Ultima Thule

Sadly, no! Not LMA . Quays LHB and LHC on the other side of the bay had bus 14 but Melkki has only trams. :(

Consider using a shuttle bus into town. There should be a shuttle service for most cruise ships at LMA.

http://www.portofhelsinki.fi/sites/default/files/images/Risteilylaiturit%202018.png

On the following map bus routes are blue, tram routes green, "N" indicates night.

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

You can but a day pass from a bus driver but no longer from a tram driver.9€ for adults, 4.50€ for children 7-16.

The Helsinki public transport (HST) has sadly made it more troublesome for tourists.

This year it is not possible to buy tickets from the tram driver anymore (bus drivers will still sell single tickets)

From the cruise ship in West Harbour (quay LMA) there is a bit of walking but once you reached the tram tracks you'l see Terminal 1 to the left and Terminal 2 to the right, both about equal long way to walk to. Terminal 1 is the one closer to the city. The tram stops outside the terminals have ticket machines that take credit cards (Visa and Master Card, I assume only with chip) or Euro coins, NOT notes.

You can select Finnish/Swedish/English and then at top left corner of screen select tram tickets (2.50 E) and you'll be asked how many.

The tickets will be valuated as you buy them so sadly you cannot buy tickets for the return trip. In city there are similar machines at the Suomenlinna ferry terminal or at the subway station under the railway station. (2 floors down).

You can buy return tickets that can be validated later at the Suomenlinna ferry pier at the Market Square.

https://www.hsl.fi/en/news/2018/hsl-ticket-office-market-square-ferry-terminal-open-30-april-15044

Other places are R-kiosks arond town or the HST service point one floor under the railway station at the subway entrance (next to the flower shop)

I hope you aware that if you buy the 9 E day ticket then the Suomenlinna ferry (but not the water bus) is included.

https://www.hsl.fi/en/tickets-and-fares/sales-points

Note that this year it is not possible anymore to buy a ticket from a tram driver. You need to have a ticket when you step onboard.

Shuttle buses usually stops somewhere near the Swedish Theater (white semicircular building) at the west end of the Esplanade park.

So if you take a shuttle be prepared to walk along the Esplanade park to the Market Square at the east end of the park.

Your plan for the fortress seems ok to me. A few suggestions:

If you are decent walkers, at #41 you take the road up to the cannons instead. It's very steep uphill but there are wooden steps. Then at the south end of the island you'll need to return to the blue line somewhere at the fourth or fifth gun on the picture (There are more guns than the map indicate) before the wall gets too high i.e before you reach "WC" at the map.

On the way back over Susisaari (Wolf Island) consider an alternative route cross the main fortress.

After Piper's park go to #36, then left though the gate and right to #35 (Or you can enter where the map shows a "tunnel" between #34 & #38. Its where the wall turns away from the road. Its just a very short tunnel, say 6 meters).

Then left and downhill exiting through a gap in the wall about halfway between "#35 and #26 on the map. On the way down you'll have the highest wall of the fortress on your left side.

I suggest you check it all out at Google Maps.

Fortress Map:

https://frantic.s3.amazonaws.com/suomenlinna/2014/06/suomenlinna-2016-en-map.pdf

I had looked at the transit site, and thought Bus 14 to Eiran Sairaala, then Bus 17 to the Market Square area (Kaartinkaupunki) was the best route i could find.

Is one preferable to the other?

The problem with bus 17 is that it only goes with 30 minutes intervals while the tram 2 - 3 goes every 10 minutes.

The link mention above doesn't include West Harbour (Hernesaari) quay LHB and LHC on the east side of the bay. I assume that is what "Nanner" is asking for as she mention bus 14.

Hopefully you should be able to buy a day ticket from the bus driver (From February 2018 onward tram drivers are no longer selling tickets).

Note that you cannot reach Market Square with bus #14 but you have to change to tram #3:

- Get off bus #14 at stop "Tehtaanpuisto" (there will be a church with a 318 feet tower to the left https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikael_Agricola_Church).

- Continue forward across the street to the #3 tram stop on the right side of the street, that's the same side as the hospital, the stop is just to the left of this picture.: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eira_Hospital.

- Then is is five stops before the Market Square, (stop "Kauppatori")

The tram will change number to #2 during the way i.e. you'll have to get on tram #2 if you want to return the same way.

S-bahn train S-9 will take you straight from Schönefeld to Berlin Haubtbahnhof. It runs every 20 minutes and the trip takes some 45 minutes. You'll need Zone C tickets.

http://www.s-bahn-berlin.de/fahrplanundnetz/pdf_linien/S_S9_10.12.2017.pdf

http://www.s-bahn-berlin.de/pdf/S_U-Bahn_12_2017.pdf

Regional trains RE7 and RB14 works as well and are faster than the S-bahn train:

https://www.bahn.de/p/view/mdb/pv/deutschland_erleben/berlin_brandenburg/regionales/pdf/2016/mdb_239904_airport_express_flyer_vbb_ab_ab_dez_2016.pdf

https://www.bahn.de/regional/view/mdb/pv/deutschland_erleben/berlin_brandenburg/streckenfahrplaene/2017_2018/mdb_262387_re7.pdf

From February 2018 onward tram drivers will no longer sell tickets. You will have to have a valid ticket when you enter the tram. :( :mad:

People in the Nordic countries prefer to have their holidays in July rather than August as late August is darker, cooler and usually has more rain.

Or possibly the replica of the Swedish East Indiaman "Götheborg" that was built about that time? Its looking a little bit like Vasa.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%B6theborg_(ship)

Frankly, even Ottawa has been colder and MUCH rainier than usual this summer (we nearly set a few rainfall records this summer). I wonder if the Baltic was experiencing a particularly unusual year....

