Ferries to Helsinki

The ferry port of Helsinki lies in Uusimaa on the southern coast of Finland, with the central berth in the Katajanokka district. From here you can reach 4 destinations: Tallinn, Mariehamn, Stockholm and Travemünde. Together the services add up to as many as 38 departures a day, and crossings take between 2.25 and 31 hours. The port is served by Eckerö Line, Finnlines, Tallink & Silja Line and Viking Line.

Getting there and the terminal

Helsinki has no single ferry terminal but four, and your ticket decides which one you need. Viking Line sails to Tallinn and Stockholm from the Katajanokka terminal, Katajanokanlaituri 8; tram 5 goes straight there. Tallink Silja Line departs for Stockholm from the Olympia terminal, Olympiaranta 1. The fast ships to Tallinn run by Tallink Silja Line and Eckerö Line leave from West Terminal 2, Tyynenmerenkatu 14 in the Jätkäsaari district, around three kilometres from the main railway station; trams 7, 9, 1T and 8T go there. If you are heading for Travemünde you do not go into the city centre at all: Finnlines departs from the Hansaterminal in Vuosaari harbour in the east of the city, Provianttikatu 5, reached by car via Ring III.

Check-in

At Tallink Silja Line, check-in in the terminal closes 30 minutes before departure and boarding 20 minutes before departure. The gates open about two and a half hours beforehand. In Vuosaari there is a fixed window rather than a deadline: the Finnlines check-in is staffed daily from 12:00 to 14:00, and from 11:30 between mid-June and the end of September.