DIY Advice for Five northern ports please

[Been There, Planning That]

We're now seriously planning our late summer Baltic cruise on Princess and we'd sure appreciate any advice for the following ports of call:

• Aarthus Denmark
  
• Helsinki Finland
  
• Stockholm Sweden - We have purchased the Eye Witness book for Stockholm which has good ideas. We'd just appreciate first hand suggestions.
  
• Kristiansand Norway
  
• Oslo Norway - because we've added the transatlantic after the Baltic cruise we'll be in Oslo a second time. We're tentatively planning on the HOHO bus for the first stop, but sure are open to suggestions for either visit.
  

Thanks so much in advance for any practical wisdom you'd care to share,

 

Ruth

[Cornishpastyman1]

We're now seriously planning our late summer Baltic cruise on Princess and we'd sure appreciate any advice for the following ports of call:

• Aarthus Denmark
  
• Helsinki Finland
  
• Stockholm Sweden - We have purchased the Eye Witness book for Stockholm which has good ideas. We'd just appreciate first hand suggestions.
  
• Kristiansand Norway
  
• Oslo Norway - because we've added the transatlantic after the Baltic cruise we'll be in Oslo a second time. We're tentatively planning on the HOHO bus for the first stop, but sure are open to suggestions for either visit.
  

Thanks so much in advance for any practical wisdom you'd care to share,

 

Ruth

Hello Ruth

My DIY experiences at a couple of those :

 

Helsinki (took shuttle to the top of the Esplanade, and back of course, else it's a 30 minute walk) and then bought a one-day travel ticket for 7 Euros which is good for trams, buses and ferries. Helsinki is a another great port, criminally under-rated IMHO !

and apart from that I went to......

 

Suomenlinna (Fortress of Finland) - ferry leaves every 15 minutes and the journey takes abut 12 minutes.

 

Stockholm - we docked at Nynasham so no archipelago and 2 hours less time to explore:( There's nothing good to say about this but if the same happens to you I'd suggest taking the ship's coach-trip only option and doing it yourself.

 

Royal Warship Vasa at the Vasa Museum

A must for all Stockholm visitors. To be as time-efficient as possible in the Vasa Museum head straight for the information desk to find out the time of the next showing (in your language) of the terrific 25-minute film of how the ship was found, raised and restored. Then go to the theatre 5 minutes before 'showtime'.

 

There is also a 20 minute guided tour of the ship which is worth doing if you have the time. I'd say you can 'budget' for 60-75 minutes once in the museum if you get lucky with the times of the film and tour, 75-90 if you don't. It cost 120 Sw Kr in 2010

 

All the best, Tony

[Been There, Planning That]

Tony, your suggestions especially for the Vasa are very practical. Thank you too for your other suggestions.

 

For Stockholm I guess we'll have to wait to see where we dock. I hadn't realized that this could comlicate plans.

 

Ruth

[Aunt_DD]

You can check this website for where your ship will dock in Stockholm - http://www.stockholmshamnar.se/en/Karta/Vessel-calls/

 

Donna

[Been There, Planning That]

Type of shipKryssningsfartyg

Arrival date: 2012-09-08 07:00

Departure date: 2012-09-08 14:00

 

Arrival to: Helsinki

Departure from: Köbenhavns Havn

 

Donna, in reading this quote do I assume that the ship is arriving from Helsinki (which is the case) and that the port for arrival and departure in Stockholm is Kovenhavns?

 

This would sure help with planning.

 

Thank you,

 

Ruth

[Cornishpastyman1]

Tony, your suggestions especially for the Vasa are very practical. Thank you too for your other suggestions.

 

For Stockholm I guess we'll have to wait to see where we dock. I hadn't realized that this could comlicate plans.

 

Ruth

Yes, if it's Nynasham that's unfortunate, that's all. It's a fait accompli and should not alter or complicate your plans that much. You will probably be dropped at the Opera House, which is within a stone's throw of the Palace and Gamla Stan. When I was there it was a glorious day so we walked from the Opera House to the Vasa Museum along Strandvagen boulevard (as shown in the first Stockholm video) which takes 20-25 minutes and afterwards took a Ho-Ho boat back to the Gamla Stan area.

[Been There, Planning That]

Thank you again, Tony. And I've booked marked your link to your videos which I'll watch later.

 

You're a great resource,

 

Thanks,

 

Ruth

[Giantfan13]

Tony's videos are the best and give you a great look at where you are going.

