Cruise Shuttle at Baltic Ports

[dinoman]

Would like to know if NCL offers any free/paid shuttle service from the cruise terminal to city centre at Baltic ports, mainly Copenhagen, Helsinki and Stockholm. We are going on Jewel in June and would like to know more for my budget preparation. Many thanks

[Carnac767]

They offered a paid shuttle in Helsinki. I don't remember if such a service was available in Copenhagen or Stockholm, but in both ports you're within easy walking distance of downtown. It's only about a ten-minute walk from the port in Copenhagen to the Mermaid statue, for instance. You can walk to Tivoli Gardens in about forty-five minutes and that's a leisurely stroll.

[Almagetty]

Carnac, do you remember how much NCL charged for the Helsinki shuttle?

 

Thank you!

[bjay3]

Helinski was defintely the only port with a shuttle and I remember it being free, of course that was couple of years ago, so may have changed. In Copenhagen, there's bus stop right across the road from where you dock that takes right into Tivoli. Of course, it is a nice walk down to mermaid staue, pass the palace, the harbour and into centre of town. Stockholm was a fairly easy walk into town also.

[Carnac767]

Carnac, do you remember how much NCL charged for the Helsinki shuttle?

 

Thank you!

 

It was ten dollars per person. To walk to the market square from the port took about 45 minutes.

[nlt46]

We rode the city bus. From the Northern European board, we learned what bus to take to the center. We walked from the port to a main street (about 2 blocks) and caught the bus. We had to cross the street though to get the bus going to the center. We enjoyed the bus as we got to see more of Helsinki. We took the little train (?) around the tourist interest sites. I don't remember any more shuttles. It was not hard to figure out how to get around. We did take a taxi in Stockholm just because we wanted to get to the Vasa first. Nancy

[Almagetty]

Thanks, Carnac!

 

Nlt46, we are also considering taking the city bus into town in Helsinki. I'm weighing the pro's and cons of using the ship's shuttle vs. the public transportation. Since we are also planning on purchasing and all day public transportation pass and sightseeing via the 3T tram, I'm thinking that the public bus option will win out.

 

Do you by chance remember how much your taxi was from the port in Stockholm to the Vasa? And also, did you have Swedish currency with you to pay the driver or did he take a credit card for payment. We, too, want to get to the Vasa as soon as we can.

 

Thanks!

[Katesowner]

We took the Baltics cruise last year. As I recall, we took the bus in Stockholm, but it didn't let us off near the Vasa. We were too early for any of the water taxis, so we walked. As the crow flies, it was a short distance. However, we had to walk around the water, so it took quite awhile. Worthwhile, tho.

[Carnac767]

You're welcome. If it's a nice day, and you're able to walk, I'd strongly urge you just to walk from the port. It's all level and it's a great way to approach the city center/water front/market square. Rick Steve's Scandinavian guide book has a terrific walking tour for Helsinki that starts from the market. Be sure to stop at the Cafe Kapelli for coffee/hot choc/tea and a pastry. I highly recommend it. It's on the Esplanade, just a short walk from the market on the left hand side. The market is a great place to get lunch and browse for souvenirs. One big caveat here: we were in Helskinki on a Sunday and I don't know if they have that open air market on any other day.

[JsMom2]

The best way to plan is to get the John Lawrence CD from johnlawrencecd.com

 

He's a former cruise director on Princess and an expert in the Baltics. The CD tells you exactly which bus/tram to take from each port. Also beware that some of the ports (Copenhagen, Stockholm) have more than one dock, so you need to find out which dock you are most likely to use. Of course this can change at any time.

 

Overall the Baltic ports are very easy to do on your own. If you're going to Warnemunde you can take the trains to Berlin by yourself, but I felt better doing the Berlin on your Own transfer with Princess.

[dinoman]

Thank you for all your inputs. It seems that the Baltic ports are rather easy to stroll on my own. I'm so looking forward to it.

[SallyUK]

Hi dinoman, yep, ports very walkable with exception of St Petersburg.

 

Almagety, we used the tram in Helsinki. We used it to get to stops at the Olympic Stadium (Olympiastadion), the Sibelius monument in Sibelius Park (Sibeliuspuisto) and Rock Church (Temppeliaukio Kirkko). Note, if you are using the tram to get to these places, its worth learning their Finnish names too, so you can look out for signs. The Sibelius monument was the hardest to find as its about a 5 min walk, so make sure you've got a good map. If its a lovely day its well worth taking the harbour cruise too.

 

Copenhagen and Talinn ports are both easy to walk around and very close to where the ship docks. In Talinn, get a free map from the tourist office as it has the best places for a panoramic view over the city marked on it. Great photostops!

 

In Stockholm, can I please recommend the cafe at the Nobel Museum? Lovely food, and if you flip your chair upside down you can see which Nobel Laureate has signed it. Something different and a nice touch.

[Almagetty]

Carnac, thanks again! We won't be in Helsinki on a Sunday, but hopefully the open air market will be operating. I definitely have Rick Steves' guide to Scandinavia and the one to London. Rick is my family's faithful companion and guide in Europe. ;) We will be following his recommendations in Copenhagen, Talinn, Helsinki and Stockholm.

 

Thanks, Katesowner! We are truly looking forward to Stockholm and the Vasa.

 

I would love to find out if we can pay for taxis using credit cards or the location of an ATM close to the port or to the Vasa.

 

jsmom, I will be looking into John Lawrence's CD. I hope it's not too late for me to receive it before our cruise in June!

 

SallyUK, I will try hard to learn those tram stop names in Finnish. But, wow, they do have a lot of letters in them, no? :D And, I will make it a point to stop by the cafe at the Nobel Museum. My husband will get a huge kick out of finding out who else has sat in his chair.

 

Thanks again for all the tips!