Helsinki, a city in the Uusimaa region in the southern part of Finland, is the capital city of the country as well as it has a very crowded population. Situated on the shores of the Gulf of Finland within the Baltic Sea, Helsinki is among the most developed cities in Europe in terms of culture, finance, and science. Although the native language spoken in the city is Finnish, you can also come across some people who speak Swedish.

Passengers who want to visit this city travel to Helsinki-Vantaa Airport located in Vantaa, which is the border of the north and east of the city. The indented peninsula, which is in the south of the city, is also the central point in the city. The central stations of all means of public transportation are located in the city center.

Senata Square on the west coast of the city is made up of the historical buildings of the city. Thanks to the tourist information office near Senata Square, you can ask every kind of question about transportation and get help about many things, as well as you can buy tickets for various tours and museums. Metro, tramway, train and bus are the most frequently preferred means of public transportation. In addition, ferryboats are also available for minibus and intra-bay transportation.

The overpasses called Baana provide a short route especially for pedestrians and bike riders to reach the areas Kamppi and Töölö Bay from the Western Harbour area. Public transportation is organized by the company named HSL (Helsinki Regional Transport), just like in the cities of Espoo, Vantaa and Kauniainen. If you want to take advantage of public transportation, you can buy tickets from ticket booths, from the drivers or by mobile phone. However, if you buy a ticket from the driver, the ticket price is a little more costly compared to other options.

If you want to get on tramway, you need to buy a different ticket. The price of the tramway tickets is more affordable than the price of other public transportation tickets. Both tickets are valid for one hour as soon as you buy them. If you are planning to travel to the neighboring cities like Espoo, Vantaa or Kauniainen, you need to buy an interregional ticket. These tickets are valid for eighty minutes. If you are going to use public transport very often during the day, daily tickets will be more economical for your travel budget. If you are traveling with a child under the age of seven, your child can travel free of charge. Passengers who are under the age of sixteen can travel by paying half price of the tickets. It is hardly possible to take advantage of public transportation in Helsinki after midnight.  Public transportation vehicles generally depart for the last time before midnight, while bus services are available until 2 am. The buses departing from the Rautatientori area near Elielinaukio and the railway station on weekends and official holidays are also available even after 2 am; however, ticket prices cost twice as high as the standard price.  It is unlikely to come across ticket control on public transport in Helsinki. However, auditors sometimes get on the vehicles and ask for tickets. If you haven't bought a ticket, you have to pay a high amount of penalty during ticket control.

There are many alternatives to reach the airport from any part of the city. Depending on your location, you can benefit from public transportation options such as metro, train, tramway or bus to reach the city center, where you can transfer to train, bus or private shuttle services to get to the airport. If you wish, you can also shorten the length of your journey by taking the advantage of taxi or car rental options. 

Kutsuplus (Minibus Shuttles)

The minibuses called Kutsublus are provided with a new system that offers an alternative solution for public transportation. These minibus shuttles serve on demand; the minibuses pick up the passengers going through the same route and drop them off at the places they want to arrive. You can buy your ticket using the online reservation system to benefit from these minibus shuttles. The cost of this journey depends on the distance to be covered. If you prefer to take this shuttle service to reach the airport, you can benefit from the service at the comfort of a taxi for more affordable prices.

Taxi

Taking a taxi is undoubtedly the most practical and comfortable option to get to the airport. However, it may sometimes be difficult to get a taxi in the city, especially on weekends, at night, on special days, or on holidays. There are many taxi stands in various parts of the city. Alternatively, it is possible to get a taxi in the city if you can phone for a taxi by contacting the taxi stands or make an online reservation.

VIP taxi service is also available for a more luxurious travel. Taxi minibuses called yellow lines run on the basis of a system similar to Kutsuplus option. The taxi minibuses with 8-passenger capacity pick the passengers up from various parts of the city and drop them off at the airport. The price of this service may vary depending on the number of passengers and the distance to be covered. If you want to take the advantage of this service to reach the airport, you need to make an online reservation in advance.

