Ultima Thule

Regarding taxis:

which company would you recommend

Taxi Stockholm, Taxi Kurir and Taxi 020.

 

It is very important that you look very carefully before you enter the taxi that it is from one of these companies

since there is a problem in Stockholm with unreliable freelancers that impersonates these companies.

 

The Freelancers will rip you off severely if you go with them.

 

All Swedish taxi's are required to use yellow license plates so if it does not have a yellow plate its not legit.

 

Some older posts about Taxi in Stockholm:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=34167478#post34167478

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=39009493#post39009493

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1326158&highlight=stockholm+taxi

I would like to add:

As an last control, all taxis has a yellow decal on the rear seat windows with a lot of small text/prices plus one price in large bold letters. That's the highest compare price.

For a decent taxi the latter should be somewhere between 300 and 350 Kr. Beware of taxis that shows much higher prices (400 Kr or more)

You can see how a typical decal looks like here (to the right) : http://www.taxistockholm.se/en/Fare-and-payment/

or do a Google picture search under "Stockholm taxi jämförelsepris" to see some really nasty "rip off" samples.

How much is entrance to Vasa Museum?

130 kronor ( about $ 20.30 )

 

What SKE150 compute to in USD?

$ 23.50

In Helsinki you will need 50c euro for coins-in-the slot (right door). Urinals (left door) are free.

Here is a map of locations:

http://www.hel.fi/palvelukartta/?lang=en&search=toilets&city=helsinki

Södermalm is the area south of Gamla Stan. If from the ship you face Gamla Stan and then turn your head to the left Södermalm is what you see. In other words, you are almost there when you leave the tender.

Here is a picture of a cruise ship moored at Strömmen, just where your ship will be, seen from Södermalm. Djurgården in the background. Slussen and Gamla Stan are hidden behind the house to the left.

Some parts of Södermalm are very hilly. This is "Brännkyrkagatan". (Note that the picture is taken from street level, not from a balcony!) Regarding art at the subway, as far as i know Södermalm has the oldest and least interesting stations.

How much time is reasonable to budget from flight arrival at gate to catch ferry to Tallinn or Stockholm

For Stockholm ferries you should be at check-in at 4:30 pm for Silja Line (impossible) and 5:00 pm for Viking Line (MIGHT be possible with VERY GOOD luck plus taxi straight from airport to ferry terminal?? I guess the taxi trip would take 35-40 minutes??)

There are Tallinn ferries that depart later in the evening.

From my experience baggage claim sometimes take half an hour or more at Helsinki-Vantaa. I have no idea what time immigration and customs might take.

Buses start not far from the exit. Expect 5-10 min waiting time for the bus. Bus 615 takes 40 minutes or more to the railway station. Finnair city bus takes some 30 minutes but costs more and you cannot transfer that ticket to the tram.

If you want to go to the Tallinn Ferries in West Harbor tram 9 stops in front of the railway station. For the Katajanokka harbor terminal (Viking Line) you will have to walk one block forward from the railway station to the 4T tram stop and that tram only goes with 18 min intervals. In both cases expect some 15-20 min tram ride to the harbor and the trams might be quite crowded.

Ho-Ho bus is of course an option. I used "City Circle" back in 2009 but as you can see on the second picture there are other options.

P.S. Note that there is a major subway building project going on in downtown Berlin so things might be a little bit confusing along "Unter den Linden", that at the moment looks like a big trench.

Thanks for all the responses!!

 

We are traveling with our 13 year old son. Who is mature for his age and loves history (military history in particular). Seems Vasa Museum is a good place to go.

Vasa? Of course!!

National Historical Museum, located two blocks north of Djurgården bridge is not often mentioned on this forum but I think its a wonderful museum, well worth a visit, especially the huge viking collection and the gold room.

I recommend The Royal Armoury on the south side of the royal palace as well.

I havent visited The Army Museum since they made a major rebuilding so I relly cannot comment on that one.

And also is it then worth the Stockholm card or we're better off as suggested here to use the HOHO boat? Or a 24-hour travel card mentioned in another thread?

I think the HOHO boat is best for those who dock at Stadsgården, only have a few hours time and want to visit just Vasa and Gamla Stan and don't plan to do any other trips.

