On the ferry to Europe with a car. Finland-Sweden: by ferry with car

02.04.2022

Just the other day I returned from another exciting trip. We went on a cargo-passenger ferry going from Helsinki to Germany (port of Travemünde), by car. Today I will tell you in detail how this ferry works and why it is so good for comfortable travel.

Why ferry?

Let's imagine that you live somewhere in the north-west of Russia and you wanted to go on a road trip around Europe with your family by car.
There are three options:
- buy air tickets for the whole family and rent a car upon arrival. In this case, you will have to spend money on tickets and car rental. If you have a family of 3-4 people, then air tickets will cost a pretty penny + car rental, depending on the number of days;
- drive your own car. If you live in St. Petersburg, then the distance, for example, from St. Petersburg to Hamburg is about 2000 km. The route will pass not the most the best roads Baltic States and Poland. Of course, those who drive will have a hard time. You will have to pay for gasoline, overnight stays in hotels, food, etc.;
- take the Helsinki-Travemünde ferry from Finnlines. The distance from St. Petersburg to Helsinki is about 400 km. This is the only section that you will have to drive. Next, you board the ferry and go up to your cabin to enjoy a mini-cruise along Baltic Sea. In this case, you can get to Germany in complete comfort with your own car for relatively little money.

The latter option will be discussed today.

Finnlines ferry route Helsinki-Germany

Finnlines ferries depart from Helsinki at 17.00 local time and arrive in the German port of Travemünde at 21.30 the next day local time. Thus, the length of the entire route will be a little more than a day. On the way back from Travemünde to Helsinki, the ferry departs at 3 am and arrives at 9 am the next day:

Ferry ticket prices from Helsinki to Germany

Finnlines offers several travel options on this route. The most popular and in demand is the car package, which includes transportation of a car + a family cabin. The price of such a car package now starts from 348 euros and depends on the season. The most low prices in winter, the most expensive in summer. The cabin can accommodate up to 4 people. It is worth considering that the cabins offered are different. Their cost depends on the degree of comfort and space. Below are photos, and I recommend checking out the prices on the official website.
For those who do not want to overpay for a cabin, there is the option of purchasing seats in women's or men's cabins, or seated accommodation (like on an airplane). In this case, the price per seat will start from approximately 70 euros.
Another important point: when purchasing a return ferry ticket on the same route, you receive a 20% discount.

How the Helsinki - Travemünde ferry works

So, after purchasing a ticket on the company’s website, you need to arrive at the ferry departure port in advance. The port in Helsinki, where Finnlines is based, is called Vuosaaren Satama Hansaterminaali and is located at address Provianttikatu 5, 00980 Helsinki.
If you arrive by car, there is no need to enter the terminal building, you need to immediately go by car to the checkpoint, where, without leaving the car, you will be given electronic keys to the cabin, food vouchers (meals must be selected separately on the website, more on that later ). If you are traveling without a car, you need to register at the terminal, from where a shuttle bus will take you to the ferry.

1. Since we arrived by car, we immediately went to board the ferry:

2. If you look at the layout of the ferry, most of it is occupied by cargo decks for cars. The upper part is the living and entertainment decks. They start from decks 7 to 12.
On the 7th deck there is a reception desk and residential cabins, including those for pets (yes, yes), 8th and 9th decks are residential with cabins, 10th deck - staff cabins, 11th deck - entertainment recreation areas and restaurants, 12th - exit to the sun deck, as well as to the seating area:

3. When loading onto the ferry, staff will accompany you and show you your parking spot. Loading is well organized, everything happens very quickly. There's even room for motorcycles. By the way, when purchasing a car package, the size of the vehicle plays a key role in the cost:

4. We were placed on the 7th deck. We take our things and head to check into the cabins. A very important point - throughout the flight, access to the car will be closed, so you need to take all the necessary things with you at once:

I suggest watching a 20-minute live broadcast from Facebook in which Alexey Nadezhin and I ( ammo1 ) made an overview video of the Helsinki-Travemünde ferry before its departure:

Accommodation on the ferry. Cabins

5. Having taken our things, we head to our cabin on the same deck. The cabins are opened with an electronic key, which we were given at check-in:

6. My cabin is designed for 4 people. Two double beds, a sofa that can also be converted into a bed, and an upper bunk bed like in a compartment. Be sure to have a bathroom (latrine), a small table with a chair and a WINDOW!