 

I would advice you to try and get to Vasa Museum before you do anything else in Stockholm. Vasa only allows a certain number of visitors in at one time and sometimes the line to get in can be quite long. You just never know, so most people advise you to get there as early as possible, so you can see the Vasa and then be on your way. Do be prepared to spend at least an hour or more at the museum. The film, which is a must see, is about 25 minutes long.

After that you can budget your time as you see fit. Most people head for Gamla Stan after Vasa. You can also hit the Royal Palace and if time permits, watch the changing of the guard ceremony.

 

In Helsinki, everything takes place off of Market Square, so here needs to be your focal point. Depending on where your ship docks, you need to make your way here. From Market Square you can branch off in several directions to see several different things, always returning to Market Square to continue to the next.

 

Here are a few still pix hopefully to show you a bit more of the area

 

In Helsinki, use Market square as your central location.

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europemaster1150.jpg

 

You can also get some amazing food here, cooked right on huge grills and kettles for a very reasonable price

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe1146.jpg

 

If you choose to do the ferry to the fortress, you get some great views of Helsinki

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe1121.jpg

 

In Stockholm, we just loved Gamla Stan. You can go from one street with thousands of tourists to a block basically deserted. We loved to wander about looking for out of the way shops and things

 

The main 'drag' in Gamla Stan, teeming with people

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe1271.jpg

 

But a block or two away you are basically on your own

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe1270.jpg

 

If you have time, I would recommend the colorful changing of the guard ceremony, at the Palace

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe1306.jpg

 

Cheers

 

Len

[Been There, Planning That]

Len, your pictures really capture the flavour of the places. Thanks for posting them and for good advice.

 

Ruth

[MacThespian]

We're now seriously planning our late summer Baltic cruise on Princess and we'd sure appreciate any advice for the following ports of call:

• Aarthus Denmark
  
• Helsinki Finland
  
• Stockholm Sweden - We have purchased the Eye Witness book for Stockholm which has good ideas. We'd just appreciate first hand suggestions.
  
• Kristiansand Norway
  
• Oslo Norway - because we've added the transatlantic after the Baltic cruise we'll be in Oslo a second time. We're tentatively planning on the HOHO bus for the first stop, but sure are open to suggestions for either visit.
  

Thanks so much in advance for any practical wisdom you'd care to share,

 

Ruth

 

In Kristiansand, I'd recommend Ravnedalen (a national park--not quite as grand as, say, Yosemite, but really nice nonetheless) or Kristiansand Dyrepark (a local zoo).

 

Oslo has a wealth of riches. A batch of museums are on one suburban peninsula (Bygdoy) which you can reach by bus or ferry. There's the Fram Museum, the Kon-Tiki Museum, the Viking Ship Museum, and the Folk Museum. Akerhus Fortress (right where the ship docks) is amazing. If you're into art, visit the Munch Museum. The Vigeland sculptures in Frognerparken are like nothing else.

 

I haven't been in Aarhus for about 40, 45 years so can't really comment on that.

 

Spend some time in the Market Square in Helsinki. We managed to get a lot of neat souvenirs there for relatively little expenditure--including the wallet I'm still using five years later, some artwork, a paperweight for my daughter, and some delicious jams.

[Giantfan13]

Len, your pictures really capture the flavour of the places. Thanks for posting them and for good advice.

 

Ruth

 

Ruth

 

glad you like them and glad I could help. We just loved Stockholm. It was our favorite port on the entire cruise. Just the whole atmosphere of this marvelous city. We thought we would stop in at Vasa, take a few pixs and see the ship, but after watching the movie and listening to some of the tours, we were hooked and spent about 2 hours here. Just a fantastic story, ship and place. And in Gamla Stan, my DW loves to shop, to find some unique things to take home that is just special to this area. After wandering about a bit, we found this great shop selling these linen calenders all in Swedish. We bought several. great gifts and easy to carry back.

 

You will love it there.

 

Cheers

 

Len

[Been There, Planning That]

Thanks one and all,

 

I'm building quite the 'cut and pasted' file thanks to all your practical suggestions.

 

What with museums and art galleries and perhaps a bit of shopping I feel ready to serve as tour guide! Well not quite, but well enough that the two of us can confidently meander around.

 

Ruth

[Cornishpastyman1]

Tony's videos are the best and give you a great look at where you are going.

Thanks for your support Len, which I'm wearing at the moment :)

And belated congratulations to the Giants for the Super Bowl success !

