One of the most accessible and cheapest ways to get to Europe from St. Petersburg is a trip to Finland by car for one day, for a weekend, or even for a whole vacation. The proximity of the border and, in connection with this, easier obtaining of a Finnish (Schengen) visa, makes this tourism destination for residents of North-West Russia one of the most popular. There are several options for getting to Finland by car: loading the car onto ferry Princess Mary and drive straight to Helsinki overnight, or cover this distance the traditional way on your own.
The distance from St. Petersburg to Lappeenranta, one of the closest border cities where you can go to Finland by car for one day, is only 150 km, to Helsinki a little further, about 400 kilometers, and 5 hours of clear road, excluding customs and border crossings . The latter sometimes takes longer than the entire journey, especially on public holidays (May and New Year). But from experience I can say that it is also possible to travel to Helsinki by car for just a day. Yes, the driver will get tired, but this trip is real. It all depends on what day you decide to go and what the situation will be on the roads and customs.
The Scandinavia track is scary enough, from my point of view, to frighten even a relatively experienced driver. Our drivers rush along it, sometimes not observing any speed limits or other rules and for their maneuvers they use not only the shoulder on the right, but also often fly into the oncoming lane. I don’t like this route, and every time we decide to go to Finland by car, I “anticipate” how I will spend these hundred kilometers - in absolute tension until the very border. In general, no pleasure. But immediately after passing through Finnish customs, absolute bliss sets in, and I finally understand that the vacation has begun. Finnish roads are a pleasure and a joy to the eye. Beautiful nature and, sometimes, the complete absence of other cars on the track.
Roads in Finland 
Outside of large cities, cars are rarely seen on country roads 
Only the sky, only the road. Beauty.
Requirements for a car when crossing the border
So what important to consider when traveling to Finland by car so that later it won’t be excruciatingly painful to return home from the border if they don’t let you in.
It is enough to follow a few rules:
Insurance
A must buy Green card for a car (analogous to our OSAGO). This can be done either on the road or online (which is much more convenient). It is also important to have insurance for yourself, they are also sometimes asked and can also be checked at passport control. Can be purchased at various mobile offices, which are available in sufficient quantities on the Scandinavia route. I prefer to purchase travel insurance online. You can buy it for at least 1 day, or for a long period of time, so as not to think about it at the last moment. On the Cherekhapa website you can choose from several insurance companies which you trust more.
Rubber
Have the right one seasonal tires, no studs in summer and summer tires in winter, that’s the rule, period. After October 1
Headlights and dimensions
It is important that all lights and dimensions are in good working order. Scandinavian light, which is sometimes available as an option on our cars, is not an empty phrase. They just have to be there and work. Low beams and headlights should always be on, and fog lights are used only when visibility is really poor and they are necessary. Therefore, already at the border you can see whether your light is working or not because it must be turned on.
Before you set off, you need to familiarize yourself with the rules of customs control. These rules change periodically, Russian and Soviet driving licenses, with the exception of temporary ones, are valid in Finland, but still, when planning a trip, check to see if any changes have occurred.
Check the car. In Finland, the technical condition of vehicles is very strict. The headlights (in Finland they always drive with low beams), wheels, steering, and brakes must be in good working order. Find out how your car should be shod. In summer in Finland it is prohibited to use winter tires, and the maximum permissible tread depth at this time is 1.6 mm. In winter, the tread depth cannot be less than 3 mm, and the tires must have a special stamp (M+S). The period for mandatory use of winter tires depends on the weather. From December 1 to March 1, the use of studded tires is allowed. If the winter is long and snowy, the period of use may be extended.
Remove the radar detector. In Finland, these devices are prohibited, and troubles cannot be avoided, even if the device is simply lying in the glove compartment. Front windows should not be tinted beyond the standards established by the manufacturer. In any case, the light transmittance of the windshield should not be lower than 75%. Remove the additional light-protective film in advance, otherwise they will simply not let you in.
Take care of “green” - European civil liability insurance. You can buy such a policy at one of the sales points located next to international automobile points in the Vyborg district of the Leningrad region or in Karelia. You can do this in St. Petersburg by contacting any travel agency that organizes holidays in Finland.
