• schedules of LOT

• schedules of SAS

• schedules of Finnair

• schedules of Lufthansa

The flights of LOT (via Helsinki) or SAS (via Kopenhagen and Stockholm) are quite cheap (about 400 $ for a to and fro ticket), by Finnair and Lufthansa more.
This way is for people which can pay a little more for the convenience and pleasure (yes!) of an air flight. It is really beautifully over there! You will see people small like ants, houses like Lego© pieces. The SAS flight from Berlin to Copenhagen is in early morning so you will experience a breakfast over the skies. Then in an hour or so (depending on the wetter condisions - I've had to wait 40 minutes for landing permision) you will be in Copenhagen. Firts after your arrival you go to the information for transiting guests and they will give you a boarding card with all important informations (gate number, place number). While you're waiting for your next flight you have a good oportunity to visit some tax-free shops. You can pay in any currency you want (DM, USD, FMK etc.). So if you forgott to take vodka with you (in Finland it's terrible expensive) you can buy it there. The next flights (Copenhagen-Stockholm, Stockholm-Vaasa) are just a routine. But if you will ever travel at dusk. For me an experience... At the one end of the sky the sun setting down end at the another one still brightness. And I traveling in to the setting darkness. Hughe!

• 1. version - for people with a lot of spare time. Ferries leave in Travemuende from Skandinaviankai (it is also the name of the nearest railway station).You go then to Helsinki by Silja Line (homepage in Finnish and Swedish only), the ferry-trip lasts about 40 hours in winter and 20 hours in sommer, booking in every travel agency in Germany.

  Then take a train Helsinki-Seinäjoki-Vaasa ( timetable here - just omit Rovaniemi and Oulu. "P" in the timetable means friday, "M-S" - monday-sunday, "M-P" - monday-friday.) There are a couple of trains leaving every day, a normal ticket costs 176 mk one-way (the Inter-City trains are more expensive !) or exactly the half that is 78 mk with the finnish student card (no ISIC or other student cards are accepted). If you want to know how much it is in "normal" money, click here .

  Look below how to get along in Helsinki.

• 2. version - it presumes also you have a lot of time for the journey and feel nostalgia for the old green russian trains. You start in Warsaw, Central Station, the time is 14.42. By train (the train changes in Sestokai/Latvia) you will reach the capital of Estonia next day 13.27 (hopefully you know what is the capital of Estonia ?) and the pleasure costs only 130 new polish zloties. A ferry will take you to Helsinki or when you on your way back from Helsinki to Tallin. From Helsinki to Vaasa by train like above.

• Helsinki - thatīs another story. If you come from Travemuende by Silja Line you will land probably in so called Katajanokka Terminaali (donīt panic - thatīs only the name of the port). Outside of the port there will be a tram and a bus stop - the tram number 2 and 2V and the bus 13 go to the railway station.

  It is hard to say to which of the terminals you could get when coming from Tallin. Anyway you can print the map of Helsinki before leaving then it will be easier to manage there. And donīt worry if you get lost, just ask - everybody speaks English .

• Since Vaasa is a quite small town, there are only a few bus lines connecting various parts of it and itīs really enough. You get the bus timetables from the Tourist Information Centre (corner Hovioikeudenpuistikko and Raastuvankatu).

  Attention! Changing a bus you donīt have to pay twice on that condition that you bought in the first bus the famous "vaihto-lippu". Just repeat 5 or 6 times "vaihto-lippu" to the driver and he will understand what you mean.

• If youīre not so keen on buses and would like to ride a bike, you have to buy it. In our humble opinion the best store with second hand bikes is one in Palosaarentie 23/25. The dealers are nice guys and the used bikes there are much more cheaper than in other shops. The whole polish team bought in winter 1996 their bikes there and nobody complained. We paid for our bikes between 300 and 400 FMK.

• Other bicycle shop addresses:
  • Vaasanpuistikko 24
  • Vaasanpuistikko 14
  • Pitkäkatu 59
  • Kauppapuistikko 28