Does Celebrity have a Shuttle to town Helsinki

[RM]

Does Celebrity offer a shuttle into town in Helsinki? Trying to decide between a shore excursion and the HOHO Bus there.

[shoreham01]

They did when we were there two years ago. Some ships do dock right in the center of the town, but usually only the smaller ships.

[SWORRUB1]

Does Celebrity offer a shuttle into town in Helsinki? Trying to decide between a shore excursion and the HOHO Bus there.

 

 

Yes they do as the some excursions in that port let you stop in the city and catch the shuttle bus back, check out the Shore excursion brochure.

[denby]

When we were there 2 years ago we caught a city bus just outside the port gate. We bought an all day pass and used it to get over to the Suomenlinna Island Fortress. Then we came back had lunch downtown and took a city bus to the Rock Church. Finally we caught a bus back to the port. What an awesome day!

[RM]

Thanks for the replies. The shuttle isn't listed on the excursions. Still hoping someone who's been ther this year has the answer.

[WestLakeGirl]

Shuttles are nevr listed under shorexcursions. When the are offered for a fee, you buy tickets on board at Guest Relations

[Charles4515]

Does Celebrity offer a shuttle into town in Helsinki? Trying to decide between a shore excursion and the HOHO Bus there.

 

There is a shuttle. I don't recall who runs the shuttle but it runs often back and forth. We took the shuttle and did the tram. You can do a loop on the tram lines and with a one day ticket get on and off wherever you want. They have a map with the major points of interest highlighted. You can google about the DIY tram tour.

[Iamthesea]

I was there last month. Shuttle tickets were sold outside the port gate. You could not purchase them on the ship anymore. Ticketers wore red shirts. The line was short, as there were buses constantly leaving. The drop off was downtown at Stockman's Department store (worth a look!)

[BBsails]

We were on the same cruise as Iamthesea--Constellation to the Baltics in May/June of this year. Helsinki was interesting but was our least favorite port of the cruise. If we could do it again, we'd do an excursion to Porvoo. Others may disagree, and that's fine.

[Can'tstopcruising]

There is a shuttle. I don't recall who runs the shuttle but it runs often back and forth. We took the shuttle and did the tram. You can do a loop on the tram lines and with a one day ticket get on and off wherever you want. They have a map with the major points of interest highlighted. You can google about the DIY tram tour.

 

How much was the shuttle (return)?

 

How much was the tram?

 

Do we need local currency for that?

 

Thanks

[Charles4515]

We were on the same cruise as Iamthesea--Constellation to the Baltics in May/June of this year. Helsinki was interesting but was our least favorite port of the cruise. If we could do it again, we'd do an excursion to Porvoo. Others may disagree, and that's fine.

 

I would not disagree. I did Constellation Baltics a couple of years ago. All the other ports were special in some way. Helsinki had nothing special.

[Charles4515]

How much was the shuttle (return)?

 

How much was the tram?

 

Do we need local currency for that?

 

Thanks

 

The tram cost 8 Euros for the day pass. They use Euros. Most of the countries on a Baltic cruise are Euro countries so you will want some Euros for cash. The only countries we did on our itinerary not on the Euro were Sweden and Russia.

 

The shuttle was $10 or $12 roundtrip.

[RM]

Thanks for the replies and your opinion on shore excursions. I'll look into Porvoo.

[Iamthesea]

I can not remember how many euros the shuttle was. I don't think it was too terribly out of line, however. My husband paid and he is out on the golf course. If I see him rounding #6, I can shout to him and ask. :D

 

We were on the same cruise as Iamthesea--Constellation to the Baltics in May/June of this year. Helsinki was interesting but was our least favorite port of the cruise. If we could do it again, we'd do an excursion to Porvoo. Others may disagree, and that's fine.

 

I would not disagree. I did Constellation Baltics a couple of years ago. All the other ports were special in some way. Helsinki had nothing special.

 

My group of 4 agrees!

 

We took the shuttle to town, walked over to the craft market (small and disappointing except for a cute knitted sweater that I got my grandson and a deer antler "something" that my sister-in-law bought for her daughter.), walked around a bit, sat in a park, and then walked to the department store. Afterward, we boarded the bus back to the ship.

 

I took a total of 16 photos in Helsinki. That tells a lot. I am a photo bug!

 

I looked into the Porvoo excursion then I read online that someone was disappointed with it and that they did not have the photo op's they were hoping for. I decided to forgo the excursion based on that review. Shouldn't have, because some on our cruise took it and loved it! ;)

[GaryT-UK]

I can't say Helsinki was my favourite port in the Baltics (just because there are some really great ones), but I'd bought a guide book beforehand which included a walk around the city. It took in the Cathedrals, parks and I extended it to include the Olympic Stadium & tower with great views over the city, and then went on to the Sibelius monument. It was a long walk, but I found it interesting and a good way to see the city - I like to see more than just the famous sites. I made the mistake of walking all the way from the ship though. I think a shuttle to the centre would have helped as it made it a very long walk. Guess it depends what you find interesting too.

Edited June 28, 2014 by GaryT-UK

[kevinyork]

We liked Helsinki. We took the ships shuttle then walked. The harbour market was nice as was the the church by the harbour. We walked to the Rock Church via the lovely train station booking office. Then we walked to the Olympic Stadium and went up the lift.

 

We really enjoyed Helsinki.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[RJHNorthyorks]

We also liked Helsinki. We used the shuttle to get into the city and then explored on foot. The cathedral and market were really interesting. There was a music festival some sort of army cadet parade which apparently happens quite often. The people were really helpful.

