Finland (or Estonia) to the UK

[orpine]

Any suggestions for returning by land or sea from Helsinki or Tannin (Estonia) to the UK in mid-late September?
Ideally with sleepers.

Seat61 says it's possible using a ferry to Rostok, and a sleeper from Berlin->Paris, but there doesn't seem to be any content explaining the route ( http://www.seat61.com/Finland.htm#London_to_Helsinki_by_ferry_from_Rostock ).

 

[Gordon]

Any suggestions for returning by land or sea from Helsinki or Tannin (Estonia) to the UK in mid-late September?
Ideally with sleepers.

Seat61 says it's possible using a ferry to Rostok, and a sleeper from Berlin->Paris, but there doesn't seem to be any content explaining the route ( http://www.seat61.com/Finland.htm#London_to_Helsinki_by_ferry_from_Rostock ).

Rostock isn't really on the route - this may be a reference to a now closed ferry route

As with all complex rail itineraries in Europe, Bahn.de the German Railways (DB) point to point planner is the best starting point. I've just input Helsinki - London and it offers a variety of complicated journeys with multiple changes, almost inevitable on this route. Neither Helsinki nor Tallinn has ever been directly connected to northern France or the UK by overland rail-related services.

Most of the itineraries offered by DB involve rail Helsinki - Turku, ferry to Stockholm and a variety of complex multi-change routes thence to Paris, including going via places as far southeast as Strasbourg !

I fear there will be few night train options with the removal of many of the old traditional night trains.

The route options seem to be:

Helsinki to Hamburg via Stockholm and Copenhagen, then Hamburg - Cologne - London

Helsinki - Travemunde by Finnlines ferry, Travemunde - Lubeck - Hamburg then as above

 

[duesselmartin]

the only sleeper Berlin-toParis is now the Russian Moskva-Paris service. However one could travel Hamburg to either Cologne or Frankfurt overnight on an Intercity service and change there for Paris

 

[Chris999999]

I would have thought Helsinki to St Petersburg, Moscow, Paris, London was an option with sleeper from Moscow to Paris, and even another from St Petersburg to Moscow, though there are much faster trains available on this line.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Tallink will get you from Helsinki/Tallinn to Stockholm. https://www.tallink.com/
You can then get fast day trains to Copenhagen, Hamburg (via Rødby-Puttgarden ferry), Köln and Brussels.
DB will do you a Stockholm-Köln ticket (Sparpreis Europa) with up to 2 stopovers en route.
https://www.bahn.de/p_en/view/offers/international/europaspezial/sweden.shtml

Or it's often less than £60 on Ryanair (and others) direct to the UK.

 

[Groningen]

It takes 2 days to go from Hamburg to Helsinki via Flensburg, Copenhagen, Goeteborg, Luleaa, Haparanda and Kemi. And also 2 days back as i did in January 2016.

 

[rf_ioliver]

Finland has no connection to the west with passenger traffic, so your options are

- ferry to Tallin from Helsinki
- ferry from either Turku or Helsinki to Stockholm
- ferries from Turku via Åland to Stockholm
- ferry from Vaasa to Umeå (I think) - Vaasa has a train service!
- bus from Oulu or Kemi via Haparanda to somewhere in Sweden
- train from Helsinki via St.Petersburg then onwards to western Europe (or Vladivostok, ferry to Japan...no idea why, but a real great train journey nevertheless

If you need any help with Finland, let me know by PM - I live there so can help with anything you need to know (almost) about the trains!

t.

Ian

 

[30907]

The page isn't fully updated but the two routes for which Seat61 gives full details still exist and the info seems current.

A minor detail for the Copenhagen route - splitting the DB Europe Specials at Oldenburg(Holstein) used to save 10 Euros or more compared with Hamburg, but I can't remember if a Köln split is cost effective.

Lübeck-London will almost always cost the same as Hamburg-London.

If you are actually travelling from Tallinn there is now a weekend train connection from Vilnius to Warsaw, but you've still got to use bus Riga- Vilnius apparently. Coming that way would give you a last chance to use the Warsaw-Köln Jan Kiepura sleeper.

 

[Groningen]

- bus from Oulu or Kemi via Haparanda to somewhere in Sweden

Only Kemi - Haparanda and Haparanda - Luleaa is bus. Kemi - Haparanda is not (always) free; last section is. That Kemi bus was the most run down bus i have ever seen with no heating in that wintermonth.

 

[gordonthemoron]

Bus from Haparanda is to Lulea is very nice

 

[Groningen]

In the past it was from Boden to Haparanda. The busstation of Haparanda and Tornio are now combined in Haparanda. Very close to the Swedish/Finnish border.

 

[orpine]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm thinking the ferry from Helsinki to Travemünde may be the way to go. It's about 30hrs but no need to worry about connections etc.

Then it's just a matter of getting from there to Hamburg (short distance, though I'm not clear on which station in Travemünde is closest to the ferry port - anyone know?), and from Hamburg -> Brussels -> London.

It's a shame there aren't more sleepers to that part of the world.

 

[Groningen]

With Finnlines i see a return for 146 euros from Travemuende to Helsinki and return. Depart at 3 hours in the morning from Travemuende; arrive at 9 hours the next day in Helsinki. Back 17.00 and arrive at 21.30 the next day in Germany. Yes; the crossing takes about 30 hours.

