Finland for 1 international day. Finland. Trip program “Finland one hour from home”

Tours to Finland for 1 day

The Smak Travel company offers one-day tours to Finland from St. Petersburg.

Finland is located in close proximity to St. Petersburg. A trip to this European country is available to everyone. Especially if we are talking about a 1-day tour to Finland.

We offer:

author's excursion day tours from St. Petersburg to Finland;
shopping and beauty tours;
tours to Finland from St. Petersburg one day during the holidays.

Finland has all the conditions for relaxation or shopping. The proximity of Finland to St. Petersburg plays a favorable role. Finland is fast and inexpensive.

What kind of one-day tours to Finland are there?

One-day tours to Finland from St. Petersburg can be thematic and sightseeing.

Among one-day express tours to Finland, trips to individual cities such as Turku, Hämeenlinna, Helsinki, Lappeenranta, Tampere, Imatra, Kotka, Porvoo, etc. are popular.

Also popular among residents of St. Petersburg are two-hour shopping tours with a stop at shopping centers near Lappeenranta.

How to choose a one-day tour to Finland

Finland is Europe. For someone coming here for the first time, much will be new: a different way of life, architecture, traditions. A one-day tour is ideal for your first acquaintance with this country. For example, a one-day tour to Helsinki - the capital of Suomi. Such a trip will not take much time and will be inexpensive. The cost of a number of one-day tours per person can vary between one and two thousand rubles.

For those who are interested in goods from Europe, a shopping tour is suitable. This tour is also called “Finland for an hour”. You will visit large department stores and markets. When going on a shopping tour, please note that there are some conditions duty free import goods to Russia. For 2020, there are rules according to which one person can import no more than 25 kilograms of goods worth less than 500 euros. There is one more nuance: customs closely monitors whether you are carrying goods for personal use or for sale. If you try to bring several identical TVs, etc. across the border, problems may arise.

The travel agency “Smak-Travel” is ready to offer you any one-day tour. Call and our specialists will advise you on current offers.

What not to forget before traveling to Finland

To travel to Finland you need a visa. Even if we are talking about traveling for one day or an hour. The company’s specialists will assist in obtaining a visa as soon as possible.

For a one-day tour to Finland from St. Petersburg you need:

valid international passport;
valid Schengen visa;
international insurance policy;
when traveling with children, you will need their birth certificates;
if the children are not yours, then you will need a notarized power of attorney to remove the child from the territory of the Russian Federation.

How much does a tour to Finland cost?

The cost of a one-day tour to Finland depends on:

tour programs;
transport;
availability of a visa;
season;
Goals: sightseeing trip or shopping tour.

Our managers will announce the exact price for the tour. On our website you can see the approximate cost. Check with our operators for more details.

Book a tour to Finland from the company “Smak Travel”

on our website you will find only current offers on tours to Finland for one day, available in the near future;
our specialists will answer all questions related to choosing a tour;
We help with visa and insurance registration;
the guides who will accompany you are licensed;
Having many years of experience in organizing tours from St. Petersburg to Finland, we know about all the features of organizing one-day tours.

You can leave an application for a tour to Finland from St. Petersburg for one day on the website or by phone. Let's pick suitable option, taking into account your desires and capabilities.

Today I will talk about bus tours to Finland and their specifics. The fact is that this country has long and firmly established itself in the hearts of bus tour lovers, especially those living in the North-West region. And I know at least a few good reasons for this. Firstly, the close location: you can drive to the nearest checkpoint from St. Petersburg in 3-4 hours, and from Vyborg in 40 minutes. Secondly, attractive prices for tours. Thirdly, of course, the need to “roll back” (this is a well-established word among travelers means receiving the required number of stamps from the country that issued the visa) multi-Schengen, which citizens of the territories closest to the Finnish border are still willingly issued for a year, two or even more. I’ll be honest: I personally mostly travel to Finland for last reason, because I often and with pleasure take the opportunity to ride on other European countries on last-minute tickets, for which it is very useful to always have an open visa in your passport.

The most popular among our compatriots are one-day tours to Finland: in a few hours you can easily explore some cute little town plus buy Fairy and fish in border shops. Those traveling for several days usually combine Finland with some other country.

