Travel

This page helps you find your way to Finland and onwards to Cudgel War. Information is valid as of March 20, 2026. The most notable temporary change is that in July 2026, the trains between Helsinki and Karjaa will again be replaced by buses, and thus the site is served by a rail replacement bus (track work bus is the term used here). The railway station renovation in Turku is finished and the trains run between Turku (some from the port) and Karjaa.

• Flying to Cudgel

  • From the airport to Karjaa (Karis) by train and bus

  • Taxi from the airport to the site

  • Renting a car at the airport

• Travel by land and sea

  • Taking a ferry without a car

• Additional information

Flying to Cudgel

Luckily, Kavalahti, the Cudgel War Site, is only an hour away from Helsinki International Airport (HEL) which has a train connection to Karjaa station near the site. Unfortunately, this summer the connection consists of a commuter train and a rail replacement bus, but the tickets are still sold by VR, the Finnish railway company.

The drive from the airport to the site takes about an hour and the route is fairly easy. As this is the main airport in Finland, it has good connections to most European capitals and a bunch of other cities like Manchester, Gothenburg, and Düsseldorf. Helsinki is a compact airport with one single terminal and good services. It is located about 20 km outside the city center, and the train into the city takes half an hour.

From the airport to Karjaa (Karis) by train and bus

Important: tickets are not sold onboard any trains in Finland. When you board a long-distance train, you must have a ticket before boarding. However, Greater Helsinki area public transportation now takes contactless card payments, so you can buy tickets within the area with your contactless card.

The train station is directly underneath the airport terminal. The route you need to take is Airport-Helsinki-Karjaa: first a commuter train to Helsinki Central Railway Station, then a rail replacement bus from a stop on Mannerheimintie near the station to Karjaa.

All trains from the airport end up at the Central Railway Station, so you can just get down to the platform and hop onto the first train that arrives, you shouldn't need to wait for more than 10 minutes. The trip takes around 25-30 minutes.

You need to take the rail replacement bus track work bus B04 to Karjaa (B01 and B02 do not stop at Karjaa, you need B04). The trip will take one hour and 15 minutes to 1.5 hours. Walking from the train station to the bus stop will take 5-10 minutes with luggage.

According to the VR (state rail company) website, this year the bus will use the Postikatu bus stop, next to Postitalo, the postal headquarters. See their page "Connections between Helsinki Central Railway Station and Turku".

At Karjaa station, the bus stops again by the old locomotive near the station and next to Track 2, and if you have used this connection before, that's usually where we do the pickups and dropoffs anyway. Nothing out of ordinary, and the place is small, so your pickup will find you easily, and you'll find the return bus just as easily.

Tickets and schedules

Tickets is where it gets a bit complicated because of how VR, The Finnish Railroads, have programmed their system.

On the way to Cudgel, figure out first what kind of ticket you can buy. Your connecting commuter ticket validity starts 90 minutes before the "train" ( = rail replacement bus) to Karjaa leaves from Helsinki. You do not have to use the very tight connection VR is going to offer you, you can hop onto a much earlier commuter train. However, if you are going to arrive to the airport much earlier than you need to be in Helsinki, get a train ticket for Helsinki-Karjaa and buy a separate ABC zone ticket for the airport train. You can now do this with a contactless card when you get onto the commuter train. On the way back to the airport, you can buy a ticket for the leg Karjaa-Airport. You have 90 minutes to get from the rail replacement bus to the commuter train going to the airport (I or P), so don't worry about missing the one marked on your ticket.

Note that there is no such thing as a (discounted) return ticket in the VR system, you do not lose money by buying two single tickets. Pricing is "floating" and tends to go up nearer the date, but no ticket is tied to another ticket. Note that the buses may fill up faster than trains, so especially if you travel during the first Friday and Saturday and the last Sunday, get your ticket in advance to make sure you'll fit!

You can check the schedules and buy your Airport-Karjaa or Helsinki-Karjaa tickets on the VR website at https://www.vr.fi/en. If you want to, you can also download their app that is called VR Matkalla (there are links at the bottom of that web page). What you do need to know is that in the English (and Swedish) interface, they use the Swedish name of the city, Karis. So what you need to look for is Helsinki-Karis to get to the event and Karis-(Helsinki) Airport to get back.

The commuter ticket from the airport to central Helsinki costs 4.80 euros when bought contactless card onboard the train. If you buy the ticket with a card (or cash) in a blue machine at the airport (it says HSL on it), a single ABC ticket costs 4.40 euros. Especially if you are planning to do more travel within Helsinki capital region, you might want to download the HSL app that can sell you both single tickets and day tickets, and it has the Route Planner in it, too. The app gets the cheaper prices, only the contactless is a bit more expensive (but easy if you only need one single ticket on your trip).

Note. You can get a long-distance train ticket from a green machine on the day of travel, but it may not be a good idea if you have a flight or ride to catch. If you want a ride from Karjaa to the site or from the site to Karjaa, you must book it in advance, so you need to know what rail replacement bus you'll be on. One-way trip between Karjaa station and the site costs 10 euros. Thus, if you don't know in mid-June which train you'll be on, you'll have to organize your ride by yourself.

