FINLAND - night trains: Helsinki/Turku to Kemi/Rovaniemi

anonymous
Traveller
2469 comments

[quote]Rovaniemi Dep: 1800
Turku Arr: via Tampere
Helsinki Arr: 0654[/quote]

If I am not mistaken, it is possible to take this train to Turku without changing in Tampere. (Not sure about the train number, my ticket is in Finnish and there are lots of numbers on there. :p) Anyway, I took the 18:00 train from Rovaniemi to Turku on Thursday/Friday and didn't have to change trains. Also, for the people worrying if you could make it to the 08:45 Viking ferry on time: The night train that arrives in Turku at 07:50 and the 07:55 train to the harbour are the same train, so there's no need to worry you'll miss the train. Note that the sleeping cars stay in Turku, go to the seat area before 07:55 and you'll be fine, arriving at the harbour at 08:02 with lots of time for checking in.

Another note, the sleeping compartments are absolutely worth their 13€! I've taken some night trains in Germany, Sweden, Italy and Belarus and it seems to me that Finnish 2nd class almost equals 1st class on other trains. There are only three berths, they're soft and comfortable (almost twice as wide as the usual ones), there's a sink in the compartment and soap, drinking water and a towel for every traveller. You get actual sheets and not just a blanket. And there's a window, if you have the middle berth you can even look outside while lying down. The toilets are clean and the staff is friendly.

Hope it's ok to post this here, just wanted to share my enthusiasm and help other people who worry sick about the 5 minutes changing time in Turku. :)

anonymous
Traveller
2469 comments

I want to ask some questions, is it easily full in April or Early May?
Also, if we hold InterRail Finland Pass, we don't need to add money to hop on the train to Rovanimi?

Thanks :D

Peter
Traveller
9333 comments

Hi.
this time of the year is fine. Only Friday and Sunday evening, the trains might get full a bit faster than the other days during the week.
You will have to pay the supplement mentioned above - at least EUR 5 for a seat. But I recommend a cheap bed - very good to relax. :)
Have sunny days, Peter :)

anonymous
Traveller
2469 comments

The price of reservation for a seat: 4.7€
If you Depart in Helsinki, just walk in and ask confuctor whether I can tale a seat or not. Maybe it can be free for a seat ONLY!
However, this situation must be in low occupancy

For a sleeper, 29€ (sometimes 33€) for all type of beds
It is pretty nice with shower and good views :)
It is very very very worth to take a bed

However, there are very few people to take a bed so that if you know the price is different, better to ask conductor directly. (ps. I ask for conductor of P273 and ticket office for the price of a bed, they said it was 29€. However, I ask from the ticket office in Hel, the price is 33€. So amazing!)

I take P273 to Rovaniemi (seat in compartment) and P266 (bed) to Helsinki
In 5/5 and 6/5 respectively

Now, I am in the train:)

The lower level of the sleeper can also have wifi )

Regards,
Alan

Peter
Traveller
9333 comments

Hi Alan.
Thank you for this update and greetings directly in the Finish train. :)
Have a nice night - and is the wifi free of charge?
All the best to you in Finland, Peter :)

anonymous
Traveller
2469 comments

hi,

I am sure that the lower deck of the sleeper cars have the free wifi, However, the upper deck, I don't know.
In the seat cars, they don't provide wifi

Alan

ohmytgoodness
Traveller
6 comments

I have a question regarding the cabins in the night trains to/from Rovaniemi!
This fall I'm going to spend a study semester in Rovaniemi and since flights are expensive within Finland, I have decided to buy an one country Interrail Ticket to get to Rovaniemi.
So far I have found out that I only have to pay for seat reservations or of course cabins - but do I get any discounts on the cabins with my interrail ticket?
And then I would also like to know if there is a possibility to have a cabin on my own, when I just reservate a bed and not a whole cabin for me?

Thanks in advance! :)

Peter
Traveller
9333 comments

Hi.
For InterRail I know only the types of cabins mentioned above (double) or a single seat.
If you want to have a double cabin for you alone, you will have to book the two beds. But I think you will need not only the second reservation, as well a second ticket.
I will ask if it is possible to book a cabin for yourself as well with a standard InterRail pass.
Peter :)

ohmytgoodness
Traveller
6 comments

I completely forgot to check out this forum again, after I have asked my question! :D
But thanks for your answer, Peter!

