Travel by rail to the Finnish capital from St. Petersburg.

There can be many reasons to travel to Helsinki. Some come here for shopping, others for tourist purposes, for others it is a departure point to other European cities by plane or ferry. You can get to the Finnish capital by all available means of transport. But today we're going to talk about one of the fastest trains. There are only two of them: «Allegro» from St. Petersburg and «Leo Tolstoy» from Moscow. Today we will tell you about the first one.

The most popular and probably the most famous train going to Helsinki is the Allegro. The train of 7 cars with daily departure, at a speed of 220 kilometers per hour, covers a distance of 407 kilometers. The high-speed electric train follows the route St. Petersburg (Finlandsky Railway Station) – Helsinki (Central Station). Thus, you go almost from the center of one city to another. The following stops are provided on the route: Vyborg, Vainikkala, Kouvola, Lahti, Tikkurila.

Tickets on sale, as in most trains, are sold for 90 days. The earlier before departure, the lower the price. Since this is an international flight, the prices for "Allegro" are indicated everywhere in euros. Payment is made in rubles at the exchange rate set by the Central Bank of Russia on the date of purchase of the ticket. A separate travel ticket is not required for children under 6 years old, unless a separate seat is required. For citizens aged 6 to 17 years, the travel card is 30% cheaper. If a group departure is planned, a 20% discount is also available for a company of 6 people or more. The average fare ranges from 28.97 - 68.98 euros to 58.99 - 104.02 euros. It depends primarily on the class of service and the number of days before departure. If you need to urgently send on a trip, then the price tag will already bite: 79.00 euros for the 2nd class of service and 132.18 euros for the 1st class. By the way, first-class carriages provide meals.

In total, the train provides 48 seats of the 1st class, 289 seats of the second class and two seats for small-sized citizens in the 2nd car. There is a playroom for children in car 7. The restaurant car is the third from the head of the train in the direction of Helsinki. For each passenger there is a personal chair with an adjustable backrest, individual lighting, a socket between the seats. There are special seats for passengers with animals in car No. 6 (seats 65–68). The price for such passengers increases by 15 euros and pets are not allowed in other seats.

The information system works in three languages: Finnish, English and Russian. In addition, there are places for storing hand luggage and a water cooler is provided. Each passenger has the right to carry luggage in the amount of no more than two seats, no more than 100 x 60 x 40 cm each. The same applies to the transportation of bicycles, its dimensions in disassembled and packed condition should not exceed the established dimensions of hand luggage. It is also possible to transport skis in covers.

Passport control is carried out throughout the trip. You will need a passport and a valid visa. In addition, currency exchange is already possible on the territory of Finland, as well as a refund on TaxFree checks. If you are not a citizen of the Russian Federation, then crossing the border by train «Allegro» on an electronic visa is currently not possible.

«Allegro» departs from St. Petersburg 4 times a day: to 6:40, 11:30, 15:30 and 20:30. The travel time is from 3 hours to 27 minutes. Back from Helsinki departure to 07:20, 11:00, 16:00, 20:00. Of course, the schedule may change, additional trains may also be introduced during the holidays. But keep in mind that night flights are not provided for this train.

If the purpose of your trip to Allegro is Helsinki Airport, then there is good news for you. You can make a free transfer to Tikkurila station and proceed to the airport. This opportunity is provided to you within 80 minutes from the time of arrival of the train in Tikkurila or Helsinki. Therefore, keep your travel tickets until the end of the trip. Not only will you save money, but the travel time to the airport is only 8 minutes. Therefore, Allegro is one of the fastest ways to get to Helsinki-Vantaa Airport from St. Petersburg.

Of course, it is cheaper to send to Helsinki by bus, but the road will take you a lot of time, and the border can also be unpredictable. On average, the journey will take 8 hours, so Allegro saves a lot of time. In addition, it is a comfortable way to travel. In the following articles we will talk about "Leo Tolstoy", following the route Moscow – Helsinki. How do you prefer to travel to the Finnish capital? Do you prefer rail transport? Share your opinion in the comments.