7. At sunset it was especially beautiful:

8. The cabins, as I already said, are different on the ferry. Here is one of the most budget options without a window:

9. And this is the most spacious and expensive cabin with several windows. These cabins are located in the bow of the ferry and the view from the windows is very impressive:

20. Each cabin has a TV. One of the channels constantly broadcasts information about the ferry, the weather in Helsinki and Travemünde and the current location of the ferry:

21. Since we’re talking about cabins, it wouldn’t hurt to look at the most a budget option placement. This seat place for relax. Of course, you won’t be able to get a good night’s sleep in such chairs, but if you decide to save money by giving up a cabin, then this is an option. For these places there are special lockers for personal belongings that are locked with a key (on the right in the photo):

Fun on the Helsinki - Germany ferry

The entire 11th deck is completely dedicated to entertainment. This is where passengers on the Helsinki-Travemünde ferry spend most of their free time.

22. For active rest There is a gym consisting of two rooms. Two large jogging tracks overlooking the sea:

23. Well, what would a Finnish ferry be without a real sauna? After the gym, you can take a dip in the jacuzzi overlooking the sea and warm up well in the Finnish sauna. Access to the gym and sauna is free for all passengers:

Massage room:

24. On the same floor there is a conference room for small presentations:

25. A play area is provided for the youngest passengers. Previously it was located in indoors, now the kids have two huge windows:

26. Let's move on. During the voyage, there is a shop on board where you can buy souvenirs, clothes and other nice little things:

27. There is even a slot machine area. The machines accept coins and euro bills. I was lucky and won 21 euros. You might be lucky too:

28. Also on deck 11 there is a very comfortable relaxation area with two bars and tables near the windows. There is live music throughout the day and evening:

29. You can sit at any table overlooking the open sea and, listening to live music, realize that the choice of traveling by ferry was made correctly:

30. The ferry has several bars and a large dining room. I'll tell you more about nutrition a little later:

31.

32. One of the bars where you can have a snack during breaks between the main brunches and dinners. Looking ahead, I will say that the main diet is so varied that there is simply no room left in the stomach for such bars:

Walk along the decks of the Finnlines ferry

33. Let's start the walk from the lowest deck accessible to passengers, deck 7. Here are located lifeboats and a pet-friendly deck. Yes. Another big plus about traveling by ferry is that you can take your favorite dog or cat on board:

34. There are specially equipped toilets for them, and the cabins differ only in that they do not have carpet on the floor:

35. On deck 11 there is an area with tables where you can comfortably relax in the fresh air in any weather. The fact is that on all open decks in the open sea there is a feeling strong wind. It's good if the weather is clear and there is no rain. If there is a storm, then be on open places quite uncomfortable. There are also special glass partitions installed here that protect you from the wind. Rain is also not a problem, because... from above the ceiling of the 12th deck:

36. If you come out of the shelter of the partitions, then it will be revealed to you gorgeous view to the stern of the ferry:

37. Here you can enjoy views of the open sea:

38.

39. If you climb the stairs to the deck above, you will find yourself on the open 12th deck, equipped helipad. It can be windy here, but this is compensated by the magnificent view that opens on all four sides:

40. You can sunbathe. There are special lounge chairs. Many people do this when traveling:

It's especially good here at sunset:

41. If you look at bow ferry Helsinki - Travemünde, we will see part of the captain's cabin. Are you interested in how a ship is steered?

42. Meet. This is our captain. He's Swedish. He has been operating this ferry for many years and is very pleased with his work. When I asked if there were any cases of strong storms in which the ferry felt unsafe, he answered no. The fact is that Finnlines ferries have a very large margin of stability and reliability, and storms in the Baltic Sea are not as powerful as they are in other seas and oceans. You can safely plan a trip on the Finnlines ferry at any time of the year:

43. The captain's cabin occupies the full width of the bow of the ferry and has a large panoramic view:

44. On the right and left sides of the wheelhouse there are floor-mounted viewing portholes for precise mooring in the port:

45. Most At the same time, the ferry is controlled by an autopilot, and the captain and his assistants only monitor the instrument readings and course. The locator shows ships moving on opposite and parallel courses. For example, the vessel Sheksna is heading to the port of St. Petersburg:

46. We leave the captain’s cabin and return to passenger realities. This is what the deck floor halls look like. There are three passenger elevators in the middle:

47. If you are not comfortable in the elevator or do not want to wait for it, you can use the stairs that connect all decks:

Meals on the Finnlines ferry Helsinki-Germany-Helsinki

I saved the best for last. If you have read this post up to these lines, then it’s time to refresh yourself. Without exaggeration, I can say that the food on board the Finnlines ferry is simply a feast for the stomach.
It is advisable to order meals on the ferry in advance separately when booking your ticket (it’s cheaper). Meals are divided into several blocks depending on the flight.
Helsinki - Travemunde:
- dinner from 18.30 to 20.00
- brunch (from English breakfast + lunch). Shared breakfast and lunch. from 9.30 to 13.00
- dinner from 18.30 to 20.00
Travemunde - Helsinki:
- late dinner (soup) when boarding the ferry from 00.00 - 4.00
- brunch (from English bbreakfast + lunch). Shared breakfast and lunch. from 9.30 to 13.00
- dinner from 18.30 to 20.00
- breakfast from 7.30 - 8.45
Accordingly, the cost of a meal package for an adult on a flight to Travemünde is 73 euros, on the return trip to Helsinki about 59 euros.
All meals are buffet style. If you have not purchased a meal package in advance, you can pay for it on the ferry, but prices will be more expensive. Read more about the cost of food.