Well, but now I have another one ;) :
Luckily I've found someone who will share a cabin with me on the way to Rovaniemi - so that is not a problem anymore.
But as I am planning to take the night train 273 at 22.30 from Helsinki to Rovaniemi on Aug 30 (Sunday), I am wondering when I have to book our cabin? I arrive in Helsinki one day before.
Probably I will get the Finland Interrail Ticket in my home country, but I still need to book our cabin. Do you think Saturday afternoon/evening or Sunday morning is still possible/not too late for that? As it was written, that it might get full a bit faster on Friday and Sunday?

Peter
Traveller
9333 comments

Hi.
Try to get this reservation somewhere else a bit earlier as you know your exact travel date. Should be also possible at the railcc shop (new software starts next week).
As I am pretty sure, that it will be full on Sunday evening. :o
Peter :)

ohmytgoodness
Traveller
6 comments

me again ;)
I just called the VR hotline and they told me that there are no discounts on cabins with the interrail ticket? And that a bed in a cabin will cost 50€? What did I do wrong? :D

Flo
Traveller
10724 comments

Hi!

The situation seems a bit unclear at the moment. :|

In general there are two kinds of night trains in Finland:

- Blue trains consisting of older sleeping cars with 1, 2 or 3 berths per cabin (1st class ticket needed for use of 1 berth cabin)

- Double deck trains consisting of new sleeping cars with upper and lower deck cabins with 1 or 2 berths (1st class ticket needed for use of 1 berth cabin)

Prices for berths in a blue train should be (low/high season):
3 berth > 13/19€
2 berth > 24/35€
1 berth > 48/70€

Prices for berths in the double deck trains should be (lower/upper cabin):
2 berth > 29/34€
1 berth > 53/58€

In all night trains there are also regular 2nd class seating cars, for which a reservation is recommended for 4,70€

I hope I will receive more details within the next few days... :)


Flo 8)

ohmytgoodness
Traveller
6 comments

thanks for your information!

well, I got a 2-beds cabin for 100€, so 50€ each. I will keep our reservation and will try to get the cheaper price once I'm in Finland! I hope this is possible somehow.

Flo
Traveller
10724 comments

Where did you get your reservation?

Flo
Traveller
10724 comments

Hej, I got confirmation for the prices I mentioned above! :)

ohmytgoodness
Traveller
6 comments

I called the VR Hotline for International Customers.
So do you think that it is possible to change the prices when I am at the train station in Finland? I'm a completely newcomer in the interrail world and so I am quite worried now :D

Flo
Traveller
10724 comments

Hm well...and you did purchase your reservation there as well?

Like I said I was in contact with VR as well and they confirmed the prices mentioned above.

ohmytgoodness
Traveller
6 comments

hm, yes I purchased the reservation for this cabin I've mentioned above there. Or what do you mean?
Do you think VR is that flexible so that I can get the cheaper price when I will pick up my reservation?

anonymous
Traveller
2469 comments

If I understand correctly...is it a MUST for me to reserve at least a seat (for 4.7EUR) for a night train from Helsinki to Rovaniemi? (even I hold an interrail pass)

Actually I would like to reserve a seat on 23Dec2012 from Helsinki to Rovaniemi and the return on 26Dec2012. But I cannot reserve in railcc (it shows no matched result found), is it because I book it too early? and I also cannot find the reservation option in finland train website, it only has a buying ticket option. Or can I reserve the seat directly in the Helsinki train station when I arrived? Will it be too risky that there may be no available seat? Please give me advice and teach me how to do the reservation :( since this is my first time to use interrail pass.

Thanks a lot!:)

Peter
Traveller
9333 comments

Hi.
You can also call VR for a reservation.
In the railcc system you can only reserve beds for this train connection.
And I think it is due to the change in the European railway schedules, that connections aren't available to book for now (at least in the online systems):
[u]https://rail.cc/en/search-train-route[/u]
I recommend to contact VR directly.
Peter :)

Flo
Traveller
10724 comments

You dont have to reserve seats on VR night trains but especially during the Christmas/New Year period it is highly recommended.

JoySeeker
Traveller
77 comments

Hi!

A friend and I are planning an interrail tour in late August/early September to Scandinavia, including Finland. At one point we also want to take a night train from the Helsinki area to Kemi/Rovaniemi. Judging from the information I found on the VR website the only train that consists of the cheaper sleeping cars (the ones that cost 13 a night) is the one that starts in Turku. Is that correct or am I mistaken here?
Thanks already for some answers!