In my mind the more time you spend in Stockholm the more natural it would be to use the public transport instead (more flexible, much shorter intervals etc). Is the Stockholm card or the public tranport travel card better? That depends on how many museums etc. you want to visit. The Stockholm card can be bought in advance and I understand your ship moor at a buoy at Strömmen and you'll land somewhere in Gamla Stan so there shouldn't be any problem for you to find a place to buy the travel card either.

Unfortunately the Stockholm card apparently doesn't cover the HOHO boat.

No, neither the HOHo boats nor the Djurgården ferry are included in the Stockholm card. But two canal tours are included. And all public transport of course.

I strongly suggest you buy a two day Stockholm card and DIY as you then have total freedom and can do it all at your own pace.

A two day Stockholm card would be 2 x 650 kr + 265 kr = 1565 kr or some 240 USD in total for two adults and one child.

http://www.visitstockholm.com/en/stockholmcard/

I was there the past summer and it took us about 4-5 hours to see most of it.

We took it pretty slow though but didn't enter every craftsman's workshop.

Two years ago I visited Skansen with the idea to take pictures with my digital camera (I have been there before several times so I did not enter any workshops or houses this time).

By a way there is a English variant of the map here: http://www.skansen.se/en/kategori/english

Taking the escalator from the main entrance up to the town quarter I continued clockwise around Skansen past the Rose Garden, Makalös, the reindeers, bears, wolves, Skåne farmstead all the way to the Hellestad belfry where I turned north walking to Bredablick tower. Then I continued to do the inner part of Skansen counterclockwise (summer pasture farm, forestry center, herb garden, market street, Skogaholm manor etc. and past the aquarium back to the main entrance. The route took 2 hours 10 minutes, walking all the time with only VERY short stops to take pictures with a DSLR (360 in total). Hope this, together with Desdichado's info, can give you some better idea about the time you would need.

By leaving off the northwest part of Skansen and going from the town quarters straight to the market street up to Bredablick tower to the zoo sector and then back along the east part and south part of Skansen I think those in a rush should be able to get at least some idea of Skansen in two hours. But of course Desdichado's way to do it properly is preferable.

I've noticed that a few stalls still set up in the winter. Do you know which stalls they are...are they selling food, souvenirs??

A few days ago it was coffee & donuts / bread / fur coats and fur hats / wool caps and wool mittens / souvenirs.

If you are in Helsinki on May 14th, its quay LHB, 1.6 miles from the middle of the city and 1.85 miles from the Market Square.

If you are in Helsinki on May 28th its quay LHC, half a mile further away.

Sorry, local bus 16 doesn't do that route anymore so you have to use a bus 14 plus tram combination if you want to use local traffic. But as far as I know there is always shuttle bus service available from the major cruise ships to the city center and back. That's the easy way out and I recommend it even if it costs a little bit more.

 

This is the walking route I would recommend:

 

https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=%C3%96stra+Tegelviksslingan,+Stockholm,+Sverige&daddr=59.3172519,18.087771+to:J%C3%A4rntorget,+Stockholm,+Sverige+to:Stortorget+to:Storkyrkobrinken+to:H%C3%B6gvaktsterrassen+to:59.326554,18.073319&hl=sv&ie=UTF8&sll=59.326053,18.071249&sspn=0.003564,0.008256&geocode=FcoViQMdTSIUASk_lJXdA3hfRjG2ros5pBOagQ%3BFQMciQMdW_8TASnPtcHX-HdfRjHESJhe0fDrIw%3BFTwxiQMdwcQTASl1NgHX4ndfRjF3tmWq6LTdmA%3BFQM7iQMd574TAQ%3BFTQ-iQMdpbwTAQ%3BFbs-iQMd87gTAQ%3BFVpAiQMd58YTAQ&oq=Storto&t=h&dirflg=w&mra=dme&mrsp=5&sz=18&via=1&z=17

 

 

C. Is Tyska Kyrkan (this is not the cathedral)

Great route Desdichado62! But you missed indicating the German Church (Tyska Kyrkan) on the Google map so now Stortorget is C instead of D on the map , palace store is D instead of E etc.

 

Others have said that the archipelago is a must… really beautiful, but, and excuse my ignorance, I'm unsure why.