Depart at 10.58 from London and arrive at Travemuende at 22.18. Change in Brussel, Koeln and Hamburg. The German travelplanner gives a price of 109 euro (Sparpreis). Back at 5.39 and arrive in London at 16.05 with a Sparpreis for 89 euros.

So i come to about 346 euro to get from London to Helsinki and v.v.. But that is of course just a start. Change in Brussel is only 20 minutes (going north). On the way back in Hannover 8 minutes; so very tight.

 

[coppercapped]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm thinking the ferry from Helsinki to Travemünde may be the way to go. It's about 30hrs but no need to worry about connections etc.

Then it's just a matter of getting from there to Hamburg (short distance, though I'm not clear on which station in Travemünde is closest to the ferry port - anyone know?), and from Hamburg -> Brussels -> London.

It's a shame there aren't more sleepers to that part of the world.

The closest station to the ferry port (Skandanavienkai) is Lübeck-Travemünde Skandanavienkai on the Ivendorfer Landstrasse <http://www.bahnhof.de/bahnhof-de/Luebeck-Travemuende_Skandinavienkai.html?hl=travemünde> It's about 600m, but right across the port installations, there may be a bus or similar.

About a kilometre downstream, near the old harbour and in the town centre, is Lübeck-Travemünde Hafen on the Vogteistrasse <http://www.bahnhof.de/bahnhof-de/Luebeck-Travemuende_Hafen.html?hl=travemünde>

There's a direct connection from both stations to Lübeck Hbf.

 

[gingerheid]

Most people I know who do this journey start with the ferry to Stockholm.

 

[30907]

The closest station to the ferry port (Skandanavienkai) is Lübeck-Travemünde Skandanavienkai on the Ivendorfer Landstrasse <http://www.bahnhof.de/bahnhof-de/Luebeck-Travemuende_Skandinavienkai.html?hl=travemünde> It's about 600m, but right across the port installations, there may be a bus or similar.

About a kilometre downstream, near the old harbour and in the town centre, is Lübeck-Travemünde Hafen on the Vogteistrasse <http://www.bahnhof.de/bahnhof-de/Luebeck-Travemuende_Hafen.html?hl=travemünde>

There's a direct connection from both stations to Lübeck Hbf.

I would follow the advice of the DB journey planner and Seat61 and use the local bus. And given the late arrival, stay in Lübeck (or, taking the bus the other way) in Travemünde.

BTW if you want a sleeper, there's still a Stockholm- Malmö but the journey time is only 7 1/2 hours, so you may not think it worth bothering.

 

[Groningen]

It is not possible to depart early from London and take the nighttrain in Sweden. If you depart London at 6.50 than you arrive in Malmo at 23.28 with no connections. The nighttrain to Stockholm departs at 22.37.

 

[Gordon]

.

Finnlines gives info on the arrangements for foot passengers, bus routes etc at Travemünde in the details section of its website:

http://www.finnlines.com/ferry-trips/contact/harbours-and-driving-instructions/travemunde


The website also states that if you get the Saturday night departure from Helsinki, you can book a stay on board the ferry on arrival at Travemünde until Monday morning, saving all the hassle of arriving late and getting to a hotel in the Lübeck area

It is not possible to depart early from London and take the nighttrain in Sweden. If you depart London at 6.50 than you arrive in Malmo at 23.28 with no connections. The nighttrain to Stockholm departs at 22.37.

Bear in mind that the post is requesting info for a single southbound journey, not northbound.




.

 

[Oscar]

If you want to maximise the number of overnight journeys, you can take a Tallink ferry from Helsinki or Turku to Stockholm or a DFDS ferry from Tallinn to Stockholm, spend a day in Stockholm, then travel by overnight train to Lund or Malmö. You can't get from Lund or Malmö to London the same day but you can get to Brussels for a Eurostar the next morning or Hoek van Holland for the Stena Line ferry. The total would therefore be 3 nights travelling (or 2 nights travelling + 1 night in Brussels) plus 1 day travelling and 1 day in Stockholm.
If coming from Helsinki, it's cheaper and quicker to get the train to Turku (17 €) and then the ferry from there (from £62.73 when I tried 20th September). On 21st September there are tickets for Stockholm-Lund/Malmö overnight for about £60 in a 6-berth couchette, £70 in a 3-berth sleeper or £150 in a single sleeper. These are non-flexible booked train only prices, the flexible tickets are about 20% more. The daytime trains are much cheaper. You can also buy a through ticket to Koebenhavn H which costs slightly more and includes the local train the following morning (change is in Lund). From Koebenhavn H you can book a ticket with DB to Puttgarden in Germany. The Koebenhavn-Hamburg train goes on a ferry between Rødby and Puttgarden. It's normally much cheaper to book to Rødby on the Danish Rail website, then get off and get on the ferry, then back on a train, but I don't think there's time in this schedule. You can buy a Puttgarden-London ticket from DB with an overnight stop in Brussels (enter via: Liège and Lille to avoid the Düsseldorf-London bus). On 22nd September Koebenhavn-Puttgarden costs 29 € and Puttgarden-London costs 69 € (Sparpreise - book in advance, refundable for 17.50 € fee).