Things to do near Helsinki Central Railway Station

Opening times not checked for 2026 yet, but all these places should be open in general.

There's a restaurant right at the station and a few cafés where you can sit down and even a bar, see the station website. At Sokos you'll find a café and downstairs also a supermarket (S-Market), and there's a café in Lasipalatsi opposite the rail replacement bus stop. When you find the bus stop, you also have the Forum shopping center diagonally left across the street, and the bottom floor there is a food court. (Tip: if you like quality knitting yarn, head all the way up through Forum and across the street to Snurre.) You can get to Forum also underground by going down at the station and following the signs to Forum, but make sure you know in good time where your bus stop is. If you can't find what you want at Forum, Kamppi shopping center next to it has multiple eateries spread on several floors. If you'd rather be somewhere non-commercial, check out Oodi, the central library, a short walk from the station (and 5-10 minutes from the bus stop). The library has a restaurant and a café, but you can also find several pleasant sitting areas. It is open 8-21 on weekdays and 10-20 on weekends. Especially if you like architecture, check out the top floor!

If you decide to come in early and do some sightseeing before heading to Karjaa, the station has luggage lockers (sizes are given on the station website) payable by a card. There are many attractions within walking distance, eg. our national gallery Ateneum, the museum of modern art Kiasma and the Senate square (hot tip: the university library next to the square is quite pretty) with the cathedral. Alas, the National Museum is closed until 2027, and Helsinki is a 19th century capital, so don't expect anything medieval. If you are into design, the Design Museum up the hill at Erottaja may be worth the trek, for city history Helsinki City Museum at Aleksanterinkatu 16 in the corner of the Senate Square (the city museum also has a tram museum about 2-3 km from the center, easily reachable by tram). Amos Rex opposite Sokos and the bus stop is also interesting, but often crowded, consider getting an online ticket, if interested.

Remember to check the opening times to avoid disappointments! Shops are allowed to be open whenever they want, and some museums are open more days than in winter, others less... Finding a "real" restaurant in the center that's open on a Sunday can be tricky, but the food courts and station services and many shops in the shopping centers Forum and Kamppi will be open every day of the week.

Taxi from the airport to the site

Price range should be roughly the same in 2026, potentially slightly higher. Web addresses not checked since March 2025.

For a slightly bigger group who wants no hassle, getting a taxi from the airport directly to the site may be worth the money. Taxis are not cheap in Finland and you must book in advance for a longer leg like this to avoid nasty surprises, but it may still be worth the investment. For example Lähitaksi's price calculator estimated in spring 2025 that a daytime trip during a weekday costs 152 euros for 3-4 persons and 206 euros for 5-8 persons. Taksi Helsinki gives 153 euros for 3-4 and 229 euros for 5-8 persons. Note that the price can be higher after 6 pm. and all day on Sundays and public holidays. Paying by card in the car is usually preferred. If you absolutely want to pay in cash, check in advance that it is ok.

Taxi pricing is no longer regulated in Finland. However, the taxi ranks at the airport and the Helsinki Central Station (as well as the ports and Pasila train station) are now regulated, so as long as you don't get lured away from the official taxi queue by a "wild" taxi, you won't get ripped off. If you want to take a taxi e.g. from a hotel to the airport, ask the hotel about the options. Helsinki also has some Uber service.

Some trustworthy companies you can try for your long-distance taxi; you may have to fill in a booking form or call them or install an app to get any kind of quote from them, which is a bit annoying:

• Airport Taxi, airporttaxi.fi

• Lähitaksi

• Menevä

• Taksi Helsinki

The site address is given in the event announcement: Björnvikintie 109, Inkoo. You may also see Björnviksvägen, Ingå, and that's the same thing, just in Swedish. The postal code is 10230. Note that this is not the only road in Finland called Björnvikintie/Björnviksvägen. If the price is off by a lot or if the travel time is a lot longer than an hour or if the route goes eastwards from the airport (instead of westwards), make sure you are going to Inkoo/Ingå, and not trying to book a trip to Loviisa/Lovisa instead!

Renting a car at the airport

If you are comfortable driving in general and maybe want to have the freedom to go shopping and sightseeing during the event, consider renting a car. The eight car rental companies available at the airport are Alamo, Avis, Budget, Enterprise, Europcar, Hertz, National, and Sixt. You can find their links directly on the Helsinki Airport Car Rental page. When pricing a rental, remember that gas costs roughly 2 euros per liter and diesel is almost the same. Automatic shift tends to be very expensive in Finnish rentals, manual is the norm in this country.

Driving in Finland is easy during summer as it is always light and never slippery. The route is also easy: drive out of the airport, head to Ring III west (länteen/väst), drive until it ends, then turn right onto road 51 towards Hanko (the non-Helsinki direction). Then drive until at the turn off to Björnvikintie on the left, about 5 km after the turn to Inkoo. You'll be driving 100 km/h at the point when you need to get off the main road, so prepare for the turn; there should be an SCA sign where Björnvikintie starts.