48. At the time indicated above, a large restaurant opens, which is located on deck 11. It occupies the entire bow deck. When you check in for the ferry, you will receive a food voucher along with your cabin key (if you paid in advance). The voucher will indicate the table assigned to you:

49. Personally, a very pleasant surprise for me was the abundance of fish salads and cold fish appetizers. At home, I ate practically nothing except herring under a fish coat, but here my eyes simply ran wild. What can we say about the stomach?

50. I’ll tell you one secret. We were allowed access to the buffet before the hall was opened to passengers. This was done so that we had time to shoot everything in an untouched form. Can you imagine what it was like for me to photograph all this splendor on an empty stomach? So I apologize if somewhere the footage “shakes”) This is from hunger)

51.

52. Everything was fine with meat dishes and snacks. There was even venison and duck:

53. Signs with the names of dishes are duplicated in several languages, including Russian. This was very helpful at times when it was visually impossible to understand what the dish was made from:

54.

55. This fish is very tasty, if not incomparable:

56.

57. And what delicious bread is there:

58. Let's move on to dessert. Desserts are a different story:

59.

60. To summarize, we can conclude that the food on the Finnlines ferry is beyond praise:

Satellite Internet on board the Finnlines ferry

Recently, satellite Internet has become available on all Finnlines ferries throughout the entire route. If earlier it was free and worked only on the 11th deck at one point at a terrible speed, now it is available in all cabins of the ferry at a decent speed (about 3 Mbit/sec). Now you have to pay for it.
The Internet can be connected directly on board using wi-fi, the cost in this case will be as follows:

If you take care of this in advance and turn on the mobile Internet service at the stage of ordering on the website, then the cost of 12 hours of Internet will cost you 20 euros for two devices. The Internet is available without traffic restrictions.

As a final part, I offer a few shots taken from the Helsinki-Germany ferry on this May trip.

61.

62. Call at the port of Travemünde (Germany):

63.

64. The Finnlines cargo sister of our ferry. You could say he's a younger brother. It is smaller in size and has only cargo decks:

65. That's all!

Thank you for reading to the end! More stories to come from Berlin, Lübeck and amusement park in the center of Helsinki.

The engine is the most expensive component of a car. Experienced car enthusiasts know very well that in addition to timely replacement of filters, antifreeze and oil, other factors, such as regular engine washing, also influence the extension of its service life. A clean engine is less likely to overheat and runs longer without interruptions. However, washing the “heart” of a car is not as simple as it might seem at first glance. Under the hood of a car there are many different electronic components that can be easily damaged if handled carelessly.

Methods for cleaning the motor

The traditional and most unsafe methods of cleaning the engine compartment are hand dry cleaning and high pressure water washing. Improper execution of the procedure can lead to quite serious consequences - breakdown of the power unit and ignition system.

The safest alternative to traditional methods is steam engine washing in Moscow. The procedure is carried out using a steam generator that produces steam under high pressure. The washer directs the steam jet at different angles, cleaning the most hard to reach places engine compartment. The main thing is that the electrical contacts and elements remain dry, which means that the likelihood of a short circuit is minimized.

Advantages

In addition to the fact that washing a car engine with dry steam guarantees the integrity of the electrical wiring and ignition system, it also has other positive qualities. Compared to analogues, the procedure takes more:

fast. On average, it takes 20-40 minutes to wash the engine compartment;
environmentally friendly. The engine compartment cleaning procedure is carried out without the use of chemical detergents;
economical. The steam cleaner consumes significantly less water than the most modern equipment and does not require a sewage system;
effective. By using the steam engine washing service in Moscow around the clock, the car owner can easily get rid of persistent contaminants from bitumen, tar and oil. And since water is not used during washing, significantly fewer dirty stains are formed.

Flaws

Cleaning the engine should be done with extreme care. The steam jet supplied from the sprayer under high pressure (6-8 atmospheres) has a high temperature (on average about 160 °C). Therefore, to avoid serious injuries, it is better to entrust this event to professionals.

How often to carry out

If the car body is washed as it gets dirty, then the under hood should be cleaned no more than 1-2 times a year. As a rule, this need arises:

at large quantities oil smudges in the engine compartment;
before diagnosing the engine and attachments;
when performing pre-sale preparation.

