How to go to Finland for the weekend if you don't have extra money

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Food to the brim, thrift stores and free housing await you.

Finland, with its wonderful nature and cozy cities perfectly adapted for life, is a great place to relax. It is also one of the most expensive countries in Europe. Moreover, the euro exchange rate is a merciless thing. Nevertheless, it is better not to give up travel, but to look for ways to save money on travel, accommodation and shopping.

How to go

If you live in the Northwest, the road is much easier. Sometimes it is also cheaper and easier to get to St. Petersburg from other regions than to fly directly to Finnish cities.

Train, plane and ferry will cost more than traveling by car. Those who drive their own car need to take into account the costs of the green card and gasoline. In addition, only 10 liters of fuel can be transported without paying the duty. Then you have to fill up with Finnish gasoline.

The cheapest way to get to Finland is by bus. A ticket for it to the cities closest to the border - Lappeenranta and Imatra - costs from 700 rubles. It is usually a little more expensive to get to Helsinki. However, it all depends on the day of the week and on whether you took the ticket at the last moment or in advance (the latter, of course, is more profitable). In addition, modern buses of major carriers have a toilet, hot tea and sometimes even tablets with a selection of films in different languages.

A minibus ticket will cost a little more - from 1,500 rubles. But the driver can call at the specified address and you do not have to get up after dark and go to the place of departure.

How to eat

Ready meals are quite expensive in Finland. Even a small snack in the city can hit your budget significantly. So if you are a poor student or just really don't like to overpay, do not go to hipster cafes, where a sandwich can cost 10 euros, and the same - a glass of glass. Unfortunately, the street kiosks with sausages and kebabs are not much cheaper.

Go to a buffet restaurant. At the entrance to it, you will need to pay a fixed amount for a plate, on which you will be free to put whatever you want. Even if someone from the company wants pizza with fried wings, and someone is on a diet, you can put together two completely different dinners. The main thing is not to overdo it. The most popular of this type of buffet is the chain Rax Buffet, which can be found in many Finnish cities. The entrance ticket will cost 12-13 euros, drinks are also included in the amount.

Another universal magic wand is McDonald’s. Finnish restaurants are almost never open 24/7, so at night or early in the morning, a fast food restaurant may be the only place to grab a coffee and a snack for as little as a couple of euros.

If you are going to a festival or there are festivities in the city, we advise you to look for inexpensive national food on the stalls. For example, open Karelian pies, which are made from rye dough mixed with fermented milk products, and stuffed with rice or potatoes. In Helsinki, these pies are sold on the Market Square. They can also be found in cozy establishments in small towns. For example, in the café of the Vellamo maritime center in Kotka.

You can always take food with you. In one day, homemade sandwiches in the lunchbox will not have time to lose their freshness, and you will save a lot. In addition, you can prepare food purchased in the store in the kitchen in the hostel or apartment.

Where to stay

The most profitable thing is to stay with Finnish friends. If there are no such, it is also not a problem: you can always find a host using the CouchSurfing service. Finns are usually hospitable, but at the same time tactful people, and communication with locals will help to tighten up languages and get to know the non-tourist side of life. Most likely, those who provide accommodation for guests will not mind visiting your city themselves.

The most inexpensive option for living for money is camping, where you can put up a tent or live in a small wooden house without amenities. They also offer to rent a bicycle or boat for a walk on the lake for a few euros. An economy class cottage for four costs about 65 euros per night, and one bed in a cottage starts from 15 euros.

Do not shy away from hostels with a toilet and shower on the floor. As a rule, the Finnish service is good and the rooms will be clean and tidy, and during the non-tourist season (autumn and spring) you will rarely see roommates. The hostels have free Wi-Fi, and in some places, the price includes a visit to the sauna. Prices for a room with two beds start at around 35 euros.

What to buy

Despite the fact that Finnish design deserves respect all over the world, with a half-empty wallet, it is better to stay away from alluring designer stores. But we advise you to pay attention to the Helsinki flea market, as well as second-hand shops and second-hand shops, which sometimes find real treasures. If you support the concept of conscious consumption, in the Relove store you can get a luxury in excellent condition (and drink coffee at the same time), and in UFF you can find a bright fur coat of an unknown brand or old-school sports shoes.

In Duty Free at the border, you need to take inexpensive liqueurs from local berries, and there are also serious discounts on perfumes. We consider it our duty to warn you that you can have alcohol with you when entering Finland only if you are traveling for more than 72 hours.

If budget shopping is the main purpose of your trip, you cannot avoid walking through the large malls that serve as places of pilgrimage for Russian tourists. They take goods for sports and recreation, household utensils, household chemicals and food. One of the characteristics of the Finnish industry is large packaging that will last for a long time. The main thing is that there is room in the car for a five-kilogram bag of washing powder and several liters of liquid soap.

And, of course, do not forget to issue TaxFree - this will allow you to refund the tax on goods purchased in the European Union.