Train

The construction of the railway line connecting the airport to the central railway station has been completed as of 2015. The trains running on this line depart every 10 minutes and the journey time takes about half an hour. You can buy your ticket by means of the ticket booths at the central railway station.

Once you get off the train, you need to take the private airport shuttles to reach the airport. It only takes a few minutes to get to the airport by these shuttles. Once the train line construction has been completed, you will be able to benefit from direct transportation to the airport. Helsinki Central Railway Station, which is the main station where all the trains depart from, is located in the city center.

The train lines Y, S, U, L, E, A, M, I, K, N, T, H, and R are the lines departing from this central station to various parts of the city. These lines move in three different directions from the city center to the north. It is also possible to benefit from intercity transportation to the neighboring cities like Espoo, Vantaa and Kaunianinen by train. However, you need to buy regional tickets to benefit from this service.

Bus

If you want to go to the airport by bus, you firstly need to reach the city center. The bus number 615 departing from Helsinki Central Railway Station departs every 30 minutes and arrives at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport in about 30-40 minutes. Since the airport is located within the borders of Vantaa city, you have to buy an interregional ticket to get on this bus. The Finnair City Bus is another bus departing from the Central Railway Station to the airport. This bus line departs every 15 minutes and goes from the central railway station to the airport in about half an hour. The bus ticket for this bus costs a bit more compared to the bus number 615. In addition, you cannot benefit from free transfer while boarding the Finnair City Bus. However, you can enjoy a more comfortable journey thanks to the Finnair bus as well as you can take the advantage of free Wi-Fi service on the bus.

If you have traveled the places outside the city center in Espoo and if you are planning to get to the airport from these places, you can get on the bus 540 of the interregional U-line departing from the Leppävaara, Nihtisilta and Espoonkeskus regions. In the urban areas other the city center, the buses are preferred more frequently compared to other means of public transportation. Therefore, you can firstly get to the city center by bus if you are planning to go to the airport from a distant place in the city. The buses departing from the north side of the city center arrive at the bus terminal on Eliel Square and the buses departing from east go to the terminal on Railway Square, while the buses from west arrive at the underground bus terminal at the Kamppi Center, which is connected to the Kamppi subway station.

Tramway

If you are planning a touristic travel, the tramway is quite an affordable option for transportation. The transportation network in the northern part of the city is provided by the buses, while transportation in the central southern peninsula is provided mostly by tramways. Extension of the tram line still goes on in Helsinki. Nine tram lines surrounding the peninsula serve its passengers. Taking a tram is not a very practical option to get to the airport. If you are at a distant location from the central station of the peninsula, you can get on the tramway and transfer to a bus or train to the airport.

Metro

Subway network of Helsinki provides service in a much smaller area compared to Europe in general in terms of urban transportation. Once you arrive at the city center from the airport, you can travel from the southern peninsula to the eastern part of the city. It takes about 20 minutes traveling from Ruoholahti station to Mellunmäki or Vusaari stations. The extension of the metro network westward towards Espoo is still under construction.

Rent a car

Renting a car from the car rental offices in the city center is another alternative you can prefer to reach the airport. However, if you are planning to spend some time in the city before going to the airport, it is likely to have parking problem and parking fees are quite high in the city. Parking fees are charged hourly at parking spaces, which sometimes offer free service options on weekends. If you are looking for a more comfortable travel option, you are advised to rent a limousine.

Airport Information

Helsinki-Vantaa Airport is a very developed airport that offers various facilities. It is quite enjoyable to spend time at the airport while waiting for your flight. The airport offers private sleeping pods, so you can relax and even sleep in a quiet atmosphere in the middle of the airport. You can rest inside the pod from 15 minutes to a few hours. Under the pod, there is a section where you can store your suitcases. Some parts of the airport offer these sleeping pods free of charge.

At the airport, you can often find the kiosks where newspapers, magazines, and snacks are sold, ATM machines, Rent a Car offices, souvenir shops and currency exchange machines. You can also take advantage of the meeting rooms at the airport.

You can buy many luxury products at affordable prices at Duty Free stores in the terminal buildings. Many luxury restaurants are at your service as well as popular cafés and fast-food chains such as Starbucks and Burger King.