Price for engine cleaning with hot dry steam

The cost of steam cleaning is much higher than classical cleaning. However, the end justifies the means. The funds saved on a steam car wash are unlikely to cover the costs of diagnosing, purchasing and replacing equipment that has become unusable.

Passengers traveling with a car on train No. 31/32 Moscow - Helsinki "Lev Tolstoy" can simultaneously arrange travel for themselves and their car across Finland on Finnish trains railways VR companies or on company ferries Tallink Silja Oyj And Finnlines Oyj to Germany, Sweden, Estonia and Latvia.

The ferries are multi-deck cruise ships with restaurants and shops on board. Cabins for passengers have different classes and sizes. Cars are placed on a special deck separately from passengers.

Ferries Tallink Silja Oyj

Helsinki - Stockholm (Finland - Sweden)
Helsinki - Tallinn (Finland - Estonia)
Turku - Stockholm (Finland - Sweden)
Riga - Stockholm (Latvia - Sweden)
Tallinn - Stockholm (Estonia - Sweden)

Route	Schedule	Auto package price, (travel 1-4 people and car)*	Ferries
Helsinki - Stockholm	daily	From 147 euros
Helsinki - Tallinn	daily	From 54 euros	M/S Star, M/S Superstar and M/S Silja Europa
Turku - Stockholm	daily	From 59 euros on morning departures; from 102 euros on evening departures	M/S Baltic Princess and M/S Galaxy
Riga - Stockholm	daily	From 148 euros	M/S Romantika and M/S Isabelle
Tallinn - Stockholm	daily	From 160 euros	M/S Baltic Queen and M/S Victoria I

When booking tickets for a vehicle, it is necessary to provide the exact length and height of the vehicle, which also includes possible additional equipment (ski container, roof frame, trailer, etc.), as well as registration number vehicle.

Registration of passengers with vehicles(vehicle driver and up to 8 passengers, together with the driver registered for the flight in one booking) is carried out at the transport check-in based on the ticket, passenger passport, and registration documents for the vehicle.

Registration of tickets for passengers with vehicles is also carried out at the Tallink registration office near the D-terminal; please follow the direction signs installed in the port.

If, when registering a ticket, the dimensions of the vehicle exceed the dimensions specified during booking, the passenger is obliged to pay the difference in cost. Vehicles whose dimensions turn out to be larger than those indicated during booking are allowed on board the ship, subject to the availability of free space on the vehicle deck.

Registration of passengers with vehicles (including Business Lounge) ends 1 hour before the departure of the ship.

For safety reasons, the car deck is closed to passengers during the voyage. When leaving the vehicle, we recommend taking with you all the luggage necessary for the trip.

Port address in Tallinn

Lootsi 13, 10151 Tallinn
Tel. +372 631 8320 www.ts.ee
Opening hours: Mon.-Sun. 06:00 - 22:30

The following ships depart from the terminal: M/S Star, M/S Silja Europa, M/S Superstar, M/S Baltic Queen and M/S Victoria I

Finnlines Oyj ferries

Helsinki - Travenmünde (Finland - Germany)

Travemünde - seaside resort, one of the most famous and oldest in Germany. The distance from Travemünde to Hamburg along the highway is 57 km, to Hannover - 205 km, to Berlin - 336 km.

* Tariffs for travel on ferries depend on the demand in the direction and the date of purchase; the fare must be clarified on the day of request.

Ferry cabinsFinnlines http://www.finnlines.com/paromy/uslugi_na_bortu/paromy_klassa_star_finnstar_finnlady_finnmaid_nordlink/kayuty_paromov_klassa_star

Schedule*

Registration

You must arrive for check-in at least 1.5 hours before departure. Registration is carried out through specialized machines.

Ferries departure/arrival ports

Finland, Helsinki

Port of Vuosaari / Vuosaaren Satama Hansaterminaali, Provianttikatu 5, 00980 Helsinki

Registration, tel: + 358 10 343 4810

The distance from Pasila station (where you arrive with a car from Moscow) to the port of Vuosaari (from where the ferry departs) is 16.6 km, travel time by car is about 20 minutes.

Directions to Helsinki:

Port address in Germany, Travemünde

Traveling around Finland

If you are going on holiday in northern Finland, we offer you a trip on the Finnish Railways VR train. Upon arrival at the station you need, you can continue your journey in your car.

VR trains consist of sleeping cars different classes, dining car and cars for transporting cars.

