I am booking a flight from London to Hong Kong via Helsinki with Finnair in Oct and one of the cheapest options has an 18hr stopover in Helsinki, arriving at 11pm and leaving the next day around 5pm. I%26#39;m wondering whether it%26#39;s worth doing this... I might inevitably have to book into an airport hotel but I am wondering does Vantaa airport have 24hr facilities? If I am unable to get a hotel room, would it be feasible to slum it in the terminal?
Also for the next day, I assume I will be able to leave the airport as long as I have my boarding pass - is there anything worth seeing/doing near the airport? Is it relatively easy to get to the city centre?
Thanks for any help!! :) :)
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It%26#39;s worth it, but I%26#39;d rather sleep in a downtown hotel. It%26#39;s only a ca 30-35 min bus ride from the airport to downtown and vv. E.g. Holiday in Helsinki City Centre is right next to the Central Railway Station where all the airport buses go to. Finnair City Bus has also a stop right next to the Scandic Continental and Crowne Plaza Helsinki, but they are a bit further away from the real downtown. Also Scandic Hotel Simonkenttä and Scandic Hotel Marski are good places for one night stay. This way you%26#39;d be ready for quick look into the town first thing in the morning and don%26#39;t have to drive the bus back and forth on the same day.
Anyhow, the airport is open 24/7, but in the middle of the night usually only landside cafes are open. Airside services are usually open from very early in the morning (first cafe opens at 4 am until midnight).
There are two hotels with direct access with the airport: Hilton Helsinki-Vantaa Airport which is connected with a covered walk way to the Terminal 2 and Scandic Gateway which is located in the service floor of the Terminal 2 (inside the terminal). Of course near the airport there are many hotels many of which have a free shuttle bus between the hotel and airport.
You%26#39;ll find all info at http://www.helsinki-vantaa.fi/
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Not really worth. You%26#39;ll have just a few hours in Helsinki. If you stay in Helsinki, you%26#39;ll have to head back to the airport at about 3 pm for your 5 pm flight.
Is the price really that much better, that you can spend a night in a hotel? Anyway, I%26#39;d prefer to spend that %26#39;extra%26#39; day of my holiday in the final destination.
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If you manage to check in for your onward flight already when checking in for the first leg of the journey to Helsinki, then you%26#39;d have a bit more time in Helsinki (should be possible if the check in for your first flight is less than a day (24 h) from the departure of the onward flight). Then you should be at the airport ca 1 h before the flight to allow enough time for the security and passport checks (to enable presence at the gate 30 min before departure time).
I have often arrived on that 11 pm flight from LHR. The only problem with it is that it tends to be late due to being delayed in Heathrow.
In my proposal of sleeping in downtown you could wake up, have a breakfast (usually included in the room price) and head for sightseeing around 9 am. Then you%26#39;d have about 6 hours time in town before you will have to head towards the airport.
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There%26#39;s very little in the airport area.
If you dossed overnight in the terminal, you%26#39;d still have a lot of time to kill next day. You%26#39;d be far better off staying at a downtown hotel, which will also give you time for a quick bit of sightseeing in Helsinki plus a leisurely lunch.
Most of the main sights in Helsinki are in a compact area, easily walkable.
The Finnair flight to HK takes 10 hours or so and arrives early in the morning, local time. I usually find it better to board pretty tired so I can get some sleep. This way, you adjust to East Asian time much faster.
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Thanks for your suggestions! :)
I%26#39;ve found a good deal for the Hilton at Vantaa airport (£67) I think this might be safer than trying to navigate my way around downtown in the middle of the night...?
Anyway, so my first plan is to take the bus to the city early in the morning then go back to the airport shortly after lunch - what are the must-sees in the city, given I only have a few hours to spare?
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I would assume you can get even a better deal from one of the downtown hotels, especially if it happens to be on a weekend (Fri-Mon).
Navigating in Helsinki is easy. Moreover, if you book e.g. Holiday Inn Helsinki City Center there%26#39;s nothing to navigate as it is right next to the Central Railway Station (some commuter train platforms are actually underneath the hotel).
Must sees: Temppeliaukio (i.e. the Rock) Church, Lutheran and Orthodox Cathedrals. Suomenlinna Sea Fortress you%26#39;d better drop considering your limited time and that you%26#39;ll be there in October (probability for rainy and/or windy weather are quite high...)
Walk through the Esplanade park. You%26#39;d might want to also take a sightseeing tour that will take you to main sights in 1.5 - 2 hours: http://www.helsinkiexpert.fi/sightseeing/ . Or you can also do the tram 3T/3B tour: hel.fi/wps/…
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Zam is correct that you will be better off in the centre. His list of the top sites is also good.
The central area is very compact. There are plenty of hotels close to the bus terminus (railway station) and Helsinki is a very safe city.
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Thanks for your suggestions - I have now booked GLO, got a great offer for £74 ^__^
Now I will just have to wait for October to come around! No doubt I will be back here soon asking for suggestions on what to do :) :)
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One idea is to book a room for the next day and stay up all night at a Helsinki nightclub then check in in the morning and sleep it off. (Maybe you%26#39;ll even meet a lady who invites you over to her place!) Helsinki has happening nightclubs every night of the week, although Friday and Saturady nights are the best. If it isn%26#39;t Friday or Saturday nights, you%26#39;ve got to pick the right club.
I%26#39;m not sure if it%26#39;s still this way, but a few years ago, Sunday and Monday nights were the Helsinki Club, Wednesdays was Koenig, and Thursdays was Karl VII (or is it Karl XIV?). The Tenth Floor, in the Hotel Vaakuna, is a good place to end the evening.
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