How much will a vacation in Helsinki cost in summer or winter for New Year's holidays, what are the prices for food, tickets, rental housing? Consider a trip to the capital of Finland and find out the cost of a vacation for two.
Finland is famous for its ski resorts and magnificent nature. Traveling through this country, it seems that now a real elf will emerge from the thicket or a huge giant will descend from the mountains. The atmosphere is truly fabulous, filled with mystery and natural closeness of nature, which has retained its original charm.
Holidays in Finland require significant costs, this country does not belong to budget tourism. The cost of a vacation in Helsinki is high compared to other European cities, but you can still plan a vacation both cheaply and with good conditions.
Prices for holidays in Helsinki in 2021
So, you have decided to visit the capital on the shores of the Gulf of Finland, what should be considered, what costs should be foreseen, how to choose housing, where is it better to stay?
Prices for air tickets from Moscow and St. Petersburg
The flight to Helsinki can be made from the airports of Moscow and St. Petersburg. The cost of air tickets to Helsinki from Moscow, St. Petersburg does not differ much. As practice shows, prices for flights from St. Petersburg are slightly more expensive than prices for flights from Moscow.
It is also worth considering that charter flights through Riga will cost even less, about two to three thousand savings. So flight from Moscow a charter will be 8,000 rubles, and a direct flight as much as 11,000 rubles.
As a cheap option, you can get to Tallinn. At the time of publication, an excellent option was found with one change for 7854 rubles.
Flight from St. Petersburg a charter will cost 9,000 rubles, and directly about 12,000 rubles. For July, a good option was found for a direct flight with Lot airline to Tallinn, costing 8322 rubles.
We recommend searching for cheap plane tickets to Helsinki with the help of Aviasales.
If you wish, you can take a bus from the northern capital of Russia, then the cost of the ticket is much cheaper and will be about 1000 rubles.
The best hotels in the center of Helsinki
In the city center there is a large number of luxury 4-5 star hotels of the European level, there are inexpensive accommodation options with breakfast and no meals. The best hotels in Helsinki for recreation are located mainly in its central part, which allows tourists to easily and easily get to anywhere in the city for walks and sightseeing.
- For example, Radisson Blue Plaza Hotel located in the center of Helsinki on Mikonkatu street 23.
The institution belongs to the level of 4 stars. The hotel is non-smoking, so if you have this bad habit, you will most likely not be very comfortable there. The cost of accommodation in a hotel of this type will be about 13,000 rubles per night.
Book a room
- Another option of the same stellar level - Hilton Helsinki Strand, located on street John Stenberginranta 4.
With a magnificent view of the Vantaanjoki river. You can stay at this hotel for 16,000-17,000 rubles per day. And although it is in 6th place in the rating of hotels, the level of service is excellent there.
Book a room
- Another popular hotel in the city center among Russians is Original Sokos Hotel Helsinkilocated at Kluuvikatu 8.
According to some ratings, it occupies the second position out of more than 60 hotels in the city. At the same time, he has a fairly democratic price tag, a night at the hotel will cost about 12,000 rubles.
Book a room
In general, you can stay in the city center from 8 to 27 thousand rubles per night, depending on the hotel. Most of the hotels in Helsinki, as well as in Europe as a whole, are four-star, although the level of service exceeds many five-star hotels in other countries.
If you need to find cheaper accommodation offers, then the next item will allow you to choose excellent options for both a day and a longer rental period from the owners.
Rent of private housing in Helsinki, prices
It is possible to rent an apartment in Helsinki inexpensively. If you take advantage of private offers, without hotel services and intermediaries. Ideally, of course, look at apartments or guest houses in the sea area. Offers for renting housing can be found on many sites, there is a special group in VKontakte. For example, in this group, housing rental offers start from 15-30 euros per day per person per room and 90-120 euros for renting a two-room apartment per day. You can turn to Booking.com, which has a huge database of various offers from hosts.
Private rental housing has its pitfalls, unlike a hotel vacation, however, it allows you to save on accommodation and is the best option for tourists traveling on their own.
In general, renting an apartment for a month will be about 1,800 euros, although you can find more pleasant prices, from 850 euros, depending on the type of housing and the number of rooms, the area of accommodation.
European cities such as Helsinki have a well-developed hostel network, which makes it possible to rent a bed for a short time. This method of accommodation is very fond of young people, people who travel alone and do not seek to stay in one place for a long time.
When traveling with a large company or family, it is good to consider renting a cottage. These are rather cozy wooden houses, most often located in secluded wooded areas, on the seashore, lake or river. Cottage rental prices in Helsinki start from 1000 to 2000 euros per week of stay. This is a pretty decent option for a reasonable price.