Train routes with car-carrying cars:

Helsinki - Rovaniemi
Helsinki - Kemijärvi
Helsinki - Oulu
Helsinki - Kolari
Turku - Rovaniemi
Tampere - Rovaniemi
Tempere - Kolari

Night trains with cars depart from Helsinki, Turku and Tampere to the north of the country to the cities of Oulu, Rovaniemi and Kolari, then you can travel by car to the ski resorts:

Ylläs (35 km)
Levi (80 km)
Olos (80 km)
Pallas (100 km)
Hetta (150 km)

During the winter season, trains with cars travel to northern city Kemijarmi, where the resorts of Pyhä (50 km), Salla (70 km), Ruka (130 km) are located.

Schedule

The trains have carriages with places for lying and sitting of different classes. The more passengers depart, the lower the price.

Route	Schedule	Travel time	Auto package price, (travel for 1 person and car)*
Helsinki - Rovaniemi Rovaniemi - Helsinki	Daily		From 206.29 euros
Helsinki - Kemijärvi Kemijarvi - Helsinki	Wed, Fri, Sat Tue, Sat, Sun		From 208.70 euros
Helsinki - Oulu Oulu - Helsinki	Daily		From 174.53 euros
Helsinki - Kolari Kolari - Helsinki	Wed, Fri, Sat Tue, Sat, Sun	10 hours 46 minutes 11 hours 46 minutes	From 192.28 euros
Turku - Rovaniemi Rovaniemi - Turku	Daily	13 hours 35 minutes 13 hours 40 minutes	From 179.96 euros
Tampere - Rovaniemi Rovaniemi - Tampere	Daily		From 180.35 euros
Turku - Kolari	Operates only in new year holidays

* Tariffs for travel on ferries depend on the demand in the direction and the date of purchase; the fare must be clarified on the day of request.

Sale of car packages opens 90 days and ends 5 days before the departure of train No. 31/32 Moscow - Helsinki "Lev Tolstoy".

The exact cost of car packages can be clarified at the box office. North-West Transportation Center Vehicle.

Tariffs for travel of passengers and transportation of their vehicles on VR Group trains are available on the website www.vr.fi/ru

You can arrange car travel, as well as book and purchase travel documents for VR Group trains and ferries in Moscow at the ticket office of the Moscow production site of the North-Western Vehicle Transportation Center, located at: Komsomolskaya Square, 3/B,

For additional information, please contact the Unified Information and Service Center toll-free 8-800-775-00-00 .

While travel companies People who prefer to vacation abroad are collapsing like houses of cards and are increasingly mastering independent tourism, one type of which is traveling in their own car. Traditionally, the European direction is the most popular for road trips for Russians. However, the route to Europe by car is not close. For example, travelers from St. Petersburg have to travel about two thousand kilometers to Germany before their European adventure begins. In a normal situation, this is a two-day journey, but if you are not moving in chase mode, then all three. Now add the same time for the return journey and you get 4 days just to get to Europe and return. Agree that this is a waste of your precious time. But there is another way to get to Europe by car in less time and in complete comfort.

2. This method is to travel by ferry. Finnlines, committing regular flights between Helsinki (Finland) and Travemünde (Germany). Instead of winding kilometers through the CIS countries, the Baltics and of Eastern Europe, you just need to get to Helsinki to the Vuosari port and the Eurotrip will begin from this point. From this inconspicuous building at first glance, where tickets are sold and check-in for flights takes place.

3. If tickets are purchased in advance through the company’s website Finnlines, then you don’t have to waste time on registration, but go straight to the Check-In checkpoint located at the end of the building. All registration steps will be carried out right here. Each passenger will be issued boarding pass, a vehicle ticket will also be issued. After this, all you have to do is wait for loading to begin, follow the signs to the ferry and, leaving your steel horse on the cargo deck, climb aboard the ship. All! Meet Europe!

4. Important point. After loading, access to the cargo deck will be closed until arrival at the port of destination. Therefore, you should worry in advance and take with you all the things that you may need during a sea voyage. However, the ship’s staff is very responsive and if the passenger still needs to go to his car, it will always be possible to negotiate. To do this, you just need to go to the reception desk located on deck 7. Other issues are also resolved there, for example, if one of the passengers has lost their boarding pass, which is also an electronic key to the cabin.

5. On the route Helsinki-Travemünde the company Finnlines carries out transportation by three completely identical ferries: Finnstar, Finnmaid, Finnlady. Thanks to this, the company has the opportunity to make daily flights in both directions, which is a definite plus for the freedom of travel planning. There is no need to choose a special day. You can simply buy a ticket and hit the road at any time convenient. This schedule is very convenient for cargo transportation, which is actively used by trucking companies.

