Norway, Finland to St Petersburg

[Kayne]

Hi,

Just looking for some advice on the best way to travel up through Norway, through Finland and in to Russia to reach St Petersburg. I've already done quite a bit of prep on the places to visit in Norway, mainly sticking to the West Coast as much as possible, but am unsure of the most scenic route through Finland. What roads would you suggest? Are there any particular tourist attractions/nature reserves/campsites you would recommend? The trip doesn't begin until June next year but I'm so excited I want to gather as much information as possible.
Also does anyone know how difficult it is to cross the border in to Russia and can you recommend any nice places to stay near St Petersburg with the bikes?

The plan after that is to head towards Moscow, then in to Kazakhstan, but I'll ask questions about that once we've got a clearer plan for the beginning of the trip.

Ta,
Katy

[Kayne]

Also, any nice bike friendly places to stay near Copenhaggen, Gothenburg and Oslo on the way up?

[AnTyx]

Originally Posted by Kayne

am unsure of the most scenic route through Finland. What roads would you suggest? Are there any particular tourist attractions/nature reserves/campsites you would recommend?

Eh. Compared to the coast of Norway, Finland is going to be fast and boring. Your choice is the western route down the Swedish border, Kemi-Oulu, then down via Jyväskylä/Lahti to Helsinki; or the eastern route from Nordkapp via Karasjokk, Ivalo, Rovaniemi, down towards Lappeenranta. In terms of scenery it's about the same thing - flat, some rolling hills but nothing nearly as beautiful as Norway, and increasingly hectic as you get southwards.

On the western route I would recommend Harriniva, a big camping center with cheap huts and a giant sled dog center; you can go on a tour of it in the summer, and pet a bunch of husky puppies.

The adventurous option would be to go from Nordkapp east towards Kirkenes, cross into Russia near Murmansk, and follow the Karelian roads down. Same nature, worse roads, cheaper fuel.

[AnTyx]

Originally Posted by Kayne

Also, any nice bike friendly places to stay near Copenhaggen, Gothenburg and Oslo on the way up?

Lillehammer is a really nice stopover. Still a lot of tourist infrastructure left over from the Olympics, a nice walkable center, you can visit the ski jump tower etc. At the train station's hostel, I got a nice basic but clean en-suite room for something like 30 euros, which was peanuts for Norway.

Copenhagen has a really good public transport system, so don't be afraid of staying outside of the city if you're close to a light rail stop. It's a beautiful city, highly recommended to spend a few days there. G-burg and Oslo, less so.

[Snakeboy]

Well if youre done with the norwegian side planning wise I would suggest that you ride as far east as almost to the norwegian bordertown to Russia - Kirkenes. Just 30-40 kms before Kirkenes at the little settlement of Neiden you can turn southbound at local route 893 and cross into Finland at Näätämö and continue in Finland at local route 971. The first part of this road is actually quite curvy and entertaining down to Inari. Then the more eastern route via Kemijärvi, Sodankyla-Kuusamo-Soumusalla-Kohmo-Lieksa-Savolinna-Lapperantaa. Well - at least thats my preferance. Although its is most certainly correct what AnTyx writes that both western and eastern roads through Finland are relatively similar. And not as exiting as norwegian roads.

[Kayne]

Aw that's great, thank you. Really helpful information

[1moremile]

That's useful information for me too. 2 of us are riding from England through Germany, Denmark and up through Norway in July, returning via Finland to the Baltic states and back to England. I have been looking for suggestions for a route through Finland to the ferry at Helsinki so was pleased to find this thread - thanks.

[AnTyx]

Quick note about Finland. Because the drive down is long and boring, it could be very much worth your while to take an overnight car train. Ride your bike on, go to your nice cabin with an ensuite shower, go to sleep, wake up in Helsinki. When I did it a couple years ago, Helsinki to Rovaniemi for the bike and a single cabin cost me 250 euros - which seems steep, but compared to a thousand clicks' worth of fuel, two nights in a hotel, meals, and wasted vacation time, it starts to look very reasonable.

Trains go up as far as Kolari on the Swedish border (a long day's ride down from Nordkapp - an effort but doable) or Rovaniemi on the more eastern end.

Ferries from Helsinki to Tallinn - they run all day, you have a choice between Viking Line (departs from the downtown waterfront) or Tallink (departs from the Western Terminal, ten minutes' drive from downtown), both of them have a ferry every two hours. There is also Eckero Line with a single ferry that does cruises, I think one or two departures per day. And Linda Line, which has hydrofoils that don't take vehicles.

Pro tip: if you have a Louis.de loyalty card (free on their website) and quote it to a Tallink salesperson on the phone or by email when making a booking, you only pay for humans. Your bike travels for free. This works on all Tallink routes - Tallinn-Helsinki, Tallinn-Stockholm, Stockholm-Helsinki, Stockholm-Riga.

Give me a shout once you're approaching Estonia.

[juuz0]

Seem here is not that much information of Finland? A drive thru Finland does not have to be boring.

If you want to go fast north – south, put the bike on a train and ship it to Helsinki.
If you want drive, but fast and boring. Do the E75
If you want less boring stay east

Next question is what do you want to see? And do you drive on gravel?
Note that gravel roads in Finland are much better quality than the roads in Mongolia.

[AnTyx]

Originally Posted by juuz0

Seem here is not that much information of Finland? A drive thru Finland does not have to be boring.
...
If you want less boring stay east

Well, this is the information we want to hear!

I just learned my friend is moving to Inari, so there's a potential trip coming up for me in August. What route would be good to take, what is non-boring there? Where are the fun roads and what is fun to see?

VFR800, road bike. No gravel.

[Nuff Said]

Don't waste your time and money with Kazakhstan?
But I leave you with a few pictures from the west coast of Norway.

[HeceR]

There's plenty of beautiful places to see in Finland. The road from oulu straight to Helsinki is definitely boring. But type these places to your Google maps: pulkkilanharju, punkaharju, savonlinna, ahvenanmaa and see how they fit to your plan. If you need more help, just ask me. I've driven truck here for years so I'd say I've seen almost every place worth seeing.

[vdh-be]

My route for Finland to Nordkapp:
11/07 Turku to Jyväskylä
12/07 Jyväskylä to Vaala
13/07 Vaala to Kittilä
14/07 Kittilä to Karasjok
15/07 Karasjok to Nordkapp

[juuz0]

If you enter Finland from north. Then Sevettijärvi road, Näätämö - Inari is one of the best biking roads in north of Finland.
Here is one suggestion if you dont want to go on gravel

Näätämö - Kuusamo

In case you don't have anything against gravel. You could add way-point Pokka and Sirkka after way-point Inari

[juuz0]

And another option is if you enter Finland from Alta. Should not be gravel on this route

Kivilompolo - Kittilä