Helsinki Excursions

[jspirit]

First off - a big thanks to Ultima Thule for all the advice. We just returned from the Baltics & put it to good use. We docked at West Harbor LHB and planned to take public transit into town, but were discouraged by the TI folks that met the ship. Helsinki was hosting a Samba Festival that day and many public transit routes were affected. So we hopped a shuttle (US$10 return) to the Swedish Theatre. At 8:45am, we had downtown to ourselves! We walked down Esplanade towards the water, taking note of awesome buildings like Hotel Kamp and Café Kappeli. At Market Square, we hopped Tram 3T and purchased a One-Day Ticket from the driver (6 Euros). We stayed on for the entire circuit (50 min) and then got off at Toolo Square second time around. This was the closest stop for Sibelius Monument. After seeing it, we continued to Rock Church, an easy 10 min walk. The atmosphere inside the Church was peaceful and inviting, despite being crafted of stone and rock. We returned to Market Square for lunch, this time taking Tram 3B in the opposite direction. After lunch we visited the nearby Uspenski and Lutheran Cathedrals and saw weddings at both! We then joined the locals along the Esplanade to watch the Samba Parade until about 3:30pm, when we went to the Helsinki Arctic IceBar in La Bodega Restaurant. We paid 10 Euros, donned thermal ponchos and entered for our cool experience. But it was a big disappointment. The room was dark & small with no ambiance and a sullen bartender. We had an Absolut Vodka cocktail and were out in under 15 minutes. Box ticked. We walked back to Swedish Theatre and caught the shuttle back to ship. We loved Helsinki – it was a lively, vibrant place full of happy and helpful people. And very easy to do on your own.

 

Thanks MQ! I am following your directions which you made sound so easy.

If we skip the Ice Bar, did you notice where we could get the boat ride? Would that be a good time to do it after lunch? Did you hear how long it takes, and where do you return to in order to catch the ship shuttle back?

Thanks for any more help!

[MightyQuinn]

Thanks MQ! I am following your directions which you made sound so easy.

If we skip the Ice Bar, did you notice where we could get the boat ride? Would that be a good time to do it after lunch? Did you hear how long it takes, and where do you return to in order to catch the ship shuttle back?

Thanks for any more help!

I’m sure you’ll have a great time in Helsinki – it’s easy to navigate once you get the hang of finding those very foreign names on the map. (We’d look at a street sign, try to find it on the map, but since it was so unfamiliar we quickly forgot the spelling, so we'd have to go back to the street sign and so on and so on.) I definitely recommend taking the shuttle downtown, even though public transit comes right to the port. Our shuttle was to/from the Swedish Theatre (across from Stockmann’s) because of the Samba Festival that day. Normally it would be to/from Senate Square which is even more convenient. It’ll save you time & energy for the good stuff. We didn’t consider any of the harbor tours so I can’t help much on that, although I think they leave from the piers in front of Market Square, same as the ferries to Suomenlinna Fortress. Bottom line, you can do a lot in Helsinki in a day and not feel rushed.

[debbiew19]

Hi ItaliaBella,

 

Hope the following is helpful for you.

 

This page is produced by the city of Helsinki and provides a good overview: http://www.hel2.fi/tourism/EN/matko.asp

 

http://www.helsinkiexpert.fi/index_english.html supplies a daily list of what's on and also times for tours. Good information about the Helsinki Card which you can use for getting around on the city's public transport and offer free or discounted admission to many attractions.

 

Have you thought about the harbour cruises or ferries that travel to the islands just outside the city? The harbour cruises are roughly 1.5 - 2.0 hours, depending on the time of day you can take lunch (buffet) also and there are different routes to choose from . My personal favourite is this cruise: http://www.sunlines.fi/web/index.php?id=2 that includes the canal, although the commentary in 4 languages is sometimes a bit much :rolleyes: .

 

A land based suggestion would be to take the 3T / 3B tram which does a large loop through Helsinki and you can HOHO as your fancy takes you. (See the Helsinki Card link above and take 'Transportation'). The route takes in shopping areas, residential, as well as the centre.

 

I've lived here 6 years and still haven't taken the pub tram :o , so I can't comment although I think it would be a fun way to spend an hour or so. This is the best link I could find so far: http://www.koff.fi/?page_id=276. I'm sure I read some postings here last week about the tram, although now I can't seem to find them now.

 

What's good to buy: What do you like? Are you buying for yourself or to take home? The market hall in Hakaniemi is one of my favourites for taking visitors, food shops downstairs and lots of interesting shops upstairs. http://www.hakaniemenkauppahalli.fi/tiedotteet/Halli_flyer.pdf is their brochure in English although the Finnish page lists the shops. Marimekko are here, good for clothes, bags, fabric and small household goods.

 

Enjoy, it's a beautiful city!

 

Cheers

Heta

Hi-

 

Thanks for all of the info. Do you know if is easy/reasonably priced to take taxi's to the market? Or is public transportation the prefered method of transport?

 

Thanks,

 

Debbie

[yenemod]

Hi Debbie,

 

Well, if you take a taxi you have the option to ask the driver to take you via the 'scenic route' Merisatamanranta and Kaivopuisto, popular promenading spots. Great for people- and boat-watchers!

 

Taxi fare in Helsinki is (from 1.7.2008)

Flag fall 5,00 € (day time till 8 pm at night) or 7,70 (holidays and night time)

+ 1,20 € / km (1-2 persons)

 

So, presuming that your ship berths at Munkkisaari, and you take the scenic route the distance to the Market Place is 4,8 kms or at least 10 € one way.

 

There is a taxi rank not too far from the ship at Kapteeninkatu (Captain's St) and it's possible that some taxis even wait at the ship. Anybody know?

 

The best of both worlds: bus in one direction, taxi in the other.

 

Here is the bus timetable also: http://aikataulut.ytv.fi/linjat/en/h16.html

 

Cheers

Heta

[Ultima Thule]

First off - a big thanks to Ultima Thule for all the advice.

 

Nice to hear you had a great time! :)