Helsinki Airport Mini Guide
The Airport
Helsinki International Airport is 3 miles from Vantaa and 10 miles from Helsinki city centre. It handled nearly 15 million passengers last year and had one of the best records on punctuality in the world. Parking at the airport is cheap and easy. From 25 euros per week you can have indoor or outdoor parking or even valet parking. The cheaper parking is available in car parks P3, 4 and 5 and although they are a little distance from the terminals, there is a free shuttle bus.
Travelling There
33 scheduled airlines and 10 chartered airlines fly into Helsinki, some on a seasonal basis. Included in these totals are budget carriers, easyJet who operate routes from
Gatwick,
Manchester and
Stansted in the
UK as well as other major Europpean hubs like
Amsterdam and
Paris and national carrier Finnair.
Onward Bound From the Airport
There is a rail system for the airport which was completed in 2014. A taxi or a local bus will take you to any one of three local stations; the 540 to
Espoo for routes to
Turku, the 61 to Tikkurila for Russian destinations and the 615 to the central railway station. These buses also stop off at various locations on the route.
Check at airport information for up to date schedules and routes. There are coaches into the city operated by Finnair or by Matkahuolto or ExpressBus who also operate routes to other Finnish cities. If you are collecting a pre-booked hire car from the airport, you’ll find the desks in the corridor between the terminals. The cars are collected from and returned to car park P3. Routes out of the airport are clearly signposted and an expressway will take you into the heart of the city.
Information and Advice
There’s an airport information desk in the public area between T1 and T2 together with a tourist information desk.
Facilities and Services
There are branches of Sampo Bank and Nordea in both terminals together with a number of offices of Change Group in the terminals and also near the departure gates. Plentiful ATMs are found around the terminals too. Shopping at Helsinki Airport is excellent, both before and after security. There’s a huge variety of shops in the airport including the very quirky Moomin shop selling items from the popular children’s books and ARG Fashion, selling high end designer clothes for men and women. There are shops selling almost everything you’d need at the airport including a Santa shop selling items from his Lapland home.
The airport has its own first aid post should you need help at the airport. It’s found in the arrivals concourse. If drugs are required there’s also a pharmacy there too. There is no lost and found office; contact must be made by phone or by completing an online form. Free Wi-Fi is available across the airport and there is a business lounge with conference facilities.
Extra Help
Helsinki Airport is very well prepared to deal with passengers with difficulties. There is assisted service which can be accessed via the many booths across the airport site and an induction loop for those with hearing difficulties. The elevators are large to accommodate wheelchairs and flight information can be sent by voicemail for passengers with visual impairments. General assistance is available for disabled travellers but it is recommended that you inform your airline before travelling so that necessary steps can be taken to assist you. The airport conforms to EU law on disability provision.
Helsinki Airport (HEL) serves the city of Helsinki which is the capital of Finland. With car hire Helsinki Airport you can make the short journey from Vantaa where the airport is located to Helsinki city centre. Around 15 million passengers use the airport on an annual basis so you should book your vehicle in advance to guarantee availability.
While tourists come to Helsinki for the fantastic winter scenery we also get business travellers and there is a business park called Aviapolis nearby as well. The Association of European Airports has voted Helsinki Airport as one of the best flight facilities in the world.