Prepare your documents. You must have an international passport, driver's license, car registration certificate, insurance policy, green card, and hotel reservation. In some cases, a notarized power of attorney for the car is also required. Customs declarations must be completed in advance. There should be two of them at the entrance. It is better to immediately prepare a declaration for departure.
As for the route, there are several of them. If you are coming from the center of Russia or from the south, the most convenient way is to first get to St. Petersburg, then take the Scandinavia highway and follow it to Vyborg. In the Vyborg district there are three checkpoints: “Brusnichnoe”, “Torfyanovka” and “Svetogork”. They are loaded approximately equally. In winter, the road to Torfyanovka is considered the most dangerous. If you are coming from the north, the road through Karelia will be shorter. There are several checkpoints there: “Vyartsilya”, “Lyuttya”. From the Murmansk region you can enter Finland through the points “Luzhaika”, “Lotta” or “Salla”.
Regardless of which checkpoint you go through, you drive in the lane for passenger vehicles. It is better to choose the “green corridor” (of course, if you do not have items that need to be declared). There are queues on Friday evenings and Saturday mornings, as well as before holidays.
At the checkpoint on the Russian side, the driver himself approaches the customs officer and presents 2 copies of the declaration. They should give you one copy. Keep it to show when leaving Finland.
The next stage is passport control, which both passengers and the driver go through. The driver presents a registration certificate for the car and a passport, all others - passports. After the control, do not remove the documents far away. The customs officer must inspect the trunk. If he finds nothing illegal, he will let your car through.
Having arrived at the Finnish checkpoint, get out of the car and go through passport control again. The driver should be the first here. Usually documents for a car and a passport are enough, but they may ask for a policy, a credit card, a hotel room reservation, and also ask a few standard questions.
Once in Finland, strictly follow the rules. Parking lots are marked with a permit sign - parking in other places is prohibited. The Finnish police are strict about violations of the speed limit, which is different in winter and summer.
Finland is a northern country that offers tourists a huge number of unique attractions and entertainment. You can visit it either as part of an organized tour or on your own. Moreover, the last option is the most interesting, as it provides more freedom in choosing a hotel, transport, excursion program and entertainment. In addition, a properly planned independent trip to Finland can significantly reduce travel costs and increase the chances of making the most of your vacation.
Before you travel to Finland on your own, you need to draw up a detailed plan for your trip and assess the possibilities of your own budget. Below are a few points to consider when organizing your trip.
Since Finland is part of the European Union, a tourist will need a Schengen visa to enter the country. With a similar visa you can also visit other EU countries. For example, nearby ones are Sweden, Latvia or Norway.
As a rule, obtaining a visa to Finland on their own does not cause any particular problems for tourists, since the represented state is quite loyal in visa matters. True, this does not apply to tourists who previously had a criminal record or problems in other EU countries.
The procedure for obtaining a Schengen visa to Finland is quite simple. Among the documents, you must provide recently taken photographs, a valid international passport, a copy of your national passport, insurance, as well as fill out an application form and pay the visa fee. For Russian citizens, a visa to Finland can be obtained from the relevant consulates and embassies located in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Murmansk. The visa fee is 60 euros and is paid in rubles at the National Bank exchange rate. It is recommended to apply for a visa at least 2 weeks before your trip.
Trip to Finland, for 1 day or more. How to properly prepare, what you need to know and take with you? Features of the trip for a “visa rollback”, actually on vacation in this country or in transit. What to take with you, what to say at the border and, in general, how to behave? About this - in the article website
We have previously written about . This article is again addressed to motorists. But citizens who go on a short visit can also learn something useful for themselves.
Traveling in a motorhome around Finland seems like a completely unusual activity for a Russian tourist. However, it can be a real adventure! The country is large and very beautiful, there are a lot of roads and nearly a million lakes. There are countless equipped campsites, and (almost) any Finn is ready to rent out a cottage to tourists.
Some things in our review may seem too trivial to experienced travelers. Well, don’t judge strictly - after all, you yourself once traveled for the first time!
Trip to Finland - documents
Let's start from afar - with the visa in the passport. At the Finnish Consulate in St. Petersburg, almost everyone who wishes is issued multiple visas, the so-called “multi visas.” They can be for six months, a year or two, they are usually issued quickly and on time, the percentage of refusals does not exceed 1% of applicants. The main feature is that you need to enter Finland for the first time.