There is a real risk of a deer collision on Road 51, so be careful especially if driving in the dusk. Note also that there are speed cameras both on Ring III and on Route 51; if you are an EU citizen, the ticket may follow you all the way home. Speeding fines are related to your income and can quickly go up to several hundred or even thousand euros, so pay attention to the speed limits!

If you want to buy groceries, there are two places where you can do it on the way to site with a minimal detour: Either Jumbo shopping center near the airport or the hypermarkets at Kirkkonummi junction. There are no bigger shops near the site, Inkoo has some smaller ones (and a tiny Alko in the port), but that requires a side trip. Or then you have to drive 15 km past the site to go shopping in Karjaa.

To get to Jumbo, when you come to Ring III, do not turn onto the ring road, instead head straight on towards Vantaanportti. Then you already have the shopping center on your left, just turn left at the next traffic light and go find parking. The grocery stores (Citymarket and Prisma) are on the bottom level and Alko (for wine and spirits) is handily located at the back between them. If you want to eat, head up one level, or even two, and you can also check out the back part (former "Flamingo"), it has more restaurants.

If you just want groceries, stopping at Prisma or Citymarket at Kirkkonummi can be faster. Drive towards the site on road 51 (not very long) until you see a sign to Kirkkonummi. Follow it to get off the highway (to the right side of the motorway). At that point, Prisma is already on your right, and Citymarket is behind it. If you need some non-food supplies like a piece of sporting equipment, Prisma is probably better. Citymarket may have even more food, but there's more than enough at Prisma. Alko is in the same building as Prisma, but if you want a cup of coffee or some food, Citymarket has more options to offer (Prisma just has a Hesburger). Both hypermarket buildings also have a pharmacy, in Finland you have to get all your medication there (even over-the-counter things like ibuprofen).

Travel by land and sea

Hasn't been checked for 2026, but should be valid, all ferry companies are running the same routes.

There are ferries from Sweden, Germany, and Estonia to Finland. If you come from Sweden, getting into Turku/Åbo or Naantali/Nådendal is likely to be more economical than going to Helsinki, even though the drive is a bit longer. In Helsinki, the Swedish ferries come into the middle of the city which means an annoying half-hour to get out at all, although there's less city traffic in July than at other times of the year. The ferry from Travemünde docks at Vuosaari Port, so then you just drive on Ring III for a longer time (do not attempt a shortcut through inner roads, that will only make you annoyed).

• Tallink-Silja: Stockholm-Turku, Stockholm-Helsinki (also Tallinn-Helsinki, if you want to make a road trip from Central Europe via the Baltic countries)

• Viking Line: Stockholm-Turku, Stockholm-Helsinki (also Tallinn-Helsinki, if you want to make a road trip from Central Europe via the Baltic countries)

• Finnlines: Travemünde-Helsinki, Kapellskär-Naantali (two brand new ferries on the Kapellskär-Naantali route mean more frequent traffic!)

If you drive from the west (Turku/Naantali), stop at Karjaa for groceries to avoid longer side trips. If you come from Turku, you can also stop at Kauppakeskus Skanssi on Road 1 soon after the city (turn off at Intersection 4). There's a Citymarket, an Alko, and quite a few cafés and restaurants in the shopping center.

Taking a ferry without a car

You can come by ferry without a car and take a train from Turku or Helsinki to Karjaa. The Kapellskär-Naantali route now takes foot passengers, but public transportation links to these ports may get tricky. In Helsinki you will need to take a tram on a commuter ticket to get to the Lasipalatsi stop next to the rail replacement bus stop (unless you fancy walking 2-4 km), so you need to get an AB commuter ticket before you get on the tram. You can now use your contactless card to buy a ticket on a tram or you may find a ticket vending machine in the ferry terminal, or use the HSL app. Then get a train ticket (for the train replacement bus, unfortunately) from Helsinki to Karjaa/Karis, see the instructions above for flight passengers. You can also try Matkahuolto for a bus from the Helsinki central bus station to the stop Björnvikintie in Inkoo (1.5 km off the site), but there are only 1-3 buses per day. In Turku you may be able to catch a train directly at the port to get to Karjaa, but you may also need to go the railway station first. Use Föli Route Planner to find out about schedules etc, your starting point is "Satama" or "Hamnen" and your target is "Turun päärautatieasema" or "Åbo centralstation" with the address "Logomonsilta". Paying for the trip is easier than in Helsinki, Turku regional traffic Föli takes payment by contactless card, and you can even pay in cash when getting onboard. For train schedules and ticket information, see the instructions for flight passengers.

Remember that however you end up at Karjaa station, you must book your ride to the site in advance. If you don't know by mid-June how you are going to travel, you will have to sort it out by yourself.

Additional information

Book your pickups and dropoffs by emailing the address on the event announcement. You can also ask for travel advice, if the above isn't enough. If you are on Facebook, join the Cudgel War Discussion Group to find travel mates and get travel tips.