wine. The dining car is usually open until two in the morning, but the kitchen with hot food may close a little earlier. The restaurant opens early in the morning and you can come for breakfast.

Dining cars come in different designs and product ranges. You must order in the dining car yourself, at the cafe counter.

Here you can buy many different “snacks” - sandwiches, juices, yoghurts, tea, coffee, etc.

Here is the hot food menu. Basically, these are heated semi-finished products, but for a dining car it’s quite decent. The service is very fast. You can order a la carte dishes at the cash register, after which they will be delivered to your table.

The menu has 3 different salads: vegetable, feta cheese and chicken. Two types of soup: with mushrooms (7.90€) and salmon (10.50€). Country-style scrambled eggs (7.90€), spring roll (8.90€), pasta with chicken curry sauce (11.90€), meatballs with mashed potatoes (10.20€), fried salmon (13 .90€), minced meat cutlet (13.20€).

On the Finnish daytime train there is also a children's playroom, but on the night version there is none - children need to sleep!

In general, we think that you will like the experience of traveling by Finnish train!

Rovaniemi railway station

A short tour of Rovaniemi railway station.

Here is the ticket office at the station. Opening hours Mon-Fri 9-18.15, Sat-Sun 11.45-18.15. Saturday afternoon break.

When the ticket office is closed, you can, as a last resort, buy tickets from a ticket machine (if you don’t have the Internet at hand).

There is a small storage room at the station.

We wish you pleasant travels!

Below, as promised, are instructions for using the VR online store.

Booking tickets through the Finnish online VR store

Here are the instructions for purchasing tickets from the online VR store. Tickets can be booked there using Visa, Mastercard and Amex credit cards, or via Finnish Internet Banking if you have a Finnish bank account.

1. Finding directions

If you want to buy a return ticket at once, click Return. For simplicity, we will take only one-way tickets. Let's assume that a family of two adults and one child is traveling.

Please note that here you can also choose tickets for Leo Tolstoy or Allegro, as well as packages with car transportation - CarTrain packages.

2. Select price and train

Prices in the online store change depending on demand, so the prices in our examples are indicative. It changes, however, the price for a specific train (that is, a basic, “sitting” place in it), and the prices for sleeping places (purchased separately) do not change and amount to about 21 € for one place in a compartment without a toilet and 32 € for one place in a compartment with a toilet. Accordingly, prices for all compartments for two will be 42 € and 64 €.

The day train to Rovaniemi departs at 13:06 and will get you there in 9 hours 19 minutes.

Our task buy a non-stop overnight sleeper flight. There are two night trains to Rovaniemi— 265th train at 18:52 and 274th at 21:52.

When choosing a train, you should pay attention to the number of transfers. These options in any case use one of the above trains and the difference is that you can leave a little later and with a transfer, for example, in Tampere, to catch up with the night train), but this makes no sense, since we want to relax on the train. We choose train 265, which leaves at 21:52.

The hardest thing - this is to understand the pricing policy. Advance price is valid when booking 60-7 days in advance from the trip, but the ticket cannot be changed. When purchasing a ticket at the price of Basic Eco Class, tickets can be changed no later than one day before the trip. Price Flexible Extra Class - This is a seated business class that is nothing special. Business class carriages can be found on some daytime trains.

If you plan to travel during the day, you should generally choose the cheapest option. Family discount currently available — children's ticket (6-16 years old) free with two parents. Therefore, the store also offers an additional Family column where this discount is possible- that is, on day trains or innight train, but in a seated car, not a sleeping car. Prices in the next column (but under the same Advance or Basic category) are calculated without a family discount.

UPD. According to the new rules, from September 14, 2013, if you book all compartments at a ticket office in Finland, then in this case a child under 10 years old can travel for free with their parents, that is, they do not need to buy a sleeping place. At the station ticket office they will give him a special “free” ticket. This service is not yet available online.

When we chose these tickets, the cheapest price for 3 seats (1 child free) was 104.96 €, but after a couple of days it changed to 130.46 €.

Traveling in a sleeper car will cost more, as the family discount does not apply to sleeper cars. In our case, only the second price of 218.65€ in the Basic Eco Class column allows choose seats in a sleeping car. You should pay attention to the accompanying text in small print under the price Total - Information about your ticket.

3. Selecting seats in the compartment

Next, select a seat in the compartment, first indicating the gender of the passengers. A compartment on the first floor of the carriage (without a built-in toilet) is cheaper, but in our case it raises the price from 218.04 € (seats) to 281.04 €. That is, one bed costs about 21 €. Behind the screenshot there is an Update price button that you need to click. In English, a place in a compartment will be Berth, and a place in a “regular” sleeping compartment without a toilet will be “No special requests”. The price-quality ratio in this case is the most optimal. Naturally, if there is an even number of passengers, then you can choose not seats, but Sleeping Compartments.

However, if you want a compartment on the second floor with a built-in shower and toilet, you need to choose Yläkerta Suihkullinen hytti. So far the name exists (for now) only in the Finnish version. However, this increases the price to 314.91€, that is, a seat in such a compartment costs about 32€ (do not forget to click the Update price button).