[N&PJ]

Thanks for your support Len, which I'm wearing at the moment :)

And belated congratulations to the Giants for the Super Bowl success !

 

Hi Tony. Your videos are so helpful with the planning of our shore excursions - I only wish I could edit my video footage anywhere near as good as you can. Can I please ask what software you use to edit your videos?

 

Regards

 

Neil

[Cornishpastyman1]

Hi Tony. Your videos are so helpful with the planning of our shore excursions - I only wish I could edit my video footage anywhere near as good as you can. Can I please ask what software you use to edit your videos?

 

Regards

 

Neil

Hi Neil, Thanks for your kind words. I use iMovie 09 to edit the footage, which is as simple as it gets, although it has an irritating bug, which can be managed.

 

In my videos so far I have used a very cheap camcorder, as I take it skiing, on canoes, in humid conditions etc and don't want to risk an expensive one. I'm not trying to create anything other than a record of my memories but I will soon get an HD camcorder and have this cheap one as a back-up, but there are at least 6 videos waiting to be done from last year's Med cruise shot with that cheap one.

 

 

All the best, Tony

[Been There, Planning That]

What a creative idea MaleoMD,

 

Ruth

[MacThespian]

We went on the circular tram to see Helsinki and, to be honest, enjoyed the feeling of going by tram itself over the sights. The taste of the typical finish breads with rice filling that you can find at a supermarket at the bakers corner is as unique as going by tram.

 

Can you give us some more details on the circular tram? Where do you pick it up? What's the cost? Is it like a hop-on, hop-off bus?

 

Thanks.

[Cornishpastyman1]

Can you give us some more details on the circular tram? Where do you pick it up? What's the cost? Is it like a hop-on, hop-off bus?

 

Thanks.

It is a hop-on hop-off affair that does an endless figure of 8 all day with lots of stops - for precise details pick up a leaflet at the excellent information centre at Market Square, where I first got on. You use your all-day ticket (7 euros in 2010) which is also good for the ferry to Suomenlinna (the fortress).

[tullahlula]

For more info on the 3T & 3B tram routes go to www.hkl.fi

 

Sue

[Travel mad]

For more info on the 3T & 3B tram routes go to www.hkl.fi

 

Sue

Nyasham to Stockholm is only a fast train ride away ?You can definitely DIY , the station is a 10 minute walk from the docks- follow the blue line ! From Stockhom central, you can jump on a tram to the Vasa museum and from there you can catch a ferry across tha water to the Palace.

Helsinki town centre is also a pleasant walk otherwise catch a local bus. The market in town sells beautiful reindeer skins which I regret not buying !

[MacThespian]

It is a hop-on hop-off affair that does an endless figure of 8 all day with lots of stops - for precise details pick up a leaflet at the excellent information centre at Market Square, where I first got on. You use your all-day ticket (7 euros in 2010) which is also good for the ferry to Suomenlinna (the fortress).

 

Thanks for the info. I remember spending a LOT of time at Market Square when we were last there, but I didn't recall the circular tram. I'm definitely going to check this out when we arrive.

[KenCT]

Clicking through Sue (tallahlula)'s link I found a map of the "circular" tram. I'm sure I'll never locate it again. Here's the link: http://www.hsl.fi/FI/matkustajanopas/Documents/3B3T_esite_en_2012.pdf If you reduce your printer to 70% it will print on two pages.

[Giantfan13]

try emailing the tourist bureau in Helsinki. When We went, we did and they sent us a brochure of the entire route.

 

http://www.visithelsinki.fi/fi/

 

Cheers

 

Len

[MacThespian]

try emailing the tourist bureau in Helsinki. When We went, we did and they sent us a brochure of the entire route.

 

http://www.visithelsinki.fi/fi/

 

Cheers

 

Len

 

Thanks, Len.

 

--David (who grew up in West Hempstead)

[havepassportwilltravel]

My husband's cousins live in Kristiansand, and we have been there several times. It is a charming city in the "Norwegian Riviera" (warmer in the summer) section of Norway. The "old town" is wonderful for walking around, and the newly refurbished area around the harbor has great restaurants and fish markets. There is a new (and controversial) opera house that opens this year. When our children were young, they enjoyed the zoo...and also some of the old farm buildings on the outskirts of town. I was in the cathedral last year, and it was very impressive. Be advised that Norway is NOT inexpensive (just like the rest of Scandinavia). Just be prepared.