Welcome to the Battlegroup!
In this page we’ve collected useful information to new players about the arrival to the event and the services of the nearby area.
Finland is a member of the Schengen area, so travelling to Finland from inside of the Schengen area is very easy.
From the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, you will find information on from which countries you will need a visa and travel documents approved by Finland, and much more: Formin Finland
Find out more about Finland here: http://www.visitfinland.fi/en/
The closest and most suitable airport is Helsinki-Vantaa Airport https://www.finavia.fi/en/helsinki-airport/
Importing an Airsoft gun to Finland does not require a separate permit, but may require a separate guncase depending on the airline. It is good to be in contact with your airline in advance and to reserve time at airports if the authorities want to check your game equipment. If you fly through other countries, make sure to check the laws of the countries about airsoft guns.
From the airport you can rent a car or travel by train for example to Tampere or Jämsä, where you can rent a car and travel to the game site. Train tickets for July come available somewhere around new year, but the schedules are mostly the same around the year.
You can also travel to Finland by boat. The main ports are Turku, Helsinki and Vaasa.
You can get to Tampere directly from Turku port by one train or to Jämsä with one train change at Tampere.
In Helsinki you should use taxi or public transport (tram or bus) to get to the main railway station.
In Vaasa you should use a taxi or public transport (bus) to get to the railway station. After that, you can get to Tampere directly by one train or to Jämsä with one train change at Tampere.
After that you can rent a car at Tampere or Jämsä and travel to the game site. Train tickets for July come available somewhere around new year, but the schedules are mostly the same around the year.
The Tampere train station is around 1 hour drive away from the game area and Jämsä train station is 30 minutes drive away.
The best way to get to the place is by renting a car in Tampere or Jämsä. You can also ask for ridesharing from other players.
Train tickets for July come available somewhere around new year, but the schedules are mostly the same around the year.
When travelling by car, you need an European registration plate or a country tag.
If you are bringing a special vehicle, please check with the regulations/legislation concerning it.
Make sure your car is insured.
Services in Halli and near the game area
Our partner Brgr.In will be serving their tasty burgers and other meals at both main bases.
If you want restaurant food, then the closest ones are Ravintola Hallin Janne and Villa Klubiranta nearby the center of Halli.
The public beach of Halli can be found in 10 minutes drive from game area if you want to use them when visiting Halli center. The public beach has changing rooms and WC. You can park vehicles next to the beach.
One grocery store, pharmacy and SEO gas station (95, 98, Diesel, fuel oil) at Halli in one spot, around 10 minutes drive from the game area. Also car wash service and compressed air can be found next to gas station.
If you need hardware shop, there is one at Halli also. “Tarvikekeskus: Taipaleen tavaratalo” has a good amount of different hardware stuff what you might need during the event.
For Prepaid-sim-cards and other needs we recommend getting them from R-kioski and bigger grocery stores, for example at Tampere/Jämsä. Jämsä is 30 minutes drive away.
If you are looking for sleeping indoors before, during or after the event, here is few places we recommend you to check:
Cosy home: 3 pcs of 2-4 people cottages very near the game area in Halli.
Villaklubiranta: 7 pcs of 1 to 4 people rooms in a boutique hotel very near the game area in Halli.
Apilakoskentila: offers one cottage for up to 8 people. It is a 15 minute trip from Apilakoski to the game area.
If you want to have a lot from where to choose, then in the city of Jämsä is the best option. Himos is a 35 minute trip from the game area.
Weather in Finland in July
Finnish July can be very warm even up to + 25 °C during the day but also cold days when temperatures are only about 15°C are possible. On some cold nights temperatures can sometimes drop to + 15 °C or even to +10 °C. So book a good sleeping bag and clothes for colder nights.
The sun starts to set after 22:25 and the darkness takes an hour and plus. The sun rises after 04.30. Therefore, you need to take at least a headlamp with you.
Heavy rains / thunderstorms may also occur in Finland during hot summers, which may take a few minutes to hours or then only occur in smaller rains. So take with you your rain equipment, just a rain cover may not be enough in wet woods.
You can check the forecast from Forecas or Finnish meteorological institutes websites.
Gear advice for first timers
- If you need rental guns or other equipment, contact us at info@ehasa.org, and we will direct you to people who do renting. Note that rent options for this kind of events in Finland are limited and you should try to bring your own equipment.
- If you wish, you can preorder gear to the game area. Most of our partners offer it as an alternative option to mailing and they open it as option few weeks before the event.
- For new and maybe even for more experienced, we have created our own example of gearlist, which is aimed to help you to think about the tools and supplies needed.
- Finland uses type F plug and the network operates on a 230V supply voltage and 50Hz.
Other advices
- Keep in mind that in the event you must use bio bb’s and the velocities are measured in joules. Also note that some countries use 0,2g bb’s in the measurement, so your gun can easily be overpowered.
- For status.ehasa.org and for internet browsing generally, you should have a prepaid subscription. These are available in almost all kiosks in Finland (Eg. R-kioski in bigger cities, but there is none in Halli) and larger grocery stores.
- In the game area, internet connections are not necessarily the best and the reception varies depending on the network service provider and locations. You can check the cellular towers and providers from Cellmapper. Finnish providers are: Elisa, Telia/Sonera, DNA.
- Compressed air (for small HPA bottles and also scubas) is available at the game area by Ehasa.
- For visitors from European Healt Insurance Card(EHIC) countries, we recommend that you apply EHIC card before coming to Finland and keep that card with you. Visitors from other than EHIC-countries we recommend getting a holiday insurance.
- We check payments manually once in a week or two, so don’t worry if it takes time to update your payment status. 99% of cases your payment has arrived, but we have not yet just marked it.
- If you have any other questions about the game, please contact us via email: info@ehasa.org
Players-site
We have collected lots of useful information on the players-site for the players who arrive at the event. You will find there important information about e.g. parking, our food services and ingame vehicle check-in process.
We usually release the players-website a month before the game starts.