The capital of Finland, Helsinki is a modern cosmopolitan city with a unique blend of contemporary Nordic cool and ancient Fennoscandian heritage. From the stately Helsinki Cathedral and imposing Suomenlinna Sea Fortress to cutting-edge design museums and world-class restaurants. Helsinki offers something for every type of traveler.
However getting to this Northern European gem can sometimes come with a hefty price tag when booking flights. As an avid traveler who has visited Helsinki multiple times, I’m here to share my insider tips for scoring the cheapest airfare & making your dream trip a reality without breaking the bank.
Be Flexible with Travel Dates
One of the golden rules for finding cheap flights is being flexible with your travel dates. Even shifting your trip by a day or two can sometimes reveal shockingly lower airfare prices. Use tools like Google Flights and Sky scanner to easily see a calendar view of prices for different dates.
For Helsinki specifically traveling in the winter low season of November-March can yield the cheapest fares as demand is lower. Late spring and early fall are also good times to find deals. If possible, avoid peak summer when prices skyrocket.
Consider Low-Cost Carriers
Budget airlines like Norwegian Air, Ryanair & Wizz Air offer cheap direct flights from cities across Europe and the UK to Helsinki Airport (HEL). You’ll have to be willing to forego amenities like free checked bags, meals & seat assignments on most routes. But the airfare savings can be substantial.
I’ve flown round-trip from London to Helsinki for as little as £50 total on Norwegian before! Sign up for low-cost carrier email lists and be ready to pounce on airfare sales.
Depart From Nearby Airports
Helsinki airfare from your nearest airport expensive? Consider positioning flights from another airport in driving distance with cheaper routes. For example, Ryanair offers cheap flights to Helsinki from Arlanda Airport near Stockholm – a 4 hour drive or bus ride from Helsinki.
Similarly, low-cost carriers in Germany, Poland, Latvia and other nearby nations may have sales to Helsinki that you can combine with a cheap regional flight or train ride to take advantage of.
Book Well in Advance or Last Minute
While being flexible with dates is advisable sometimes you need to lock in flights far in advance for a set trip timeframe. The general wisdom is to book international flights around 6 months prior to departure. However I’ve also scored cheap last minute Helsinki flights by waiting until a week or two before travel & monitoring sites like Scott’s Cheap Flights for rock-bottom mistake fares on routes to HEL.
Of course the downside here is limited seat availability and not getting your preferred dates/times. But it’s worth a look for the ultra spontaneous and bargain hunters.
Fly Budget to Stockholm/Tallinn Then Train
Another cost-saving strategy is to find an ultra-cheap budget flight to Stockholm, Sweden or Tallinn, Estonia & then take a quick train ride the rest of the way to Helsinki. You can often find screaming deals to those larger cities thanks to more airline competition on certain routes.
The train journey from Stockholm’s Arlanda Airport to Helsinki is around 3.5 hours and can cost as little as $30 one-way if booked in advance. From Tallinn take the 2-hour ferry across the Gulf of Finland then a bus to Helsinki for about $15 total.
Use Flight Subscriptions and Fare Alerts
Services like Scott’s Cheap Flights &Dollar Flight Club do all the legwork for you by sending alerts whenever they detect stellar deals to your departing airport. For an annual subscription fee (around $50), it could easily save you hundreds if not thousands.
Along with setting up fare alerts on Google Flights and airline emails, these can help you pounce on mistake fares and last-minute sales you’d never find on your own.
Consider One-Way Ticketing
While the conventional wisdom is to book roundtrip for cheaper rates, sometimes one-way tickets are actually less expensive especially if your dates are rigid one-way but flexible on the return. Always check one-way Helsinki flight pricing against roundtrip options to find the lowest total cost.
Rack Up Miles & Points
Finally frequent traveler programs and travel credit cards can help you accrue miles and points that directly translate into free flights! Major Helsinki airline partners include Finnair, Scandinavian Airlines (SAS), Lufthansa & American Airlines among others.
This approach requires some advance planning but scoring a free or discounted Helsinki flight using miles or points can provide tremendous savings that easily offsets any annual fees.
With some flexibility, strategy and a little bit of effort, getting to Helsinki on a budget is absolutely achievable. Start planning your affordable Northern lights and saunas trip today!