Initially, it felt like an unattractive country to visit but the more research we did about it, we felt more and more interested and excited to visit it. The country which is located in the northern region of Europe touching the Arctic Circle - Finland!
You might have seen people sharing their amazing and freezing white Finland experience (winter) in Facebook or any other social media. We would like to share our beautiful and freezing experience in Finland as well, but in the autumn season. Walking along the streets of Helsinki with cold air brushing past us, buying fresh, big, sweet and juicy berries from the street stalls, enjoying the Lapland adventure with fabulous autumn leaves, meeting and teasing Mr. Santa Claus for the very first time of our life. There were just too many things to highlight from our trip which made us extremely impressed and fell in love with this wonderful, peaceful and friendly country!
Check out the highlights of our short and sweet Finland itinerary. You can click on the places below for their detailed blog post.
Day 1: High Speed Train from Saint Petersburg, Russia to Helsinki >> Suomenlinna >> Accommodation: The Yard Concept Hostel
Day 2: Porvoo >> Rovaniemi >> Saariselkä >> Accommodation: Lapland Hotel Riekonlinna
Day 3: Ivalo >> Inari >> Santa Claus Village >> Accommodation: Overnight VR train ride from Rovaniemi to Helsinki (also known as Santa Claus Express)
Day 4: Helsinki City Attractions [Temppeliaukio Church, Sibelius Monument, Market Square (Kauppatori), Uspenski Cathedral, etc.] >> Lunch at Soppakeittiö (Helsinki’s famous fish soup) >> Tallink Silja Cruise to Stockholm, Sweden
Before going into the details, there are a few things that we would like to share with you all.
FOODS|
Finland might not have a variety of Asian foods like Chinese, Thai, etc. but their cinnamon bun, fish soup, and berries are to die for. Have a try on the variety of berries sold at the market square. Some berries such as the cloud berries can only be found in the northern regions. The fish plate and fish soup are just too delicious that you wish you could eat them all the time. Price-wise, you have to expect to pay more than what you pay in Malaysia for something similar. However, the quantity and quality of the food is definitely worth its price.
We didn’t cook much in Finland but that doesn’t stop us from shopping in the supermarkets. The groceries are slightly more expensive compared to Russia but self-cooking is still much cheaper than dining at a restaurant. Additionally, we tried some traditional Finnish foods from the supermarket which is very yummy.
CURRENCY|
If you have been following our blog, you would know that our Finland trip is tied with 3 other countries, Sweden, Norway and Russia. Sadly, all 4 countries have their own currencies. Finland – Euro, Sweden – Swedish Krona, Norway –Norwegian Krone, Russia – Russian Ruble. Luckily, Euro is very common in Malaysia and there wasn’t any issue in getting them.
ACCOMMODATION|
Basically, we chose to stay close to the city center when we were in Helsinki. The reason is simple. The city attractions are all within walking distance and it was convenient for us to get to the central railway station when travelling to another city/town. This helps greatly in saving our transportation cost since EUR is 5 times of MYR. The 2 nights of hostel and hotel stays that we chose provided us with either simple or continental breakfast. We noticed that hostel/hotel stay that comes with breakfast does not have much impact on the price as it is still cheaper than dining outside or self-cooking. If you would like to know more about our accommodation location and information, you can read our full review here.
TRANSPORTATION|
We are proud to say that we experienced almost 80% of the transportation modes in Finland. We traveled in the sky (plane), on the railway (tram, airport train and overnight VR train), by land (car and bus) and across the sea (ferry). The transportation system in Finland is very convenient and reliable.
Plane
We took a flight to Rovaniemi (home of Santa Claus) which cost us about EUR38 with 20kg luggage allowance per person (one way). Instead of the national airlines, Finnair, we chose to take the budget airlines, Norwegian Air Shuttle. The other airline flying this route is Scandinavian Airlines. However, we chose Norwegian Air Shuttle for its cheaper price. Their operation is similar to AirAsia whereby meals and luggage are purchased separately. Nevertheless, Norwegian Air Shuttle frequently have promotions, about 3-4 times a year.