Flo
Traveller
10724 comments

Hi,

this should be correct, yes. We will update the night train information for Finland next week, when the new summer timetable will be available.


Flo 8)

JoySeeker
Traveller
77 comments

Hey,
I figured out that on W/F/Sa there is also a cheap night train running from Helsinki to Kolari...which is actually quite a good alternative as we could leave the train at Tornio to continue onwards to Lulea. So we have the choice between a detour over Turku or a short night (train arrives at Tornio around 6:30 :( ).

Two remaining questions then:
1. Is the city of Turku worth a visit?
2. How long in advance should we book the sleeper cabins? We are travelling in late August and we'll try to avoid the weekend.

Thanks for your help and the tons of information on railcc! It really helps me out :D

Flo
Traveller
10724 comments

Hej,

I finally managed to update the timings of the night trains in Finland: [u]https://rail.cc/en/night-train/finland/fi[/u] :D

You could in fact stay on the train until Tornio, the buses run Kemi - Tornio - Haparanda - Lulea; some buses to Lulea start from Haparanda, some from Tornio; I think it would be quite convenient to leave the train at Tornio Itäinen, get breakfast somewhere and then take the direct bus to Lulea at 0915 (arr 1045). If you want to travel onwards to Gällivare - Kiruna - Narvik though, you should take the bus at 0735 from Kemi to Haparanda where you have an immediate connection to Lulea where you arrive at 0945, in time for the train to Narvik.
This early connection runs Mon-Fri only, so you would have to leave Helsinki with the Wed train. The direct bus at 0915 runs daily.

1) Havent been there yet. :(
2) It is hard to tell; you could check availability for regular tickets on the VR website for some random dates to get an impression if some trains are fully booked in advance; since you have several possibilites to get to the north I would check for reservations a few days in advance while you are in Finland. You can then decide whether you want to book straightaway or wait one or two days to decide spontaneously. :)

JoySeeker
Traveller
77 comments

Bad news: I just checked the availability for the night trains on the VR website. For the train Turku-Kemi it only showed double-decker cars with two-person compartments when trying to select berths :(
So the only alternative left is the connection with the train to Kolari you suggested.
This is actually a very good suggestion, this way we won't have to add a stop in Lulea if everything goes as expected. I didn't realize that this connection works out because I completely forgot about the time difference between the two countries :os
When checking today for the train that departs tomorrow about 1/3 of the berths were still available...same goes for the weekend trains. Therefore I guess we'll be fine when reserving two or three days earlier in Finland 8)
Thanks for your help, We'll surely buy the Interrail ticket here!

Flo
Traveller
10724 comments

Oh...well, I just updated the schedules and wanted to check the available accomodation later - seems that it is about time to do so! :D

Yeah, if you dont want to stay in Lulea this could be the perfect connection to travel onwards to Gällivare/Kiruna/Narvik.
Keep in mind that the different stations are a bit away from each other...about 2,7km, so if the train is on time it should be no problem to get the connection.
[u]https://rail.cc/en/tornio/tornio-itaeinen-railway-station/l3806[/u]
[u]https://rail.cc/en/tornio/tornio-bus-station/l3807[/u]

Thank you for supporting railcc! ;)

Flo
Traveller
10724 comments

Hej again! :D

So I just checked the available categories on each night train and the Turku - Kemi - Rovaniemi through coaches [u]https://rail.cc/en/interrail-night-train/turku-rovaniemi-p-933-273/366[/u] are still the old Blue sleepers with 3bed and 2bed cabins in 2nd class.
Or do you mean another connection?


Flo 8)

JoySeeker
Traveller
77 comments

I meant this connection, yes...but are you sure? Because when I was checking the connections on VR it said this, too, when just looking at the train type in the connection details. HOWEVER as I was trying to figure out how long in advance we would need to reserve I also looked for actual berths. And there in the seat selection menu (with an overview over all the coaches) there were somehow only double-decker ones with two-berth compartments showing up xo
but the train Helsinki-Tornio is just as fine, so no reason to worry about it anymore :)

Flo
Traveller
10724 comments

You've definitely outdone me! :D

Flo
Traveller
10724 comments

Humm...finally I got access today to the document of VR listing all trains with their respective types of accomodation and services and the Turku - Rovaniemi train is still listed as running with blue coaches...strange... :D

JoySeeker
Traveller
77 comments

Seems like VR don't know what their own trains look like :|
In any event, we'll just stick with the Helsinki-Tornio train now to make everyone's life easier :D