Here is an earlier discussion about the topic:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1124128

Route planner will give you the basic idea even though the timetables for the summer will likely be a bit different.

Note that the Route planner sometimnes can give some odd resulta. In this case it recommends a change at stop "Viiskulma" while the natural thing is to get of the bus one stop earlier at "Tehtaanpuisto" and then walk forward 60 meters to tram stop "Eiran sairaala". (Click on the stop names on the Route Details list to see where they are on the map)-

I am thinking of using the tram 3. I would like to go to the Rock church and then to the Sibelius Park, how far would the walk be? Could I walk to the church and the Monument from Market square or is public transportation neccessary?

The trams have changed numbers from 3T & 3B to 2 & 3 (the tram now changes number between 2 and 3 during the trip). In this case you should take tram 2. http://linjakartta.reittiopas.fi/en/#?mapview=map&line=1002%20%201,1002%20%202

The Rock church is 1.75 km from the Market, nice walk through the city center.

The Sibelius park is a further 1.5 km away, rather boring walk across residential area.

The Rock church is 300 meters from closest tram stop ("Kauppakorkeakoulut").

The Sibelius Monument is some 680 meters from the nearest tram stop ("Töölön halli").

You can get closer by taking bus 14 or 18, from the Rock Church. then it will be some 350 meter to the monument from bus stop "Tölön kirjasto"

http://linjakartta.reittiopas.fi/en/#?mapview=map&line=1014%20%201,1014%20%202

Hope that helps a bit.

. I believe that it is the Port of Stockholm, but am having trouble working out the real name.

You can find the correct berth from this list.

http://www.stockholmshamnar.se/en/Karta/Vessel-calls/

Generally speaking, Frihamnen is northeast of the city , Stadsgården southeast.

For doing Porvoo on your own , see post #127/128 in current thread

and post #4 on this thread:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1923995

We arrive in Helsinki on June 20th, time 8-5.

Not a very long day.

So what do you suggest????

Perhaps a bus tour of the city is not a bad idea.

Stores etc. will be up until noon. After that most things will be closed.

plus top it off with a brewski and sausage

In Berlin you should try the Currywurst. :)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Currywurst

Storkyrkan is accessible by taxi via Slottsbacken.

That's correct. Sorry for my mistake. :o

Thank you so much for your helpful information. I appreciate that you take the time to try to help me. I can see so many things that I would like to see in Stockholm, but unfortunately they only give us a limited amount of time.

I have a rough idea of a plan and have a couple of questions. Our boat docks at Frihimnen, berth 634. I know that we can walk down the pier and take bus #76 to Gamla Stan. I know we can take a taxi as well. I have learned on these forums that taxis wait in the parking lot outside the Viking Line Terminal. But where is that is relation to Frihimnen? Is it easy to find? If a bus is convenient when we get off, then we can take a bus, but if not I will go for the taxi. Where should I tell the taxi to drop us off? By the cathedral?

We will stroll through Gamla Stan, taking our pictures to arrive at the boat dock for Djurgarden. I am not sure where we walk to get that boat ( I know southeastern tip) , but I think it is Slussen or else near the Grand Hotel. Is there a certain name of the boat? My husband is going to go to the Vassa Museum and I will go to Skansen. I think the boat goes to both stops. I am going to go to Skansen for 2-3 hours, then walk to the Vassa Museum to meet up with my husband. I know it is not ideal, but I will pick the things that interest me the most. Seeing some of it is better than none of it. Is it easy to find the direction in which to walk from Skansen to Vassa?

From here, we are going to take a taxi to the ice bar. I think taxis leave from Stockholm's leisure park which is 200 meters to the right when you go back to the main road outside of Vassa. Is this hard to find? I am not sure how long is 200 meters. Is it about a 20 minute taxi ride from there?

Then we will see the Ice Bar. I think it is near a train station, but I am not sure how to get from there back to Gamla Stan. Can you help me with that?

The remaining time we will shop, go in the Storkyrkan cathedral, & take one of the boat rides at Gamla Stan that you sent me. I see there is a royal canal tour for 50 minutes. I printed their schedule. From Gamla Stan, I am not sure how to get back to the boat in Frihimnen. Do one of these boats go near there? Is there a company that will bring us closer to the cruise ship in Frihimnen? Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

Thats a lot of questions but I''ll start off with a few comments.