6. Compared to other ferries plying between the Baltic countries, ferries Finnlines more focused on transporting vehicles. The number of cabins on board is somewhat smaller than on other ferries, but their number does not in any way affect comfort. Quite the opposite. Just like on other ferries, a standard four-berth cabin can be either with or without a window. But if in the same St. Peterline and Viking such a cabin has an area of 8.5 sq.m., then standard four-berth cabins Finnlines have an area of 10 sq.m. Of course, there is always the opportunity to improve the level of comfort. For example, take a cabin with increased to 16 sq.m. area or treat yourself to a Lux, Suite or Suite Deluxe cabin. The latter is comparable in size to a small apartment - 38 sq.m. and the comfort of a fashionable hotel room.

7. Each cabin, regardless of its size and berths, is equipped with its own bathroom and shower, and is also equipped with all the accessories necessary for a comfortable stay - bed linen, towels, hairdryer, cups. Larger cabins also have a refrigerator. Why isn't this a real hotel? Moreover, with the most real Sea View, because outside the window of the room you can’t just see the coastline somewhere. The sea is all around!

8. The interior of the passenger area also looks like a completely ordinary hotel, except that the ceiling height is slightly lower than usual.

10.

11. According to the carrier, the journey from Helsinki to Travemünde takes 27 hours. In winter it takes a couple of hours longer. Thus, the travel time is a little more than a day, which is already half as long as the overland journey under its own power. But that’s not even the most important thing. The main thing is that when traveling on a ferry, you can forget about the steering wheel and completely relax, indulging in a leisurely time on board. The ferry departs from Helsinki at 17.00 and arrives at the port of Travemünde at 21.30. During this time, the ship's main restaurant will offer two dinners and one brunch - a kind of breakfast that smoothly flows into lunch. The cost of the meal package per adult is 72 euros. This price includes a superior dinner, brunch and dinner. Small but nice detail. Superior dinner - dinner on the day of departure, includes an unlimited amount of draft beer and wine. On the day of arrival, such joy is no longer present, since most passengers will need to drive after dinner.

12. The restaurant operates on a buffet basis. The variety of dishes is unlikely to amaze regulars of Turkish or Egyptian all-inclusive meals, but it is quite capable of satisfying the needs of all passengers on the ship. But since this is a buffet, there will be a queue for the dishes. Fortunately, it moves quite quickly and dissolves just as quickly. If you come to dinner not when it starts at 6:30 p.m., but a little later, then you can completely avoid having to stand in line of hungry people with plates.

13. The menu is constantly changing. The set of dishes differs not only on the first and second days of the trip, but also from flight to flight. Everything is prepared immediately before dinner or breakfast by a whole team of chefs under the direction of the ship's chef.

14.

15. Despite the fact that the first dinner is more than satisfying, varied and flavored with quite tolerable wine, there remains a certain feeling of unsaidness.

16. Breakfast the next day puts everything in its place. First of all, precisely because this is not an ordinary breakfast, but a brunch. The menu contains both dishes traditionally offered for breakfast in hotels - scrambled eggs, sausages, bacon, cold cuts and cheeses, fruits and sweets, as well as dishes more suitable for lunch - soups, hot meat and fish dishes. By the way, if you buy food vouchers in advance, you can come twice during brunch. For example, have breakfast in the morning, then laze on the bed or take a walk in the fresh, damp air on the deck, and then come back again and have lunch.

17.

18. Dinner in the main restaurant ends at 20.00. But passenger service does not end with just one restaurant. There are several more bars on board with a varied selection of alcoholic drinks and snacks. So even the most voracious will not have to go hungry. By the way, there is free wi-fi in the bar area located on deck 11. True, on the high seas the only way to access the Internet is satellite technology, so the speed of such access, to put it mildly, leaves much to be desired. The channel is so weak that it is barely enough for a text chat. You can afford to check your email or download Instagram, but nothing more. So, if you are traveling with your family or in the company of friends, nothing will distract you from real live communication.

19. About passengers with children in company Finnlines We haven't forgotten either. On the ferries, on the same deck 11, there is a full-fledged children's playroom.

20. For the leisure and comfort of passengers, there is also a small gym and a full-fledged free sauna - you can’t do without it, this is a Finnish ferry. But the most beauty lies not inside, but outside the ship - on the open decks. This is where you can fully experience the romance of sea travel. If the weather permits, here you can sit at an open table and, without interrupting your journey, watch the sunrise and watch the sunset. During the icy season, you can sunbathe on a sun lounger during the day, lazily sipping beer, and at night admire the stars, which shine especially brightly in the open sea.

21.

22.

23. In the meantime, you are enjoying doing nothing, the ferry, concentrating on its work, takes you to Europe, from where you can continue your journey, rested, without getting wasted on trifles. By the way, this is an important point. The ferry arrives at the port of Travemünde in the evening. In terms of continuing the journey, this is not very convenient since you will have to travel at night or immediately stop for the night somewhere nearby. But if you plan your trip so that your arrival falls on Saturday, you can stay overnight right on board the ferry.