Bus versus bus: tours or transfers

Before choosing a route, you should be concerned about the following difference: there are, in fact, bus tours when you are taken to different interesting places, and the tour guide on the bus tells all sorts of interesting things about them. And there are just regular (regular) buses that will take you to Finland only “there” or “there and back” without any sound and without stopping while waiting for tourists to drink coffee/get high/buy buns. This point needs to be understood: once in my memory, a company was catching up with a LuxExpress regular bus by taxi and then loudly indignant that they were abandoned on the road.

On the other hand, if your main goal is to “skate”, perhaps a regular bus will be for you the best option, rather than a tour. The same LuxExpress delivers very modern and comfortable ones to Finland vehicles with sockets and personal TVs. It will be more expensive than a one-day tour, but you don’t stop anywhere, aren’t distracted by the guide’s voice, and calmly write your dissertation on soil science during the entire 8-10 hour journey from St. Petersburg.

There is one more detail. If you still choose a tour, try not to get involved with small and dubious companies. The same applies to private taxis and minibuses. The Scandinavia highway (St. Petersburg - Finland), alas, is notorious for its regular traffic accidents. European companies like LuxExpress and Ecolines work according to European standards, which means that drivers there are required to change shifts after a certain number of hours. For many domestic travel agencies, this regime is too expensive. Once, in my memory, a bus (with me inside) rammed a bump stop and went into a ditch due to the driver being tired/sleeping. After which we spent 5 hours in the December night dancing around the stuck transport, waiting for a replacement to be sent.

Prices for tours to Finland, if we consider large ones tourist buses, start from 700 rubles. True, a short-term minibus tour can be found for 500 rubles, although you won’t see much in the country for that money (in fact, only a checkpoint and a couple of shops). Shuttle Buses will be more expensive: 550-900 rubles. one way, but such companies often have seasonal discounts.

Customs subtleties

First: if you are traveling to Finland for just a day, then you do not have the right to bring alcohol there in any quantity.

And second: no matter how many days you travel, if you enter Finland by vehicle (a bus, of course, is one) - you should not have more than two packs of cigarettes with you. The last rule is relatively new, and many people are not aware of it.

Shopping on bus tours

In general, bus tours are not the most convenient way to shop in Finland, but it is no secret that many “travelers” look at them that way. Wherever you go, you will probably be dropped off at at least some shops, most often in Finland these are:

Prisma,
Lidl,
Stockmann.

But the most suitable tours for purchasing are trips to Imatra/Lappeenranta. I refer those who are interested in this topic in detail to the article, and here I will only briefly mention the coveted goods and the places where they can be obtained.

Trout and "Fairy"

The absolute hit is, of course, the fish. It literally starts throwing itself into your bags almost immediately after crossing the border - raw, salted, smoked. In fact, raw fish (that has not undergone heat treatment, that is, salted fish too), as well as meat in the same form, must be imported into the Russian Federation by customs regulations forbidden. Yes, and you can officially take no more than 5 kg of smoked/canned food back home. But in fact, customs officers turn a blind eye to this, because almost every second person on the bus strives to smuggle this unfortunate lightly salted salmon or trout from Finland, and, in all honesty, it is a sin to deprive people of such pleasure.

The next most popular items are general consumer goods, for which bus tourists raid cheap Laplandia and Rajamarket supermarkets. These are household detergents, coffee, olive oil, thermal underwear. For some reason, it is believed that all these goods in Finland are of much better quality than in Russia. Personally, I didn’t notice anything like that; However, it’s really hard to resist buying Fazer chocolates.

In principle, a visit to just two of the most famous border shops: Laplandia and Disa's Fish allows you to satisfy the passion of domestic tourists for trout and "Fairies". A stop with them is included in the program of the vast majority of bus tours in the directions of Imatra/Lappeenranta/. But to visit Duty Free It’s more complicated, there buses stop only if the border has been crossed quickly, and there is a little extra time left. But just in case, it’s worth knowing that in 2016, Laplandia at the Svetogorsk checkpoint was closed, only the one at the Brusnichnoye checkpoint remained.

On a note:

For those traveling to Kotka/Hamina/Helsinki/Porvoo: at the Torfyanovka checkpoint there is no “Laplandia” and never has been.
For those who are generally only interested in Laplandia and Disa's Fish: many travel agencies offer the most stripped-down “Finland for 2 hours” tour. In fact, its program only includes crossing the border, stopping at these two shops and returning back.

Day Tours

One-day tours are the highlight of Finland: in fact, you can count on the fingers of one hand the countries where you can go by bus from Russia and return in less than a day. Their prices start from 700 rubles (Imatra, Lappeenranta) and go up to 1500 rubles (Helsinki,), which, of course, directly depends on the mileage.

