Baltic Cruise Itinerary - found some great things to do!

[Dagny]

I'm leaving in two weeks to spend a couple of weeks doing some land-based traveling then heading to the UK to jump on the Norwegian Jewel for 12 days cruising. I've been really busy researching for a month's worth of adventure, and hope this helps some of you with your own trip planning - I got some good advice on this site so enjoy! Keep in mind that I use cabs frequently when I'm under the kind of time constraints that cruises present in most ports, so I am able to do a lot more than those who rely on public transport/group tours.

Copenhagen - We're going to head to Christiania, soak up the vibe there, have a coffee, grab a big bag of brownies for the rest of the cruise, then go to Tivoli when it opens around 11. Known for the quality of it's dining options, we will have lunch there, and go on a few rides to see the city from an unusual perspective. Before leaving, we might browse for an unique souvenir from Illums Bolighus, (there's an outpost in Tivoli), and if time permits, drop by Normann Copenhagen, a former theatre, and now one of the world's coolest stores and a feast for the senses.

Warnemuende - There's no way we are spending 8 hours on a train to see Berlin, we could fly there from NYC faster. Instead, we are going to explore this area, formerly part of East Germany. We're going to take a little cruise upriver to Rostock, check out some of the hundreds of tall ships in town for the Hanse Sail Festival and enjoy the regattas, markets, and other merriment associated with such a huge party. We might drop in to the former Stasi Detention Centre, (now museum), and see some of their displays, then eyeball the amazing Astronomical Clock, which only has a few more years before it runs out and is a breathtaking piece of art. After that, we are going to grab a train to Bad Doberan, jump on the Molli (narrow-gauge steam), and enjoy a scenic ride with a couple of German ales along the coast to Kuhlungsborn. Find somewhere tasty to eat on the water then jump in a cab back to the ship to relax for a bit. We'll emerge early evening, stroll around the town, go to Karl's Erlebnis-Dorf, (part souvenir store and part strawberry stand), and munch on his strawberries which will be at the peak of their season, then find somewhere on the water to eat dinner and have some drinks.

St. Petersburg - This is going to rock! We hired Anastasia and I crafted what is a very ambitious, funky, itinerary. First, we signed on for the shortest ship's tour they had in order to take advantage of preferred disembarkation. We will take a boat and visit the Church of Spilled Blood and it's market for about 4 hrs then head back to the ship to relax. We will go back out at 5 pm and meet our private guide and driver. We will go for a ride on the Metro, shop for authentic soviet-era memorabilia, go to a vodka bar for a tasting, then head for dinner - possibly at the Kempinsky Hotel which has the best view in the city. After dinner, we are going to stroll along Nevsky Prospekt, ending up at Pushkinskaya 10 which is an underground culture centre for artists, musicians, independent theatre, writers and others. There is a lot to do and see in this place such as the Gallery of Experimental Sound, the Factory of Found Clothing, the Shop of Traveling Things, the Museum of Non-Conformist Art and FishFabrique Club, St. Pete's first alternative music club. We will end up there to see a band and have some drinks then head back to the ship around 1 am. The next day, we are going to blitz the usual tourist places, hitting up Peterhof, Catherine's Palace, and the Hermitage, ( we can really only handle 2 or 3 hours max in any one museum and our guide has prepared the route within each to show us the highlights). I think St. P's is going to be awesome!

Tallinn: I've got a friend living there, so she gave me the 411. We will hit Old Town, upper and lower, Kadriorg, and stroll Katariina Kaik to search out a cool momento then lunch in either Eesti Maja or Cafe Moskva. We will end up at a funky locals pub and drink Vana Tallinn, the country's national liquor, (it's great with milk but the best is the orange-flavoured stuff over lots of ice), with my friend and a bunch of her friends, and just soak up the vibe :)

Stockholm - We are going to head to Gamla Stan, (old city), then ferry over to Djurgarden to check out the Vasa Museum and Skansen. We are going to head up the elevator to Erik's Gondolen, a restaurant suspended beneath the Katarinahissen walkway, for a drink and to take in one of the finest views in the city, then grab some food either there if time is short, or jump in a cab to Bacfickan, one of the best eateries in town. We want to drop by the Ostermalmshallen right before heading back to the ship to pick up some tasty tidbits to go from this famous foodhall.

Helsinki - We are going to go to Suomenlinna and explore that, (possibly renting a boat to motor around - I ran across a reference to that option but haven't pinned that down - we'll see when we get there), then head back on the ferry to check out the farmers/fish/flea market right there at the port and find some tasty local food around there. We will drop by Marimekko, the legendary Finnish design shop, and pick up something cool before heading back to the ship.

Disembarkation - Our flight is after 6pm, so we are taking the ship's tour where they drop us in Central London so we can do our own thing while they keep our luggage and then drop us off at Heathrow around 4 pm. We know London really well so no pre-planning for what we will do there - probably go for dim sum or a Vietnamese hole-in-the-wall for some noodle soup then a pub by the river with some friends who live there.

Enjoy your cruises everyone - hope you have as much of a blast as I do!

 

[Dagny]

This site doesn't do a very good job with importing text - oh well!

[Alsacienne]

Another place to go in Helsinki is the Temple in the Rock Church - very different from what you might expect! Also there is good food available around the market and if time is tight, head for the STOCKMANN department store which has lots of real Finnish glass, ceramics, wood and tourist items of good taste at very reasonable prices. If you are from outside Europe you may find it advantageous to claim a VAT refund on your purchases from the office inside the store.

 

Have a lovely trip - it brings back very happy memories!

[kelfad]

Another place to go in Helsinki is the Temple in the Rock Church - very different from what you might expect! Also there is good food available around the market and if time is tight, head for the STOCKMANN department store which has lots of real Finnish glass, ceramics, wood and tourist items of good taste at very reasonable prices. If you are from outside Europe you may find it advantageous to claim a VAT refund on your purchases from the office inside the store.

 

Have a lovely trip - it brings back very happy memories!

 

 

We tried twice to get in to the rock church and both times there was a service. So make sure of the service schedule.

[Dagny]

Thanks, we aren't really into churches so save visits for ones like St. Peter's in Rome and Blue Mosque in Istanbul - ones like that :)

[kruzseeka]

The Stasi HQ in Rostock is quite interesting (you certainly get the atmosphere) but unless you understand German, it's a bit limited. Surprisingly, although this is associated with the University, all the information (case studies) on the walls in the cells are in German with no English translations. Of course, since this is in Germany, one might anticipate the text is in German, but without an English translation, you may feel, like us, that the visit wasn't as interesting as it might have been. Should you find there are time constraints you may wish to bear this in mind.

[Dagny]

The Stasi HQ in Rostock is quite interesting (you certainly get the atmosphere) but unless you understand German, it's a bit limited. Surprisingly, although this is associated with the University, all the information (case studies) on the walls in the cells are in German with no English translations. Of course, since this is in Germany, one might anticipate the text is in German, but without an English translation, you may feel, like us, that the visit wasn't as interesting as it might have been. Should you find there are time constraints you may wish to bear this in mind.

 

Thanks for the info, we'll definitely keep that in mind.