Helpful information:
Company Finnlines constantly carries out various promotions that allow you to save on costs for sea travel. When purchasing a ticket through the website, you can choose a so-called special fare. On the one hand, it does not allow you to return the ticket or make any changes to it, but on the other hand, it allows you to significantly save on price.
In addition, on the official page in

I almost always route most of my trips to Europe through Finland - my personal experience crossing the Belarus-Poland border (time spent, queues, nagging from Polish and Belarusian customs officers) is quite negative. And having reached Stockholm through Finland, you can travel to both central Europe and Scandinavia in one day.
But there is one link in this route that causes some confusion and anxiety among our autotourists - this is the ferry crossing from Finland to Sweden (and back). I judge this by the questions that our auto travelers quite often ask me at the sites before registering for the ferry. In this note I will try to summarize them and answer them.
So, there are 3 ferry lines between Finland and Sweden: Helsinki-Stockholm-Helsinki, Turku-Stockholm-Turku and Vaasa-Umea-Vaasa. The last line is quite specific and we will not consider it.

For trips to Sweden and further within a radius of 500-600 km from Stockholm, the Helsinki-Stockholm-Helsinki ferries are most suitable, but if you need to go further, then I prefer Turku-Stockholm-Turku and here's why.
Ferries from Helsinki depart at 17-17.30 and arrive in Stockholm at 9-9.30 in the morning. This allows you to leisurely explore the ferry, explore the shops, have dinner - in general, relax, and in the morning get a good night's sleep and have a leisurely breakfast before arriving at the port.
If there is still quite a long journey ahead, then I prefer the Turku-Stockholm-Turku line: ferries depart at 20-20.40 (between Helsinki and Turku there are only 160 km and the schedule by car is basically the same) and arrive in Stockholm- at 6-6.30. These “won” three morning hours are very useful. And the cost of ferry tickets for this route is lower.

These two ferry lines (Helsinki-Stockholm-Helsinki and Turku-Stockholm-Turku) are operated by two competing companies - Vikilng Line and Silja Line: every day there is a morning and evening flight. Every day The competition between them is so fierce that an agreement was concluded at the state level that ferries on each line run at intervals of 30-40 minutes. The Silja Line ferry departs first, followed by the Viking Line.

If we compare the cost of tickets (automatic package car + cabin 4 seats), then on the Turku-Stockholm-Turku line the Viking Line prices are slightly lower. In addition, on the ferries of this company there are very cheap cabins on the deck under the engine room, although there is a toilet and shower in the corridor.

Terminals in Turku.
Viking terminals ( GPS N60°26" 6.94" E022°13" 54.87") and Silja ( GPS N60°26.035" E022°13.185")(GPS indicated coordinates of registration areas with cars) are almost nearby, but you have to approach them from different directions and it’s not easy to get your bearings, especially in the dark. Here is a diagram of the location of terminals and entrances to register cars with passengers.

The terminal buildings are fenced off from the registration areas with cars. And if there is a need to visit, for example, the toilet before queuing for registration, then it is better to first drive up to the terminal building and then go to the queue for registration. The walk from the site to the terminal building is about a kilometer.
Registration begins an hour and a half before the ferry departure.

The registration procedure is extremely simple: you drive up to the booth, submit a printout at the window electronic ticket. According to the rules, they can also ask for a passport and registration certificate for the car, but I haven’t encountered this for several years. But a printout or at least a written down reservation number must be included at registration. If you don’t have a printout (forgot or lost it), then it’s better to calmly drive up to the terminal building before check-in and get a printout at the passport information desk - they don’t always succeed at the booth.

From the window you will be given a special tag that hangs on the rearview mirror - so that the employees can see which group of cars (by height) to direct yours to, as well as cabin key cards and cards for access to dinner and breakfast (if they are pre-paid).
Next, the cars, at the signals of the employees, drive to the loading area and stand there in several rows in accordance with the instructions.

Here you will have to wait 30-40 minutes until the ferry arrives.At the site you can get out of your cars and even, being careful (there is a lot of special transport moving around the site), walk close to the pier to watch the approach and mooring of the ferry.

After the cars are unloaded from the arriving ferry, loading occurs at a signal from the employees. Following the instructions, you park the car, pick up the necessary things, close it and go to the elevators.

There is no access to cars during the voyage. Therefore, you need to take everything you need with you right away. But we must keep in mind that the cabins are very small, everything is “back to back” and with large bags they are not very comfortable. I always prepare a small bag with the essentials separately, and go up to the cabin with it

You need to remember the deck number, where the car is parked and which side to go on, and also, when you go up to your cabin deck, it’s a good idea to look around and rememberwhich of the elevators you took - then it’s better to go down on it (or along the stairs near it) so as not to crawl between the cars - they are quite dense, you can get dirty.