If you urgently need, for example, to go to Germany, and you were tempted by a Finnish visa because of the ease of obtaining it, you will still have to “roll back” the stamp with a short trip to Suomi. Otherwise, there will almost certainly be a forced turn around at a German airport, and a return to your homeland with a canceled visa.
Also, applicants for a Finnish visa should take into account that it will be opened (most likely) 7-10 days after the application. And thus, the application must be submitted on dates as close as possible to the planned trip. Insurance with coverage of at least 30,000 € must be valid from date of application to the visa center or consulate.
Despite the fact that insurance for 30,000 € is enough to obtain visas, we recommend applying for 35-50,000. The difference in contributions is not critical (look at the website), but in the second case, the list of services includes free transportation of the sick person to Russia, and In some cases, this option can simply be a lifesaver.
Traveling to Finland requires international passports with valid visas. When a child travels with one of the parents, the notarized consent of the other is no longer required today (2019) - it is important that there is no document of disagreement in the border guards’ database.
If the surnames of the child and parent are different, the original birth certificate may be a useful document: at the border, young children are always asked “who are you traveling with?”
What you need on a trip
Medicines. Despite valid insurance, it is doubtful that a persistent Russian tourist who believes in self-medication would consult a doctor in Finland in case of a runny nose, low fever or mild digestive problems.
Therefore, the first aid kit must necessarily contain sprays or drops for the common cold, antipyretic drugs, activated carbon, smecta, especially careful ones take antibiotics. Keeping in mind that in Western Europe you can’t buy them like this in a pharmacy - you need a prescription. Corvalol and other similar drugs cannot be taken with you - they are included in the list of prohibited drugs due to the presence of phenobarbital.
Plastic cards in Finland are the main means of payment. Moreover, “there” they constantly promise that they will soon completely replace cash. However, just in case, it is worth taking a small amount in the “cache” - computer failures have not been canceled.
- The average fuel price at Finnish gas stations in 2018 looked like this: 1.45-1.5 euros for a liter of gasoline and 1.25-1.3 for diesel fuel
Don’t forget that if you intend to use a ruble card, the bank will charge you a conversion fee. And it’s not a fact that once: if the main settlement currency of your bank is the American dollar, then it will convert twice (rubles into dollars, dollars into euros) and... write off the commission from the account twice.
No need to take to Finland
Meat and dairy products, including oils and cheeses. And also on sandwiches - no smoked sausage or carbonates.
In general, this is not monitored very closely, and it is possible to smuggle it in. As a last resort, the customs officer will offer to throw everything into a special trash container (and then everything depends on you: honestly throw away the sausage or dishonestly bury it in your pockets).
Antiradars and radar detectors. If they are discovered (and some Russian travelers don’t even hide them), they will be confiscated and fined. In some cases, a visa may also be cancelled—precedents have happened.
DVRs today are often combined with radar detectors - it is also better to leave such devices at home.
How to behave at the border
Naturally! Be yourself and finally stop being nervous. Everything will be fine if you are not a smuggler, and the procedure for crossing the state border will take very little time.
There is also no need to lie about the purpose of the visit: if you are going to Italy in transit through Finland, just say so. Moreover, the border service apparently has access to airline and ferry bases and, if desired, can check that you are not going to.
Again, the presence of three suitcases with things in the trunk indicates intentions better than any words. Especially if there are flip-flops, swimsuits and beach towels among your things...
Where to stay
We are not able to advise here. But we note that the range of prices is very wide: if not for hotel rooms, then for private cottages - for sure. If you give yourself the trouble to search and book well in advance, you can save a lot. At the same time, without losing any quality.
The common border of Finland and Russia provides this northern country with a huge number of tourists from Russia every year. You can get there quickly and inexpensively, especially from St. Petersburg and other northern cities, for example, from Vyborg, Petrozavodsk or Murmansk.
The cost of a visa is 35 euros, plus the Visa Center service fee (about 1,500 rubles). The list of documents can be found on the same website of the Visa Application Center http://visa.finland.eu/. Here you must sign up in advance to submit an application and collect biometric data. If you still have any questions about obtaining a visa, we recommend that you take a look at our article “”.
How to get to Finland
Airplane
If the starting point of your trip is not St. Petersburg or any other city from which you can reach Finland by train or car, then it is worth considering the option of traveling by plane.