This summer has indeed been colder than usual.

Regarding the glass birds the Iittala store is surely the best place.

For second hand you could check out the following:

https://designdistrict.fi/en/member-categories/vintage-antiques/

I visited Helsinki Second Hand in a garage at Korkeavuorenkatu 5 http://www.helsinkisecondhand.fi/ some time ago and noticed they had some glass birds there. Note that their own side says they are open from 11 while design district's site says they open at 10: http://www.helsinkisecondhand.fi/yhteystiedot/

Regarding F1 there was a Formula 1 specialist store in Helsinki earlier that had everything from books to shirts, caps and used tyres but it closed a few years ago.

There will be major changes to the Helsinki tram routes.

From 14 August 2017 onwards tram 9 will change it route in West Harbour.

Map: https://www.hsl.fi/sites/default/files/uploads/linja9.pdf

Instead tram 7 will go to the city from tram 9's old stops from West Harbor.

Trams 2 and 3 will not go the old "8" double circle any longer

Instead trams 7, 2 and 3 will be combined making a very complex route through the city with trams starting off as #7 and then changing number to #2 and then #3 on the way:

Map: https://www.hsl.fi/sites/default/files/uploads/linjat2_3_7_pienempi_versio.pdf

There is a change in tram #1's route as well even if it might be off less importance to tourists:

https://www.hsl.fi/sites/default/files/uploads/linja1.pdf

For the tourist the important things are:

Tram 7 will take you from West Harbour to Senate Square (one block from the Market Square) or back.

If you want to do the old "8" route with trams 2 and 3 you'll have to change from tram 2 to tram 3 (or vice versa depending on the direction you take) at the most northern part of the route at stops "Auroran Sairaala" or "Eläintarha".

I see that the Tram lines are changing the week before we arrive.

I 'm glad you have noticed that.

I

So it looks like I can take Tram 7 right to Senate Square. - does anyone know how long this will take?

Thats correct! From 14 August you'll have to use tram 7 instead of tram 9 from the West Harbor. Time depends much on time of day. I should say 15-20 minutes.

II also wonder if they reduce the schedule on a Sunday?

yes

I

Also is it easy to buy tickets with credit card at a store or machine? If I have Euros it looks like driver can take money and provide small change - is this right?

If I remember correctly there was one machine for credit cards (with chip) and one for cash. The tram driver should sell tickets as well 9 euro for a day ticket or 3.20 for a single ticket. There are also 2.50 euro single tram tickets from machine only, not from the driver.

Here is a map of the route:

https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1ONgf8-HX9ViiEkPfCYm6bucHcYI&ll=60.1770207216065%2C24.94046204300878&z=15

Until 16th September it starts from the open plaza east side of the Central Railway Station, Monday to Saturday each hour from 2 p.m. until 8 p.m. Until 26 August it also starts at 9 p.m. on Fridays and at 1 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Saturdays. The route takes some 40 minutes and the tram stops on three places on the way before returning to the Railway Station. Prize: 11 Euro. Children under 12 years 5 Euro.

Its an old tram built in the late 1950s , used in the local traffic until the 1970s and then rebuilt 22 years ago as a beer tram.

. Google maps says its only a ~35 minute walk to the Palace on Gamla Stan - this seems like a quick walk - is this correct ?

I know it takes 20 minutes from the Viking LIne terminal at berth 164 to Slussen so 35 minutes from berth 167 to the Palace sounds correct to me.

I was wondering if I could walk to the Louis Vuitton store from the market square. Can you give me directions and a time frame for doing so. I will be with my 1 year old in a stroller.

Very easy. Just follow Northern Esplanade westwards (that's past the fountain and then keeping the right side of the Esplanade Park as seen from the market) for three more blocks. (a quarter of a mile in total). Store is in the street corner and cannot be missed.

Update:

At the moment the way from bus 14 to bus 24 at corner Topelius and Linnankoski streets works well but I cannot guarantee that part of the sidewalk hasn't been closed as well by September.

Instructions:

Exit bus 14 at stop "Kirjailijan puisto". Go 30 meters back to the corner. Turn right and cross the street. Continue 75 meters along Linnankioskenkatu to bus 24 stop.

We are in Helsinki from 7A - 4P on Sept 11 and are thinking of spending the (short) day at Seurasaari.. Is there a simple route from LHB to Seurasaari usind public transit? .

That should be a combination of buses 14 and 24:

https://linjakartta.reittiopas.fi/en/#?mapview=map&line=1014++1,1014++2

https://linjakartta.reittiopas.fi/en/#?mapview=map&line=1024++1,1024++2

I recommend you make the change at Arcadia street or earlier. (You will have to walk two blocks to the 24 bus stop

The buses also meet further north, corner Topelius and Linnankoski streets but that corner is right now under repair and quite messy.

Here are links to a litte blue train but as I understand it it don't go to the port but just just circles old town.

https://www.inyourpocket.com/tallinn/city-train_7904v

https://www.visittallinn.ee/eng/visitor/see-do/tours/sid-539/city-train

http://estonianexperience.com/tour/tallinn-city-train-tour/

Here is downloadable map of T-centralen (subway) / Stockholm City station (commuter trains) http://sl.se/ficktid/karta/vinter/TC_Servicekarta_A4_001.pdf

Quite impressive! I must take a look at the station next time I'm visiting Stockholm. I have never tried the Stockholm pendeltåg but perhaps I could take a short trip as well as the position of the new Odenplan station is much more useful for a visitor than the old Karlberg station.

 

Curious about currency in Latvia and Lithuania. Euro's?

Yes, both Latvia and Lithuania use Euros.