Helsinki 2016 advice thread and FAQ

Have a quick, and hopefully easy, question concerning the City Tour Red Bus.

 

 

Will be docking at LHC quay in June - about what time will the first City Tour Red Bus arrive? The website says every 30 minutes starting at 10:00, but I am assuming that's for the first stop. Will the buses run earlier when a cruise ship is docked?

 

 

Thanks for any help/clarification!

Sadly I cannot give you any concrete information. Both HoHo companies state that they start running at 10am, but I have definitely seen them running from the ships also before that. I suppose that as arrival times and occupied berths change from day to day, they just do not post complicated schedules. If you want more peace of mind you can of course contact the companies by email City Tour: info@citytour.fi, Strömma: sales@stromma.fi

Jonza or Ultima Thule-

We will be in Helsinki on 13 June. This will be our third time there so we have seen all of the regular sites. We plan to go to Suomenlinna again if the weather is nice. But if not, then we need a plan "B". Are there any antique stores/malls that we could visit? I am especially interested in Russian icons and if I see one I like I may purchase it. Looks like the Uspenski Cathedral is closed on Mondays so will not get a chance to see that again. Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated.

<<<Karen>>>

Art Baron specializes in in Russian art and old icons:

Art Baron

Fredrikinkatu 38

Mon-Fri 10-18

Sat 11-14

http://www.art-russian.com/?lang=eng

Thanks, Ultima Thule-

Will check it out. Looks like my kind of place :D.

<<<Karen>>>

If people arriving at LMA next week still happen to read the forum: Tram 9 will be diverted from West Terminal due to track works from noon May 9th to 4pm May 12th. https://www.hsl.fi/en/traffic-bulletins/2016/tram-9-west-terminal-replaced-bus-9x-9-12-may-8371 During the diversion it will run to the terminus of tram 8 that is almost as close to LMA but in the opposite direction compared to the normal terminus.

If people arriving at LMA next week still happen to read the forum: Tram 9 will be diverted from West Terminal due to track works from noon May 9th to 4pm May 12th. https://www.hsl.fi/en/traffic-bulletins/2016/tram-9-west-terminal-replaced-bus-9x-9-12-may-8371 During the diversion it will run to the terminus of tram 8 that is almost as close to LMA but in the opposite direction compared to the normal terminus.

Thank you for all your great information. We will be in Helsinki for three days. Are the hotel's all in one area? We are waiting to hear which hotel the pre cruise package includes.

Thank you for all your great information. We will be in Helsinki for three days. Are the hotel's all in one area? We are waiting to hear which hotel the pre cruise package includes.

In this post I try to answer the most frequently asked questions from couple of previous cruise seasons with up to date information. Helsinki did not have a yearly advice thread before, but I think that the old Helsinki thread even though full of great info is simply too long to read and sort through for relevant and up to date info.

 

I invite everyone to ask answer new or more specific questions here.

 

 

Where does my ship dock?

 

Port of Helsinki website has a list of expected cruise ships with berth information. Note that the list is divided by harbor area so there are two separate lists on the page: http://www.portofhelsinki.fi/passengers/expected_cruise_ships

 

They also have a map of the berths:

http://www.portofhelsinki.fi/passengers/international_cruise (however some of the connection info on that page is outdated)

 

What is there to see?

 

That really depends on your interest. See old trip reports, a guide book, Tripadvisor, the official tourist site: http://www.visithelsinki.fi/en etc. Unlike some other cities on a Baltic Sea cruise, Helsinki does not have a single must see attraction. Some most often mentioned by cruise visitors are: The Market Square area (including the Senate Square, the Esplanade, The Lutheran Cathedral and The Orthodox Cathedral), The Church in the Rock, and Suomenlinna sea fortress.

 

The downtown core is very compact and it is pretty easy to just go there and stroll around to what interests you. The Church in the Rock is slightly outside the core area and getting to Suomenlinna fortress requires taking a ferry from Market Square.

 

Money and credit cards?

 

The currency in Finland is the Euro with the slight oddity of 1 and 2 cent denominations not being used. Thus cash payments are always rounded to the closest 0.05 Euros. ATMs in Finland dispense only 20 and 50 Euro banknotes.

 

Credit cards are extremely widely accepted and used. It is perfectly normal for a Finn to pay for a 2 € cup of coffee with a card. The only significant place where you cannot use a card to pay is in public transport: bus and tram drivers accept cash only (and no bills greater than 20 €). Visa and MasterCard are the “standard” cards accepted virtually everywhere. American Express and Diners are accepted pretty widely, but not everywhere, so you should have either a Visa, MasterCard, or cash available or ask beforehand.

 

Language?

 

Finland has two official languages Finnish and Swedish. In Helsinki region all street signs etc. are in both Finnish and Swedish. Unlike Finnish, Swedish is a relative of English so looking at the second line of signs might give you a better clue of what a sign says. However pretty much everyone understands and speaks English on an adequate level for helping with directions etc.

 

 

Tour or DIY?