Imatra and Lappeenranta

The most popular destinations for one-day “trailers” visas may disappoint those who plan to immediately feel the European flair after crossing the border. The truth is that both of these towns are very provincial, quiet and, in general, not very touristy. I combine them under one heading, since going from one to the other is nothing at all, although officially Imatra has its own checkpoint (Svetogorsk/Imatra), and Lappeenranta has its own (Brusnichnoe/Nuijamaa). Often, bus drivers, regardless of the destination city, choose the point where the queue is shorter.

Of this pair it is smaller in size and much more modest. There are no special architectural, cultural or historical attractions there, with the exception, perhaps, of the water slide on the Saimaa Canal, but its inspection is usually not included in the tour program. Most involve a stop of choice at a water park - this is what they go to Imatra for. You should know that the water park is not located in the town itself, but nearby, so if you stay there, you won’t see anything else.

Lappeenranta is larger and busier than its neighbor: there is even a center where you can stroll, and a small cove where you can watch the boats. If you are interested in purchasing, then your choice is definitely Lappeenranta, because it is here:

Stockmann,
Lidl,
Prisma,
Rajamarket,
Shopping center "Gallery" with clothes and other non-grocery goods.

Another specific attraction of Lappeenranta is the huge Kirppis second-hand store, located near the Prisma store: hipsters come here for vintage clothes, housewives for household and garden utensils, young parents for children's things, and everyone else for other various sundries.

Savonlinna and Mikkeli

The town is located approximately in the same direction as Lappeenranta, but further away. If a one-day tour for the above-mentioned couple begins in the morning and ends in the evening, then a one-day trip to Sanvonlinna takes a full day (usually leaving St. Petersburg from the evening of the previous day). And even this is not very helpful: Sanvonlinna or the “land of lakes” is, first of all, nature. It makes sense to go there for several days, equipped with fishing rods/nets/tents/friends.

The tour schedule is similar to the Sanwonlinn tour and differs from it only in character tourist sites. – a former and current military town with corresponding museums and attractions. It makes sense to visit it if you love the region military history.

Kotka and Hamina

Since these towns are located nearby, they are often combined into a single tour, also one day. It takes longer to get to them than to Imatra and Lappeenranta, but here you can already admire something: various churches, parks, the estate of the Russian emperor and marine aquarium(in Kotka).

Moreover, Kotka and Hamina are located on the Helsinki highway, so you will have to go there through another checkpoint - Torfyanovka / Vaalimaa. This border point is considered busier than Brusnichnoe or Svetogorsk.

Helsinki and Porvoo

The minimum duration of a bus tour is one day (departure from St. Petersburg in the evening). In this situation, you have about 6-7 hours left to explore the city, which, in principle, is enough to get a basic idea about it. Tourists are usually given a choice: dropped off in the center or sent to a large shopping complex(formerly "Ithakeskus") on the outskirts. The second option is hardly worth the effort: lovers of shopping centers, as I already said, should go not to Helsinki, but to Lappeenranta.

The trip to Helsinki usually takes the same amount of time as the Helsinki tour and follows the same schedule. The city is quite large and interesting, with an abundance of museums and small designer shops. This, of course, is also not a destination for mass shopping; it is rather one of the “wander/look/find something exclusive” series.

Tampere

Despite the fact that Tampere is located further than all other “one-day” cities for tours in Finland, most companies manage to somehow manage trips there in the same day (well, a little more). The question is how much do you need it. Tampere is a pretty lake town with museums and even beaches, and a wide variety of water cruise options. Again, it’s good to go here for a few days and explore the surrounding area.

One of the most striking Tamperean attractions is amusement park Särkänniemi (this is where the Eden water park is located). The problem is that all this beauty is not in the city itself, but under it, and a standard one-day trip to visit just one water park bus tour about 2 hours allocated. Which, of course, is offensively little.

Multi-day tours

For those who are willing to spend a few days researching this unusual country, the choice is, of course, much richer. Prices for weekend tours range from 5,000–9,000 rubles; tours lasting 3 days or more cost an average of 11,000 rubles.

Trips around Northern Finland (lakes, recreation centers, fishing, sauna), Jyväskluja ( autumn festival light), Loviisa (the charm of wooden fishermen's houses). Even on (untouched wild nature) can be reached by bus (more precisely, you can get to Turku, and from there by ferry - after all, the islands).

