Transportation:

During the orientation day, tutors will bring you to the HSL office to purchase a HSL transport card with student discounts up to 50%. The card would be used to purchase tickets for the bus, trains and trams. You can either choose to purchase a season ticket (14-366 days) or to purchase a single trip ticket each time you get onto the bus/tram/metro/train via the card reader machine. Student discount would not be valid without your transport card! Pricing of single trip tickets purchased by travel card are as follows:

Flying Chalks’ recommendations:

• The longer the period of season ticket purchased, the cheaper the price. If you are staying away from the city center, it will definitely be a lot cheaper to purchase a season ticket for the whole period you will be in Helsinki right at the start.
• Use the HSL journey planner to plan your route. (Link here!) 

Bus
Busses cover the whole city area, including suburban areas Espoo, Vantaa and Kauniainen. You can either use the journey planner to check the bus timings or check the bus timetables placed at each bus stop. Busses in Finland are known to be very punctual.

Trams
Trams only operate in the city center. Similarly, tram timings can be checked either via the journey planner or the electronic display board.

Metro

There is only one metro line in Helsinki and it operates between the city center and the eastern part of Helsinki. The electronic display screens will indicate timing of arrival.

Train
Trains operate northwards from the Central Railway station. Trains also travel to suburban areas such as Espoo, Vantaa and Kauniainen.

Banking Services:

To set up a bank account, you would require:

• A certificate of student status (is given from Hanken University)
• Passport
• Residence permit
• Address in Finland
• Recommendation letter from the student's bank in the home country

In addition, banks may require the student to present additional documents such as bank statements or other proof of income.

You should ALWAYS make an appointment at the bank where you want to open a bank account (and confirm the documentation that you need). Be prepared to set aside at least 30 minutes to set up your bank account. Upon the success of setting up an account, you will then receive a bank card which gives you access to virtually every cash point – Otto – (Automatic Teller Machines) in the country.

Should you not wish to set up a bank account, you will still be able to easily withdraw cash from any cash point, Otto with any Visa or Mastercard debit/credit cards at a surcharge of 5 euros per withdrawal.

Major Banks in Finland:

1. Nordea Bank

2. Danske Bank

3. Aktia Bank

Post Office Services:

Posti Group

Posti Group provides postal service in Finland. The nearest post office from the school is located right next to the central railway station. Long queues are common during after work hours as well as weekends.

Flying Chalks’ tip: If you are only intending to send a letter or a postcard, the more time-efficient method would be for you can purchase stamps from any R-kiosk and post it via the letter boxes located all over Helsinkin. Each international stamp costs 1.10 euros.

Medical services:

Being a member of SHS automatically entitles you free healthcare from the Finnish Student Health Services (FSHS). FSHS is open weekdays during the day (depending on the centre) from about 8am–3pm. To get an appointment, you call the closest FSHS office to you- to get the phone numbers and fees, please visit their website here!

(Do take note that for an appointment missed without cancellation, 35 euros would be charged).

Their opening hours are as follows:

Otaniemi, Otakaari 12, 02150 Espoo
Open Mon–Thu 8:00 – 15:00 and Fri 8:00 –14:00

Töölö, Töölönkatu 37 A, 00260 Helsinki
Open Mon–Thu 8:00 – 15:00 and Fri 8:00 –14:00

Viikki, Viikinkaari 11 (1st floor, room 110 C), 00790 Helsinki
Open Wednesdays 8:00 – 15:00

When the FSHS health centre is closed, in case of sudden illness requiring urgent treatment, please contact the health centre of your municipality of residence or call the public health consultation +358 9 310 10023 (Helsinki) or  +358 9 87 10023 (Espoo).                                                     

Medicine

Over-the-counter drugs for colds, headaches, and other minor ailments there can be purchased from pharmacies. The nearest pharmacy from the Toolo campus is in Runeberginkatu 32 or in the Kamppi shopping centre.

In addition, many pharmacies can be found throughout Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa. The Yliopiston Apteekki pharmacy at Mannerheimintie 96, Helsinki, is open 24 hours a day.

Telecommunications:

1. DNA

DNA super prepaid starter packs cost 7.90 € including 7 € of credit. Default data rate is 1.525 € per MB with a maximum charge of 1.916 € per day. Data packages are priced as below:

This starter package can be purchased online (to be sent to a Finnish address) or from R-kiosks, or from Posti. You can purchase top-up vouchers from R-kiosk or could be done online via Visa or Mastercard payment (link here!)

2. Elisa (Saunalahti is a consumer sub-brand of Elisa)

The starter package cost 5.90 € consisting 6 € of credit. Default rate is 0.066€ per MB with a daily maximum of 0.99 € for unlimited data. Their data packages are all unlimited with differing speeds and differing prices as listed in the table below:

Elisa sim cards are not only available at Elisa Stores (link here!) but also readily available at R-kiosks, Alephas, Prisma, Valintatalo or gas stations such as Shell and ABC. Top up vouchers can be purchased at R-kiosks or could be done online via Visa or MasterCard payment (link here!)

3. Sonera

Their prepaid package is called easy package, which includes voice text and data. The starter pack is sold for 9.90 euros with 7 euros credit. Their data rate is a flat 1.91€ per MB, but a maximum of 1.91€ per day is charged for up to 3 GB of data. Unlimited data packages can also be purchased for 31 days (23.90€) or for 7 days (12.90€).

Prepaid cards can be purchased from stores (link here!) or online (to be sent to residential address or to nearest R-kiosk at a fee).

Weather:

Spring
April is when spring starts in the Helsinki region. The snow starts melting and transits into a rainy season. (be prepared for all the slush by getting a pair of waterproof boots!) Trees will start to bloom at the start of May and days will become longer and grow warmer

Summer
Lots of light (20 hours daylight in the middle of the summer) and greenery over the summer months (June, July, August). Temperature sometimes rises above 20 degrees. Vacation time for most Finns to soak under the sunshine and retreat to summer cottages.

Autumn 
From the beginning of September to early November, you will feel the crisp autumn air that brings you the eye-catching views of a colourful season. Nights will become cooler and days will become shorter towards the end of the year.

Winter
Real wintertime usually begins in December in Southern Finland when the permanent snow arrives and days become really short from November to February. The temperature sometimes dips to -20 degrees and proper winter clothing would be required. Boots with good anti-slip soles would be extremely important as the surface would be very slippery when the temperature hovers around 0 degrees.