Share your 2007 shopping experiences here

[exarche02]

Where is Stockman is located in Helsinki? How to get there?

Thanks,

 

Mike

 

Stockmans is not far from the market. I don't think you can miss it. It is on the same street as the tourist information center and the market, along with the park that runs parrallel to the road (sorry for lack of names, I can't think of any off the top of my head). The shuttle from the cruise ship dropped us off almost right in front of Stockmans.

[ollienbertsmum]

Helsinki centre was small enough that you just 'find' places rather than have to seek them out.

 

We were heading for the cathedral and just bumped into Stockmann's and the rather cool railway station. Then off to the other cathedral and there we find the market. This was not my day on map reading duty. I was rather pleased at the accidental tourism success.

 

Peregrin - the market was quite big, so I would think a 'partial opening' would give you a selection. Sundays on a cruise can be a nuisance.

[love2travel2much]

I bought a linen, Chanel style sweater at the "sweater wall" and paid about $42 US. They also take Euros, I think. I found the best amber prices in Gdansk at a jewelers in the market square. Our tour director on Princess Star warned us that a lot of imitation amber is out there. There were a group of vendors set up at the ship's dock, and I would have risked buying, ifI had the time when we returned from our tour.

If you go to Gdansk, there is also an outlet for Bolesewic (sp) pottery about 3 blocks from the center of the market square. I bought 6 pieces for under $100 US and would have bought more if I could have carried it home. In St. Petersburg, I found the best prices for souvenirs at The Church of the Spilled Blood. The tour guide said this was a safe area and they prided themselves on keeping out the pickpockets. There must have been over 60 vendors, most selling the same thing and they are willing to bargain if you walk away. There amber prices were not unreasonable either. I bought a small egg pendant for $30 US. All of my friends who travelled with me wish we had bought more. I was just there July 19-30 sailing on the Star Princess.

[Peregrina651]

Peregrin - the market was quite big, so I would think a 'partial opening' would give you a selection.

 

Mum, I loved browsing the market in Helsinki but didn't buy much there, only a few skeins of wool for my sister. I did see some beautiful hand made dresses for little girls in one of the stalls (but, alas, no one to buy them for) and we did sample the fried fish. I checked out one stall with fur coats; that was fun. By lunch time on Sunday, downtown Helsinki was hopping-- lots of people relaxing on a summer day off.

 

Thank you all for your shopping hints. One way or another, I think I used them all and it certainly did help make the best of shopping in those cities were shopping time was short (like St. Petersburg and Tallinn). I just kept penciling notes and addresses into my planner and then reviewed them before each port of call.

 

The 2007 shopping season is about over now but maybe this will help the 2008 shoppers get started.

 

Our shopping time in St. P was very limited. We did make one very short stop at one of the tourist shops (don't even know the name of it) and spent time getting art books at the Hermitage. Though we checked out the shop on the dock and some vendors near the Church on Spilled Blood (not the market near there but some vendors right by the church), we didn't find anything we like. We were hoping to find a not too expensive matrushka with the various sites we had seen in St. P but never saw any that we liked in our price range. In the end, after we decided that we could buy boxes from a vendor in Boston at very similar prices (we had done some price shopping already), we did buy a couple of very beautiful lacquer boxes with some of the sights at the Russian Bazaar on board the ship. Of course, if it hadn't been for Cruise Critic, I would not have known anything about the bazaar or what to expect in terms of quality and pricing.

 

At the folkloric show in StP, I bought a flowered wool shawl with silk fringes. I hadn't priced them up until then and at $70 I probably overpaid (but I love it and will use it a lot in Boston). They did have shawls at various prices depending on size and fringe style--and after seeing them in the folkloric show, you will want one, too.

 

[A word of warning about the really inexpensive little matrushka dolls: they will fade if kept in the sunlight. The ones my mom brought back from her 1999 cruise have faded where the sun has hit them (but the side away from the sun is still quite colorful). I don't know if this warning applies to any of the other dolls because I don't have any to report on.]

 

In Copenhagen and Stockholm, I thought that I could do better at home for the same goods and did not shop--though we did wander through the George Jensen and the Royal Copenhagen stores just to admire the artisanry. I did buy 3 Orrefors vases for wedding gifts in Wasa Crystal in Stockholm that turned out to be cheaper there than what I had been paying in Macy's for the same piece. I don't know if it was the cheapest price since Wasa was the only place I went.

 

In Kalipeda, we found a handcrafts market. We bought a linen shoulder bag for $20 and we are really kicking ourselves for not getting more of them. They were hand-loomed and relatively inexpensive. In the same market, there were woodworkers, potters, leather goods, etc. I wish I could be more specific as to where it was; we followed hand-made signs from Tourist Information until we found it. Lot's of interesting (stylish, artistic, modern) window shopping in Klaipeda, too.

 

In Tallinn, we loved the sweater wall in Old Town. DH fell in love with the knit hats that were so long that it was a scarf as well; but none of us wear wool hats.:( We checked out each and everyone of the stalls and in the end walked away with just one woolen vest for me (about $55); we would have bought more but I'm the only one who wears wool. The prices were great at under $100 for the sweaters we priced (especially compared to what was for sale on the ship at $200+) and I do regret not trying on one of the poncho style sweater-coats (oh well, next trip).

 

In Helsinki, someone talked about the silk jackets for sale in the store on the dock. I did make sure to check them out and thought that they were just beautiful (but not a style I could wear) and I did see one woman wearing one at dinner a few nights later. Very elegant.

 

We also went food shopping in Stockmann's (Helsinki's answer to Trader Joe's?). We got some stuff for our picnic lunch in StP and Charles Fazer chocolate bars-- the BEST (should have gotten more!).

 

Again, thank you all for all for your input.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Miss Jolly]

Thank you to those who helped me in my planning. Now I will try to help you with a summary of our baltic shopping highlights. My husband and son loved the antique stores in Talliin for military memoribillia but I was far happier with our sweaters from the wall as mentioned earlier and my exquisite leather coat. For about $US400 we bought a mid calf length black coat in very soft leather and an unuusal design. Their styles of fur (which we can't bring in to Australia) and leather coats were very different from any other places we visited (we travelled around the world for 2 months). We paid about $Us 40-60 for the jumpers and this was the best price that we found all over the region. We found the best prices on eggs (display and necklaces) were in the shops that we visited with our St Petersburg tour guide (from Alla). I don't quite agree about the safety issue at Spilled Blood markets as our tour guide was terrified here and I was "touched up". Still, they did have good prices on music boxes etc. The small markets near the Aurora warship had excellent prices for their products. Helsinki has interesting markets and we particularly liked the pendants made from international coins - ask for your birth year! Remember though, if you like it and the price suits you - buy it. We all have stories of how we missed out on things because we thought that we might see it cheaper somewhere else! Happy Shopping everyone.Jennie

[Phishface]

Stockholm shopping. I loved wasa Crystal, http://wasacrystal.com/index_en.html, and a few other crystal stores in old town with very similar stuff. What I didn't like is most stores didn't open until like 11! I was told the prices there were good compared to the US, but I couldn't tell because I've never bought this stuff in the US.

 

I also found some really pretty, reasonably priced, painted votives or bar glasses in a store off the square in Tallin.

 

I loved all the Russian stuff, it all started to look the same after a while. One fun more obscure store had some really cool Russian masks.

 

That's about it, I found nothing interesting to buy in Oslo, Copenhagan, Helsinki. I considered sweaters in the sweater cities but they were still too pricey. In general, don't expect good prices for shopping or anything else in these places.