Uusimaa · the capital region
Removals from the UK
to Helsinki
The capital and the destination for most of the loads we run. A city of apartment buildings, courtyards and controlled streets, where the delivery is decided by the lift, the archway and the housing company rather than by the distance.
Most UK-to-Finland moves end in the Helsinki region, and most of those end in an apartment. That makes the Helsinki delivery a fairly consistent job with a fairly consistent set of questions — which is useful, because it means they can all be answered before the vehicle leaves Britain.
The parts of the city, for a removals crew
The old centre — Kruununhaka, Kluuvi, Punavuori, Ullanlinna
Handsome, dense, and the hardest work in the city. Jugend-era and 1920s buildings with courtyard entrances, archways with real height limits, narrow stairwells and lifts that were retrofitted into a stairwell void and are correspondingly small. Several buildings have no lift above a certain floor at all.
None of that is a problem if it is known. All of it is a problem at eight in the morning. Send the floor, the lift door measurement and a photograph of the entrance.
Kallio, Vallila and the eastern inner city
Smaller flats, a lot of them, and a younger population that moves frequently. Streets are more workable than the old centre and standing is easier to arrange. The common constraint is simply the number of flights.
Töölö and the western inner city
Larger apartments in 1930s to 1950s blocks, generally with functioning lifts and courtyards. Among the more straightforward central deliveries.
The suburbs — Herttoniemi, Vuosaari, Pasila, the metro line east
Post-war and modern blocks with proper lifts, loading areas and space for a vehicle. These are the quick ones. The only recurring item is the housing company's move-in rules.
The housing company
This is the thing British customers do not expect. Finnish apartment buildings are run by a taloyhtiö, and it frequently sets the terms of your move-in: notice required, permitted hours, protective covering in the lift and stairwell, sometimes a booking for the lift itself.
We will work to whatever the rules are, but they have to reach us before the delivery. Ask your housing manager as soon as you have keys, and pass the answer on.
Getting there
Helsinki is reached either by Baltic ferry direct from the German coast, or by driving up through Denmark and Sweden and crossing to Turku, then running along the E18. The first is shorter; the second is sometimes the better answer depending on sailings and, in winter, ice. The customs page covers what has to be in place before either.
Nearby
Espoo and Vantaa sit immediately west and north and are delivered on the same runs. All destinations covers the rest of the country, and part-load is worth reading if you are furnishing a flat rather than moving a whole house.
Destination detail
Helsinki questions
Can a lorry get to a Helsinki city-centre address?
Usually to the street, not always to the door. Kruununhaka, Kluuvi and parts of Punavuori have narrow streets, courtyard entrances and restricted standing. We establish the loading point before the vehicle leaves Britain and use a smaller transfer vehicle for the last stretch where the street demands it.
What is a taloyhtiö and why does it matter?
The housing company that runs the building. Many require notice before a move-in, some specify permitted hours, and most expect the lift and stairwell to be protected. It is the single commonest reason a Finnish delivery gets turned away, so ask your housing manager early.
Are the lifts big enough?
In post-war and modern blocks, generally yes. In the older Jugend and 1920s buildings in the centre, frequently not — some have no lift at all above a certain floor, and several have lifts that will not take a sofa. Measure the lift door and tell us the floor.
Is there anywhere to park?
Central Helsinki parking is controlled and a removals vehicle standing on a street for several hours will need that arranged. Courtyards are often the better answer where the building has one and the archway is tall enough — worth checking the archway height.
Next step
Moving to Helsinki?
Tell us where it collects from in Britain, the Helsinki address, the floor and lift, and your rough dates. We will come back with the route and a written quote.