You will arrive at the Helsinki–Vantaa Airport, airport code "HEL". There is no train connection, but there are two frequent bus connections between the airport and downtown Helsinki:
Bus 615 (or any variant of the theme, such as 615T or 615V, or the night bus 620N). A single ticket from the airport to downtown Helsinki costs 4.50 €. You can buy a ticket from the driver; just say "Helsinki" and you will get the right kind of ticket. You do not need to have correct change; 5-euro, 10-euro, and 20-euro bills should be fine.
(This bus is operated by Helsinki Region Transport, and it uses the same ticket system as all public transportation in the Helsinki region. Your bus ticket is a "single regional ticket", valid for 80 minutes of unlimited travel in buses, trams, underground train, and local trains within the municipalities of Helsinki, Espoo, and Vantaa.)
Finnair City Bus. A single ticket from the airport to downtown Helsinki costs 6.20 €. Again, you can buy your ticket from the driver, and you do not need to have correct change.
(This is a private bus service operated by Finnair. The bus tickets are not valid for transfer, and you cannot use any other kind of tickets on this bus.)
Both buses are good options; the extra price of the Finnair bus gives you a bit faster connection and more comfortable coaches.
You can find the bus stops right outside terminals T1 and T2; both buses stop at both terminals. Follow the signs for the bus stops, and then locate the right platform by looking for "615" or "Finnair City Bus". Both buses will take you to the central railway station – it is the last stop, and impossible to miss. The railway station is within a short walking distance from the conference site.
On your way back, note that bus 615 departs on the eastern side of the railway station ("Rautatientori" = Railway Square), while Finnair city bus departs on the western side of the railway station ("Elielinaukio" = Eliel Square). At the airport, the buses stop first at terminal T1 and right after that at terminal T2. These two stops are usually announced, but do not worry if you miss the T1 stop: you can simply leave at T2, enter the airport building, and follow the signs for T1. The two terminals are just two ends of the same building, connected by a corridor.
Taxis are reliable but expensive; you are unlikely to need one unless you arrive very late.
There are fast and frequent ferry connections between Helsinki and Tallinn. You can also travel by boat from Stockholm to Helsinki, or you can take a ferry from Stockholm to Turku and then a train from Turku to Helsinki.
There is a train connection between St. Petersburg and Helsinki.
(When browsing timetables, note that Helsinki = Helsingfors, Turku = Åbo, Tallinn = Tallinna, and St. Petersburg = Pietari.)
Below is a selection of hotels near the conference venue. Many other nearby hotels can be found on services such as TripAdvisor or Booking.com.
We have a special deal with some hotels indicated by explicit prices in the list below. Please contact the hotel by email or by phone and mention the code "CPM/SWAT". Capacities are limited and there is no guarantee of availability or that the prices are the cheapest available.
Please make a reservation as soon as possible. Particularly so if you are arriving before 2 July since availability may be limited due to European Athletics Championships on 27 June–1 July 2012.
| Hotel | Special deals | TripAdvisor reviews (April 2012) |
| Hotel Arthur | single: 70 EUR/night, double: 90 EUR/night |
rank 40/72 |
| Cumulus Kaisaniemi | single: 95 EUR/night, double: 115 EUR/night |
rank 37/72 |
| Hotelli Seurahuone | single: 100 EUR/night, double: 120 EUR/night |
rank 23/72 |
| Holiday Inn Helsinki City Centre | single: 105 EUR/night, double: 125 EUR/night |
rank 13/72 |
| Sokos Hotel Helsinki | single: 110 EUR/night, double: 120 EUR/night |
rank 31/72 |
| Sokos Hotel Vaakuna | single: 118 EUR/night, double: 128 EUR/night |
rank 21/72 |
| GLO Hotel Kluuvi | rank 3/72 |
You can use the eat.fi service to find restaurants and browse reviews. You can filter the map by restaurant type, rating, and opening hours.
Many restaurants have inexpensive lunch menus, typically Mon–Fri 11am–2pm. Some university cafeterias are also open during the summer.
SWAT is co-located with CPM 2012, the 23rd Annual Symposium on Combinatorial Pattern Matching (3–5 July 2012). A registration to SWAT 2012 gives you access to all technical sessions and keynote talks in both SWAT 2012 and CPM 2012.
There are also many non-academic events in 2012 in Helsinki area, including:
Finland is part of the eurozone and Schengen Agreement.