A big plus of a holiday in Helsinki with children or the whole family will be the absence of noisy neighbors and prying eyes. You can rent a house and several families, it would be a great idea for celebrating the New Year or coming in the summer. If your goal is unity with nature, then a cottage is the perfect option.
- In order to save money, offers with discounts will definitely come in handy:
The cost of food and meals in a cafe
The price level in Helsinki is one of the highest in Europe, the cost of food there also requires certain costs and sometimes not small ones. The most economical way to eat is through catering services. For example, a chain of cafes RAX allow you to eat inexpensively on a buffet basis. The principle consists in a fixed payment for the "buffet":
- 9-10 euros for an adult;
- 2.5 euros for children up to 4 years old;
- 7 euros for children up to 10 years old.
Bistro UniCafe - another option for budget meals. You can dine in the cafe, for this there is a complex lunch, you can also choose your own dishes, as in a regular dining room. In the same institution you can drink delicious coffee with aromatic pastries. These institutions are loved by local students. A set lunch will come out for about 7 euros. Substantial discounts are provided to students.
Network SFC - a fast food chain like the famous KFC. A standard set: hamburger, fries and cola will come out about 8-9 euros. Not the best option, however, if you wish, you can.
HabibiDeli... A kebab house with an Indian name will offer you some pretty decent food for relatively little money. The portions in these establishments are quite large, we advise you to take one portion for two. For example, you can take a portion of the soup and the second for two and have a great meal. Soup will be released at 8 euros, the second about 9 euros, for two is quite an acceptable price.
You can cook on your own, even with a high price level in local stores, this option will be the cheapest. The most expensive items in stores are alcohol and cigarettes. For example, a pack of Marlboros will cost 7 euros.
For tourists who do not save too much, you can choose the option of eating in local cafes and restaurants, the average bill in decent establishments will come out from 40-60 euros per person.
Transport fare
To get around the city, you can purchase a single subscription, which is valid for all types of urban transport - from metro to ferries. The subscription period is temporary: for one hour, for two hours, for a day and for a week. The validity time is reflected in the cost, the price also depends on the place of purchase of the ticket, so, for example, it will be more expensive to buy a ticket from a driver than from a vending machine. For children from 7 to 16 years old there is a 50% discount.
A daily ticket for all types of transport will be released - 9 euros, and for a week - 36 euros.
You can also purchase a ticket by mobile phone using SMS, the cost of the ticket will be debited from the account.
Taxi in Helsinki is not the most profitable way to travel. The cost of one kilometer will cost 6 euros, for waiting for an hour you will have to pay almost 45 euros. On weekends and holidays, the price per kilometer rises to 9 euros.
The ferry is paid for by a ticket, which is purchased for a period of 12 hours. The fare is 5 euros.
Renting a car in Helsinki for a trip to the sights and suburbs of the capital of Finland will start from 30 euros / day. The rental price for a period of 3 days starts from 105 euros, depending on the type of car. The luxury version of the car will cost about 330 euros for a period of 3 days. We recommend searching for cheap offers from all car rental companies through Economybokings.
Visa to Helsinki, what documents are needed?
The costs when deciding to visit the city will start already at the level of preparatory actions. It so happened that without a visa to this country, Russian tourists are in no hurry to launch. A visa to Finland is compulsory for Russians; if you have a Schengen visa, there is no need to make a separate visa. However, you can make a visa specifically to Finland, with this visa you can visit a number of other European countries, but it is worth considering that there should be an order of magnitude more visits to Finland than visits to other European countries.
You can apply for a Finnish visa at the Consulate General of St. Petersburg, but this is a rather problematic occupation. Therefore, sometimes it is worth choosing to apply for a visa upon arrival in the country. To do this, you will need to submit the necessary documents at the Visa Application Center in Finland. The cost of registration will be about 27 euros. Children under six years of age receive a visa free of charge.
Required documents:
- questionnaire;
- photography (color);
- international passport;
- old foreign passport with Schengen stamps for the last 5 years;
- copy of the Russian passport;
- medical policy;
- if you have hotel accommodation, you must provide it.
Weather in Helsinki, when is the best time to relax?
When is the best time to relax in Helsinki - this question worries most tourists. This largely depends on the purpose of the visit. If the goal is to visit ski resorts, then the answer is unambiguous - in winter. If you plan to get to know the country as a whole, then the best choice is the summer months. Spring and autumn are quite rainy and dirty, just like in Russia. It is best to organize holidays in Helsinki with children in the summer.
- Before the trip, you should familiarize yourself with the weather in Helsinki by months:
When traveling to Europe on your own, be sure to install the necessary applications for a tourist on your smartphone.