Touring on your own in Tallinn, Stockholm, and Helsinki

[Mrs Booboo]

For those of you that have done Tallin, Stockholm, or Helsinki on your own (i.e., no organized tour), how did you make your way around? Did you have maps (maybe from Google, an official map from tourist information booth, maps in Rick Steves book)? Or could you manage to get to the major sites without them?

 

Just don't want to spend the time we have in port wandering around lost ;)

[John Bull]

Tallinn

You can walk to the nearest part of the walled old town, a squat tower with the unflattering name of Fat Margaret, in 20/25 minutes. It's no level ground.

Or there's usually a ship's shuttlebus (most are payable). They take you a little further along the road at the bottom of town. But..........

if you take a taxi, get the driver to take you to the top of the old town - it's on a very steep hillside, and that means your meandering can be all downhill.:)

 

Stockholm

- if you port at Stadsgarten (spelling?) there are ho-ho boats, ho-ho buses, local buses & probably ship's shuttlebuses.

Main focus is on Gamla Stan - the old part of town & royal palace.

Also the Vasa museum. Some morning ho-ho boats go direct to the Vasa and its recommended you use that boat to make Vasa your first stop because it gets crowded later in the day. Vasa is the last stop on the regular ho-ho boats.

- if you port in Frihamnen it's a little less convenient, you start with a local bus or share a taxi. Again advice is to head first to the Vasa.

- if your port is Nyneshamn, its not in Stockholm, it's on the coast about an hour away by road or rail. I can't help, but you need to research your transport options.

 

Helsinki

You'll need transport to the centre, about 10 - 15 minutes by ship's shuttle or taxi, and I think ho-ho buses stop at the cruise port. Centre is the market place, here you'll find boat trips and tram routes and some sights,

Maps are almost-always available from ship's customer-relations or tour desks - most aren't too good & usually provided to guide you to commission-earning shops :rolleyes:

We did research before our cruise, didn't take any maps, mebbe picked up freebies at a cruise terminal or two, got by fine.

You might find it useful to download appropriate maps from a site like maps.me - once downloaded no need for a wifi signal.

 

JB :)

[ABQcruiser]

I have just gotten back on our ship from Tallinn. We took a taxi to the start of old Town and basically followed Rick Steves walking tour (available online, no book purchase) and wandered. If you can get a cab outside the port gate, it will probably save you a lot--we paid 15euros but I'm certain it was way high.

 

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[LHT28]

some tourist board still send maps & brochures if you can order them ahead of time

 

Pick up a map at the port if possible

 

some you can download to your phone (if you have one that does that)

print off a map online

some sites to check

https://www.use-it.travel/cities

 

https://www.inyourpocket.com/tallinn

[aquidneck1]

You can save Google Maps so that they can be viewed and searched off line. Its a pretty cool feature as it will also give you directions from one point to another. If you use TripIt, you can click on an address in your itinerary and then click the address and it will take you to the offline Google Map if you have saved it.

[dogs4fun]

Both Tallinn and Helsinki have excellent tourist information websites (in English). Both have maps that you can download and both provide transportation options.

Tallinn: https://www.visittallinn.ee/eng/visitor/plan/good-to-know/tourist-information

Helsinki: https://www.myhelsinki.fi/en/info

[kitkat343]

In Stockholm we visited 3 museums and the old town. The hoho boat took us directly to vasa, and we just stopped at the information booth and got directions to the next stop at each museum.

 

In Helsinki we took a cab to market square, where there are nice outdoor booths on the waterfront, and is close to the esplanade, ferries to suemmolina, the helsinki cathedral and uspenski cathedral. You can pick up tram 2/3 from market square, which will take you to most tourist destinations in the city and is a very nice ride. There’s a 24 hour transportation pass available.

 

We easily toured everywhere on our Baltic cruise (except St. Petersburg) on our own thanks to the excellent public transportation system everywhere even with a 3 year old in tow.

