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Helsinki Questions? Glad to help!

Sinppu

By Sinppu,
in Northern Europe & Baltic Sea

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Essexlass2

Essexlass2

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Visiting Helsinki in July and want to visit the Olympic Stadium, the Rock Church, Senate Square, Sibelius Park and Market Square. We were thinking of using the HoHo from where our ship docks at Hernesaari, but if our cruiseline offers a shuttle to the Market Square could we then get one bus/tram to these places? If so, would that be more economical than using the HoHo and what bus/tram should we get and from where please?

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Jonza

Jonza

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Posted (edited)
Visiting Helsinki in July and want to visit the Olympic Stadium, the Rock Church, Senate Square, Sibelius Park and Market Square. We were thinking of using the HoHo from where our ship docks at Hernesaari, but if our cruiseline offers a shuttle to the Market Square could we then get one bus/tram to these places? If so, would that be more economical than using the HoHo and what bus/tram should we get and from where please?

Yes it will be more economical and you can also start using public transit right from the ship if your cruise line is charging something for the shuttle. Of course using public transit will require you to familiarize yourself with the lines you would be using, but connections will likely be more frequent than hop-on-hop-off buses.

 

The public transit day pass is 8 euros and hop-on-hop-off companies are currently charging 25 euros for a day.

 

Here is one of the hop on hop off maps that has all your destinations so you can see how they are located in relation to each other.

Hernesaari is served by bus line 14. You can check the maps for each line here. Just search for the line number.

 

You can use 14 to get to the Rock Church or Sibelius Monument directly from the pier. Between the Rock Church and Sibelius Monument. For the Rock Church you would get off at stop "Kauppakorkeakoulut" and for the Sibelius Monument at "Töölön kirjasto". Between those two stops also lines 18 and 39 run the very same route. The Sibelius Monument and the Olympic Stadium are about 1 km walk from each other (map).

 

From the stadium you could take tram 2 to either the Rock Church, Senate Square or Market Square. If you had already done the Rock Church at that point, tram lines 4, 4T, and 7B would take you to Senate Square about 10 minutes faster. To get back to your ship you would take a tram somewhere along bus line 14 and use it to get back to Hernesaari.

 

You can find all the public transit route maps and a journey planner at www.hsl.fi/en. Google Maps is also aware of Helsinki public transit routes so you can also use that to check for directions. Timetables for the summer are not out yet, but you will get the general picture of connections available and their frequency.

Edited by Jonza
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Essexlass2

Essexlass2

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Thank you so much for this comprehensive information. My husband has now decided we shall leave out a visit to the Olympic Stadium, but we will use public transport to all the other places as it does seem very easy following your directions. Where can we buy a day pass please, from the driver of bus 14 or elsewhere?

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Jonza

Jonza

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Thank you so much for this comprehensive information. My husband has now decided we shall leave out a visit to the Olympic Stadium, but we will use public transport to all the other places as it does seem very easy following your directions. Where can we buy a day pass please, from the driver of bus 14 or elsewhere?

Bus drivers do sell one day passes. They accept cash only and are not required to accept notes greater than 20 €.

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Desdichado62

Desdichado62

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We will be on the NCL star in Helsinki on Saturday 6/21/14. I guess this is a public holiday called Midsummer. Can anyone share what sights/places will be closed on this holiday? Will there be limitations on public transportation/ferries?

 

see these threads:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1936943 replies #6, #13, #15, #17

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1963738

Edited by Desdichado62
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Jonza

Jonza

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It looks like Tram 2 -3 loops in a lazy 8 around the city....is it feasible to tour Helsinki that way and how long would an entire "loop" trip last (assuming one never leaves the Tram)? Kiitos.

 

It is definitely feasible. There even is a brochure by the transport authority naming some sights near the stops: https://www.hsl.fi/sites/default/files/uploads/helsinki_sightseeing.pdf

 

The line 2 is about 25 minutes from one end to the other and 3 is about 30 minutes. Trams do continue from one line to another without noticeable break at the southern "terminus". There is a planned stop of about 8 minutes at the northern "end" of the lines. All together the whole ride would take about an hour.

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hal2008

hal2008

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It is definitely feasible. There even is a brochure by the transport authority naming some sights near the stops: https://www.hsl.fi/sites/default/files/uploads/helsinki_sightseeing.pdf

 

The line 2 is about 25 minutes from one end to the other and 3 is about 30 minutes. Trams do continue from one line to another without noticeable break at the southern "terminus". There is a planned stop of about 8 minutes at the northern "end" of the lines. All together the whole ride would take about an hour.

 

Thanks for the link, Jonza.

 

Is there an audio-guide that goes with this trip?

(either from tourist office or as an app?)

 

TIA

 

PS: is late Match/early April too cold for going to Suomenlinna or even for walking from church of rock to Sibelius monument?

Edited by hal2008
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Jonza

Jonza

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Thanks for the link, Jonza.

 

Is there an audio-guide that goes with this trip?

(either from tourist office or as an app?)

 

TIA

 

There is no official audio guide made by the city. However I was able to find this free audio guide: http://www.dewhurstdesigns.co.uk/helsinki/ It is some years old and the tram routes have changed a little. The line numbering was a bit different back then as 3T was one direction on the 8-shaped line. Stops 4-7 on the current route do not appear on that audio guide. From stop 8 (7 on the audio guide) onward the route is the same.

