Ship
If you are driving from the Southern Finland to Central Europe with your own car, the fastest way is to take a ship across the Baltic Sea to either Tallinn or Stockholm, or alternatively to Travemünde to Germany. On this page you can find the most common policies regarding pets on a ship. Pets are often welcome to the routes but not on the cruises. The practices below do not apply to the local ferries ("lossi" in Finland) and other short ferry journeys comparable to local transport, where the practices of local transport usually apply.
A pet on board
The rules regarding pets vary among different shipping companies, depending on factors such as the duration of the trip (overnight or not), whether you are traveling by car or on foot, the size of the pet (usually with an 8 kg weight limit separating small and big ones), and the number of pets accompanying you.
It is always necessary to inform the shipping company about transporting your pet when making a reservation, and there is usually a separate fee for pet transportation.
On longer voyages, there is a limited number of pet cabins, so it is advisable to book them in advance, especially during peak holiday seasons. Depending on the shipping company, a maximum of 2-3 animals of certain sizes may be allowed in one cabin. On overnight trips, a pet cabin is often the only option for transporting a pet.
Some shipping companies offer pet cages as an alternative, where the pet is left alone overnight to travel with other pets (in separate cages). This is usually a more affordable option than a cabin, but it can be more stressful for a pet that is not accustomed to traveling alone. For large dogs, this may be the only option for transportation.
If you are traveling by car ferry, leaving the pet in the car during the journey is generally not allowed. Passengers are usually not allowed on the car deck during the journey, so keeping the pet in the car for the entire trip would not be practically possible on long journeys.
However, some shipping companies allow pets to be left in the car during the journey on certain short routes.
During daytime, in addition to the cabin/cage, pets are usually only allowed on one or two designated decks, where they have their own designated toilet facilities.
These facilities can be litter boxes or simply the ship's outdoor deck, where owners are responsible for cleaning up the urine and the feces.
All shorter ferries don't provide opportunities for pets to go outside!
Pets are generally not welcome in ship stores and restaurants, with the exception of some ferry companies allowing small pets to be carried in their owners' arms or in carriers inside the stores.
Pets may experience motion sickness on the ship differently than during a car journey! Therefore, be prepared with motion sickness medication so that your pet doesn't stop eating and drinking due to nausea, especially on longer journeys.
More about the pet policy of shipping companies via the following links
​DEPARTING FROM FINLAND
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Viking Line (Helsinki-Tallinn, Helsinki/Turku - Åland/Stockholm)
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Tallink Silja Line (e.g. Helsinki-Tallinn, Hki/Turku-Åland-Stockholm, Stockholm-Tallinn, Stockholm-Riga)
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Finnlines (e.g. Helsinki-Travemünde (Germany), Malmö (Sweden)-Travemünde, Naantali-Långnäs (Åland) - Kapellskär)