The main catch is that you need to really love Finland in particular in order to select more and more new route options for these small cozy places. To be absolutely honest, after you see the first 2-3, they become very, very similar to each other.

Finland + ...

A separate story - combined tours, in which Finland is a place for crossing the border and spending one or two nights. The prices for such trips can pleasantly please tourists who are greedy for the maximum number of countries visited: for example, a three-day Finland + Sweden tour may well fit within the budget of 8,000 rubles. I also used last-minute offers for 5,000 rubles a couple of times.

However, I have to note that almost always semi-bus tours are disguised as ferry tours: it is understood that tourists travel to dry land, then board a ferry in the Finnish capital and sail further - to Sweden, Estonia or Germany. One of the most common combinations of Helsinki + + Talinn usually looks like this. If you look at Finland on a map, you will understand why: getting to neighboring country dry land from there would be too long. I note that ferries are different, and spending the night on a ferry does not always mean sleeping in a horizontal position on a human bed: I also had to sleep in chairs that are not much different from bus ones.

Reminder for bus tourists

In order to avoid surprises, and in general always, to put it mildly, you need not only to carefully read the tour program, but also not to be ashamed to bombard the manager of your travel agency with questions, and then, already on the way, continue to bombard the guide with them. Due to traffic conditions and other unfathomable circumstances, the actual program may differ significantly from that stated on the website. Although, in fairness, I note that this usually does not happen with large and reputable companies.

Finland is so close and so far at the same time. So familiar and so mysterious.

Despite the fact that Finland borders on three Russian regions - the Leningrad region, the Murmansk region and Karelia, this country is significantly different from Russia. You cross the border a little - and it seems that everything looks different... Roads, houses, intersections, gas stations - all this is really different from what we are used to. But it seems that the forest, the fields, the rocks along the road, and the moss in the forest - everything is more European!

It is nature that is considered the main attraction of Finland, and it is for natural beauties, for tranquility, for the comfort of Finnish cottages, for fishing on numerous lakes, tourists come to Finland.

But also for lovers excursion routes Finland has prepared a lot of interesting things! Of course, the most popular place among tourists is the capital of Finland Helsinki. Getting to Helsinki is very easy and from St. Petersburg (by train or excursion bus), and from Moscow (by train from Leningradsky station). Tours to Finland are especially popular during the holidays: May, June and November. But they especially love Russian tourists go to Finland for new year holidays. A magnificently decorated city, Christmas mood, luxurious New Year's banquets in hotels, and after the holidays - Christmas sales - all this awaits tourists when choosing a tour to New Year to Finland.

Helsinki is a beautiful modern European city, with interesting architecture, colorful local residents, with unusual sights. "Heart of the City" - of course, Cathedral on Senate Square. Huge, majestic, it impresses at first sight. Its steps are favorite place among young people and tourists!

Monument to the composer Jean Sibelius- one of the most visited attractions by tourists. It is unusual: it consists of hundreds of pipes of different diameters. It looks unusual and grandiose. Similar sculptural composition you won't see anywhere else!

Worth a visit and Suomenlinna fortress, located on the island, and the city zoo, which is also located on the island (ferries run from the pier to both islands). Linnanmäki is a huge amusement park with a Ferris wheel, from which the city is perfectly visible, SeaLife is an interesting oceanarium, where bright fish from south seas, as well as huge aquariums with schools of herring, there is also an aquarium with sharks - and a glass tunnel is made under it.

Uspensky Cathedral, the popular science museum "Eureka", the design museum, the amazing church in the rock - all the most interesting and beautiful things in Helsinki are difficult to cover in one, even the most intense, tour!

Most of Finland's attractions are concentrated in the capital, but this does not mean that the rest of the country's cities are not worthy of visiting! The cities of Finland are both large and small, charming and well-kept, it is pleasant to walk around them at any time of the year and absorb the feelings of calm and tranquility that reign there.

Holidays in Finland also mean trips to the north of the country, to Lapland, to the homeland of Santa Claus! Children love these tours! And adults also enjoy immersing themselves in a fairy tale, riding reindeer sleighs, building snow igloos, playing snowballs and making wishes!

Visa to Finland necessary for Russians. But visa regime Finland works according to a simplified scheme for Russians. Easiest to get Finnish visa residents Leningrad region, Karelia and Murmansk region. But for tourists from other regions, a visa to Finland is not a problem, it does not require certificates from work (as for other Schengen visas), the procedure for submitting documents is simple, but the easiest way is to order a visa in travel company when purchasing a tour - in this case the likelihood of visa refusal is minimal.

