Travel from 2€ with ExpressBus or 3€ with Onnibus

It is not a secret that traveling in Finland is expensive, especially if you cannot have a discount. On this blog, there are already a couple of tips on how to save money, and here is another one. Busses are in general more expensive than trains. But some companies are offering discount tickets if you order your ticket online and in advance. For example, ExpressBus has tickets starting at the very low fare of 2€. ExpressBus has a fleet of long-distance busses which are comfortable with air conditioning and compartment of suitcases. Drivers are friendly, speak English and are always on time. If they are not, it is because of the traffic or weather conditions but you will always arrive safe to your destination.

On the example above, I am looking for the best offer for a ticket from Helsinki bus station Kamppi to Lahti bus station on Saturday September 7th (2 weeks and 2 days in advance) because I want to attent the Finnish ski jumping championship team event. The one way ticket costs 24€ which is far too much in my point of view. But ExpressBuss has some discount on this trip at 19 and 9€. 9€ is cheaper than the student price!

Onnibus is also selling cheap tickets online, starting from 3€. The offer is limited compared to ExpressBus but it goes to different destinations such as student area (like Hervanta in Tampere) or airports where for example Ryanair planes land. Before ordering a ticket, make such that you know where to catch the bus and where it will stop at your destination as it is not necessarly in the city center.

Have a nice trip!

Nespresso, what else?

Until August 31st, Nespresso is having a demo stand in Stockmann where you can taste any kinds of coffee. The friendly waitress will ask you which kind of coffee you want (espresso, coffee or capuccino) and how strong. The coffee is free of charge.

Where is the stand? It is easy to get lost in Stockmann and the stand is not easy to locate if you are not close. The easiest way is to enter the department store by the main door (Aleksanterinkau). Walk straight through the perfume area to the golden lifts. The stand is on the right next to the stairs which go to the upper half floor (magazines).

My tip: try the capuccino mid-strong with the silvered pink Rosabaya de Colombia capsule. It's heaven!

Nespresso website

Art goes back to Helsinki for 2 weeks long!

Starting today and until September 1st, the "Helsinki festival" is the largest art festival in Finland and includes numerous events from concerts to theater plays, exhibitions to art workshops accessible to everybody. Most of the events are for free but if you plan to attend a charged performance, buy your ticket as soon as possible. Some of them are sold out really quickly. The offer is so large that it is better to make your own program and take it with you while going to town. Don't forget to look on a map where to find the place.

The festival "Art goes Kapakka" is part of the Helsinki festival from August 15th to August 24th and includes 333 events in 33 restaurants. Tomorrow, the designers "Veli Clothing" are offering a unique worshop where people can design their own t-shirt using their own design and patterns. If you like your design, you can order a print. On Sunday at 8pm, four opera singers and a pianist are performing in the famous Elite restaurant, the restaurant of the celebrities.

The highlight will be probably the night of arts on Thursday 22nd of August. Don't miss the Movie Picnic. Bring your own food on Kansalaistori, the square between the Music house, railway station and Kiasma museum. From tomorrow to Tuesday at 9:45pm, a movie will be shown for free.

Enjoying a gourmet cup of tea in a perfect atmosphere

Finnish people are known as coffee drinkers (12kg per inhabitant, worldwide record) and many coffee shops are opened a bit everywhere in the country. But for the tea drinkers, the offer is still limited. Since four years, a tiny little tea shop has opened in Helsinki, close to Kamppi, and its popularity is growing. The Ounce is a Russian franchise counting over 140 shops in Russia but only one in Finland. Over 40 different gourmet kinds of teas are available. The flavored teas are made in Germany, especially for The Ounce. You can bring some home or try any of them and drink it quietly in the tea room.

The tea room is very small. There are only two tables and a sofa for approximately eight to ten customers. At rush hour, your stay is limited to 1.5 hour. Your tea will be prepared by the qualified personal in the correct manner: water temperature, amount of tea and time of infusion. It is served in a transparent teapot and you can enjoy 2.5 cups, with honey or sugar if you wish. No pastries are sold but you can buy a cookie. Some relaxing music creates a perfect atmosphere to enjoy a cup of tea.

