For residents of St. Petersburg, Vyborg and other cities located near the Finnish border, vacation on weekends in Suomi has become commonplace. In Finland, from late Friday evening, buses with Russian tourists are stretching. Mild climate, amazing nature, high level of service and goods at low prices - that's what attracts our fellow citizens in this country.

You can just go to a nearby city and take a walk in the shops, or rent a cottage and two days of fishing, or to have a real Finnish sauna, ski, visit entertainment centers near Kouvola and Imatra with children.

How to get

The fastest way is by plane. Daily flights to Helsinki depart from Moscow and St. Petersburg. After an hour and a half you will be there. In winter, you can get on charter in small towns like Rovaniemi or Kuusamo.

By train "Leo Tolstoy" can be reached from Moscow within 15 hours. The trip costs from 50 to 85 EUR. From Peter go two compositions "Repin" and "Sibelius." On the way - 6 hours, the price is 50 EUR.

The most common option for tourists is by bus from St. Petersburg. In the evenings, many buses leave the Oktyabrskaya Hotel.
Winter Weekend in Finland
The cost of the trip is about 20 EUR. Most Russians go shopping tours - they return home late the next day.

From other cities the following routes are laid: from Murmansk - to Ivalo, from Petrozavodsk - to Kuopio, from Kostomuksha - to Oulu.

You can quickly drive to Helsinki by taxi, but such a trip will cost several times more - from 12 thousand rubles both ways.

Popular routes

There are several popular routes that are used by both Russian and foreign tourists. For example, a visit to Helsinki. Within two days for the guests of the capital a sightseeing tour of the city is organized with a visit to some of the sights. In addition, the program visits fish shops, and in your spare time - improvised shopping. Two days is enough to get a superficial impression of the city and make profitable purchases.

Tours in Imatru are good for a family holiday - here is the water park Imatran Kylpyla with high, breathtaking slides. The program also includes a sightseeing tour around the city. Lappeenranta - a city in the east of Finland - is famous for its small shops and large shopping centers. Here you can buy shoes, clothes, antiques, jewelry. Everything is sold at reasonable prices, and taking into account periodic sales - so in general for a penny.

Water trip in Kuopio, Finland Finland for the weekend
Mumi Troll Valley, Naatali, Finland Finland on the weekend
House in Lapland, Finland Finland for the weekend

A separate song is a fish ka in Finland. You can only fish for free on a float fishing rod in the summer and on a mormish in the winter. In other cases, you need to buy a license. Traditionally, tourists rent cottages for the weekend on Saimaa, not far from Lahti, Juvaskylä, Salo. It's easiest to order a fishing trip from a travel agency that will issue all permits.

Visa rental

Often tourists enjoy short-term trips to Finland for a "visa hire". According to the rules, you can get to Europe via the Finnish Schengen. But the number of days spent, for example, in France, should not exceed the number of days spent in Finland. Here are Russian tourists and ride on a multi-visa to a neighboring country in order to get more experience and then without any problems go to another state.