Clothing for Baltic cruise early-mid June?

We are on a Baltic cruise Stockholm - Bergen early-mid June and so would really like recommendations for appropriate gear. We are on new Viking Oceans "Star" so walking tours included each day.

Main thing is type of jacket....I am thinking of goretex rain jacket rather than ski jacket and doing some layering.

Good idea to take a fleecy or not?

Other issue is - only long pants or capris?

I think we will leave sandals at home and stick with runners and comfortable leather shoes.

Any advice would be helpful! Trying to cut down on size of suitcase!

You won't need the ski jacket. Other then that you might need a bit of "everything".

Personally I usually wear jeans regardless of weather except if the temperature have passed +20 Celsius at which point I consider switching to shorts.

We were in Bergen in mid June a couple of years ago. It rained so hard it spoilt the day for us, but fortunately, we had the appropriate raincoats with us. I would take something waterproof and layers.

We are doing a DCL Baltic cruise leaving May 30, but doing several days in Iceland prior. So, we're bringing lightweight down for Iceland, along with a rain jacket and a light wool cardigan. Now, we're from south Texas, so it will be significantly colder to us than maybe other folks.

I'll be in capris for all of it. My legs don't usually get cold. I have good walking shoes for Iceland and Keen sandals for the rest of the trip.

I'll also be throwing in some gloves for night time (and Iceland.)

We are on a Baltic cruise Stockholm - Bergen early-mid June and so would really like recommendations for appropriate gear. We are on new Viking Oceans "Star" so walking tours included each day.

Main thing is type of jacket....I am thinking of goretex rain jacket rather than ski jacket and doing some layering.

Good idea to take a fleecy or not?

Other issue is - only long pants or capris?

I think we will leave sandals at home and stick with runners and comfortable leather shoes.

Any advice would be helpful! Trying to cut down on size of suitcase!

I see you're from Canada, so jeans and rain jackets should be fine. We're from Florida, so we had sweaters and ski jackets! For us it rained for over an hour while we were touring St Petersburg. I recommend an umbrella and raincoat so you're comfortable walking around with the rain and don't miss the sights. We now have 2 lovely souvenir St. Petersburg umbrellas! :-)

We are on a Baltic cruise Stockholm - Bergen early-mid June and so would really like recommendations for appropriate gear... Main thing is type of jacket....I am thinking of goretex rain jacket rather than ski jacket and doing some layering. Good idea to take a fleecy or not?

I love the lightest weight fleece as a layer. LL Bean calls this weight Fitness fleece and Lands End calls it Thermacheck 100. A quarter zip layer, for example, adds a lot of warmth for little bulk and dries overnight as long as you thoroughly squeeze out the water with a towel. (It feels dry in most places straight from the towel without any hanging time.)

Incidentally, people often ignore the accessories that extend the comfort range of each layer. A Goretex rain jacket will work over a wider temperature range if you pack a scarf, a hat, and even leather gloves. I own a very well traveled Mountain Hardware brand hat that is made of fleece with a windblocker layer. That's probably overkill for a summer Baltic cruise, but I'll be bringing the cork hat I bought in Normandy a couple of years ago. Cork is a great waterproof material and offers some warmth, although not as much as a winter-weight dome hat. (My husband owns a cork ballcap and wears his often.)

Other issue is - only long pants or capris?

I know others have recommended jeans, but I think jeans are bulky and take a long time to dry. If you want the jeans look, consider bringing an all-Tencel product or a Tencel-cotton mix. Tencel is another great travel fabric. It has no bulk and dries well.

J.Jill is among the many brands that come up when I did a search on Tencel pants just now. They're showing 100% Tencel garments. There were no jeans cut Tencel pants in this brand, but, as I said, it's one of several brands.

Trying to cut down on size of suitcase!

Great goal and totally do-able even for cool climate trips!

Very helpful advice from everyone and I will certainly follow up on those suggestions...looks as if a brolly is a must!

I just bought a layering garment used by golfers and I will certainly include a light fleecy to wear under my MEC goretex. I think a scarf and hat are good suggestions too.

I'm going to throw in a couple of Chico black pants (no zips - just pull on.. but fitted).

The company I use for almost all my evening things on cruises is Tilley Endurables which has great "silk" (really microfibre) pants and tops. They are light and never ever crease. I've had some for several years...very simple never go out of style.

Of course Tilley hats are well known but perhaps the other things not as much.

I find the main problem is shoes... really can't do with less than 3 pairs (including pair for the evening).

I usually set out everything in a spare bedroom days in advance and packing consists of eliminating as much as possible!

My husband seems to pack in very short order....but then re runs out of clothes....as least there is a laundry on this ship!

We are on a Baltic cruise Stockholm - Bergen early-mid June and so would really like recommendations for appropriate gear. We are on new Viking Oceans "Star" so walking tours included each day. Main thing is type of jacket....I am thinking of goretex rain jacket rather than ski jacket and doing some layering. Good idea to take a fleecy or not? Other issue is - only long pants or capris? I think we will leave sandals at home and stick with runners and comfortable leather shoes. Any advice would be helpful! Trying to cut down on size of suitcase!

You have received some very solid and good counsel on layering, etc. Glad you are adjusting accordingly. On shoes, I would strongly urge making comfort and safety as your top two priorities. Lots of very challenging surfaces and conditions on which you will be navigating. Don't worry on "fashion looks" for your off-ship purposes/needs.