Car Rental
Since we have included Lapland into our itinerary for the chance to witness the magnificent Northern Lights, we decided to rent a car. After doing some research, we rented a car from the local car rental operator, Scandia Rent. Compared to the other well-known car rental operators, Scandia Rent offered a cheaper price of EUR145 with EUR200 excess on collision damage waiver (CDW). The car that they provided was very new and we had no issues with it throughout our journey.
However, we would like to highlight that the fuel price in Finland is not cheap. Our journey from Rovaniemi to Ivalo and back to Rovaniemi cost the entire fuel tank of the car we rented (about EUR77) which we felt is expensive. EUR15 per pax (5 of us) may look alright but it is painful after conversion to MYR.
VR Train
VR Train
Who would not want to experience the Santa Claus Express at least once in their lifetime? We booked the overnight VR train from Rovaniemi to Helsinki and it is highly recommended (we had a good experience on it). You can choose to get the room with attached bathroom or with shared bathroom. The shared bathroom exceeded our expectation as it is super clean. We even took the time to wander around the train, visiting the different types of coaches. There are a lot of different coaches; standard zone, quiet zone, pet zone, café, etc.
Tips: You can purchase cheaper tickets 60 days prior to your departure date (Saver Ticket). Let us know if you need any guidance in booking the ticket.
Bus, Tram, Ferry and Metro (Train)
Generally, the trams in Helsinki can get you to most of the attractions such as market halls, museums, etc. We only took the bus to Porvoo while the ferry brought us to Suomenlinna. Besides having good services, all the public transportations are comfortable, clean and punctual. We planned our Helsinki travels to fully utilize the 1 day travel card (costs EUR9) for unlimited rides on all the public transportation modes. This even includes the ferry to Suomenlinna. If you are taking the I-train or P-train to get to the airport, we will suggest purchasing the regional 1 day ticket at EUR14 since Helsinki airport is in the Vantaa zone. If you are travelling away from the Helsinki zone, then you may need to purchase zone tickets based on your destination. Unfortunately, our itinerary of getting to the airport and Suomenlinna as well as travelling within Helsinki falls on 3 separate days. Hence, we have no choice but to spend EUR5 for the ferry, EUR5 for the airport train and EUR9 for Helsinki travels. Click here for more detailed information.
NAVIGATION|
From our travelling history, we have never spent any money on internet plans since we have our trusted free map apps, MAPS.ME and GOOGLE MAPS. Both apps are extremely helpful in locating where we are and which direction to go to no matter walking or driving. We used them in our previous travels to Thailand, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Sweden, Norway, Russia, etc. and it work fine. Just download the apps into your phone and do not forget to download the specific country map that you require. You can then travel without any internet plans just like us.
ATTRACTIONS|
Most of the attractions in Helsinki and Porvoo do not charge any admission fee. During our travels, the only admission fee that we paid for is Temppeliaukio Church at EUR3 per person. So, we actually spent mainly on transportation in getting to the attractions.
We only spend about MYR2100++ per person for our 4D3N in Finland. The exchange rate was EUR1 = MYR4.75 then. Bear in mind that this cost only covers the transportation of getting to and around Finland. The cost of getting out from Finland is parked under another country. Click here if you would like to know more about our Europe trip expenses.
Don’t worry, this is not our only post for Finland. We will be sharing our entire Finland itinerary (Helsinki, Suomenlinna, Porvoo and Lapland) with more money-saving tips. Stay tuned for our update!
Don’t worry, this is not our only post for Finland. We will be sharing our entire Finland itinerary (Helsinki, Suomenlinna, Porvoo and Lapland) with more money-saving tips. Stay tuned for our update!
We hope our sharing is helpful and useful to you. Feel free to drop us some questions if you have any. Don’t forget to follow our Facebook page and Instagram account for more updates. Your strong support will motivate us to keep sharing our travel experience.
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