In addition to these, you can also find bookstores and the shopping stores that sell watches and jewelry. You can charge your electronic devices in the energy sockets section. If you are traveling with your children, you can spend time in the playground section designed for children, as well as you can enjoy your time in the comfortable VIP section while waiting for your flight.

If you want to travel to Pleven, located near the northern border of Bulgaria, you can travel through Sofia International Airport which is 170 kilometers away from the city. For transportation to Pleven city center from Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, you can prefer Sofia taxis waiting for the passengers in front of the terminal building, or rent a car from the car rental companies having offices at the airport. Other means of transport you can prefer to travel from Sofia International Airport to Pleven include minibuses, private transfer services and buses. Hotel shuttle service on this route is not a frequently-used option. However, you can contact your hotel in Pleven and take advantage of this option, if available, to reach Pleven from the airport.

Taxi

Taxi option is among the most frequently preferred alternatives to arrive in Pleven from Sofia, the capital city of Bulgaria. It is quite easy to find a taxi at Sofia International Airport. Once you get off the plane, you can take a taxi at the exit gates of the terminal building and start your journey towards Pleven. You will travel more than 163 kilometers to reach Pleven from the international airport in the capital. This often costs a high fare for the passengers who prefer traveling by taxi; however, taxis are often preferred for the comfortable and fast service they provide. The average fare to get to the city center from the airport is 90-100 Euros. Before leaving the airport, you can tell the driver about where you want to go; then, you can get information about the estimated fare you are going to pay and head towards Pleven.

Bus

You can take the bus number 84 departing from Sofia Airport and transfer to the tram in the city center, where you can head towards the train station. Once you reach the train station, you can take the train to reach Pleven. Traveling by bus, tram and train transfer is a slower and more time-consuming option compared to taxi or private transfer services, but they provide a much more affordable transfer. You can find the bus stop at the airport without having any difficulty and take the bus running between 5am and midnight.

Train

In order to reach Pleven by train from the airport in Sofia, you should firstly get to the train station in the city center by taking a taxi or bus in front of the airport terminal and then take the train to Pleven. Traveling to Pleven by train is usually a more time-consuming option than other alternatives but if you have enough time for traveling at an affordable price, you can prefer the train option conveniently.

Private Transfer Services

One of the best alternatives for those who prefer a direct and fast option from the airport to Pleven is the private transfer services that you can take anytime. If you want to take advantage of the private services providing transfer service for the passengers at fixed rates for certain distances, all you need to do is make a reservation at one of the private transfer companies of your choice before your flight to Sofia Airport. If you are traveling as a group, you can enjoy this service paying an average of 100 Euros up to 3 or 4 persons, 120 Euros for up to 8 persons, and 170 Euros up to 14 persons.

Luxury Transfer Services

During your journey from Sofia Airport to Pleven, you can book one of the luxury transfer vehicles with different passenger capacities. Luxury transfer vehicles pick up passengers in front of the terminal building and take them to their destination in Pleven. The price of this luxury service varies depending on the season and the number of passengers, but it usually ranges from 140 Euros to 180 Euros. Although the cost of luxury transfer service is high, it is possible to enjoy affordable prices by making a reservation for your departure and return journeys at the same time.

Rent a car

Once you arrive at Sofia Airport, you will find a large number of car rental offices. You can enjoy traveling without being dependent on any public transport anytime by renting a car from these offices just in a few minutes. Choice Rent A Car, AVIS, Europcar, Hertz, Enterprise, Sixt, Avtojet, Moto Pfohe, Tany 97, and Thrifty are among the global and local car rental companies providing this service at Sofia Airport. Making your reservation contacting one of these companies over the phone or the internet in advance to rent a car will save you time and help you find your rental car ready to travel without wasting time when you arrive at the airport. You may need your travel documents such as your passport as well as your driver's licence with international validity to rent a car in the city. You should get information about the documents required before renting a car. Once you rent a car, get behind the wheel and head North to get to Pleven for a journey about 200 kilometers.