You can go to

http://www.wunderground.com

and check for the very specific weather history on many of the key towns in the world for their past temperatures in that specific area for a date in the past. Just look lower left in the page for weather history area, put in your exact dates and the year prior. You will then see what last year was like, along with recent highs and lows for that date there.

As an example for June 12, you will find this data for Bergen in the heart of this great area: a high of 55 °F last year with a low of 51 °F, with an average high on this date of 59 °F with an average low of 49°F. During recent history, the high has been 78 °F (2006) and a low of 41 °F (2005) on this date in Bergen. There was no rain on this date last year in Bergen.

Here are a few weather averages/details for these three key cities in the Baltics by looking at the 7th, 15th, 23rd days of this month from http://www.wunderground.com:

Copenhagen: High/low averages,

June, early: 67/53 °F

June, mid: 68/54 °F

June, late: 69/54 °F

St. Petersburg:

June, early: 68/49 °F

June, mid: 70/51 °F

June, late: 72/53 °F

Stockholm:

June, early: 66/52 °F

June, mid: 68/54 °F

June, late: 70/55 °F

Below is more on Bergen, plus of my photo highlights to build excitement for your visit there. Super charming town. Yes, there can be a more-than-average amount of rain, but many times it comes and goes during parts of the day. Hopefully!! Fortunately, we had a great day there when we visited.

As the seat of Norway’s medieval kingdom of Norway for six centuries, Bergen is a former Viking stronghold encircled by deep fjords, towering mountains, and sweeping glaciers. Today's Bergen has much of the medieval flavor remaining around Bergen's harbor. We explored the cobblestone streets, saw its pastel-color wooden houses, bargained in some of the many artisans' workshops and visited the famous and always-entertaining Fish Market. You can watch the locals haggling over today's catch and enjoy a quayside lunch of freshly caught salmon or fish and chips.

Rated by Frommers as more scenic than Oslo, Bergen was the base of the medieval Hanseatic merchants. Those historic timbered houses are set around Bryggen or The Wharf, a center for crafts and workshops. Its prime row is mostly reconstructed 14th-century structures, some of which were originally destroyed by fire. Det Hansseatiske Museum depicts commercial life on the wharf in the early 18th century and is highly rates with well-preserved wooden structure. Its art museums are highly-rated with religious icons, local art, etc.

In the afternoon, after some of the big crowds had lessened, we took the Floibanen funicular railway to the top of a 1050-foot high peak for scenic views. This cable car has been operating for over 80 years and was refurbished in 2002. The Funicular Lower Station is situated 150 meters from the Fish Market. At the top of the Mount Floyen, there are hiking trails and places for lunch or dinner. The trip takes seven minutes and both cars are on the same cable going up and down. Mariakirken or St. Mary’s Church is the most outstanding Romanesque church in Norway. Bergen is Norway’s largest port and has a population of 252,000. Scenic Bergen completed our voyage with its dramatic backdrop of seven rounded mountains and cobble-stoned streets. It entices you to take memories and photos cherishing the land of the Norsemen. Here is the link to this rail option:

http://www.floibanen.com

Their good and helpful Tourism Office can be accessed on the web at: http://www.visitbergen.com/en

We docked at the fairly handy Skoltegrunskaien Pier. This put us within about a 10-15 minute walk of the main attractions at the market and warehouse area.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 177,151 views. Lots of details here on Flam, Bergen, etc.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

This picture shows the Bergen Floibanen funicular railway coming up the steep hill with the harbor, fish market, etc. in the background. On the top, somewhat right, the Silver Cloud and Costa ships can be seen in the harbor, plus nearby scenic areas, etc.

Here’s a close look at these historic Bergen Hanseatic merchant warehouse building fronts, people taking pictures, etc. :

Right near the Hanseatic merchant warehouse area is the Bergen Fish Market with lots of options to buy food to eat on site or just watch, enjoying the “show” as people ask questions and buy the various fresh fish items.:

Bergenhus Festning Castle is located in the entrance to Bergen’s harbor and is one of the oldest, best-preserved castles in Norway. Shown is Rosenkrantz Tower, built in the mid 1500’s with dungeons on the ground floor, cannons on the top floor, etc. :

From the Bergen harbor, this is the view of the station, dining place, etc., for the Floibanen funicular railway at the top of its 1050-foot high peak.:

This view from the Bergen hilltop shows the central downtown shopping area (Torgalmenningen, the major square) and many various building rooftops. The red brick church at the top is Johanneskirken (St. John's church), built of red brick in a neo-gothic style in 1894. The church tower at the left is Korskirken, dating back to the latter half of the 12th century and whose name means “True Cross”. Lots of interesting and historic architecture in Bergen.:

TLCOhio....Very useful information and great photos!

The map with historical info about weather patterns sounded very good and so I tried it...I'm afraid I couldn't find any link that permits access to that data...All I could get was a detailed map of the city with the current temp.

From what you said it sounded ideal for our trip so I'm wondering if you would mind just reviewing how you got to the link with historical info for each city.

Many thax

Cassandra, go to the "Almanac" directly below the main weather chart. Click on the blue date for today. It will take you to another page where you can browse historical data.

Go this web site and you may be able find the exact weather for all the ports on your cruise. You may have to choose another cruise line with a similar cruise as Viking Ocean is so new.

http://www.cruiseoutlook.com/