 

PS: is late Match/early April too cold for going to Suomenlinna or even for walking from church of rock to Sibelius monument?
Suomenlinna is definitely more enjoyable when it is warmer, but unless the weather is horrible you can enjoy Suomenlinna any time of year. It being too cold to walk from the Chruch of the Rock to the Sibelius Monument would be either wrong clothing or freak weather.
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hal2008

hal2008

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

 

(non-schengen arrival with 1 checked bag and 1 carry on)

 

Immigration+baggage claim+customs+615 bus + travel to citycenter + transfer to tram + travel to terminal + check-in at ferry terminal

 

What is reasonable to target for 3:30 pm arrival on weekday

 

thanks

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Ultima Thule

Ultima Thule

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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.

Edited by Ultima Thule
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Jonza

Jonza

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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.

 

I'll try to add some details to the already comprehensive answer by Ultima.

 

I have no first hand experience in a while on non-Shengen arrivals, but the wait times for passport control should not be long. If you hold a biometric passport of a EU or EEA country or Switzerland or Japan you can use the automatic passport control where the queues will be even shorter. Customs is just a walk through unless you get stopped.

 

Around the time of your arrival the 615 runs every 10 minutes and the Finnair city bus runs every 20 minutes (every 15 min June-September). Tram rides from the central railway station to the harbors are about 10 minutes. 9 runs every 8 minutes during rush hour and every 10 after that. 4 and 4T together run every 6 minutes during rush hour and every 8-10 minutes later on. For the Katajanokka harbor you can very well take the 4 as well as the 4T as the walk from the closest stop (Vyökatu) on 4 is only about 150 meters to the terminal.

 

Tallink-Silja requires you to check in at least 30 minutes before departure and Viking line requires you to check in at least 10 minutes before departure. As Ultima said, it is impossible to make it to the Silja to Stockholm and risky to try for the Viking departure half an hour later (though 50 min later for last check in). From June 12th until August 31st Viking Line has a later departure time for the Stockholm ferry. It departs at 6.15 pm which would be doable.

 

For Tallinn you have the options of Viking Line at 9.30pm and Tallink departures at 6.30pm (slower cruiseferry), 7.30pm and 10.30pm. And starting in April you have also the option of the slightly faster and smaller Linda Line catamaran at 7pm.

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Jonza

Jonza

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Sorry if this has been covered, but I got to page 19, and didn't see an answer, so here goes:

 

Is there both a green and red hop on hop off bus?

If there is, what is the difference?

 

Thanks!

Yes there are at least these two different companies providing hop on hop off buses:

Strömma's Open Top Tours uses green buses

Citytour's Red Buses uses red buses.

Both companies have the tour maps on the website and seem to swing by cruise ships if those are in port. Both companies charge 25 euros and cover pretty much the same sights. Based on the maps on the website the route is a little different and Open Top Tours visits Senate Square twice during the tour making their route in effect two small loops whereas the Red Buses one is a single larger loop.

 

 

We are going to be in Helsinki on June 20, 2014. I understand this might be a major holiday.

Will many places be closed? Will the seurasaari open air museum be open? Thanks

Much info on Midsummer at Helsinki can be found in these threads:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1936943 (Title says Stockholm, but there is also info on Helsinki)

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1963738

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DanL

DanL

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Yes there are at least these two different companies providing hop on hop off buses:

Strömma's Open Top Tours uses green buses

Citytour's Red Buses uses red buses.

Both companies have the tour maps on the website and seem to swing by cruise ships if those are in port. Both companies charge 25 euros and cover pretty much the same sights. Based on the maps on the website the route is a little different and Open Top Tours visits Senate Square twice during the tour making their route in effect two small loops whereas the Red Buses one is a single larger loop.

 

 

Thanks Jonza. Apparently both go by Henasaari when ship in port. Any comment which is preferred red or green? More busses, etc.

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Jonza

Jonza

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Thanks Jonza. Apparently both go by Henasaari when ship in port. Any comment which is preferred red or green? More busses, etc.

 

Yes both do run to Hernesaari and/or Jätkäsaari if there are cruise ships there. Based on the information available on their websites I cannot see significant differences. Open Top Tours (green) runs only 12 May - 24 September the summer season and Red Buses (red) runs all year (Thu-Sun) and all week 2 May - 30 September. Red Buses site says that they run every 30 minutes 14 May - 24 September and every 45-60 minutes for the rest of the year. Open Top Tours did not have the interval information on their site, but I would suppose it to be similar to the competition.

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happy_travellers

happy_travellers

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It is definitely feasible. There even is a brochure by the transport authority naming some sights near the stops: https://www.hsl.fi/sites/default/files/uploads/helsinki_sightseeing.pdf

 

The line 2 is about 25 minutes from one end to the other and 3 is about 30 minutes. Trams do continue from one line to another without noticeable break at the southern "terminus". There is a planned stop of about 8 minutes at the northern "end" of the lines. All together the whole ride would take about an hour.

 

Which tram from the cruise terminal could we take to hook up with tram 2 or 3? Or could we walk from the cruise terminal to one of the stops on tram 2 or 3?

Thanks Karen

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Ultima Thule

Ultima Thule

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Which tram from the cruise terminal could we take to hook up with tram 2 or 3? Or could we walk from the cruise terminal to one of the stops on tram 2 or 3?

 

Depends on where your ship docks:

 

Here is a map of the harbours http://www.portofhelsinki.fi/passengers/international_cruise

(Beware, the text under it as there is no bus #14B any longer. It's called bus #14 nowadays.)

 

and here is a list of cruse ships: http://www.portofhelsinki.fi/passengers/expected_cruise_ships

 

For West Harbour: (quay LMA & LV7) use tram 9

For West Harbour - Hernesaari (quay LHB & LHC) use bus 14

For Katajanokka (quay ERA, ERB) use tram 4

Tram 2 passes South Harbour.

Edited by Ultima Thule
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