Baltic ports - DIY?

[Trixie21]

We are booked on a Baltic cruise next June on navigator of the seas.

The ports are Oslo , Copenhagen , Tallinn , st. Petersburg (2nights) , Bruges , Helsinki . All ports are new to us . At the moment my thinking is to do either a ship or private tour for st. Petersburg (which will take care of visas etc) and attempt the other ports on a DIY basis. I feel that in the past I have overplanned resulting in constantly working to schedules and hence not making the cruise as relaxing as it might otherwise have been. Has anyone who has done these ports any comments on the feasibility of just getting off the ship and making our way around (obviously I would do a bit of research in advance as to what sights etc we would like to see in each port). Are there any ports you would strongly recommend a ship or private tour for.

All comments appreciated!

 

 

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[GradUT]

Here's a link to my thread on our DIY Baltics Cruise from July 2015--I think you'll find it useful as we visited several of the same ports. The only port for which you need a tour is St. Petersburg and I recommend you choose one of the many reputable private tour companies there rather than taking a ship's excursion.

 

Here's that link:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2237372&highlight=diy+baltics

Edited August 20, 2016 by GradUT

[GradUT]

Duplicate

Edited August 20, 2016 by GradUT

[kitkat343]

Our cruise stopped in Tallinn, Copenhagen, Helsinki and st Petersburg. All of those ports (except st Petersburg) were extremely easy to diy, and we were schlepping a 3 year old. Copenhagen and Helsinki both have excellent public tranportation systems. Depending on where you dock, you might want a cab in Helsinki to market square. From there, you can visit the market, the esplanade, take a ferry to suemenlinna and are very close to the Lutheran church and uspenski cathedral. You can get an all day transportation pass and Tram 2 generally takes tourists to most major attractions in the city.

 

Tallinn is very small and very easy to diy. Depending upon your level of fitness, you can either walk or take a cab to the top of toompea hill, and then walk down through the beautiful old city.

 

Copenhagen has excellent public transport. If you will be visiting a lot of museums, you can get a Copenhagen card to cover museum entrances and public transport. If you won't be visiting museums, a city pass will cover all public transport for 24 hours.

 

In Copenhagen and Stockholm, we rode public transport from museum to museum and just stopped at the tourist information desk to ask for directions to the next museum. In Helsinki, everything we wanted to see was either in/near market square or along the 2 tram.

[TLCOhio]

We are booked on a Baltic cruise next June on navigator of the seas. The ports are Oslo , Copenhagen , Tallinn , st. Petersburg (2nights) , Bruges , Helsinki . All ports are new to us . At the moment my thinking is to do either a ship or private tour for st. Petersburg (which will take care of visas etc) and attempt the other ports on a DIY basis. I feel that in the past I have overplanned resulting in constantly working to schedules and hence not making the cruise as relaxing as it might otherwise have been. Has anyone who has done these ports any comments on the feasibility of just getting off the ship and making our way around (obviously I would do a bit of research in advance as to what sights etc we would like to see in each port). Are there any ports you would strongly recommend a ship or private tour for. All comments appreciated!

 

Appreciate this good question that comes up often on these boards. Great locations and cities that you will be visiting. Have been, on different trips, to every one of the amazing places. Below are some of my visuals for travel tips and ideas as to a small portion of what we enjoyed there.

 

So much depends on what YOU seek, like and desire. Some folks like to just get off of a ship, walk around in the central part of the main downtown, see a few shops and head back to the boat. OK?? But for others, including us, we are "more aggressive" in trying to maximize our "opportunities" and gain a wider range of "experiences".

 

Tell us more! What do you most like to do and explore? History? Shopping? Culture? Nature? Food? Arts? Architecture? Music? Wildlife? Scenic countrysides? Being more "aggressive" in doing more? Or, more relaxed and laid-back? How flexible is your budget? Spending more sometimes does allow you to see and experience more and in very "special" locations.

 

Look forward to hearing back and learning more for your personal interests/desires. Private tours for St. Petersburg are a must-do. Maybe or maybe not for some other ports, all depending on your budget and personal travel needs/style.

 

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 202,069 views.

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

 

 

The historic and scenic main town square in Bruges is super scenic and has lots of outdoor dining options, activities, etc. When Bruges was at its peak, it was considered the top commercial city in the world! Like Amsterdam, Bruges is sometimes referred to as the “Venice of the North". Bruges was already included in the circuit of the Flemish cloth fairs at the beginning of the 13th century. The city's entrepreneurs reached out to make economic colonies of England and Scotland's wool-producing districts. The statue of Jan Breydel and Pieter de Coninck, the leaders of the uprising against the French in 1302, can be seen on the central market square. Starting around 1500, the ship channel, which had given the city its prosperity, started silting. The city soon fell behind Antwerp as the economic flagship of the Low Countries. Its power and wealth faded after that point until tourism came to revive and bring back its past glories. The historic center of Bruges has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000.:

 

 

 

