Cruising: around the Baltic

By Brian Anderson

A Baltic cruise offers something no other cruise can, a new capital to explore virtually every day. A typical cruise programme includes Stockholm, Helsinki, St Petersburg, Tallinn, Rostock & Varnemünde, Copenhagen, Oslo and others.

Organised trips from the cruise ship are invariably on offer and often good value. We are far too independent and like to organise ourselves. It turned out surprisingly easy at all of these destinations, except St Petersburg. Just pick up a day card to cover your travel at the dockside Tourist Office and, with this guide at your finger tips, you will more than likely see more places than the passengers taking up the organised tours.

All you have to do, once aboard, is to relax, take at your ebook, turn to the appropriate chapter and plan for the next port of call. Happy cruising!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brian Anderson
• Release date: Aug 2, 2012

Book preview

Cruising: Around the Baltic

Brian & Eileen Anderson

Copyright © 2012 Brian & Eileen Anderson

All rights reserved.

Smashwords Edition

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold

or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person,

please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did

not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to

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of these authors.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1: Stockholm

Chapter 2: Helsinki

Chapter 3: St Petersburg

Chapter 4: Tallinn

Chapter 5: Rostock & Varnemünde

Chapter 6: Copenhagen

Chapter 7: Oslo

Introduction.

All cruise destinations offer something special but the Baltic is unique with so many great capitals to visit within the short space of a two week cruise. It is very much a growth area for cruising so there will be more and more offers available in future. On top of all that there is another unforgettable special piece of magic, the white nights of summer when the sun almost forgets to set.

How can you turn your nose up at majestic cities like Stockholm, Helsinki, St Petersburg, Tallinn, Rostock, Copenhagen and Oslo? These are regular ports of call on a Baltic cruise and all thrilling places to spend a day or two.

Known as the East Sea by many European countries, the Baltic was traditional Viking territory. They once sailed these seas fearlessly but you can now do so in comfort on a modern cruise liner. Rape and pillage is out these days but at least you can happily invade and be made most welcome in all these cities.

The Baltic is an inland sea with a narrow opening to the east. It sits in a northerly location, level in latitude to Great Britain. The most northerly section, the Gulf of Bothnia, does extend almost to the Arctic Circle but this not normally included in a cruise itinerary. Cruises tend to stay along the old trade routes connecting all the major ports. Helsinki is the most northern destination on most cruises and this lies on a parallel with the Shetland Islands.

Winters can be excessively cold in this part of the world