Finland on a budget: how to do it well
Short answer
Finland is hard to do cheaply, but hostels, lunch buffets, free nature and public saunas make a budget trip possible. A realistic minimum, averaged over a trip, is about €115 per person a day: €45 for a bed, €30 for food, €20 for sights and €20 for transport.
A realistic daily budget
| Budget | Mid-range | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bed (per person, sharing) | €45 | €85 | €200 |
| Food & drink | €30 | €55 | €100 |
| Sights & tickets | €20 | €60 | €150 |
| Local transport | €20 | €40 | €70 |
| Per person, per day | €115 | €240 | €520 |
Approximate 2026 prices, two people sharing a room. From our Finland day-cost table.
Free things to do
- Helsinki Cathedral and Senate Square.
- Oodi Central Library in Helsinki, with a top-floor terrace.
- Santa Claus Village on the Arctic Circle near Rovaniemi (entry is free; activities cost extra).
- Everyman's right (jokamiehenoikeus): hiking, berry picking and wild camping in nature are allowed for free.
- The Pyynikki ridge in Tampere and its lake views.
- The aurora borealis on clear nights from late August to April, away from town lights.
Cheap eats
- Weekday lunch buffet (lounas): about €12–15.
- Karelian pie (karjalanpiirakka) from a bakery or market: about €1.50–3.
- Salmon soup at a market hall: about €14–16.
- Doughnut (munkki) and coffee at the Pyynikki tower café: about €5–6.
- Reindeer sautéed with mash at a simple Lapland café: about €18–25.
Where to sleep for less
Budget travellers use hostels and simple hotels in Helsinki's Kallio district and in Rovaniemi, with doubles about €70–110 and dorm beds lower. Cottages and campsites around the lakes are good value in summer, especially for groups.
Getting around cheaply
VR trains are the best value if booked early in the app: Helsinki to Turku about 2 hours, to Tampere about 1h30. Buses (Onnibus) are often cheaper still. In Helsinki, the HSL app covers trams, metro, buses and the Suomenlinna ferry, and the I/P train runs to the airport in about 30 minutes.
A sample budget day
- Morning: Senate Square and the Cathedral (free), then the HSL ferry to Suomenlinna (about €3.20).
- Lunch: lounas buffet (about €13).
- Afternoon: Oodi library (free) and the Temppeliaukio rock church (about €5–8).
- Evening: a public sauna in Tampere or Helsinki (about €8–15), supermarket dinner (about €10).
- Total: about €115 including a €45 bed and transport.
More ways to save
- Plan Lapland for one or two nights only and see southern Finland on cheaper train fares.
- Bring your own winter layers instead of renting thermal suits for each activity.
- Use Onnibus for long-distance trips, often cheaper than trains.
- Pick hotels with breakfast included; Finnish hotel breakfasts are large enough for two meals.
- Take advantage of everyman's right for free hiking and picnics in national parks such as Nuuksio near Helsinki.
- Try the cheaper neighbourhood saunas (yleinen sauna) rather than design saunas.
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Common questions
Can you travel Finland on a budget?
Yes, with hostels, lunch buffets, early train tickets and free nature thanks to everyman's right, for about €115 a day.
What is the cheapest way to get to Lapland?
An early-booked VR night train seat or a budget flight to Rovaniemi. Overnight buses also run but take longer.
Are the northern lights free to see?
Yes. On clear, dark nights from late August to April you can see them without a tour, away from street lights.