[EllieinNJ]

Stromma/City Sightseeing hop on/hop off buses are running a Baltic special...buy 3 get one free. We did Copenhagen, Tallinn and Helsinki (ordered online with 10% discount). Then used the free ride in Stockholm. We were on the NCL Breakaway. The hoho buses coming to the port wouldn't honor it so used the free shuttle and train tickets to get into Stockholm and there the buses honored it.

 

 

In Tallinn we got off at the old town, walked around quite a bit then got back on to the ship. In Helsinki we got off at the Market Square, then on and off at the Stone Church and again back to the ship. In Copenhagen it is a 48 hour ticket for one or three lines. We hopped on and off several times. We even used it to get to the cruise port from our hotel. You simply take the bus that says "mermaid" to the mermaid stop. There they have a shuttle bus to Oceankaj.

[John Bull]

Tallinn

You can walk to the nearest part of the walled old town, a squat tower with the unflattering name of Fat Margaret, in 20/25 minutes. It's no level ground.

 

 

JB :)

 

Funny how a silly little typo can so drastically change the meaning :rolleyes:

 

JB :)

[Desdichado62]

You don't need a map in Stockholm if you only are going to see the regular attractions as Vasa, Old Town and etc.

I also would recommend not to use HoHo buses in Stockholm since they are slow and expensive,

If berthing at Stadsgården then use HoHo boats or M/S Emelie to get to Vasa in the morning.

combine with Djurgården ferries to get from Vasa to Old Town and bus or HoHo boats back to ship and you are all set.

 

 

If berthing at Frihamnen use pblic bus 76 + Djurgården ferries to get around.

[Ultima Thule]

Do some planning and always have a map available just in case. The free maps available at the ports are not that great but should be sufficient.

 

Helsinki should be quite straightforward for a tourist. While there are places like north of the Rock Church with confusing streets, most of the streets in the city districts are straight and parallel with each other.

 

Stockholm. Old town has just two two major streets and is too small to get lost in. Most tourist attractions are close to water and some buildings like the Palace the City Hall and the Vasa Museum are seen from far away making it easy to see the directions. However for those who want to investigate more of the city the Södermalm district is quite hilly and the Brunkeberg Esker goes through the Norrmalm district (city commercial center) so while a route could look straightforward on a map you might find the street you planned to take in fact is 50 feet above or below you.

 

Tallinn old town is not that big but a real labyrinth with streets going left and right and up and down. Also east of old town the commercial district doesn't seem to have been planned for pedestrians so in some places it is surprisingly hard to find a place to cross the street.

[satie37]

For those of you that have done Tallin, Stockholm, or Helsinki on your own (i.e., no organized tour), how did you make your way around? Did you have maps (maybe from Google, an official map from tourist information booth, maps in Rick Steves book)? Or could you manage to get to the major sites without them?

 

 

 

Just don't want to spend the time we have in port wandering around lost ;)

 

 

 

Both Tallin and Helsinki are compact and walkable. It is difficult to get lost. Having a town map with major sites would be sufficient. In Helsinki we joined a free walking tour also to learn the local perspective. Stockholm is spread out so we took the HOHO bus which worked out well.

 

 

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[diane.in.ny]

 

Stockholm

- if you port at Stadsgarten (spelling?) there are ho-ho boats, ho-ho buses, local buses & probably ship's shuttlebuses.

Main focus is on Gamla Stan - the old part of town & royal palace.

Also the Vasa museum. Some morning ho-ho boats go direct to the Vasa and its recommended you use that boat to make Vasa your first stop because it gets crowded later in the day. Vasa is the last stop on the regular ho-ho boats.

- if you port in Frihamnen it's a little less convenient, you start with a local bus or share a taxi. Again advice is to head first to the Vasa.

- if your port is Nyneshamn, its not in Stockholm, it's on the coast about an hour away by road or rail. I can't help, but you need to research your transport options.

 

:)

 

Is there a website where I can check where my ship will be docking? I have a couple of links but none of them give the actual docking location.

 

Thanks!

[dogs4fun]

Is there a website where I can check where my ship will be docking? I have a couple of links but none of them give the actual docking location.

 

Thanks!