 

First and foremost this depends on your personal preference on how you like to see a city. Helsinki does not have spread out must see attractions unlike St. Petersburg or Berlin so you really do not need a tour for logistics. Public transportation is excellent and HoHos are available. Most tours offered by cruise lines or the St. Petersburg tour agencies tend to omit the Suomenlinna sea fortress, which is a UNESCO world heritage site.

 

How do I get to downtown? / How do I get around?

 

Depends on where you dock and how you like to move. I will first list the alternatives and then specifics for each berth.

 

Public transportation

 

Public transportation in Helsinki is very good. Route planner and ticket information are available on the transit authority HSL website: https://www.hsl.fi/en and their route planner http://www.reittiopas.fi/en/ Also Google Maps transit directions are available in Helsinki. Current timetables are in effect until June 19th.

Day ticket for Helsinki costs 8 € for travelers 17 years or older and 4 € for 7-16 year-olds. Children under 7 travel for free. You can buy day tickets from ticket machines (coins or chipped credit card), sales points such as kiosks and grocery stores (all payment options), or tram and bus drivers (cash only, no banknotes greater than 20€)

 

Walking

 

The downtown core is perfectly walkable and compact. Especially if you arrive in the South Harbor you could get by just walking. For further away West Harbor berths you need to be into walking to do only it.

 

 

HoHo

 

Two HoHo companies operate in Helsinki. Both stop by ships berthed in the West Harbor. Routes are similar and pricing for the coming season is still unclear, but adult pricing has been in the 25-30 € range and children for roughly half price. The interval of buses depends on demand, but is typically around 30 minutes.

Strömma operates green buses under the Open Top Tours brand. http://www.stromma.fi/en/helsinki/sightseeing/sightseeing-by-bus/hop-on-hop-off/

City Tour operates red buses under the Red Buses brand. http://www.citytour.fi/articles/461/

 

 

Ship’s shuttle

 

Port of Helsinki does not offer shuttle service so shuttles are arranged by cruise lines or their port agents. Shuttles have been almost always available and depending on cruise line practice free or priced around 10 €. Typical drop off point is at the Western end of the Esplanade about 500 meters from Market Square at the other end of the Esplanade.

 

Taxi

 

Taxis in Helsinki are reliable but expensive. There will likely be some waiting by your ship. All taxis accept at least Visa and MasterCard in addition to cash. Pricing depends on distance traveled (or time taken in slow traffic) and amount of passengers. Starting price is 5.90 € during daytime Mon-Sat and 9 € at night and on Sundays. A trip from your ship to any destination in downtown should end up costing about 15 €. Pricing can be viewed in more detail here: http://www.taksihelsinki.fi/en/taxi-fares

 

Berth by berth:

 

LMA

 

Walking distance to Market Square: 3.5 km

Public transport: Tram 9 from West Terminal about 400 meters from the berth. There is a green line on the ground from the berth to the tram stop. See in Journey planner

HoHo: stops by the ship

Ship’s shuttle: Almost always offered

 

LHB and LHC

 

Walking distance to market square: 3 km (LHC about a ship’s length more)

Public transport: Bus 14 runs on the other side of Hernesaari peninsula about 300 meters from the ships. See in Journey planner

HoHo: stops by the ships

Ship’s shuttle: Almost always offered

 

EPL and EM3

 

Walking distance to Market Square: EPL 400m, EM3 600m

Public transport: Trams 1A and 2 run by the berth.

HoHo: Closest stop at Market Square

Ship’s Shuttle: Highly unlikely

 

EKL

 

Walking distance to Market Square: 400 m

Public transport: Trams 4 and 4T about 200 meters inland from berth

HoHo: Closest stop likely at Market Square

Ship’s Shuttle: Highly unlikely

 

ERA

 

Walking distance to Market Square: 1.5 km

Public transport: Tram 4T about 200 m and tram 4 about 400m See in Journey planner

HoHo: Strömma (Green buses) runs to ERA when ship’s in port

Ship’s Shuttle: Likely offered

Do you know where the Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel is located and how I can get to attractions from there? We will be in Helsinki for three days before our cruise. Thank you

Do you know where the Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel is located and how I can get to attractions from there? We will be in Helsinki for three days before our cruise. Thank you

Radisson Blu Plaza is located at Mikonkatu 23 which is about 100 meters east from the central railway station. (Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Radisson+Blu+Plaza+Hotelli,+Helsinki/@60.1702209,24.9398609,15.08z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x46920bcd8f99e901:0x76b423a9869d5e44!8m2!3d60.172473!4d24.945556)

Senate Square, Market Square, and the Esplanade are within easy walking distance and tram stops are about a block away from the hotel.

These are from a few years ago made with a cheap camera but show some of the major sights. I bought the all-day travel ticket, from memory about €7 in 2010

and really enjoyed my few hours in Helsinki. All the best, Tony

 

[YOUTUBE]p9hcJiVDK0E[/YOUTUBE] [YOUTUBE]swIpEG7hR0g[/YOUTUBE]

Tony, I have been planning on seeing the Rock Church but had not even looked into the Suomenlinna fortress until I watched your video! Now it has jumped to #1 on my to-do list for Helsinki, when we will be there in a few weeks. My husband was in the U.S. Navy (many years ago) so this should really be right in his wheelhouse -- so to speak! :D

Radisson Blu Plaza is located at Mikonkatu 23 which is about 100 meters east from the central railway station. (Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Radisson+Blu+Plaza+Hotelli,+Helsinki/@60.1702209,24.9398609,15.08z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x46920bcd8f99e901:0x76b423a9869d5e44!8m2!3d60.172473!4d24.945556)

 

Senate Square, Market Square, and the Esplanade are within easy walking distance and tram stops are about a block away from the hotel.

