How to Call Finland From the United States

Finns always seem to be carrying on conversations on their cell phones. And you can carry on a conversation with them by following these steps.

Things You'll Need

• Foreign Language Phrase Books
• Travel Guides
• Telephones
• Clocks
• Telephone Calling Cards

Instructions

1. Determine what time it is in Finland; Finland is 2 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time, which means it is 7 hours later in Finland than it is on the East Coast of the United States and 10 hours later than it is on the West Coast.

2. Keep a Finnish phrasebook handy, but bear in mind that the Finnish language seems incomprehensible to almost everyone who didn't grow up in the country. Luckily most Finns speak English, too, as well as Swedish.

3. Dial 011, the international access code.

4. Dial 358, the Finnish country code.

5. Remove the 0 from the beginning of the city code.

6. Dial all the remaining digits.

Tips & Warnings

• Calling between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. or on weekends will often cost up to 50 percent less than calling during business hours. Call your long-distance carrier to find out which hours are cheapest to call internationally with your long-distance plan.

• Some city codes for major cities in Finland include 09 for Helsinki, 02 for Turku and 03 for Tampere.

• If you're having problems getting through, dial 00 for the international operator and ask him or her to place the call.

• If you're calling from a pay phone, you'll need to have a calling card or charge the call to a credit card - you won't be able to feed the phone with coins fast enough to keep yourself connected. Follow the instructions printed on the phone for placing the call.