EZTrip.com International Destination Guide and Hotel Listings

However you travel you arrive close to the city centre. The ferry lines Viking and Silja, and the Tallink hydrofoils, have terminals on the South Harbour, from where it's less than 1km to the centre. Other ferry lines, to Tallinn, Tallink and Eestin Linjat, use the terminal at the West Harbour. The train station is in the heart of the centre, next to one of the two bus terminals. Across Mannerheimintie and a short way up Simonkatu is the other bus terminal and the long-distance bus station . Helsinki's airport , Vantaa, is 20km to the north, connected by buses to the Finnair terminals under the Inter-Continental Hotel , halfway between the city centre and the Olympic Stadium, and at the central train station (every 15-30min; ¬6).

The City Tourist Office at Pohjoisesplanadi 19 (May-Sept Mon-Fri 9am-7pm, Sat & Sun 9am-3pm; Oct-April Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat 9am-3pm; tel 09/1693757, www.hel.fi/tourism ) has free street and transport maps, useful free tourist magazines, including Helsinki This Week , City and Helsinki Happens . If you're staying a while, consider purchasing a Helsinki Card , giving unlimited travel on public transport and free entry to more than forty museums. The three-day card (¬35) is the best value, though there are also two-day (¬28) and one-day (¬22) versions. For information on the rest of the country, use the Finnish Tourist Board across the road at Eteläesplanadi 4 (May-Sept Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat & Sun 10am-2pm; rest of year Mon-Fri 9am-5pm; tel 09/4176 9300, www.mek.fi ).