I tried the black tea with apple and orange flavors called yalayö (3€ in the teapot). It was strong and fruity. As it was my first time, and had no clue which tea to choose, the sales lady helped by asking first which kind of tea I wanted (black, green, white, rooibos,...), pure or flavored, and then which kind of flavor. I smelled a couple of teas she presented before to decide. On the Internet, some people are recommending the following teas:

• Alice in Wonder
• Sunny Cuba (black tea)
• Viva Columbia (green tea)
• Blueberry rooibos
• Sumuinen Saari (black tea with chocolate, cocoa, strawberry and vanilla flavors)
• Jasmine needles

When is the best moment to enjoy a cup of tea? "There is no tea time," the owner of the place said. "It's always tea time."

It is a pricy place but it is worth. The service is excellent and the products are quality products.

Welcome!

Website

Seurasaari folk music festival (10-11.08.2013)

This weekend in Seurasaari (Helsinki) is happening the Seurasaari folk music festival 2013. Some puppet shows are also scheduled for families. Seurasaari is an open-air museum situated on an island. The entrance is free. You only pay if you wish to visit the old houses. The island is also known as the birds island. Thousands of birds are living in the forest and on the shore. But the other animal that everybody is looking for is the squirrel. A large family is living on the island and is used to see people. Bring some seeds with you and they will eat in your hand! This is a very cool experience to do once in a life time. Have a great weekend!

Have you been to Finland as a tourist?

Ania Wosz is a student from the university of Silesia in Katowice (Poland) who is writing her master project on the prospects for the development of tourism in Finland. If you have been to Finland for holiday, please fill in this questionnaire before August 31st.

Ania and AmazingFinland thank you for participating!

Link to the questionnaire

International market in Helsinki

Starting tomorrow and until Sunday, the international market stops in Helsinki on Narinkkatori, the square next to Kamppi. The first edition in 2012 was a huge success and the event is back to the capital after have visited Tampere, Turku, Kotka and Kerava. This market is colorful, and it is a great opportunity to taste delicacies from all over the world. About 250 stalls are presenting selected quality products. The opening hours from Thursday to Saturday are from 10am to 8pm and on Sunday from 10am to 6pm.

How to go from the Helsinki-Vantaa international airport to the city center?

Ring Rail Line will connect the airport to the existing railway tracks in 2015

Helsinki is probably one of the only capital cities in the world where the international airport is not connected by the train. But this "mistake" will be corrected in July 2015 with the Ring Rail Line. Until then, this article presents some of the possible options for travellers to join the city center.

The first possibility is to take a taxi. Of course, it is the most expensive option but the fastest. Also depending on where you are going, it is the easiest. When your plane is early in the morning or late in the evening, it might remain the only option. There are different kind of taxi waiting for you at the airport. The first one are the regular taxis that drive you where ever for a certain price. You can count between 30 and 40€ for a ride to Helsinki and 40-50€ to Espoo.

Website of Taxi Helsinki

The second option is to take a shared taxi. Basically, you will tavel with people going to the same direction as you. These taxis are cheaper (29.50€ with Yellow Line) and not much slower. If you are going to the airport, call at least 24h hours before your departure. The taxi guarantees an arrival at the airport that the round clock. If the people traveling with you are talkative, maybe you will make new friends. If you have a Finnair bonus card, show it to the driver. You will get a discount!

Website of Yellow Line

The other option is to take a bus. In front of the exit of the terminal, there is the Finnair bus waiting for you. It will drive straight to the city center for 6.20€. The bus leaves/arrives at Eliel square next to the central railway station.

Timetable of the Finnair city bus

Bus 615 at the railway station square

Finally, the last option is the cheapest and the slowest. Just take the city bus to the city center. Unfortunately, none is named "center", "Helsinki" or "railway station". You have to know these complicated words "Rautatientori" (railway station square) or "lentoasema" if you are going to the airport. The bus 615 will drive you in about 45 minutes to the center for a fare of 5€ (region - 2 zones). If you want to catch a long-distance train to Lahti, Tampere or Rovaniemi, take the bus 61 to Tikkurila (ticket costs 3€ - one zone). Going to Espoo is tricky. One option is to take the bus 615 and then the commuter train (A, E, S, U, L or Y). But it takes over an hour. The trick is to take the long-distance bus that goes to Turku (bus 540 or 530). It stops in Leppävaara and Espoon Keskus. If you have a travel card, it costs as a normal region ticket. Otherwise your ride will cost 5.50€.

Timetable of the bus 615
Timetable of the bus 61
Timetable of the bus 540