You will find your docking location in Stockholm here:

http://www.portsofstockholm.com/vessel-calls/

[diane.in.ny]

You will find your docking location in Stockholm here:

http://www.portsofstockholm.com/vessel-calls/

 

Thanks!

[Desdichado62]

Thanks!

 

Just be aware that the for almost ships changes can happen due to weather.

Regal Princess, MSC Preziosa, Mein Schiff 1 and the Celebrity ships are the ones most vulnerable to high winds.

 

If Nynäshamn is available they can go there if unable to get into Stockholm. MSC Preziosa even went as far as Kapellskär

when Nynäshamn wasn't available.

[Giantfan13]

You have already gotten the BEST advice. Take it a run with it.

 

There are excellent sites on line to download walking tours of Tallinn. We did that and followed it all along, with some of our own deviations. We also wrote to each cities Tourist Bureau, requesting maps and such and for the most part, we receive wonderful things back.

 

Public transportation is easy to use and I always tip my hat to the wonderful people here, from those cities who always provide excellent advice on the exact way to do things.

 

As was said, Tallinn is so easy to walk from the ship to the old town. Sorry it took John Bull 25 minutes. I'm old and it only took me 15. :D:D:D:D.

 

Stockholm, we docked at Frihamnen and we took the HoHo buses to get around.

 

Helsinki, we shared a tax and you must get to Market Square, about a 10 minute ride, and everything hubs around that.

 

People in Helsinki are great. We were trying to get to the Church in the Rock. we were standing on a corner, looking at a map. This gentleman, just walking his dog, came over to us, asked s what we were trying to find. When we told him, he basically took us by the hand and escorted us to where we wanted to go. Just couldn't thank him enough.

 

Cheers

Len

[ch__]

People in Helsinki are great.

Thanks! ;)

 

One caution, or advice, for everyone travelling in these cities and going around on their own (applies to most other European cities also). There is a huge increase in pickpocketing and other crime they are mainly targeting tourists who tend to carry cash, whereas locals usually don't carry any cash. The countries are among the safest of the world, so someone might feel that I'm just over-exaggerating. And yes, the crimes are mainly theft so nothing really serious.

 

The advice is:

 

 

 

1. The locals never come "to your skin", they keep their distance. They'll never approach you for a friendly chat out of the blue, nor they ever give any hugs to strangers. Always suspect crime if someone does any of these. Locals might ask you if you need any directions if you seem to be lost, but they will most certainly still stay at least an arm's length away.
   
2. Moreover, if you see anyone begging on a street corner or handing out flowers, they are with 99.9% certainty part of organized crime and shouldn't be given any money (it just makes it worse). The free movement of people within EU has enabled this and there is nothing the local police can do about this as begging isn't a crime. Locals would never beg, as permanent residents get all the upkeep and services they need for free.
   
3. Also, last week the Finnish police issued a warning in a local newspaper, that there are fake police officers targeting tourists. The locals can spot a fake officer easily, which is why the victims are mainly tourists. There is no clear guide how to spot a fake, but one way to test is to point your camera at the person claiming to be a police officer - there is no law forbidding videotaping or photographing a police officer on duty in Finland. Also, the real police are relaxed and friendly towards tourists and never demand any money - even fines are paid by bank transfer based on an issued ticket.
   

 

The rates of crime are still extremely low in these countries, but since most of the criminals will target unsuspecting tourists, and the amount of these types of crimes has skyrocketed in the last 10 years, I would at least be wary towards any strangers that are approaching you.

 

This is something I wouldn't have had to warn about 10 years ago, but now the situation is what it is and it makes me sad to see this kind of phenomena in the country I love.

[chubbypiggy]

You will find your docking location in Stockholm here:

http://www.portsofstockholm.com/vessel-calls/

 

For Sept. 6, it shows Berth Seaw Seawalk for the Regal Princess . Is Seaw Seawalk in Stockholm or Nynashamn?

 

Thank you.

[dogs4fun]

For Sept. 6, it shows Berth Seaw Seawalk for the Regal Princess . Is Seaw Seawalk in Stockholm or Nynashamn?

