We will be flying from El Paso, Texas to Denver; Denver to Frankfurt, then Frankfurt to Helsinki on August 16-17. First question: 1. If we are TSA Pre, how early would be recommended to be at El Paso airport for flight to Denver since this is still a domestic portion of our flight?
2. Will we go through passport control/ customs in Frankfurt or not until final destination in Helsinki? I researched this question and got varying answers depending on website but we have a 3 hour layover so I think we should be fine either way.
3. Is there a taxi line at Helsinki airport and any advice about transport to hotel? We are staying in a Marriott that is a 5 minute walk to the Viking Line ferry terminal since we are taking an overnight ferry from Helsinki to Stockholm a couple of days after arrival.
Thank you!
Posted by
Uppsala, Sweden
6970 posts
2) Passport control in Frankfurt, customs in Finland.
3) Yes, there are taxis. But I'd recommend the commuter train. It's €4.10 for a ticket and frequent departures.
Posted by
OP
231 posts
Thanks Badger. I appreciate that. I know the commuter train is probably pretty easy and we will at least look at the logistics, but after 18 hours of travel and we aren't that young anymore, we usually use a taxi just that one time for the whole trip since it will be about 6:30 in the evening and I assume the taxi would take about half as long with not having to worry about transferring etc. with public transit.
Posted by
884 posts
You have a long trip to get to Helsinki and I can understand why you would want to take a taxi to your hotel. As an alternative to taxi or just public transport, you could take the train from the airport to the main train station and then take a taxi to your hotel. The trains run very frequently and I don’t remember it being a long walk from the airport to the train. I’ve only flown out of Helsinki (not in to Helsinki) and I’ve only done it once. We took the train and it was very easy.
Posted by
Magyarország / Rep of Texas
20175 posts
El Paso 2 hours prior.
Posted by
OP
231 posts
Thanks! Nice to get these little details figured out!
Posted by
Uppsala, Sweden
6970 posts
It's very easy to take the train. Take the escalator down to the station. Buy a ticket, in the app or from a machine, and board the train. They are low floor trains so no steps to climb. Take a seat and a bit later you are at the central station, which is the last stop so you won't miss it and end up somewhere else.
Also, don't overestimate the average speed of a taxi during rush hour.
I get the feeling that you maybe are staying at Skatudden? In which case it is a short tram ride to the hotel, but you can as mentioned also take a taxi from the central station.