Best or Favorite Time of Year for Scandnavia & St. Petersburg? Tips?

We and friends would really like to cruise this part of the world.

However, we are wanting to know what time of year is best?

(most likely not Winter, we realize).

Please share your thoughts and experiences so we can make

an educated decision.

TIA!

May-September for sommer or late December-February/March for a winter visit There is no safes when it

comes to weather and the forecasts are very unreliable even for a few days ahead. This summer have been

extremely hot for the region for an extremely long time. Next summer it might rain all summer. Nobody knows in advance,

It's the same regarding the winter for southern half of Scandinavia + southern Finland.

So it's more about luck then trying to pick a period of a certain weather. I don't think there are any cruises

in Baltic during the winter expect for the regular trans Baltic sea ferries.

Days are as longest around 20 days into June which can be importance if you want to

experience the sail in to Stockholm in full. Note that Norwegian Cruise line's ships normally don't go into

Stockholm but Nynäshamn. The same is mostly true for Regal Princess but the latter goes into Stockholm

sometimes but usually only a few times each season.

This might sound like a small deal but trust me when I say the the 5-6 hours sail in through Stockholm's archipelago is a very unique

experience. I know of one other city with a similar sail in and that is Åbo in Finland but most of the regular itineraries does not go there.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockholm_archipelago

You will be arriving from the north at Söderarm, then south through Furusund, Oxdjupet (east of Rindö) with it's two fortresses

(Oscar Fredriksborg (left) and Fredriksborg (right)) protecting the narrow strait, and then through the inner archipelago to central Stockholm.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Stockholms_sk%C3%A4rg%C3%A5rd.png

]We and friends would really like to cruise this part of the world. However' date=' we are wanting to know what time of year is best?[/font'] (most likely not Winter, we realize). Please share your thoughts and experiences so we can make an educated decision. TIA![[/color]/quote]

 

Hi, TIA! Appreciate this good question. Much depends on the weather. Below are some history details. We did our Dover/UK sailing to Stockholm that includes three days in Russia in late July and early August 2008. Had great weather and super wonderful time. Below are also some visual samples to help prove why we enjoy so much, especially if history, culture, architecture, shopping, etc., are of interest.

 

You can go to

www.wunderground.com

and check for the very specific weather history on many of the key towns in the world for their past temperatures in that specific area for a date in the past.

Here are a few weather averages/details for these three key cities in the Baltics by looking at the 7th, 15th, 23rd days of each month from www.wunderground.com:

 

Copenhagen: High/low averages,

May, early: 61 high/47 low °F

May, mid: 63/48 °F

May, late: 65/50 °F

 

June, early: 67/53 °F

June, mid: 68/54 °F

June, late: 69/54 °F

 

July, early: 69/55 °F

July, mid: 69/54 °F

July, late: 69/54 °F

 

August, early: 67/53 °F

August, mid: 66/52 °F

August, late: 64/51 °F

 

Sept., early: 60/49 °F

Sept., mid: 58/47 °F

Sept., late: 56/45 °F

 

St. Petersburg:

May, early: 60 high/41 low °F

May, mid: 62/44 °F

May, late: 65/46 °F

 

June, early: 68/49 °F

June, mid: 70/51 °F

June, late: 72/53 °F

 

July, early: 72/53 °F

July, mid: 71/52 °F

July, late: 70/51 °F

 

August, early: 66/48 °F

August, mid: 64/46 °F

August, late: 61/45 °F

Sept., early: 55/41 °F

Sept., mid: 52/38 °F

Sept., late: 48/36 °F

 

Stockholm:

May, early: 60 high/44 low °F

May, mid: 62/46 °F

May, late: 63/49 °F

 

June, early: 66/52 °F

June, mid: 68/54 °F

June, late: 70/55 °F

 

July, early: 71/56 °F

July, mid: 70/55 °F

July, late: 69/54 °F

 

August, early: 67/52 °F

August, mid: 65/50 °F

August, late: 63/48 °F

 

Sept., early: 58/44 °F

Sept., mid: 54/42 °F

Sept., late: 51/40 °F

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 229,121 views.

