Car hire and driving in Helsinki
Driving distances to the cities around, the rules that change at the border, and where to compare rental prices.
In Finland traffic drives on the right. Picking up at HEL means 17 km (11 mi) into the centre before the trip starts. The emergency number is http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1061257.
Drives from Helsinki
| Route | Country | Distance | Estimated time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Helsinki to Tallinn | Estonia | 82 km (51 mi) | about 1 h 15 min |
| Helsinki to Lahti | Finland | 99 km (61 mi) | about 1 h 30 min |
| Helsinki to Turku | Finland | 150 km (93 mi) | about 2 h 17 min |
| Helsinki to Tampere | Finland | 160 km (100 mi) | about 2 h 27 min |
| Helsinki to Jyväskylä | Finland | 234 km (146 mi) | about 3 h 34 min |
| Helsinki to Saint Petersburg | Russia | 300 km (186 mi) | about 4 h 34 min |
| Helsinki to Kolpino | Russia | 318 km (198 mi) | about 4 h 51 min |
| Helsinki to Pskov | Russia | 326 km (202 mi) | about 4 h 58 min |
| Helsinki to Kuopio | Finland | 336 km (209 mi) | about 5 h 7 min |
| Helsinki to Riga | Latvia | 362 km (225 mi) | about 5 h 31 min |
| Helsinki to Stockholm | Sweden | 396 km (246 mi) | about 6 h 2 min |
| Helsinki to Sollentuna | Sweden | 399 km (248 mi) | about 6 h 5 min |
| Helsinki to Moscow | Russia | 893 km (555 mi) | about 13 h 37 min |
| Helsinki to Berlin | Germany | 1,105 km (686 mi) | about 16 h 51 min |
| Helsinki to Kyiv | Ukraine | 1,136 km (706 mi) | about 17 h 19 min |
| Helsinki to Hamburg | Germany | 1,165 km (724 mi) | about 17 h 46 min |
| Helsinki to Minsk | Belarus | 715 km (444 mi) | about 10 h 54 min |
| Helsinki to Budapest | Hungary | 1,460 km (907 mi) | about 22 h 16 min |
| Helsinki to Warsaw | Poland | 915 km (569 mi) | about 13 h 57 min |
| Helsinki to Vienna | Austria | 1,439 km (894 mi) | about 21 h 57 min |
Distances are straight-line; road and rail routes run about 15–25% longer. Times are estimates from distance and typical speeds, not timetables.
Where to compare car hire
We take no bookings for these providers and hold no reservation with them. The provider you choose handles payment, confirmation, changes and refunds. How that works.
Common questions
Which side of the road do they drive on in Helsinki?
The right, as everywhere in Finland.
How are the journey times on this page worked out?
From straight-line distance and typical speeds for each mode, so they are estimates for planning, not timetables. Road and rail routes run 15–25% longer than the straight line.
Where these facts come from
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
- Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
- OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
- Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines
Data compiled 14 September 2026. Hotel and hostel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.