Don’t set the car alarm so that it doesn’t “break up” in the sea from rolling and drain the battery - just close it with the key.

Terminals in Helsinki.
Silja Line terminals (GPS 60.159799, 24.960990) and Viking Line (GPS 60.165356, 24.974250) are located on the opposite shores of the Yuzhny Port Bay (coordinates of areas for registration with a car are indicated). The entrance to the Southern Port itself is marked with signs from the exit along the highway into the city and to the port itself.

The only “subtlety” is that already in the immediate vicinity of the port you need to carefully look at the signs for the South Port so as not to go to the West (there is also a Silja Line terminal there). From there there are ferries to Tallinn. But even if this happens, it’s okay, the South port is a 15-minute drive from the western one.

Accordingly, you need to approach the terminals from different shores of the bay (the entrances to registration with a car are marked)

The check-in and boarding procedure is similar to that in Turku. There are signs and employees everywhere showing you what to do.

On a ferryboat
On ferries there is a rather confusing system of numbering cabins, so when I find my cabin, I remember the path from it to the nearest elevator, and then, going up to other decks, I remember where exactly this elevator is located on them (there are many of them on the ferry) - then, going down to your deck, you quickly find a cabin.

Nutrition
On the ferry, all shops and restaurants open only from the moment the ship departs. On each ferry there is a so-called "buffet" - a large restaurant operating on the principle of "buffet." Dinner there costs about 30 euros. The menu is usual for such establishments - a dozen appetizers, three or four hot dishes, a pastry chef, some fruit, etc. The price also includes beer, red and white dry wine ( on a roll-off), juices, water, tea, coffee. No other alcohol is served and you cannot order it for money either. You can pay for dinner at the buffet when purchasing a ticket - then you will receive special cards upon check-in, but you can also pay directly on board. But when paying “on the spot,” one problem may arise:This "buffet" feeds numerous groups of tourists. And during peak times (eg. New Year holidays) the ferry is packed with tourists and there is simply no room at this “buffet”. Yes, and it only works until 22.30.

But there are two or three more restaurants on the ferry (and some more) where you can eat normally for reasonable money. We usuallywe go to one of them, pay for the “salad bar” (a stand of salads and other snacks on a buffet basis) and beer and that’s usually enough.
But sometimes you have to wait there for a table to become available, so I recommend that if you decide to dine at one of these restaurants, reserve your seats when booking your tickets - they don’t charge you for this.
There is also a self-service cafe, where you can also have something to eat - the menu there is about the same as in the cafe at large gas stations.

But the best place to have breakfast is at this largest buffet restaurant. The set of dishes there is standard for breakfast in a restaurant of a 3-4 star hotel. But the restaurant hall is located at the bow of the ferry on the 8th deck, and if you take a table near the panoramic windows facing forward, the breakfast will turn out to be very nice despite the early hour (breakfast is served an hour and a half before mooring, at 5 am Swedish time).
However, even in the morning you may not be able to get to the “buffet” during peak “tourist” times, so I always pay for breakfast immediately when purchasing tickets (the cost of 1 breakfast is 15 euros, cheaper for children).
But if things don’t work out, then there is still the opportunity to have breakfast at an a la carte restaurant or in that same cafe.
On ferries on the Turku-Stockholm-Turku route, when leaving for breakfast, keep in mind that while you are in the restaurant, the employees can already begin cleaning the cabins - taking off linen (the ferry on this route has very short stops). Therefore, handbags, purses, etc. It’s better to take it with you. On the Helsinki-Stockholm-Helsinki route there is no such rush and no one will break into your cabin during breakfast.

Shop Duty Free
The duty free shop on board is open in the evening and some in the morning. The selection of perfume, alcohol, cigarettes, and confectionery is good. Prices are higher than in Duty Free at our airports, but not much. But they are significantly lower than on earth (in the EU). Therefore, we usually do not violate the drinks allowance when entering Finland, but replenish our supplies on the ferry :)

All ferries have discos, and some (larger ones, mainly on the Helsinki-Stockholm line) have rich entertainment up to the circus, concerts, etc.

But drivers - sleep! :)

In the morning, if it is light and the weather is good, I recommend going up to the upper deck and spending the remaining time admiring the skerries through which the ferry passes to Stockholm.

Unloading
Access to cars opens 40 minutes before mooring. This is announced on the radio, including in Russian. But there is no need to rush. It is quite enough to start going down to the auto deck 20 minutes before arriving at the port. Moreover, I don’t recommend waiting for the elevators - the entire huge tourist crowd on foot will take the elevators to the 5th deck, from where the exit is on foot. It’s not difficult to go down 3-4 flights of stairs with a small bag (remember about bags?).