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

 

Helsinki’s City Hall in the main downtown overlooking the interesting and varied market area that is a must-see for walking around. Helsinki is the capital and largest city of Finland with a metropolitan population of 1.4 million. Ranked as one of the most livable city in the world, Helsinki is also highly ranked as a top design and tech location. During part of its more modern history, Finland was caught in “battles” between Sweden and Russia for control. Helsinki was never a strong, independent Royal city with the depth of architecture and history seen in Stockholm, Copenhagen or St. Petersburg.:

(Open your screen/viewer wider to see these pictures larger/better!)

 

Dancers are shown marching in Tallinn’s festival parade near the stone towers of the famous Viru Gate during our visit. Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia with a population of 440,000. About a third of the country’s population lives here. Tallinn’s Old Town is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and offers some nice shopping options/values here. There is so much charm, character and history in this somewhat hidden treasure of a town!! Its history goes back to the 1100's and it was an important port for trade between Russia and Scandinavia. In 1285, the city became the northern-most member of the Hanseatic League, a famed trading and military alliance of German-dominated cities.:

 

At St. Petersburg’s Hermitage, here is just one of the many, many great galleries with so many different and great architecture details, soaring ceilings, dramatic floors, etc., in areas where the Czars entertained and impressed other Royals and nobility. Even without the art items, these five palaces are so spectacular! This room is adorned with 19th-century Russian lapidary works and feature Italian and Spanish canvases of the 16th-18th centuries, including Veronese, Tintoretto, Velázquez and Murillo.:

 

Copenhagen’s Nyhavn or “new” Harbor is actually old and charming. This waterfront entertainment district is lined by brightly colored 17th and early 18th century townhouses and bars, cafes and restaurants. Serving as a "heritage harbor", the canal also has many historical wooden ships. Lots of people and fun activity!!:

 

 

Here is a sample of Stockholm’s amazing Vasa Museum with this large salvaged ship from the 1600’s. This is their website: http://vasamuseet.se/en/ Taking almost two years (1626-1627) to build Vasa, carpenters, sawyers, smiths, ropelayers, sailmakers, painters, carvers, gun carriage makers and other specialists struggled to complete the navy’s great, new ship. The king, Gustav II Adolf, visited the shipyard to inspect the work. With a hull built of more than a thousand oak trees with 64 cannon, masts over 50 meters high and hundreds of painted and gilded sculptures, this was a spectacular ship. BUT, it was too heavy and sunk sailing out from the harbor.:

 

 

Here is a unique angle for the spectacular fountains and water from the spectacular Peterhof outside of St. Petersburg. The greatest technological achievement of Peterhof is that all of the fountains operate without the use of pumps. Water is supplied from natural springs and collects in reservoirs in the Upper Gardens. This elevation difference creates the pressure driving most of the fountains for the Lower Gardens, including the Grand Cascade.:

Many thanks to both of you! This is very helpful. We love the Regal but have no idea about the itinerary we would prefer. We most likely will go on either Princess, Celebrity, or Viking Ocean.

Best time to tour this area is May / Early June, long days cooler than high summer and far fewer crowds, also less children ( if this concerns you) before the school holidays.

For St Petersburg: May was hot, June was cool and windy this year. May had clear skies all but 2 days. July this year was warm in the second 1/2 and early August has been hot and humid, in the 80s. September, for the last 10 years since Baltic weather changed so much is the best time, After September 1st all the kids are in school for a lot fewer families out with the kids. The cultural season starts up again so it is easier to great tickets for plays, operas, ballet or classical concerts in the 54 concert halls. The pace is more relaxed in the fall, Museums and palaces are not crowded, If there are cold nights the leaves turning color is a beautiful time in parks