The map looked good. Now, I'm glad we can walk to so many great places. Any recommendations on where to eat in that area?

The map looked good. Now, I'm glad we can walk to so many great places. Any recommendations on where to eat in that area?

For food recommendations there is some discussion in posts #3 and #7. Also depending on your interests regarding food, Tripadvisor and Michelin Guide could be good resources to find recommendations of a larger audience.

Hi Jonza,

Thanks for all the information you are providing on this thread!

Our ship is in port on a Thursday in July, docking in Hernesaari. Our family of six are very keen to visit Ainola because we love Sibelius. We had booked a 5-hour private guide back in November last year who would take us there and back to the city. Unfortunately he just cancelled on us!!

It appears that we could catch public transport to Ainola, but it would take too long when we only have 8am-5pm in port. So the plan is to book a car + driver (without a guide, we will just have to do our own research). We will get picked up from the port, and be returned to the Senate Square where we will catch public transport back to the port. But to make the most of the vehicle and to minimize walking for my mother, we thought we may ask for stops at Sibelius Monument en route to Ainola, and The Rock Church on the way back to the city. Does that sound like an efficient route, and would you suggest other stops/another route?

Thank you in advance.

Hi Jonza,

Thanks for all the information you are providing on this thread!

 

Our ship is in port on a Thursday in July, docking in Hernesaari. Our family of six are very keen to visit Ainola because we love Sibelius. We had booked a 5-hour private guide back in November last year who would take us there and back to the city. Unfortunately he just cancelled on us!!

 

It appears that we could catch public transport to Ainola, but it would take too long when we only have 8am-5pm in port. So the plan is to book a car + driver (without a guide, we will just have to do our own research). We will get picked up from the port, and be returned to the Senate Square where we will catch public transport back to the port. But to make the most of the vehicle and to minimize walking for my mother, we thought we may ask for stops at Sibelius Monument en route to Ainola, and The Rock Church on the way back to the city. Does that sound like an efficient route, and would you suggest other stops/another route?

 

Thank you in advance.

Ainola is indeed quite far (approx. 40km from downtown Helsinki) and it is about 1.5 km walk from the nearest train station also called Ainola. Trains to there run every 30-60 minutes and take 26 minutes between Helsinki and Ainola. But as walking is an issue, transport by car is more convenient. Without trafic the drive from downtown Helsinki to Ainola is about 30 minutes and form Hernesaari about 10 minutes more.

As the Rock Church and Sibelius monument are on the same side of downtown Helsinki I would probably do them after each other. Of course the monument is "always open" and the church may not be if you start off early in the morning. The distances between the monument, Rock Church, and Senate Square area are minimal compared to the distance to Ainola.

To give you a ballpark of what transportation alone could cost: A one-way pre-ordered taxi from Hernesaari to Ainola would cost about 100 € for six passengers. The train from Helsinki to Ainola would cost 7.20 € pp. for adults and 3.60 € for kids one-way. As Ainola is outside the Helsinki Regional Transport Area you would need separate tickets for transport in Helsinki.

Thank you very much for your detailed reply about Ainola!

Soul I be able to walk from The Market to the port and, if so, how long a walk is it?

Thank you

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Soul I be able to walk from The Market to the port and, if so, how long a walk is it?

Technically it is no problem to walk but mostly it is a rather long way. Some smaller cruise ships docks quite near the Market but for bigger ships it is some 1.8 to 2.3 miles depending on where you the dock.

Technically it is no problem to walk but mostly it is a rather long way. Some smaller cruise ships docks quite near the Market but for bigger ships it is some 1.8 to 2.3 miles depending on where you the dock.

Thanx for the info - will probably just take public transportation

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Our ship does not dock at Hernesaari until 11:00 on a Monday in July and we are looking for a guided walking tour of the main sights in Helsinki. But at least one company I found starts their tours at 10:30 (so too early). There are 3 of us and we would prefer to join a group tour rather than hire a private guide. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks.

How do I find out where our ship is going to be docked in Helsinki? Did I miss a link?

How do I find out where our ship is going to be docked in Helsinki? Did I miss a link?

First post, almost at the top,"Where does my ship dock?". ;)

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2295021

First post, almost at the top,"Where does my ship dock?". ;)

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2295021

Ugh. So sorry...

Great information. We are going to be in Helsinki on a Sunday. Are the trams running on a Sunday? Or do they take Sunday's off?

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Are the trams running on a Sunday? Or do they take Sunday's off?[/url]

They run on Sundays all right, but of course with a different time table:

http://aikataulut.reittiopas.fi/linjat/en/tram.html

Thank you :)

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