Next, click on the Select Seats button and this window will pop up. Here you can select specific sleeping arrangements. You can navigate through the train using the Previous Car and Next Car buttons, as well as move from floor to floor — Upper deck / Lower deck button. Please remember that you can only select seats on the floor you previously specified. First floor— No Special Requests, in Finnish Alataso or on the second floor with its own toilet/shower— Yläkerta Suihkullinen hytti. Click on the places, they turn yellow. Click Save Selected.

Since we have three passengers, one of the passengers will travel with a companion of the same gender. Who - will be clarified on the spot, since there are men and women in our company, and we told the store the gender of the passengers.

If you do not want to share a seat with a fellow traveler, you can reserve the entire compartment for one passenger, however, you will have to pay extra for this (in our case, 58.50 €). In this case, we choose not Berth (sleeper), but Sleeping Compartment (compartment). Below we indicate the number of compartments for two (1) and compartments for one (1). Please note that we chose Normal Compartments, that is, a compartment without its own toilet on the ground floor.

If you want a compartment with toilet and shower, you need to choose Special Compartments. We choose a compartment with a shower - ensuite shower. Please note that in this way you can choose a compartment for allergy sufferers, a compartment for the disabled, or a compartment for those with pets. However, this option of booking two compartments with a shower for three people will be the most expensive - 372.55 €. It is worth reminding once again that the prices in our version are approximate and your prices when booking will most likely be different.

4. Payment

Everything is simple here. Look at the booking summary, click Pay and enter your credit card details. Visa, Mastercard and Amex are accepted for payment.

You should print your ticket just in case and take it with you. Nothing more is required.

We wish you a successful journey!

More about Rovaniemi

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Magnificent nature, excellent tourist service, ample opportunities for active recreation... It is best to come to Lapland in winter - go downhill and cross-country skiing, go on a reindeer or snowmobile safari - and just breathe in the crystal air and admire the Northern Lights. How to get into this snowy fairy tale?

By plane
There are 5 airports in Lapland - in Kemi, Rovaniemi, Kittilä, Enontekio and Ivalo - where several flights arrive daily from Helsinki, the flight duration is 1-1.5 hours. The cities of Oulu and Kuusamo (located near Lapland) also have airports.
Blue 1 offers direct flights from Helsinki to Kittilä, Rovaniemi, Kuusamo and Oulu. Finnair flies passengers from Helsinki to any airport in Lapland, as well as to Oulu and Kuusamo.
Regular buses and taxis run between airports and tourist sites.
Example. The popular Levi ski resort is located 18 km from Kittilä. Airfare Helsinki–Kittilä–Helsinki: Blue1 – 214.73 euros (including taxes), Finnair – 227.18 euros (including taxes).

By train
From any region of Finland you can reach Lapland by rail. The journey from Helsinki takes approximately 12 hours. The most convenient are night trains, which include seated and sleeping cars (single, double and triple compartments), a dining car, and platforms for transporting cars.
Routes: Helsinki–Rovaniemi–Helsinki, Helsinki–Kolari–Helsinki, Helsinki–Oulu–Helsinki, Helsinki–Kemijärvi–Helsinki, Tampere–Rovaniemi–Tampere, Tampere–Kolari–Tampere, Turku–Rovaniemi–Turku, Turku–Kolari–Turku ( only in season*).

Example. Cost of a night train trip on the Helsinki–Rovaniemi route (one way): package in a regular sleeping car (compartment (1–3 people) + car) – 218 euros, per season*– 319 euros; package in a double-decker sleeping car (compartment 1–3 people + car) – 232/242 euros, per season*– 334/344 euros. Passenger ticket (without a car) – from 12 to 74 euros.
*Season: in all directions – 12/19/2008–01/4/2009, 02/20–04/19/2009, 04/9 and 04/13/2009; from south to north – December 22–23, 2008, February 13–15, 2009, April 7–8, 2009 and December 21–23, 2009; from north to south – 12/29/2008, 01/5–6/2009, 04/14 and 12/28/2009.

By car
If you are traveling with your whole family (or a group of several people), a car is the most economical way to travel. The shortest route from Helsinki to Lapland by road passes through Lahti, Jyväskylä and Oulu, to Rovaniemi. Other popular routes are along the E 75 north through the coastal towns of Western Finland, and in the eastern part of the country through Lappeenranta, Joensuu, Kajaani and Kuusamo. The roads are kept in good condition thanks to the use of modern snow removal equipment.

The distance from Helsinki to Rovaniemi is 815 km, to Kemi – 715 km, to Kittilä – 963 km, to Enontekio – 1077 km, to Kuusamo – 796 km. Be careful: moose and deer often come onto the trail!
There are regular buses from Southern Finland to Lapland (Saariselkä Express from Helsinki and Turku, Ylläs Express from Helsinki, etc.).

Example. Cost of travel by regular bus on the route Helsinki–Ylläs/Levi. Round trip ticket: adult ticket – 140 €, child ticket (under 17 years old) – 74 €. One way: adult ticket – 82?, children (under 17 years old) – 41?.
Departure is from Helsinki Bus Station every Friday, return is on Sunday. Reservations are made one week before departure.

…By ski?!
For tourists dreaming of a ski trip to Lapland, we inform you that you will have to cover about 755 km from Lappeenranta to Rovaniemi. Moving along the route without stopping at the speed of a well-prepared skier (15 km/h), you will be there in 50 hours and 20 minutes.
By the way. On the website www.ski.fi (there is an English version) you will find information about all ski resorts in the country, incl. Lapland.