 

Thank you.

 

Nynäshamn

[nooreen]

Stromma/City Sightseeing hop on/hop off buses are running a Baltic special...buy 3 get one free. We did Copenhagen, Tallinn and Helsinki (ordered online with 10% discount). Then used the free ride in Stockholm. We were on the NCL Breakaway. The hoho buses coming to the port wouldn't honor it so used the free shuttle and train tickets to get into Stockholm and there the buses honored it.

 

 

In Tallinn we got off at the old town, walked around quite a bit then got back on to the ship. In Helsinki we got off at the Market Square, then on and off at the Stone Church and again back to the ship. In Copenhagen it is a 48 hour ticket for one or three lines. We hopped on and off several times. We even used it to get to the cruise port from our hotel. You simply take the bus that says "mermaid" to the mermaid stop. There they have a shuttle bus to Oceankaj.

Hi. Please see my post today on the norwegian breakaway 31 july 2018 roll call group, regarding the free offer on the 4th bus tour. I mentioned the incident above, that the bus driver did not honour the special and stromma replied they were wrong to do so and will be advising their bus drivers of the special. It does include the transfer to stockholm from nynashamn and back to port. I am not reposting here as it quite a long post.

 

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[chubbypiggy]

Nynäshamn

 

Thank you.

[afto]

We did all three of these ports on our own. Tallinn was easy enough to walk everywhere. In Stockholm and Helsinki we used city transit. Helsinki: you can purchase a one-day transit pass from the driver of first bus you board (as of last year, you needed cash - euros - for this). Stockholm transit system is easy enough to use once you have the tickets in hand, but trying to purchase a day pass from the machine at our first stop was not easy. Several busses went by while we stood in a line at the stop waiting for other cruisers to figure out how to use the machine. Some gave up and took taxis instead. We walked back to the cruise terminal (we docked at Frihamnen) and purchased our passes from the tourist information booth in the terminal -- an hour wasted on this process, but after that no problems. We used Google maps on our phone to find out which busses to take to the main tourist locations in both cities. Both passes also covered ferries - we used one to go out to Suomenlinna Island in Helsinki and in Stockholm we took the ferry from Grona Lund Amusement Park to the Old Town. In both cases, ferry rides were a bonus sightseeing trip with great views. You will have a wonderful time in all three of these cities. Enjoy!

[Quasar1011]

Tallinn

You can walk to the nearest part of the walled old town, a squat tower with the unflattering name of Fat Margaret, in 20/25 minutes. It's no level ground.

Or there's usually a ship's shuttlebus (most are payable). They take you a little further along the road at the bottom of town. But..........

if you take a taxi, get the driver to take you to the top of the old town - it's on a very steep hillside, and that means your meandering can be all downhill.:)

 

JB :)

 

2 questions: do the taxis in Tallinn take credit cards? And is the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral near "the top of the old town"? I was planning on taking a taxi from the port to the cathedral and working my way back to the ship...

[Clay Clayton]

Stromma/City Sightseeing hop on/hop off buses are running a Baltic special...buy 3 get one free. We did Copenhagen, Tallinn and Helsinki (ordered online with 10% discount). Then used the free ride in Stockholm. We were on the NCL Breakaway. The hoho buses coming to the port wouldn't honor it so used the free shuttle and train tickets to get into Stockholm and there the buses honored it.

 

 

In Tallinn we got off at the old town, walked around quite a bit then got back on to the ship. In Helsinki we got off at the Market Square, then on and off at the Stone Church and again back to the ship. In Copenhagen it is a 48 hour ticket for one or three lines. We hopped on and off several times. We even used it to get to the cruise port from our hotel. You simply take the bus that says "mermaid" to the mermaid stop. There they have a shuttle bus to Oceankaj.

 

Tallin doesn’t appear on Stromma’s website. Are you sure you did this through Stromma? We are planning on using HoHo in Copenhagen but I had decided that doing so in Stockholm and Helsinki might not Ben Worth it, but if we can get something free in Tallin I might change my mind!”:')