[CoralReef]

We had a great time in Helsinki.

 

We took the Celebrity shuttle into town, then took the ferry to Suomenlinna sea fortress, which has a fascinating history and is also very pretty. Great place to walk and let kids run around. The ferry ride was beautiful.

 

George R.R. Martin (Game of Thrones author) wrote an interesting short story ("Under Siege") about the fortress's importance as a historical turning point. The ferry ticket also included some info about the fortress's significance. You can hire a guide if you'd rather not do any background reading, but either way it's well worth a visit.

 

We also enjoyed trying local dishes at the market, and strolling the Esplanade, which is kind of like a smaller version of Barcelona's Las Ramblas.

[Iamthesea]

Once again, I had read on the Ports of Call board (I think) that the fortress was not worth going all the way out to see, that you could see it in passing by ship when leaving. I took that advice, and you know what? ...I forgot to even look for it when we sailed away. :( I also don't remember seeing it on the way into Helsinki, or any seaside cottages that I had read about. Perhaps I forgot to get up early that day. :rolleyes:

 

I am really sorry that we did not do more in Helsinki, but it was one of those days when we were all worn out from all of our pre-cruise and port touring. :o

 

I asked my DH about cost for the shuttle. He said that he thought it about 10 euro pprt, but I found my notes that mentioned 12 euro. :)

[alcpa1]

Our cruise visit to Helsinki was on board Azamara so we docked at the Esplenade. We took the tram circuit which was really very interesting. We passed through both extravagant neighborhoods and middle class neighborhoods which were all clean and busy. The train station and Rock Church, Opera House, and many other sites were easily accessible at tram stops. The old market is chocked full of Finnish delights and the smells of the chocolate were amazing. There is also a Marimeko store within a few blocks of the inner harbor. If you want a taste of Scandinavia that's the place to go.

The sail away through the harbor, which is also accessed by larger ships docking elsewhere is terrific. I'm sorry anyone missed it. You sail right by the sea fortress and the homes perched on the hills are charming.

Helsinki may not have been our most thrilling port of call but it provided us with another travel experience.

[2552phxcrzr]

We've been here for a week ... Helsinki has a lot to offer and is eminently walkable. The Tram is a great way to get around.

 

As for going to Porvoo over staying in Helsinki. Went to Porvoo yesterday -- regular/frequent bus service available ... takes 50-60 minutes each way. Enjoyed Porvoo, but if I was in Helsinki just for a day and this was my first visit, I'd opt to take the ferry over to Suomenlinna (15 min from Market Square) over going to Porvoo, and combine it with stops at the Helsinki Cathedral and the Uspenski cathedral. As an inhabited sea fortress, we found Suomenlinna to be quite interesting. There are small cafes for anyone who wants a meal. The museum is very small, but we decided to go in anyway since a light rain started to fall ... the documentary movie at the museum was interesting as well and provided a good overview.

 

Remember to wear shoes with thick soles ... as the streets are cobbled ... even more so in Porvoo.

 

Just my humble opinion.

Edited June 29, 2014 by h2so4

[cartervan]

We were in Helsinki just last month and had a very enjoyable day. There was a shuttle handy to where the ship docks, as others have said. We took it in to town, and then walked down the Esplanade to the market. We had a Rick Steves' guide in hand, which was very helpful. We stopped for a little snack and restroom break at a nice cafe at the end of the Esplanade overlooking the market area, then walked around to see two contrasting Cathedrals, made our way through the market stalls, and then walked a few blocks to see the church in the rock where a concert pianist was playing and showing off the wonderful acoustics. Back to the shuttle and back to the ship in time to relax before dinner. A lot of walking, but all very pleasant and easy to do.

[LF2C]

We've been here for a week ... Helsinki has a lot to offer and is eminently walkable. The Tram is a great way to get around.

 

As for going to Porvoo over staying in Helsinki. Went to Porvoo yesterday -- regular/frequent bus service available ... takes 50-60 minutes each way. Enjoyed Porvoo, but if I was in Helsinki just for a day and this was my first visit, I'd opt to take the ferry over to Suomenlinna (15 min from Market Square) over going to Porvoo, and combine it with stops at the Helsinki Cathedral and the Uspenski cathedral. As an inhabited sea fortress, we found Suomenlinna to be quite interesting. There are small cafes for anyone who wants a meal. The museum is very small, but we decided to go in anyway since a light rain started to fall ... the documentary movie at the museum was interesting as well and provided a good overview.

 

Remember to wear shoes with thick soles ... as the streets are cobbled ... even more so in Porvoo.

 

Just my humble opinion.

Agree. Get the tram, much more fun. It runs from just outside the port gates.

[Piper77]

I was just in Helsinki about two weeks ago on the Constellation. I can confirm that they do offer the shuttle run by the local transportation company. As someone mentioned it was add out 10 euros return .

 

I'd also recommend the tram and visiting Suomolinna. You can get a day pass for about 8 euros that includes the tram and the ferry to the fortress island. I found the DIY transport in Helsinki the easiest of any port. Drivers very helpful and each stop displayed and announced on the tram so very easy to make sure you've got the right stop. Google tourist tram and you can find their helpful brochures that help you plan.

[Can'tstopcruising]

Agree. Get the tram, much more fun. It runs from just outside the port gates.

 

Are you saying to take a tram instead of the shuttle? Can we take it directly to the church in the rock? Thanks