Venue – How to get to Helsinki

57th Annual Meeting of the Societas Linguistica Europaea
21 August – 24 August 2024
University of Helsinki

How to get to Helsinki

The basic information on traveling to Helsinki can be found here: https://www.myhelsinki.fi/en/meetings-and-events/accessibility-and-arrival-to-helsinki.

From the airport:

Trains

The easiest way to get downtown is by train, which goes directly to the Central Railway Station. Take either the I or the P train and get off at the last stop. The Helsinki main station is right in the city centre, near the University’s City Centre Campus and the conference venue.

At the Airport, the entrance to the train station is located under the terminal, with a direct elevator and escalator connection from the departures and arrivals hall to the station. A train ride to Helsinki City Centre takes about 30 minutes. Tickets are not sold on the train, so you’ll have to buy one beforehand. Local train tickets can be purchased from HSL’s mobile app, or from the ticket machine at the train platform. Timetables, tickets and fares for local trains can be found on the HSL website.

When using the ticket machine, please select the option for zones “ABC” (4.10€ for a one-way ticket) for journeys between the Airport and Helsinki.

Buses

Bus route 600 operates between Helsinki Airport and downtown Helsinki: the travel time is approximately 40 minutes. Tickets must be purchased in advance. They can be purchased online on HSL’s mobile app, or at the bus station’s ticket machine. Read more about tickets and fares on HSL’s website. When buying a ticket from the Airport, select the option for zones “ABC” (4.10€ for a one-way ticket). The bus stand is located outside the Arrivals hall.

Taxis

The taxi station is found outside the Arrivals hall. There are four taxi lanes, and you can choose which lane and which taxi company you want to use.

The three taxi companies that have an agreement with the airport company Finavia operate from lanes 1-3. These are FixuTaxi, Taksi Helsinki and Menevä-taksi. The fares for those taxis are indicated at the taxi station. Other taxi companies operate from lane 4. Pre-booked taxis wait for passengers at the back of the taxi station.

Renting a car

It is difficult and expensive to find parking places near the conference venue, or even more generally in the city center. Thus, we wouldn’t necessarily recommend renting a car just for the conference. However, if you have plans to travel outside of Helsinki, such as to national parks like Sipoo or Nuuksio, public transport is infrequent and limited, and in such instances it makes sense to rent a car. For most towns and cities in Finland, however, there are generally good public transport connections; for more information on connections see more at Matkahuolto’s website.

There are a number of car rentals at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport. Their service desks are located in the Arrivals hall, next to the parking information. It is possible to rent a car in advance. Read more about renting a car.

By ship

Helsinki is served by a number of ferry routes, with crossings to Tallinn (Estonia), Stockholm (Sweden), and Travemünde (near Lübeck, Germany). The companies that operate the connections are Finnlines (Helsinki – Travemünde), Tallink Silja Line (Helsinki – Stockholm, Helsinki – Tallinn), Viking Line (Helsinki – Stockholm, Helsinki – Tallinn) and Eckerö Line (Helsinki – Tallinn). It is possible to take your vehicle onto all vessels and to choose to stay in a cabin. 

There are 4 port terminals in Helsinki: South Harbor (Olympia), West Harbor (Terminal 1 & 2), Katajanokka, and Hansa terminal in Vuosaari. 

Passenger terminals at Helsinki City Centre

  • Katajanokka Terminal: serves routes to Stockholm and Tallinn by Viking Line
  • Olympia Terminal: serves routes to Stockholm by Tallink Silja Line.
  • West Harbour / West Terminal 2: serves routes to Tallinn by Eckerö Line and Tallink Silja Line

Other Terminals

  • Hansa Terminal, Vuosaari harbour: departures to Travemünde by Finnlines.

For more information on the passenger terminals, such as parking information, please see the Port of Helsinki’s website.

By train

Trains to Helsinki are served by VR with a number of different routes to cities all around Finland. For more information, see VR’s website.

Venue of the conference

All the activities of the Helsinki SLE meeting will be held at the Main Building of the University of Helsinki overlooking the Senate Square (https://www.helsinki.fi/en/about-us/campuses/city-centre-campus; https://www.helsinki.fi/en/about-us/campuses/guide-visitor).

The campus is in the city center of Helsinki. The main building can be entered from two sides: Fabianinkatu 33 and Unioninkatu 34, see the map below (building 1). The registration will be closer to the Fabianinkatu side.

Traveling with children

The University of Helsinki’s Main Building has a childcare room (Fabianinkatu side, 1st floor) which can be used for breastfeeding, changing diapers, etc. There will also be a dedicated room (F3004) available for participants with children to use for small breaks from the conference buzz during 21-24 August. Please note that this is not a supervised room and that due to liability issues we cannot offer childcare services within the university premises. Therefore, children using this room should be accompanied by parents or babysitters. If you need a babysitter during your stay, we recommend hiring one to your hotel room through MLL childcare assistance.

Accessibility

The Main Building where all conference activities are held is accessible with a wheelchair. The accessible entrance is at Fabianinkatu 33. Some rooms have a special accessible entrance. Information on accessibility is offered at registration. If you need assistance in finding accessible routes within the building, don’t hesitate to be in touch with local organizers or conference assistants whom you will find at the registration at all times. The venues for receptions on 21 and 22 August as well as the conference dinner on 23 August are also accessible with a wheelchair.

Traveling around Helsinki

Downtown Helsinki is easy to get around by foot, and the conference venue is a short walk from the Central Railway Station. If your hotel is slightly further away, however, public transport is still efficient and affordable. Single tickets as well as day tickets (valid for 1-7 days, 24h a day) are sold in ticket machines found at all metro and railway stations, as well as R kiosks. The AB-ticket is in most cases sufficient for traveling inside Helsinki, but you will need a ABC-ticket for the Airport. The tickets are valid in all forms of public transport (tram, metro, bus, train, ferry). If you prefer to move around independently you may also consider taking a city bike (10€ a week).

The easiest way to find transportation and timetables is to check the route on the HSL journey planner.

More information about public transportation and hotels situated near the city center campus of the University of Helsinki is available in the Guide for visitors.

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