Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sweden
The daily Stockholm to Helsinki, Stockholm to Turku and Kapellskär to Mariehamn (Åland)
routes are run by Tallink/Silja and Viking Line.
Viking offers a peak-season passenger ticket between Stockholm and Helsinki for around
€50. You can doss down in chairs or on the floor; the cheapest berths in a shared cabin
start at €35 in peak season. Cars cost from €60 but there are frequent discounts - check
prices online.
Tallink/Silja doesn't offer deck tickets on the Helsinki run: berths in a shared cabin start at
€45 for the crossing so this can be the cheapest option.
It's cheaper to cross to Turku (11 to 12 hours): tickets cost around €20 in summer on the
day ferries. Note that Åbo is Swedish for Turku.
Eckerö Linjen sails from Grisslehamn, north of Stockholm, to Eckerö in Åland. It's by far
the quickest option, at just two hours, and, with prices at €4/14 for an adult/car, it's an
amazing bargain. There's a connecting bus from Stockholm and some other Swedish
towns.
Finnlines runs a cargo ferry connecting Naantali, near Turku, with Kapellskär via Långnäs
in Åland two to three times daily (adult/car €47/120, cabins from €120).
Wasaline sails almost daily from Vaasa in Finland to Umeå, Sweden (per person €35
plus €50 per car, 4½ hours).
Russia
St Peter Line connects Helsinki with St Petersburg three to four times weekly. A significant
added benefit of arriving in Russia this way is a visa-free stay of up to three days in St
Petersburg. Canal cruises from Lappeenranta also allow you to do this.
Estonia
Several
ferry companies
zip between Helsinki and Tallinn in Estonia. Car ferries cross in
3½ hours, catamarans and hydrofoils in about 1½ hours, although in winter there are fewer
departures and traffic is slower due to the ice.
Germany
Finnlines runs six to seven ferries a week from Helsinki to Travemünde (peak one way
adult/car €155/155, 27 hours) and less frequently to Rostock.
