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Activities At The Baltic Ports

ja007bu

By ja007bu,
in Northern Europe & Baltic Sea

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CruiserBruce

CruiserBruce

Posted
Posted

Those ports are covered extensively just down the board. Brussels is covered on the Western Europe board, here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=233

 

A little reading down the board would reveal you can't even leave the Terminal in St Petersburg w/o an expensive, time consuming visa. So you won't be just walking off to shop there.

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John Bull

John Bull

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Oslo - sorry, can't help.

 

Tallinn is very easy to DIY. About a twenty minute walk to the nearest part of old-town, a squat tower with the unflattering name of Fat Margaret. Much of old town is quite hilly, though plenty of interest on level ground if you want to forgo that effort. Currency is the euro.

 

Copenhagen if you berth at Langelinnie (near the little mermaid) is walkable to Nyhavn & the city in 20 to 30 minutes - on level ground & plenty of sights on the way, so do make the effort to walk at least one way. Major city sights are all walkable.

If you berth elsewhere you'll need transportation - plenty of options.

Currency is Danish Krona - worth having some in your pocket but you'll get by with euros in tourist shops, bars etc but not govt museums or transport, don't know about (expensive) taxis.

 

Helsinki it's quite a walk from the cruise berths, consider ship's shuttle or other transport to the Senate Square/Market Place area. Boat or tram tips. One excellent circular tram route. Currency is the euro.

 

Brussels :rolleyes: You actually port at Zeebrugge, an hour's train ride from Brussels. The hourly train service (eleven minutes past the hour IIRC) to Brussels runs from Blankenberge, three miles from the ship & most easily reached by ship's (usually payable) shuttle. Same service for Bruges, which is most cruisers' destination, a 10 minute train ride costing about 6 euros return. The station in Bruges is a level 15 min walk from the cobbled centre of this attractive & historic town. Same distance from ship's Bruges On-Your-Own transfers, coaches aren't permitted in the centre. Or Bruges by taxi, pre-booked or hired from the pier for a rather extortionate 50 euros each way - but some take up to 8 passengers & sharers are easy to find on the ship or on the quay. Ask to be dropped at the Grotemarkt, right in the centre.

Other options too from Zeebrugge, including the coastal tram (kusttram) to Ostend etc.

Currency is the euro.

 

St Petersburg is a whole different ball-game.

DIY requires a complicated & expensive visa, plus some understanding of the Russian language, including the written word (cryllic alphabet).

So virtually everyone takes a tour organised by the ship or by an accredited local operator, these tours are visa-free.

Plenty of threads on this forum including http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2008942

St Petersburg is the jewel in any Baltic cruise, other ports are easy to do cheaply DIY, so spend the bulk of your excursion budget here - well worth the expense.

Currency is the rouble. Since you're likely to have all your travel/food/admissions included in a tour-price & USD, euros & sterling, are accepted by street vendors & by tourist shops (plus Visa & MasterCard cards) you'll not need roubles though we found a few useful - for instance a beer or three with the included meals (no cards or foreign currency accepted in those restaurants)

 

By cruise ship is absolutely the best way to visit Baltic ports, have a good one.

 

JB :)

Edited by John Bull
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buggins0402

buggins0402

Posted
Posted (edited)
We are on RC in June going to Oslo Copenhagen Tallinn St Petersburg Helsinki

Brussels. Was wondering what ports have shopping and sight seeing activities that you can walk to from the ship?

 

Rick Steves has published a Northern European Port guide book. You might want to find a copy of that. It has directions for public transportation (or walking when possible) for the ports. Some cities have multiple ports so you'll have to do some research on where your ship docks (eg. Copenhagen, Helsinki).

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kestrel

kestrel

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We DIY in Oslo, Copenhagen, Tallinn and Helsinki. Yes, Rick Steves' guide has been very useful.

 

Oslo: We bought Oslo Pass at the TI at port with a discount (not sure whether they still give discount now). Oslo Pass covers public transportation including ferries. We visited Fram, Kon-Tiki, Viking Ship Museum, Vigeland Park and National Gallery, all on our own.

 

Copenhagen: This was where we disembarked. We took taxi to the hotel. Activities we did in Copenhagen included canal cruise, Stroget and Tivoli Garden.

 

Tallinn: The old town was only a short walk away. There are lots of sightseeing and shopping opportunities.

 

Helsinki: We bought the Tourist Tickets (from the bus driver) for all public transportation. We visited the Lutheran Cathedral and Temppeliaukio ("Church in the Rock"), Sibeluis Monument and Suomenlinna Fortress.

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Essexlass2

Essexlass2

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Helsinki it's quite a walk from the cruise berths, consider ship's shuttle or other transport to the Senate Square/Market Place area. Boat or tram tips. One excellent circular tram route. Currency is the euro.

 

JB :)

 

Can you tell me which tram route you took please and where you were able to visit. We are hoping to visit the Rock Church and Sibelius Park as well as Senate Square and Market Square. We know the HoHo bus covers those places, but wondered if the tram will take us there from the city centre.

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happy_travellers

happy_travellers

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Can you tell me which tram route you took please and where you were able to visit. We are hoping to visit the Rock Church and Sibelius Park as well as Senate Square and Market Square. We know the HoHo bus covers those places, but wondered if the tram will take us there from the city centre.

 

https://www.hsl.fi/sites/default/files/uploads/helsinki_sightseeing.pdf

Karen

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Giantfan13

Giantfan13

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Can you tell me which tram route you took please and where you were able to visit. We are hoping to visit the Rock Church and Sibelius Park as well as Senate Square and Market Square. We know the HoHo bus covers those places, but wondered if the tram will take us there from the city centre.

 

Once you get to Market Square, you will be all set. This is really the hub of Helsinki and many of the sites are off of it. A few blocks one way is Senate Square, a few blocks the other way is Uspensky Cathedral, and a block or too in another direction is the ferry to the fortress. Also, from market Square, you will catch the tram that will take you to the Church in the rock and whatever else you might want to see.

 

Cheers

 

Len

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Essexlass2

Essexlass2

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Once you get to Market Square, you will be all set. This is really the hub of Helsinki and many of the sites are off of it. A few blocks one way is Senate Square, a few blocks the other way is Uspensky Cathedral, and a block or too in another direction is the ferry to the fortress. Also, from market Square, you will catch the tram that will take you to the Church in the rock and whatever else you might want to see.

 

Cheers

 

Len

 

Ah thanks Len! I was wondering where to go to look for the tram. How much does the cruiseline usually charge for their service?

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