Workshop on
Nonlinear, nonlocal problems and stochastic methods
December 7-9, 2016
Aalto University, Finland
Workshop Location
Public transportation
There is a very efficient public transportation network in Helsinki and Espoo which goes by the initials HSL/HRT. The English version of the website gives all the information in terms of fares, routes, route planning, and timetables.
The route planner of HSL/HRT works pretty well. By visiting the HSL route planner you can choose your origin and destination and the desired departure or arrival time (useful examples are given below.) The planner will suggest possible routes and give detailed walking directions whenever relevant. The planner is quite sensitive to spelling, so that "Töölö towers" works while "Toolo towers" doesn't. The directions feature of Google Maps also works pretty well in Helsinki and can suggest car, walking, and public transportation routes. Please use the address Otakaari 1 for the math building location whenever you are trying to find directions in HSL or Google Maps. Anything else might be confusing.
The greater Helsinki area is divided into three cities, Helsinki, Vantaa, and Espoo. These cities form the zones for the public transportation system. For example, the airport is in Vantaa, the center of Helsinki is, naturally, in Helsinki while the Department of Mathematics is located in Espoo. If you cross two or three of these zones, you typically need a more expensive (regional) ticket.
You can buy a single ticket from the bus driver, if necessary, using cash, and specifying your destination. The bus driver might not be able to give you a ticket if you try to buy one with anything bigger than a 20 euro bill. In general, buying tickets from the bus driver should be avoided as they are more expensive. Better alternatives are the small convenience stores R-KIOSKI which are situated in several places in Helsinki and Espoo (for example, there is one very close to the math building), ticket machines mostly found in subway stops, but also at the airport bus stops, as well as the HSL office in the central station of Helsinki. If you plan to stay within the campus area most of the time, and your accomodation is also in the Espoo zone, you are probably fine with buying single tickets every time you want to use the public transportation.
Optimal option for HSL tickets
If you plan to visit Helsinki often OR if your accomodation is in the Helsinki zone, the best option is to buy a "day ticket" from an R-KIOSKI or ticket machine. This is basically a travel card that can be valid from 1 up to 7 days. One can choose a "regional" travel card that would cover movement within Helsinki, Espoo, and Vantaa. For example, a regional travel card for 5 days covers Helsinki (center), Espoo (campus), and Vantaa (airport), and costs 32 euro. This can already be purchased at the airport ticket machine (there are ticket machines at the 615 bus stops in Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 of Vantaa; there is also an R-KIOSKI situated at the departures level of Terminal 2) and used for the transportation to and from the airport. This makes sense as, already the price of tickets to and from the airport would be 5+5 euro.
Luggage: Landing at Vantaa airport, please note that the airport has different luggage collection halls/extis, depending on your airline company. Signs will lead you to the right exit.
Buses: The most common and frequent way to get from the airport to the city center is to take bus 615 or bus 620 (buy preferrably 615 as it has a shorter route). The terminal stop of these buses is the central railway station (Rautatientori) from which you can find connections to a.e. place in Helsinki and Espoo. Conversely, going to the airport, you should take 615 or bus 620 (but preferrably 615) from the central railway station. Check the bus timetables/planner before taking the bus to the airport. You will need a regional single ticket (5 euro) for each leg that can be purchased from the driver or the ticket machine at the airport. A regional day card will also work.
If you are staying at Töölö towers, it is quite convenient to take the Finnair bus and get off the bus at the stop "Hesperian puisto". From there it is a 10 minute walk to Töölö towers. The fare for the Finnair bus is 6.30 euro. Please note that the Finnair bus does not belong to the public transportation system and requires a separate ticket that can be bought from the bus driver or online, here.
Taxi: You will find the taxi queue outside the terminal at Vantaa airport. The average fare from Vantaa airport to Helsinki is about 45 euro, but you can share that if you travel with company. You can also order a taxi for example here.
Helpful: If you have a smartphone you can use journey planners on your phone. A list of these applications for different smartphones can be found here.
The most frequent connection from the Helsinki center is by Kamppi shopping mall (buses 102, 102T, 103,103T), the trip taking 15-20 minutes. Remember this is a regional trip so you need a regional ticket. The bus terminal is located at the lowest level of the Kamppi shopping mall.
If you are staying at Τöölö towers, another option would be short walk to "Hesperian puisto" from where you can take bus 194 or 195. Note however that these buses are not very frequent.
Accommodation
There are several hotels in Helsinki and Espoo that are suitably located for the workshop.
Hotel suggestions in Espoo
Hotel suggestions in Helsinki
Many other options for hotels in Helsinki and Espoo can be found here.
Page content by: webmaster-math [at] list [dot] aalto [dot] fi