For many tourists, a trip to Finland is not only excursions, but also shopping! You can buy anything you want in shops in Finland. Most often they buy children's and adult winter clothes and shoes, environmentally friendly products, eco-friendly household chemicals - goods from Finland are always good quality, on some products there is a symbol drawn - a key with the flag of Finland, it indicates that the product is intended for the domestic market and is not exported. Tourists prefer such goods (you can’t buy them in Russia!) first of all. Prices in Finland are not low, but during sales periods they can be very good discounts, and shopping turns out to be profitable.

Finland (Suomi in Finnish) is a country of a thousand lakes, stunningly beautiful and idyllic landscapes of the Lake District, pristine national parks of fabulous Lapland, vibrant cities and the amazing Åland Islands.

Tour operator ICS offers tours to Finland: New Year's, ski, city tours, sightseeing tours. By purchasing excursion tours to Finland, you get the opportunity to visit several cities in one trip - Helsinki, Tampere, Lahti, Turku, Savonlinna, etc. You can combine excursion service with relaxation in the lap of nature in one of the cottages on the shore of the lake, choose one of the famous SPA hotels, where the use of the aquatic center is included in the price of your stay, or choose leisure- a bike ride, kayaking or a hike with an overnight stay in a tent, or go fishing. Everyone will find something of their own.

A winter holiday in Finland will undoubtedly be remembered for its fabulous snowy landscapes, reindeer and dog sled rides, and, of course, meeting Santa Claus, who lives near Rovaniemi, in Lapland.

Ski resorts in Finland are famous for their well-prepared slopes and well-developed infrastructure.

All one-day tours to Finland from St. Petersburg are carried out on large international class buses, with professional drivers and qualified guides with extensive experience in this direction. The tour price includes: round trip bus travel.

St. Petersburg - Lappeenranta - St. Petersburg (tour to Finland for 1 day)

DAILY

in February from 750 rubles

One-day tour to Finland to the city of Lappeenranta with visits to shops and a walk along the promenade. Tourists have the opportunity to plan their own time.

St. Petersburg - Kotka - St. Petersburg (tour to Finland for 1 day)

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday

from 850 rubles

One-day tour to Finland to the city of Kotka. Small sightseeing tour around the city, visit beautiful park"Sapokka", with unique landscape, easy shopping.

St. Petersburg - Imatra - St. Petersburg (tour to Finland for 1 day)

DAILY

in February from 750 rubles

A wonderful holiday on a one-day tour to Finland in the city of Imatra. Only here you can see the rapids of Vuoksi, the ancient castle hotel and visit aquatic center with a water park.

St. Petersburg - Lahti - St. Petersburg (tour to Finland for 1 day)

from Friday to Saturday

from 1350 rubles

Holidays on a one-day tour in Finland in the city of Lahti will be interesting for lovers of shopping and have a relaxing holiday. A large number of shops, as well as a swimming pool will help you have an interesting time...

St. Petersburg - Helsinki - St. Petersburg (tour to Finland for 1 day)

from Friday to Saturday, from Saturday to Sunday

from 1550 rubles

On a one-day tour to Finland in the city of Helsinki, you can walk through boutiques and department stores, visit the market on the embankment, sit in a cafe or in a park in the city center.

St. Petersburg - Jyvaskylä - St. Petersburg (tour to Finland for 1 day)

last Friday (on Saturday) of each month

from 1350 rubles

One-day tour to Finland to the city of Jyvaskyla. During your trip you will have the opportunity to visit shops, go to a water park or simply walk around the city enjoying the magnificent scenery.

Finland for 1 hour (tour to Finland for 1 day)

daily (by group selection)

from 950 rubles

A trip to Finland for 1 hour is an opportunity to get your visa as quickly as possible, and also visit the Lapland trading warehouse and a fish store. This is also a one-day tour to Finland.

Please note that in one-day tours to Finland it is possible: trip cancellations (in case of a shortage of the group), additional trips and transfer of trips to other days, and also, to complete groups, it is possible to combine with other companies operating similar one-day tours in Finland.
Before you go on a day trip to Finland, be sure to read customs regulations and rules of conduct for tourists.

"Abis Tour" offers you one-day tours to Finland, as well as one-day and multi-day tours.