GETTING AROUND
Enjoy congestion-free travel
You will hardly ever hit congestion in Finland, whether on the roads, at airports or on trains. When travelling by road, you can plan your route along arterial roads that run across the country or make detours to truly quiet scenic country roads. Close to most of the main arteries there is generally a parallel minor road that is often the former highway from decades ago. Finland has a dense network of service stations, and along the arterial roads there is an extensive network of service stations that are open through the night. Service stations generally have at least cafes, but most of them also serve full meals.
While Finns may appear to be rather withdrawn people, they certainly make up for it when it comes to sticking to schedules. In Finland you can always trust that flights, trains and buses depart on time; delays tend to occur only in exceptional weather conditions in winter. Airports and trains are rarely congested, except for a few occasions at the beginning of the holiday seasons. If you fly from Helsinki to Lapland or to the Lake District, you will often be able to admire the wonderful scenery from the aeroplane. The route across the Lake District in particular serves to explain why Finland is called `the land of thousands of lakes´.
Finland´s fleet of trains is one of the most modern in Europe. You can travel conveniently on fast Pendolino and Inter City trains between the biggest towns and as far as Lapland. Admittedly, in Lapland you might be temporarily held up if reindeer have decided to gather on the road to watch the tourists!
