Getting around
The area of land within the City of Helsinki is more than 200 square kilometers. The city has a developed system of roads. In the structure of roads of Helsinki are three ring roads (Kehä 1, Kehä 2, Kehä 3), which are connected by a large number of radial roads. (There is also a project of the tunnel that connects the center of Helsinki on the eastern and western city regions.) In the city center car parking is mainly paid. In suburban areas are plenty of free parking spaces. On average, Helsinki has about 380 cars per 1000 inhabitants. This is considerably less than the average in Finland, less than in many European cities. This can be explained by a well-functioning public transport network and the difficulty of parking in the city center. In many cases, to use public transport is more convenient and cheaper than travel by car.
Public transport in Helsinki consists of the Helsinki metro, buses, trams, suburban trains and the Suomenlinna ferry routes. Approximately half of the passengers in the city are transported by bus. A little less than thirty percent of the passengers serve tram. About one-fourth of passengers are served by metro. A large number of passengers are transported by commuter trains. Suburban electric trains rides from Central Station towards the suburbs of Helsinki, Espoo, Kauniainen, Kerava, Kirkkonummi and Vantaa.
Metro
Metro in Helsinki has one line that splits into two ways. Metro connects the central and eastern parts of the city. Metro of Helsinki has three end stations, “Ruoholahti” on the west, “Mellunmäki” and “Vuosaari” stations on the east. Train ride by changing the route in rotation Ruoholahti-Mellunmäki and Ruoholahti-Vuosaari. The length of subway lines in Helsinki is 21 kilometers; the number of subway stations is 17. “Rautatientori” station (Central railway station) serves most number of passengers. The station is located near the Central railway station and many shops and shopping centers. “Kamppi” metro station is also located in the city center. The station is connected to the “Kamppi” shopping center and bus station of Helsinki. Near the metro station “Itäkeskus” is located “Itis”shopping center. It is the largest shopping mall in Helsinki. Near the station Vuosaari is located shopping center “Columbus”.
It is easy to move around the Helsinki region using the travel card (electronic ticket), which can be used on all public transport in Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa, Kauniainen, Kerava and Kirkkonummi. Valid for 1-7 days single ticket on all public transport can be purchased at points:
- ”R-kiosks” in Helsinki.
- ”Stockmann” department store.
- Supermarket “K-Citymarket”.
- Points of sale railway tickets.
- Helsinki Tourist Office.
- Helsinki Airport.
- Ferries “Silja Serenade” and “Silja Symphony”.
- HSL service points at Central Railway Station.
Sea transport
The sea passenger terminal in Helsinki annually serves more than 8 million passengers. Cruise ships bring in Helsinki large number of tourists in the summer. Ferries companies Tallink Silja, Viking Line, Finnlines, St. Peter Line transported passengers between the cities of Tallinn, Helsinki, Stockholm, Rostock, Lübeck (Travemünde), St. Petersburg. Tourists arriving by ferry from Finland (and other cities) in St. Petersburg permitted to stay in the Russian Federation without visas for 72 hours.
Helsinki - Vantaa Airport
Helsinki Airport is located 19 kilometers from the city center, in the neighboring city of Vantaa. The airport serves a large portion (90%) of international air traffic in Finland. The airport can be reached by bus number 615 from the center of Helsinki (Central station square) and the bus number 61 from the railway station in Tikkurilla. In 2014, Vantaa airport will be linked by rail with the Helsinki Central Station.