Let's use the airline ticket aggregator website, which we wrote about in detail in the article "". Just enter into the search the city of departure and city of arrival, travel dates, and the site itself will find for you all possible flight options, which can be filtered depending on the number and duration of transfers, airline and other criteria.
So, for example, we enter Moscow as the departure city and Helsinki as the arrival city. We look at round-trip tickets for dates, for example, at the end of September 2016. Let us remind you that the most optimal time to buy plane tickets to Europe is 4-6 months before the travel date.
The cheapest option for September 21 - 27 costs 9,486 rubles and is carried out by AirBaltic.
But, for example, the price for round-trip tickets for the same dates, but with departure from Yekaterinburg, is 17,461 rubles by Aeroflot.
Train
You can travel from St. Petersburg to Helsinki by train. From the Finlyandsky Station, which is located at the address: St. Petersburg, Lenin Square, building 6, 4 Allegro trains depart every day to the capital of Finland. Departure times: 6:41, 10:31, 15:31 and 20:31. Tickets can be purchased at the ticket offices of Russian railway stations or online on the Russian Railways website. The cost varies from 58 to 130 euros for a one-way ticket, depending on the class of carriage. The train has intermediate stops: Vyborg, Tikkurila, Pasila, Vainikkala, Kouvola and Lahti. You can get off and on at any stop, this will also affect the ticket price. In addition, you can take the Allegro train to Helsinki Airport, which is located in the suburbs of Vantaa.
By car
Probably the most popular way to cross the Russian-Finnish border is by car. From St. Petersburg you can get to the border in 1.5 - 2 hours, and from Vyborg in half an hour. There are a total of 8 vehicle checkpoints on the border, plus several more simplified checkpoints through which residents of nearby settlements can pass on preferential terms. The most popular among our travelers (as well as among travelers from Finland) are the points of Torfinovka-Vaalimaa, Brusnichnoe-Nuyamaa and Svetlogorsk-Imatra. These three points can be reached from Vyborg, and Vyborg from St. Petersburg along the A-181 (E-18) highway.Queues often form at the borders, especially on weekends and holidays. In the summer, queues can form even on weekdays, which can take you more than one hour of waiting. We advise you to plan the time of crossing the border in advance, choosing a less busy time for this - a weekday, night or early morning.
Let us give an example of several popular routes to make it more convenient for you to plan your trip.
St. Petersburg - Helsinki: the journey will take about 5 hours, excluding traffic jams at the border.
St. Petersburg - Lnpeenranta: the journey will only take about 3 hours.
St. Petersburg - Turku: the journey will take about 6-7 hours.
To travel by car across the border with Finland, do not forget to bring a car, which will be checked by customs officers and will not be allowed in if it is not present. This insurance is called Green Card, namely “Green Card”. It can be done at absolutely any insurance agency and even on the way to the border, at gas stations and in the mobile offices of insurance companies. The cost of the Green Card depends on the insurance period: for 2 weeks it costs about 2,700 rubles (the cost is in euros, so changes in the exchange rate may make adjustments), for a month - 5,160 rubles.
By the way, we also advise you to study the Finnish requirements for a car in advance. For example, a car with severe damage to the body (not necessarily severe, however) may simply not be allowed through. There are special requirements for wheels and other parts of the car. We also recommend reading the article about, which describes in detail many aspects of preparation and features of entry and movement in Europe by car.
Buses and minibuses
A huge number of travel agencies offer their services to transport you from St. Petersburg or Vyborg to Finland. They usually use buses or minibuses as a means of transportation, which, although less comfortable than traveling by car, is cheaper, and there is a separate queue at the border for such transport. For such a trip, it is not even necessary to book a whole tour; it is enough to find on the Internet any company that provides transfer services to Finland, or even better, find such a company, relying on the experience of friends and acquaintances.Ferry
Still, whatever one may say, first of all, our northern capital is a port. Just like Helsinki and Turku, two large cities in Finland. So it’s not surprising that you can get there by water.
You can buy a ready-made tour, which will include a trip not only to Finland, but also, for example, to Stockholm or Tallinn. You can simply buy a ferry ticket, and then, without resorting to the services of a travel agency, plan and spend your vacation yourself. There are a lot of options for ferries and their routes, as well as the services that are provided on each ship and upon arrival at the port. It all depends on which ferry you choose and which travel agency you buy your ticket from.
