Moving from Helsinki to Amsterdam with car

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madsum
Posts: 66
Joined: Fri May 07, 2010 3:25 pm

Moving from Helsinki to Amsterdam with car

Post by madsum » Fri Jan 13, 2017 12:28 am

Hello,

I'm moving from Helsinki to Amsterdam by the end of March, 2017. We are 2 adults and 1 child. I will have personal passenger car (Ford fusion 1.4, 2008, 5 doors). I will have few heavy luggages as well.
I need to advise to make my trip comfortable and economical. I'm guessing there should be some ferry/ship to carry my car as well as my family. But I have no idea what to do. Please share you options. Thanks in advance!

Br,
Masum



Moving from Helsinki to Amsterdam with car

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tavastia
Posts: 527
Joined: Tue Mar 08, 2016 1:54 pm

Re: Moving from Helsinki to Amsterdam with car

Post by tavastia » Fri Jan 13, 2017 6:44 am

There probably at least 3 options:

1. Ferry to Stockholm -> drive down via Sweden -> Denmark -> Germany -> Holland

pros: highway all the way, safe driving (maybe)
cons: expensive and long ferry to Stockholm, expensive gas on the way, at least 2 toll bridges or ferries (~45€ each), expensive hotels & food on the way

2. Ferry to Tallinn -> drive down via Baltica -> Poland -> Germany -> Holland

pros: cheap gasoline, cheap hotels on the way, cheap food, no tolls (A2 in Poland may have it already, not sure)
cons: no highway until 80 km before Warsaw, road it self is good with overtaking lines now & then, sometimes crazy drivers, probably a bit longer distance.

3. Ferry to Germany -> and then drive to Holland

pros: you do nothing 2 days, sleep & eat
cons: very expensive ferry (probably around > 800€)


I have used #1 & #2 and I will use if needed #2 again.

DMC
Posts: 1314
Joined: Thu Nov 16, 2006 9:17 am

Re: Moving from Helsinki to Amsterdam with car

Post by DMC » Fri Jan 13, 2017 7:49 am

I have taken all 3 of the options described by tavastia many times. My choice would be different: I would take the route through Sweden. The ferry cost is really not much different, and driving through the Baltic states is about 50% more km. True, you have the other ferries (or ferry & toll bridge) en route but I like those. They provide a natural break from the driving and provide a bit of variety. (TIP: If you take the ferry from Helsingborg to Helsingør you can save some money by getting a ticket that includes the crossing from RØdby to Puttgarden. No need to book these ferries in advance, just turn up and pay at the booth.)

If driving, whichever route you take I suggest starting with an overnight ferry trip so you can start driving fresh in the morning next day. Overnight ferries to Stockholm with a cabin are easy to find. At least 1 of the ferry lines offers a Tallinn trip with a cabin you can use all night even though the ship is docked in Tallinn from late evening, and that is a cheap & easy option to get an early start next day.

I have driven both routes as far as Holland without a hotel stop, but even with 2 sharing the driving the Tallinn route especially is hard work like that. Not a good idea, especially with a child. In fact your child is probably the deciding factor in this because most children will consider this a boring trip and a hotel stop is probably needed whichever route you take. How old is your child, and how do you think they will react to a couple of days stuck in a car? At least on the ferry to Germany they can walk around a bit and do not have to sit still for hours on end. That might be a better option as it will be easier to keep your child entertained, but the trip can be boring for you (or relaxing, depending on your point of view) and it is expensive. Take good reading material and some games (for everyone) if you go that route.

If you decide to drive, think carefully about whether to book a mid-way hotel in advance. I don't because I like the flexibility of stopping when I feel like it, but there are down sides to that. You don't have a definite target for the day and there are not so many places to stop that are easily visible from the main road so you can waste a bit of time going off into a town and searching for a place. Don't leave it till late at night to do that.

Given a free choice I would always opt to drive via Sweden but really the choice of route is a toss up. I have a friend who goes that way regularly and whichever route he takes he thinks another option would have been better.


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