Before travelling, it is important to ensure that EU and Swiss nationals travel with a valid identity card or passport.
Finland is easily accessible from the rest of Europe.
From France, Belgium and Switzerland, trains, buses, cars and boats can be combined to make a pleasant journey of varying length.
There are 27 airports in Finland, five of which have regular international flight services. The main gateway is the Helsinki-Vantaa international airport.There are 27 airports in Finland, five of which have regular international flight services. The main gateway is the Helsinki-Vantaa international airport. The northernmost airport is in Ivalo in Lapland, approximately 250 kilometres above the Arctic Circle. The following airlines operate domestic flights in Finland: Finnair, Norwegian, SAS
Three main airlines operate direct flights to Finland from France. Finnair and Easyjet fly non-stop to Helsinki from Paris. From Paris, you should expect to spend around €250 on a flight to Finland. Connections are quite short as it will only take you three hours to fly to Helsinki!
It is also served by low-cost carriers, notably Ryanair, from several European cities. With these airlines you can also fly to Oulu, Rovaniemi, Vaasa or Kuopio.
Lufthansa, British Airways, Air France, KLM, Iberia, Air Berlin and many other airlines also fly to Finland, but with a stopover. SAS also offers several weekly direct flights between the French and Finnish capitals. Flights with a stopover are possible from Nice, Lyon, Grenoble or Marseille.
Once in Helsinki, how do I get to Kuopio?
BY COACH
Finland's coach route network is one of the most comprehensive in Europe covering more than 90 per cent of public roads. If the rail network doesn't reach your chosen Finnish destination, coaches will take you there. Riding a coach is a good way to take in the scenery along smaller roads. See the following sites for coaches to your destination: Matkahuolto, Onnibus, ExpressBus
BY CAR
It is possible to rent cars, with many brands such as Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz, Scandia Rent, Sixt. But don't think that driving in Finland is child's play... In winter the roads can be slippery, so snow tyres are legally required from December to February. The same goes for headlights, which must be used at all times to improve our visibility and to be seen by others. It goes without saying that we have to be careful when we drive! But in Finland we have to be extra careful because we might be confronted with some unfamiliar situations such as elks and reindeer which frequently venture onto the roads and are most active at dusk.
BY TRAIN
The rail network stretches all over the country from Helsinki to Kolari in Lapland. The trains are reputedly well maintained and the scenery along the tracks is beautiful. Unlike the French trains, if we travel at night or for a long period, we have the possibility to stay in a sleeping car.
BY AIR
There are 27 airports in Finland, so it is easy to choose internal air travel with Finnair. Cheap and fast.
Which method did we choose?
For us, our departure will be from Marseille airport, Marignane.
We travel with Lufthansa. We have to make a stopover between Marseille and Helsinki. This will be in Munich, Germany. Our journey will take 1 hour and 35 minutes from Marseille to Munich and 2 hours and a half from Munich to Helsinki. For about 150 €.
Once we arrive in Helsinki, our paths will separate. Chloé, Justine and Marine will make arrangements to go to the train station to take a train that will take them to Kuopio, in 5 hours and 25 minutes, for about 30 euros. On the other hand, Océane, Lisa and I will stay in Helsinki airport and then board a flight to Kuopio with Finnair. The flight will last one hour exactly, and cost us 50/60€.
Article written by Jeanne Leclercq
Kuopio Airport
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