2023 Baltic Cruise

Day 0 - Arrival in Amsterdam

• currency - Euro, 1 € ~ 1.5 CAD

• Credit card are widely used.  Coins may be needed for toilets or lockers. Toilets may accept credit cards (contactless)

• Waiters earn salaries. Tips are appreciated but not expected.

• Public transportation is excellent. Tickets or passes are used on all transportation including train, metro, bus and harbour bus (ferry).

• GVB group ticket purchased using GVB app - 1 day (24 hours) ticket for 5 tickets - 17.5€

• arrival to Schiphol Airport 10:30am

• NS train to Centraal Station, 5.9€

• walk or metro to Holiday Inn Express North Riverside

• arrival to hotel at around 11:30am, leave bags (hotel webpage says storage available)

Option 1:

• Albert Cuyp Market (largest with fish market) 0900-1800, get there by Metro 52 (to Amsterdam de Pijp Station), then walk (21 min)

• lunch at the market

• canal cruise, dock at Rijkmuseum

• flower market

• Dinner at Italian Gourmet

• De Wallen red light district

• head back to hotel to check in

Option 2:

• Ten Katemarkt (food and non-food, Dutch and ethnic fare) 0900-1800, get there by tram 17 (18 min)

• Lunch at the market

• canal cruise

Option 3:

• Lunch at Omelegg: Nieuwebrugsteeg 24, 1012 AH Amsterdam, Netherlands

• Hop-on Hop-off

• Dinner: maybe Italian Gourmet, Singel 494, 1017 AW Amsterdam, Netherlands

• Other Markets:

• Dappermarkt (more ethnic) 0900-1700

• Waterlooplein Market (flea market, more junky) 0930-1800

• Nieuwmarkt (few stalls with food and flower) 0900-1800

Day 1 - Amsterdam - Boarding 

Day 2 - At Sea

Day 3 - Copenhagen, Denmark - 7am to 4pm

• currency - Danish Krone, 5 DKK ~ 1.0 CAD

Option 1 (6.5km):

• Ferry 991 to Nyhavn

• Nyhavn

• Stroget (shopping street)

• Amaliehaven (Amalienborg Palace) / Ofelia Plads (Beach)

• Gefionspringvandet (Gefion Fountain)

• Den Lille Havfrue (The Little Mermaid)

• Return to ship

Option 2:

• Ferry 991 to Knipplesbro

• Freetown Christiania

• M1/M2 - M3 to Osterport

• Little Mermaid

• Return to ship

Option 3:

• Hop-on Hop-off, 30€ (likely stop at more places)

• Other Attractions:

• The Tube

• Rosenborg Slot (Rosenborg Castle)

• Botanical Garden (Garden is free, Palm House and museums require admission)

• Gammel Torv (Gammel Square)

• Rundertaarn (The Round Tower) – observatory – view of city

• City Hall Square

• Kalvebod Boige (Kalvebod Waves) – boardwalk

• Freetown Christiania

• Refshaleoen – Reffen Street food

Day 4 - Warnemunde (Berlin), Germany - 7am to 10pm

• currency - Euro, 1 € ~ 1.5 CAD

• Excursion to Berlin for those who have not been: Berlin Highlights by Train & Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp US$369.95 - 12.5 hours include motor coach, guide and lunch

• Warnemunde - lighthouse by the beach

• Warnemunde - Warnemunde Church

• Rostock is half an hour by car, feasible if shuttle is available

• Rostock - St Mary's Church - half an hour by car

• Rostock - Neuer Markt

• Rostock - Rostocker Stadthafen (harbour front)

Day 5 - At Sea

Day 6 - Riga, Latvia - 7am to 3pm

• currency - Euro, 1 € ~ 1.5 CAD

• Old Town (20 min walk from cruise port)

• House of the Black Heads

• St Peter's Church Tower

• Riga Cathedral

• Freedom Monument

• Nativity of Christ Cathedral

• Central Market (Centraltirgus)

Day 7 - Tallinn, Estonia - 9am to 8pm

• currency - Euro, 1 € ~ 1.5 CAD

• Tallinn Old Town (25 min walk from cruise terminal)

• St Catherine’s Passage – street in west side of old town

• Kiek in de Kök Museum and Bastion Tunnels, medieval defence towers and underground passages – short distance from the cathedral

• Whole museum 14€

• Bastion Passages only 8€

• Toompea Hill, Toompea Castle – 10 min walk from old town center

• Aleksander Nevski Katedraali – cathedral at the southwest corner of old town

• Kohtuotsa Viewing Platform – just outside of town square

• St Olaf’s Church – north end of old town

• Other Attractions:

• CitySightseeing Tallinn Hop On – Hop Off Bus - €25 (10% discount when booked online) 50 min round trip with pickup at the cruise terminal

• Kadriorg Park – 35 min walk from center of old town, 25 min from cruise terminal, can walk to Russalka Memorial near the water

• Song Festival Ground - accessible if doing hop on – hop off tour

• Botanical Garden – accessible if doing hop on – hop off tour

Day 8 - Helsinki, Finland - 7am to 5pm

• currency - Euro, 1 € ~ 1.5 CAD

• Cruise port is West Harbor terminal two, bit far from city centre

• accessible by tram 7 or 9

• HSL (Helsinki public transport) includes ferry, train, bus and metro. Best deal is 1-day AB(Zones A and B) ticket for 9.5€ ferry if taking more than 2 trips, tickets are available at ticket points or online using HSL app. It is available at the tram stop at the cruise terminal

• Suomenlinna – Maritime Fortress (not much else but the ferry ride may be worth it) – reachable by HSL ferry from Kauppatori (buy ticket there), 15 min trip, multiple trip per hour

• Helsinki Cathedral – just northwest of terminal

• Old Market Hall – just south of terminal / Kauppatori

• Esplanadi – green space in the middle of the city

• Hietalahti Market Square – 25 min walk WSW of terminal

• Other attractions:

• Kaivopuisto – park south of terminal, tram 2 southbound Kauppatori to Kaivopuisto

• Temppeliaukio Church – Tram 2 west/north bound to Sammonkatu

• Seurasaari Island – open air museum – traditional finnish buildings – Admission 10€

• Hakaniemi Market – north of terminal, 20 min walk, or Metro M1/M2/M2M University of Helsinki to Hakaniemi

• Sibelius Park – pipe monument - northwest of terminal – tram 4 from Toolon Halli to Ritarihuone (12 min) then walk 4 min

• Kaisaniemi Botanic Garden – 20 min walk northwest of terminal, east of central station

Day 9 - Stockholm, Sweden - 8am arrival

Day 10 - Stockholm, Sweden - 6pm departure

• currency - Swedish Kronor, 8 SEK ~ 1.0 CAD

• SL (Sweden public transport) includes light rail, bus, vintage tram and metro and certain ferries (80,83,89). Single use travelcards for 24 hours available from SL Customer Centres and at Metro stations. Also available using phone app but registration is required(??). Cost for 24-hour travel card is 165 SEK (CAD $1 = 8 SEK Swedish Krona). Travelcards are transferrable, but to be used one at a time. Single-journey ticket (39 SEK) can be bought by credit card or Apple Pay or Google Pay on the smartphone.

• Likely docked at Frihamnsgatan, one hour walk from Old Town, hope for a shuttle, use Bus 76

• First day:

• walk to Gardet Metro Station, metro to Ostermalmstorg

• Ostermalmstorg Flea and Street Market

• Stockholm Old Town

• Royal Palace – northwest corner of Old Town, changing of the guards Sunday Oct 1, depart Army Museum 1245pm, about 40 min

• Storkyrkan – Gothic cathedral next to the Royal Palace

• walk to Monteliusvagen viewing point

• bus 76 back to ship

• Second day: take ferry 80 to ABBA Museum

• walk back to ship ~ 1 hour

• ABBA Museum

• Other attractions:

• Kungliga Djurgården – castle – metro (T-bana) 13 Gamla Stan to Karlaplan/bus 64 Karlaplan to Djurgardsskolan (passing ABBA Museum) – total 32 min

• Stockholm City Hall – off the northwest corner of old town, venue of Nobel Prize Banquet every December 10.

• Skansen – open-air museum – historical living condition – admission 160 SEK - tram 7 to Skansen, walk

Day 11 - At Sea

Day 12 - Kiel (Hamburg), Germany - 7am to 5pm

• currency - Euro, 1 € ~ 1.5 CAD

• Not much to see in Kiel

• Holtenauer Straße - street sightseeing, shops

• St. Nikolai Church

• Town Hall, Opera House

• excursion to Hamburg for those who have not been - Hamburg by Land & River US$169.95 - escorted tour, cruise on Alster Lake and city's waterways, includes lunch

Day 13 - Aarhus, Denmark - 8am to 5pm

• currency - Danish Krone, 5 DKK ~ 1.0 CAD

• not convenient out of the dock without transportation

• Latin Quarter (walk through to Møllestien)

• Møllestien (nice street on the way to Den Gamle By)

• Den Gamle By (old town museum, 27€)

Day 14 - At Sea

Day 15 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - 7am arrival

• Train from Central Station to Schiphol

• Flight AC809 departure 12:15pm, arriving 220pm