The main types of ferries that operate regular flights between Russia, Finland, Sweden and Estonia are Viking Line, Princess Maria, St.Peter Line, Princess Anastasia and others. tickets can be purchased on the official websites and at the box office of each company.
How to rent a house in Finland
If you have never rented a home abroad before, we recommend that you first read our article “”. This will help you choose a hotel, understand the booking and payment process. As a rule, travelers use international booking systems for this, for example, the most famous of them, the database of which is huge, and in addition, here you can find genuine reviews from tourists. By the way, you can read reviews about hotels on our website. Pay attention to the aggregator website, which will find you the best offer by choosing from all booking systems.In addition to the hotel, you can also rent an apartment. If we talk about the site, then the choice there is not limited to apartments. You can rent a whole house, a boat, or even a hut - the imagination of the renters on this site knows no bounds. If this interests you, we recommend our articles about the Airbnb website:
In summer, the option of traveling with a tent is also relevant. Finland is full of campsites, caravan parks and similar services. This, by the way, is the most budget option for traveling around Finland, because, whatever one may say, the country is not cheap, and renting a hotel and apartment will cost you more than in most other European countries. For the convenience of the traveler, there are many websites that will help you find a campsite suitable for location and other criteria, find contacts and view all the services provided. Here, for example: http://www.eurocampings.co.uk, http://ru.camping.info in Russian.
Weather in Finland
Finland is a northern country, so you shouldn’t expect resort temperatures from it, perhaps, even in summer. However, summer is the most favorable time to travel to Finland. The average temperature in the south of the country in the hot months is only +20 degrees Celsius - neither hot nor cold. The further you go to the north of the country, the colder it gets, but in summer it’s still about +15-+18 degrees, not frosty.
In winter the situation is different. In Helsinki and Turku the climate is even more moderate than, for example, in Moscow, and the thermometer rarely drops below -10 degrees. This does not apply to the north of the country - it is frosty here, there is snow and there are a lot of recreational facilities related to winter sports.
The situation with precipitation is not as clear as with air temperature. Rain befalls Finland all year round, and snow and hail invariably occur in winter and late autumn.
Main cities and attractions of Finland
The capital of Finland and its largest city, Helsinki, of course, cannot be compared in size to any million-plus city in Russia. However, after driving through the deserted Finnish expanses, even Helsinki will seem vast. A neat, slightly ascetic and gloomy city, however, is constantly filled with tourists from neighboring countries: Russia, Estonia and Sweden. There is something to see here, but what is more important for a Russian tourist is that there is something to buy. Many of our compatriots come to Helsinki again and again to walk through the huge Stockmann department store in the very center or run through the Prisma hypermarkets. By the way, interest in shopping in Finland is due not so much to the large selection as to the quality, which, as many, many Russians have already tested in their own experience, surpasses the quality of products supplied to Russia.
So, having fed the little shopaholic within, what's next to do in Helsinki? Here are some ideas for you:
1. Take a walk around the center
Even though the center of Helsinki is not similar (not in the best sense) to other European cities, it still has its own unique character and charm. In addition, while walking around the center you can come across more than one attraction, we will tell you about the main ones:
Senate Square and the Cathedral are the heart of the central district of Helsinki. The steps of the cathedral are always full of people relaxing in the sun after a walk, and seagulls who are only thinking about which dreaming tourist to snatch food from. In the very center of the square stands a monument to our compatriot, Tsar Alexander II, whom the Finns greatly respect.
The church in the rock is an unusual architectural monument, which has not many analogues in the world. The church, which in its shape more closely resembles some kind of strange concert hall, is carved right into the rock. The unique structure and unique atmosphere make this religious building one of the most visited in the capital. Church address: Luthergatan 3.
Kauppatori Market Square is a square next to the port where many ferries and boats depart from. There is an indoor part - a historic two-story building, inside of which there is not only a market, but also dozens of excellent cafes with prices that are quite affordable for Helsinki, and an open part, which is located on the northern shore.
The Sibelius Monument is an unusual monument erected in honor of the famous Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. The monument consists of many metal tubes, which are combined into one whole. Beautiful, uncomplicated, but at the same time harmoniously integrated into the surrounding park of the same name.