- The Viking terminal is in Stadsgården harbour, not at Frihamnen harbour. The Stadsgården harbour, is 2 miles south of Frihamnen and on a different island.

- The ferry from Slussen to Djurgården is named "Djurgårdsfärjan". The ferry stops somewhere between Vasa and Skansen.

- Vasa opens at 8.30 during summer but Skansen not until 10.00 as far as I know.

- Skansen is big and quite hilly.

- Its a bit over half a mile between Vasa and Skansen main entrance even when you know the shortest way. Using the main road it is longer.

- 200 meters = 656 feet

- There is some 1.6 miles between Vasa and the ice bar. Time depends much of the traffic situation as the route goes though the commercial center but I think is should take less than 20 minutes.

- I really recommend you walk from the ice bar back to Gamla Stan if you are up to it. First to Sergels Torg (that's the tricky part) and then following Drottninggatan, the citys main pedestrian street, with lots of stores and shops that will lead you straight to Västerlångatan, the major street of Gamla Stan. The route would be 3/4 of a mile.

- The Cathedral (Storkyrkan) is located in the middle of Gamla Stan next to the Royal palace. Most of Gamla Stan is pedestrian streets so the Cathedral cannot be reached by taxi.

Have now been through this entire thread. Hoping I have most of it straight although overwhelming amount of information! Three questions:

 

1. Does Stockholm card include the Djurgarden ferry to get from Vasa Museum to Gamla Stan?

No.

2. We are thinking of doing bike tour that is part of the Stocholm card. The tour leaves from

Narvavägen 13-17. What would be the easiest way to get there from either City Hall or Royal Palace? Walkable?

See map:

http://sl.se/scripts/kartor-geografiska/7510.Innerstan.2013.html

Its walkable of course but if you want to take advantage of the Stockholm local traffic:

From the Royal Palace: bus 76 to Djurgårdbron and walk the rest of the way.

From the City Hall: bus 62 to Nybroplan, then tram or bus 69 or 76 to Djurgårdbron and walk the rest of the way.

Or bus 3 from the City Hall to the Gamla Stan subway station and then subway red line towards Ropsten to Karlaplan and walk the rest of the way.

(Bus 44 is of course available between Djurgårdbron and Karlaplan along Narvavägen if you don't want to walk at all.)

3. We are thinking of taking the Royal Canal Tour that departs from Nybrokajen. How would we get there from Vasa Museum? Walkable?

Nice easy walk but you can take the tram ("Spårvagn" on the map) or go over the Djurgården bridge and take bus 69 or 76.

Thanks for the info - I understand that the shuttle and the travel card are different - hope I can follow your directions to buy the card

The main service point is on the "balcony" surrounding the metro station under the rail road station. It says HKL / HSL and is to the right of the flower shop. There are many ways to reach it but I think I might just confuse you if I start to go through the options. Just take the escalator in the copper/glass house to the left (east side) of the railway station as I said earlier and you cannot miss it.

The concourse (hope thats the correct expression even if its under the street) look like this even if the flower shop and service point are to the right of this picture and not visible.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ARautatientorin_metroaseman_tasanne.jpg

 

Thanks but I'm a bit confused... Where exactly do the Princess shuttles drop you off? Is it by the Theater? If so, it looks like I can catch the 3B tram at either the Erottaja Tram stop on Bulevardi or up on Mannerheimintie at the Ylioppilastalo stop. I'm not sure where you are trying to direct me (perhaps your Google street view link is off - what position is that supposed to be? Where the busses drop you off?).

 

The usual place for shuttle buses to stop is 350 feet south of the Swedish Theater on Erottajankatu near the corner to Bulevardi. If you go to Google street view you'll find a yellow bus sign just outside of "Helsinki Day Spa". If your information says "Erottaja", thats the place the bus will stop. Its a short, 250 feet walk to the tram stop on Bulevardi.

 

An alternative shuttle bus stop is on Lönnrotinkatu, 260 feet west of the Theater. From there its a 400 feet walk to the Ylioppilastalo stop.