Port excursions in Visby, Tallinn, Helsinki

[poss]

I've scoured these boards and can't find much on shore excusions for those Baltic ports. In addition to touring the cities themselves (either alone or wth ship groups), I wonder if folks have done any of the more active excursions into the countryside, out to the coast, etc. E.g. hiking, biking, canoing. Would love to get feedback on this question. Thanks!

[Kit-Kat]

Hi...I'm with you. Also looking for people who are going on the Century 6/14/05.

[Host Anne]

Hello ~ we are sailing the Baltics in July. We have booked with Ahti in Tallinn. He has come highly recommended here on the boards and I have thoroughly enjoyed working with him to arrange our tour. His prices seem very reasonable. Here is his website. http://www.hot.ee/tours/ind_eng.html

He can also help you with Helsinki.

 

Have a wonderful cruise!

[saw17752]

Hello ~ we are sailing the Baltics in July. We have booked with Ahti in Tallinn. He has come highly recommended here on the boards and I have thoroughly enjoyed working with him to arrange our tour. His prices seem very reasonable. Here is his website. http://www.hot.ee/tours/ind_eng.html

He can also help you with Helsinki.

 

Have a wonderful cruise!

 

We are also using Ahti for our Tallinn tour this September. Are you doing his walking tour, van tour or combo of the two? I'd love to compare what he has planned for you with what he has "customized" for us. If you wouldn't mind sharing his proposal and pricing (we are four people) we would really appreciate it. Ahti was by far the most responisve of the three or four Tallinn guides we contacted and even offered to help us in Stockholm, but we decided for a variety of reasons to use a different guide in Stockholm, rather than the guide with whom Ahti put us in touch.

[Host Anne]

Shelley and Suzi ~ we haven't finalized our plans yet (there are currently five of us definitely using Ahti). We're leaning towards the combo -- city tour by van and then a walking tour of the Old Town. We've also asked Ahti to make lunch arrangements for us somewhere away from the regular tourists areas. Pricing is going to vary depending on what we finally decide to do but from our quotes, it looks like the four hour combo will be in the neighborhood of $40 per person.

 

May I ask who you are using in Stockholm and what kind of pricing? I haven't had time to work on our other stops.

 

THANKS so much!

[Gardendog]

I don't know anything about the other towns but Visby is the place to spend the day when you get there. NO need to leave town. Just hop off the ship and start exploring. The town has a wall around it and cobble stone streets and lots of churches and ruins of churches. The cathedral, St Mary's, is a wonderful building from 1100. I would definitely spend my time in the town. Just walk around and look at everything.

 

There is a website, http://www.gotland.info, where you can read up on what's to see there. The museum there is also worth a visit, but only if you have time at the end of the day. Do check opening hours. They are always shorter in Sweden than in the US.

[poss]

Thanks to responders.

Gretta: I'm sure the town is interesting, but I imagine that the coast is quite lovely also? We tend to enjoy "natural" hikes and scenery more than architectural (churches etc.) And we are absolutely uninterested in any kind of shopping (and don't much enjoy sitting around in cafes, etc). That's why I was wondering if someone could tell me abt the excursions out of town-- hiking along the coast for instance. I think, though, that since Voyager's Visby stop is only a half day, we'll likely just stay put in town. I really do wish we had more time there and less time in St Pete. (My main planning regret is that I didn't allow another day pre-cruise in Copenhagen and post in Stockholm. I have a feeling those are the places we'll enjoy most of all-- and, alas, we only have 2 nights in each.)

[Gardendog]

Visby is similar to Brugge, Belgium or Rothenburg ab der Tauber in Germany if you are familiar with those places. The town itself is very much a "museum" atmosphere, in that it is a very old town, well preserved. It's so cute, with flower boxes and roses climbing up the small houses that line the narrow streets. Not much shopping that I can think of. Not a tourist trap place.

 

Of course, I'm biased. I got married there.:)

 

If you had more days, you could rent a car and go up to Fårö, a little island north of Gotland. Lovely rock formations, "raukar" and lots of sheep.

 

The main island Gotland is also a great biking island. You can rent bikes just off the ferry landing.

 

However, just exploring the town is lots of fun. I don't think that you will regret it.

 

I was there a few years ago during the midieval week, second week of August or something like it. Lots of festivities then, but more crowded.