The fortress, which is located on a separate island, is perhaps more capable of surprising a visitor than any other attraction. Listed as a World Heritage Site, Suomenlinna covers a huge area of the island, 15 minutes from Helsinki by ferry, and is best set aside a full day to explore. The fortress museum, submarine, catacombs and old town are just a small list of what is presented on the island. 
You can board the ferry at the city's market square; a ticket must be purchased in advance at the ticket office or from the machine at the ferry station (about 5 euros). Upon arrival at the fortress, you no longer need to pay for entry. Ferries run all year round, every 30-40 minutes.
3. Water parks
One of the favorite activities of tourists in Finland is visiting a water park. Here everyone will find something to suit their taste, especially since there is nowhere to swim in natural bodies of water in Finland - the water is too cold. The most popular water parks are Serena and Flamingo. Both are located outside the city, but they are not difficult to reach by public transport or by car. A full day ticket to Serena costs only 19 euros. But at the “Flamingo” you can buy a ticket for 3 hours - 20 euros (every subsequent half hour - 3 euros), and visit the SPA for a fee.
In the suburbs of Helsinki there is the city of Vantaa, famous for the fact that the capital’s airport is located here. But besides the airport, Vantaa also has a wonderful children’s museum, which, to be honest, adults will also enjoy. The Eureka Science Museum is a fully interactive space that will tell you about the human structure, the exploration of our planet and the main physical phenomena and experiments. The entrance ticket costs 22 euros for adults and 15 euros for children and teenagers from 5 to 16 years old. Opening hours: Mon-Wed, Fri 10-17, Thu 10-20, Sat, Sun 10-18. The ticket price includes entry to the planetarium. 
A small (by our standards) town in the south of the country has gained its fame among travelers, for the most part, thanks to the port located in it. From here you can take a ferry to other Scandinavian countries and central European countries. But besides the port, there is a lot to see in Turku. Turku Fortress (Abo Castle), located near the port, in the south of the city, is the first palace of the governor of Finland. In addition to visiting the castle, it is worth spending your time walking around the city (of course) with a mandatory visit to one of the restaurants offering seafood and fish. Then you can go to the cathedral or the craft museum. 
In addition to the attractions, next to Turku there is a huge archipelago consisting of more than a hundred islands. A road passes through the archipelago, which is sometimes interrupted and replaced by ferries, on which you can sail to the next island directly by car. Traveling through the archipelago is a great way to get acquainted with the nature of Finland, see the life of Finns away from large cities and stay somewhere in a picturesque place with a tent.
Tampere
Tampere is the former industrial capital of Finland, which is closer to the country's western border. This city is surrounded by two huge lakes, and in its center there are old brick factories, over time converted into art spaces, museums and restaurants. Tampere is very different in its “brick” spirit from other cities in the northern country, so it wouldn’t be a bad idea to stop by here.There are many interesting museums open in Tampere, including, for example, the Mummy Troll Museum, the Espionage Museum, the Textile Museum and even the Lenin Museum. In between visiting them, it’s nice to take a walk to the shore of the lake, sit in one of the trendy cafes on the territory of the former factory, or visit the observation deck on the Nyasinneula tower, from where a truly stunning view opens up.
Well, tourists with children will be interested to know that one of the best amusement parks in Finland, Särkanniemi, is open in Tampere. Many rides, roller coasters and other entertainment venues beckon, especially when you look at them from the top of the Nyasinneula tower. Park address: Laiturikatu 1.
Lapeenranta
Lapeenranta is very popular among Russian tourists due to its proximity to the Russian border. You can get here a couple of hours faster than getting to the capital. There are also several places here that might interest curious travelers. This is the Linnoitus fortress, a restored building from the 18th century, which offers an excellent view of Lake Saimaa. The lake itself and the canal of the same name are also worthy of attention. What can we say, if Finland is called the land of a thousand lakes - here every body of water is beautiful in its own way! In addition, there are enough museums in Lapeenranta, for example the South Karelian Museum, Galleries or the Aeronautics Museum.In Finland, like in any other country on our planet, there is something to do, something to be surprised by, something to be interested in. Nature untouched by civilization, excellent infrastructure and a lot of amusement parks, national cuisine, historical places - all this can awaken your interest in this northern country, just give it a chance!