This picture shows the main, historic fortress next to where many cruise ships dock in Oslo. The fortress construction started around the late 1290’s. The very interesting Norwegian Resistance museum can be visited there. Norwegian Royalty have been buried in the Royal Mausoleum in the castle. A portion of this fortress was replicated at the Norway pavilion at Disney’s Epcot Center.:

 

 

 

Helsinki’s Church of Rock, or Temppeliaukion Kirkko, is carved out of solid stone with a unique contemporary design. This Lutheran church was opened in September 1969. For economic reasons, its suggested plan was scaled back and the interior space reduced to about one-quarter of the original, pre-WWII plan. The interior was excavated and built directly out of solid rock and is bathed in natural light which enters through the glazed dome. The church is used frequently as a concert venue with its excellent acoustics. The acoustic quality is created by the rough, virtually unworked rock surfaces. The Temppeliaukio church is one of the most popular tourist attractions in this city with half a million people visiting annually. :

 

 

 

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!!:

 

[KeithJenner]

If you are happy to diy then this is a great cruise for it. Other than st Petersburg they are some of the easiest ports to do yourself.

[Gwendy]

In July this year we did the same cruise. In Oslo we did a tour that included the ski jump, thanks Eddie the Eagle. We know we could have caught a train and then walked, but seeing the walk from the train to the ski jump, glad we were in the bus.

Tallin and Helsinki we did on our own, shuttles from port into town. Be careful in Helsinki, time on our cruise was very limited and we ended up having to go into a mini golf attraction to get them to call us a taxi, near the Sibellius monument. We were running out of time fast. We had however taken the ferry to Sommelina in the morning. Very pretty.

Look on the Europe boards, research, research, write down the transport details, take your port agents name and phone no with you, from daily newsletter and most of all enjoy new scenery, great people.

[dogs4fun]

All your ports of call (with the exception of St. Petersburg) are very easy to DIY. The online TI's were a great help to me on my first Baltic cruise.

You will need to find transportation into Bruges as your ship will dock in Zeebrugge. It is very easy (and inexpensive) to take the short train ride into Bruges (your ship will most probably offer a shuttle from port to the Blankenberge train station & if not, it is very easy to get to the station using the tram). Or, you can get with others from your ship and share a taxi into Bruges.

Great itinerary - enjoy!

[Jack Staff]

Rick Steves Book " Northern European Cruise Ports" is we find a great help in deciding what to do at ports.

[Trixie21]

Loads of good info and ideas already - thanks everyone! I have already ordered the Rick steves guide book - I used his "Rome" guidebook this year during our pre cruise stay and it was invaluable.

 

 

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[Pet Nit Noy]

We are booked on a Baltic cruise next June on navigator of the seas.

The ports are Oslo , Copenhagen , Tallinn , st. Petersburg (2nights) , Bruges , Helsinki . All ports are new to us . At the moment my thinking is to do either a ship or private tour for st. Petersburg (which will take care of visas etc) and attempt the other ports on a DIY basis. I feel that in the past I have overplanned resulting in constantly working to schedules and hence not making the cruise as relaxing as it might otherwise have been. Has anyone who has done these ports any comments on the feasibility of just getting off the ship and making our way around (obviously I would do a bit of research in advance as to what sights etc we would like to see in each port). Are there any ports you would strongly recommend a ship or private tour for.

All comments appreciated!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

My husband and I went the DIY route in Helsinki, Stockholm, Tallin, Gdansk, and Kleipeda. We arranged private tours for the two of only in Bruges/Ghent, Copenhagen (4 days post cruise), Amsterdam, and St Petersburg. We got about each of the DIY cities with minimum stress. We had excellent experiences at the major sites we visited (e.g. VASA Museum, Solidarity Museum, and the Rock Church). However, we didn't learn as much DIY. We missed the interesting commentary a guide can provide about topics big and small as we moved between sites. For example, with our Bruges/ Ghent we learned about her child care arrangements and her children's early childhood education between destination.

 

On the other hand, a Baltic cruise is so port intensive that the slower paced port calls helped us stay fresh and engaged for our private tours.

 

Scheduling is a highly personal balancing act.

[Giantfan13]

Since you are visiting places that you have never been before, it might seem a bit overwhelming, but it is not. As has been said several times, all the ports except St Petersburg are very, very easy to do on your own.

 

A few suggestions:

If you prefer walking tours, email, or write, to each cities tourist office. Tell them when you will be there, and your interests and they will send you some great info as well as maps etc. We wanted to do a walking tour of Copenhagen, wrote to their tourist bureau and they sent me just so many great things along with several walking tours.

 

Depending on your interests, you need to do a bit of research yourself. Go to the library and take out Rick Steves books on the Baltics. (or any tour book from these cities). You need to determine what you want to see and rank them as to importance. As I said, all the cities are easy to do depending on how much time you want to spend at each venue. In Stockholm, we planned on stopping at the Vasa Museum, take a few pix and leave. Well, we ended up spending 2 hours there. It is truly an amazing place. Prioritize and each city will be a great adventure.

 

Cheers

 

Len