TTR39 Out & About Helsinki

The capital city of Finland has an appeal quite different from its Scandinavian neighbours. There is plenty to see and do, and Ticket to Ride.. help you sort out some of the best, and of course, gets you using the city's superb public transport system to make the most of your time and your euros. Once we get down town from Vantaa airport we look over some of the city's hotels, where you get good access to the surprisingly dense tram system. We use the trams to see the sights, but for those more distant attractions we take to the train. The centre of the VR passenger network is the magnificent neo-classical Central station. We have a good look around, admire the new roof built to mark the city's year as capital of European culture and see how connections with the metro are made. We make a day trip to the city of Turku, the ancient capital of Finland, stopping off at KarjalKaris and diverting to Hanko on the way. Here we see VR at work: Pendolinos, the Soviet SRi and state of the art SR2 - broad gauge Lok 2000s - plus double deck IC cars and the latest in suburban rail travel from Fiat. We make an excursion across 40 miles of the Baltic to the Estonian capital Tallinn by ferry, with a return onboard a high tech catamaran. Extras include a ferry hopping tour of the Turku archipelago, a boat trip to the fortress at Suomenlinna and a visit to the Helsinki tram museum. For rail fans, there is a visit to Kouvola where we watch VR Cargo switching European and Russian wagons near the ports of Kotka and Hamina. A great adventure for travellers, rail and maritime enthusiasts.

Narrated RT 78 mins