Slow Travel from the UK to Helsinki
Our slow travel partner Byway specialises in journeys by train, bus, boat, and bike. To get you from the UK to the start of your Sustainable Journey with us, and or back home again we will connect you with Byway, who will arrange the appropriate travel and accommodation to ensure a hassle-free experience getting you to and from your Journey with us with all the support you need. By clicking on the link below you will be taken to a Byway ‘blueprint’ for you to provide the dates and details to get a plan and price for your travel to and from your Journey with us. It is important to remember that Byway is not part of Sustainable Journeys so any booking you make with Byway is subject to a separate agreement between you and Byway, which is your own responsibility and by clicking the link provided you accept this fact. Please see more about Byway here and follow the link below to explore how to slow travel to connect with this Sustainable Journey. Air travel, if that is your preference, is bookable with Sustainable Journeys or you can make your own arrangements.
Click to view Byway’s rail journey: UK to Helsinki, Finland
By clicking this link you are leaving Sustainable Journeys
Overview
Embark on an unforgettable rail journey, the low-carbon way, from London through the heart of Europe as we kickstart our Sustainable Journeys adventure en route to Helsinki, stopping in Hamburg and Stockholm, before arriving in Helsinki, Finland.
Day 1 – Depart London St Pancras to Hamburg, Germany (approx. 7 hours and 56 minutes).
Board the Eurostar at St Pancras International Station, at your booked time, heading under The Channel to Brussels, Belgium – approx. 2 hours and 1 minute; then from Brussels, Belgium to Cologne, Germany – approx. 1 hour and 50 minutes; then from Cologne, Germany to Hamburg, Germany – approx. 4 hours and 5 minutes.
Upon arriving in Hamburg, make your way to your hotel, which is a short 3-minute walk away.
Check-in at Reichshof Hotel Hamburg or similar.
Breakfast included.
With three rivers that feed a maze of waterways and canals, Hamburg has been dubbed the “Venice of the north” (with six times as many bridges). The city has its roots in Maritime history, but also in music-making. It was the birthplace of Mendelssohn, the formative city of the Beatles, and recently, the state-of-the-art Elbphilharmonie concert hall has put Hamburg firmly on the map as one of the top cities for live music, as has its hip-hop and jazz club scene.
Reichshof Hotel Hamburg is a beautiful, four-star hotel featuring Art Deco design and luxurious furnishings. It’s just 200m from the train station, and only 15 minutes’ walk from the city centre.
If time allows, enjoy a concert at the iconic, wavelike Elbphilharmonie. The programme is diverse, covering a wide range of music genres, and the venue is worth a visit for the contemporary architecture and city views alone.
There’s so much to do, so leave what time you can to explore Hamburg.
Day 2 – Hamburg, Germany to Stockholm, Sweden (approx. 10 hours and 4 minutes).
Rail from Hamburg, Germany to Copenhagen, Denmark – approx. 4 hours and 49 minutes; then from Copenhagen, Denmark to Stockholm, Sweden – approx. 5 hours and 15 minutes.
Upon arriving in Stockholm, make your way to your hotel, which is a short 5-minute walk away.
Check-in at Nordic Light Hotel or similar.
Breakfast included.
Practicality meets style in Sweden’s capital, from its architecture to its culture and its famously well-dressed locals. Spread across 14 islands on Lake Mälaren, the city of Stockholm is also the gateway to a pristine archipelago of 30,000 forested islands and islets.
A five-minute walk from Stockholm’s Central Station, the Nordic Light Hotel is a contemporary hotel with sleek, modern rooms, an onsite restaurant, and has easy access to the main sights.
If time allows, explore Stockholm’s art scene at the red-brick Fotografiska. Despite being a relative newcomer (it opened its doors in 2010), Fotografiska has been quick to establish itself as one of the leading museums of photography in the world. Head to Stockholm’s historic centre, Gamla Stan, and discover medieval churches and the Baroque Palace.
There’s so much to do, so leave what time you can to explore Stockholm.
Day 3 – Stockholm, Sweden to Helsinki, Finland (approx. 18 hours).
Relax on an overnight cruise from Stockholm, Sweden to Helsinki, Finland as you drift through the Åland archipelago – approx. 18 hours.
Click to view Byway’s rail journey: UK to Helsinki, Finland
By clicking this link you are leaving Sustainable Journeys
The information below relates to Explore the Finnish Lake District Sustainable Journey. Please click here for more details.
What’s Included?
14 nights accommodation
Meals as per the itinerary
Transport as indicated
Activities including hosted cycle tours on 5 days (with luggage transfers), a kayak trip, a photography trip on Lake Saimaa, a food workshop and food walk, the Nordic welfare experience, art pavilion entrance, a steamboat trip from Ruovesi to Tampere, sightseeing or kayaking in Tampere.
What is not included?
Travel to and from Finland, by air or rail
Pre or post tour accommodation
Meals and drinks not mentioned as ‘included’
Gratuities
Personal travel insurance
Optional activities and tours
Why this tour is sustainable?
All our tours promote and respect local culture by inviting travellers to witness and experience local customs and traditions.
Visiting lesser-known destinations.
This journey encourages you to explore less visited regions of Finland, contributing directly to each of the local communities visited by staying in locally-owned accommodations, eating at local eateries and using locally-owned activity providers. All of the experiences allow for stops in beautiful places that would be missed if only visiting the capital city and larger towns. And by slowing the pace of travel by cycling, you’re seeing and experiencing far more of the country than you would be by any other mode of transport. A growing number of destinations in Finland have signed up to the Sustainable Travel Finland programme, a definitive symbol of commitment towards sustainable practices and principles.
Accommodations.
Wherever possible, we use locally owned and run hotels, guesthouses and forest cabins. You make an impact by contributing directly to the local economy, meeting the locals and experiencing their hospitality, customs and traditions. Most of the places you stay are recognised for their leading sustainability practices through the Sustainable Travel Finland programme, the EcoCompass Certificate, and many international awards and certifications.
Transport.
On this tour you travel by train, bus, steamship, and ferry, thereby reducing your carbon emissions considerably. Travelling on public transport also offers a different type of experience – one where you travel more slowly and see so much more of the landscape. We believe this gives you a far greater awareness of the destination. You also spend a number of days powering yourself along by bike, reducing your emissions to zero! Not only do you have more time to take in your surroundings on a bike, but some of this green and watery land isn’t accessible by car, so the best way to discover more is on two wheels. You’re out in the fresh air, experiencing nature, and there’s so much to see and do along the way.
Food and drinks.
During this tour, you’ll have the chance to sample many local specialities as well as a wide range of produce sourced straight from the lakes and forest. The places you visit offer a chance to experience different flavours and traditional recipes that are localised to their regions, often passed down with the traditional wisdom of many generations. The food supply chain is shortened in that their produce is locally sourced, grown or gathered in their surrounding landscape, and is freshly prepared and cooked. Whilst all this gives your hosts the opportunity to impart their local knowledge, it also gives you quite different and unique experiences, whilst also ensuring there are no unnecessary food miles. The places you visit usually offer vegetarian and/or vegan options, and most can accommodate different dietary needs.
Local staff.
Your hosts and guides are predominantly local people living in the destination. They own, manage, or are employed by each hotel, activity provider, or tour company, meaning the money paid to them goes directly into the local economy.
For information regarding Helsinki and Kilpisjärvi: Exploring the Lakes and Finnish Lapland Sustainable Journey, please click here for more details.
