Booked our 1st Baltic cruise and would love the benefit of your collective wisdom

We booked our first Baltic cruise and would love the benefit of your collective wisdom. So please do contribute to this string so we'll have a chance at the best vacation in Scandinavia and St. Petersburg.

We like good food, interesting historical sites and natural scenery, so this looks to be a trip that could "have it all..."

Ports we are visiting

Copenhagen (actually arriving 2 days prior to the ship sailing)

Aarhus

Tallin

St. Petersburg

Helsinki

Stockholm

Oslo

Berlin

Which ports are easily doable on our own? I hear a lot about Hop on Hop Off buses. Which ports would you recommend joining a non-ship excursion contemplating SPB – tours. What are your must see, do and eats at each port. What would you differently after having been on the cruise? Did you exchange your money prior to the cruise, Euros, Danish Kronas and Sweedish Kronas . I hear the ship exchange service is a bit pricey How much did you actually use the local currency as apposed to using a credit card?. We arrive back in Copenhagen 5 am and our flight is at 10 am. Would you chance hailing a cab, call ahead reserve a cab or take the ship bus service to the airport or is there another option I have not mentioned?

Thank you all ahead of time for your expertise, sharing, time and assistance.

Thank you,

JHINSLC

I assume you know that your ship does not dock in Berlin; rather, it will dock in Warnemuende (or perhaps Rostock) which is a 3-hour trip from Berlin. The ships stay in Warnemuende until mid-to-late evening, so it's possible to do a day trip to Berlin, but it makes for a LONG day. You are traveling 3 hours to get to Berlin, 3 hours to get back to Warnemuende and have at most 5 hours to spend sightseeing in Berlin. Having lived in Berlin for a number of years, I know that you can't even scratch the surface of sightseeing there in a mere 5 hours. (If you go to Berlin on your own, the train travel won't be cheap and if you take an excursion, either from the ship or a private company, it's going to be pretty expensive.)

In Copenhagen, public transportation is available from the ship to the airport, but because of your early departure time, it won't be a feasible option for you.

There are several good threads on the Europe Ports of Call forum which you might like to read. "Danish Viking" tells you all you need to know about Copenhagen on the "Wonderful Copenhagen Thread". "Travelanni" tells you all about northern Germany (Warnemuende, Rostock, Luebeck, Schwerin, Berlin, etc.) on the "Welcome to NE Germany" thread and "Desdichado" tells all about Stockholm in the "Stockholm Advice Thread 2015".

Finally, I highly recommend the Rick Steves Northern Europe Cruise Ports guidebook. I'm not necessarily in the 'St. Rick" camp, but this book is one of the few which has a lot of info about cities visited on Baltic cruises. The book has useful information about how to get from the port to the city on your own (as opposed to pricey ship shuttles) and how to sightsee on your own if that's what you enjoy doing.

Have a look at these threads:

Stockholm: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2176645

Copenhagen http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2135935

Warnermünde (North east Germany/Berlin) http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1963750

Helsinki: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1606720

Olso: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2208649

Tallin: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1985867

Have a look at these threads:

Stockholm: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2176645

Copenhagen http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2135935

Warnermünde (North east Germany/Berlin) http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1963750

Helsinki: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1606720

Olso: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2208649

Tallin: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1985867

Please don't forget St. Petersburg : http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1775172

Please don't forget St. Petersburg : http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1775172

Thanks, I did look around the forum but there are so many SPB threads that I didn't know which one to use (it was the same with Oslo).

You will get different snippets of information from many of the threads.

Thanks, I did look around the forum but there are so many SPB threads that I didn't know which one to use (it was the same with Oslo).

You're welcome , we left St. Petersburg about a week ago after a 12 day day , our 5th visit there . Many things have changed , and we will be sharing new photos and information , as well as answering questions on this thread :

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1775172 :) :D

The ports of Arhus and Tallin are definitely doable on your own. You can walk into town in maybe 5-10 minutes in both places. In Arhus, we walked around and saw a few of the churches. We also went to the art museum which is lovely. At the top of the museum is a glass rainbow ---and you have views of the whole town. In Tallin you can also do a walking tour on your own. We used our Rick Steves book to follow the map and see the highlights. Normally, we are big advocates of taking ship tours (as my husband does not like to have to take local buses, etc. when traveling) but we were very glad in both of those places that we just did on our own walking. Tours are really not necessary.

We booked our first Baltic cruise and would love the benefit of your collective wisdom. We like good food, interesting historical sites and natural scenery, so this looks to be a trip that could "have it all..." Ports we are visiting . . . Copenhagen (actually arriving 2 days prior to the ship sailing), Aarhus

Tallin, St. Petersburg, Helsinki, Stockholm, Oslo, Berlin

Which ports are easily doable on our own? I hear a lot about Hop on Hop Off buses. Which ports would you recommend joining a non-ship excursion contemplating SPB – tours. What are your must see, do and eats at each port. What would you differently after having been on the cruise? Did you exchange your money prior to the cruise, Euros, Danish Kronas and Sweedish Kronas. We arrive back in Copenhagen 5 am and our flight is at 10 am. Would you chance hailing a cab, call ahead reserve a cab or take the ship bus service to the airport or is there another option I have not mentioned? JHINSLC

For this Utah resident, welcome to these Cruise Critic boards!! Keep researching and asking good questions. Be sure to use the "SEARCH" function on these boards for each of the various cities/ports you are going to visit. There have been lots of different posts, photos, etc., posted earlier that can help you get a sense of your many options in these ports. Lots to share and learn from previous travels to these great cities of the Baltics. Also grab, maybe from your library or a book transfer they can do for you, such good visual books such as Eyewitness, Insight, etc. Rick Steves, Fodors, Frommers, Lonely Planet, etc., can work well, too. No one travel book has it "ALL", perfectly and completely. These resources, especially the visuals one, can you help better figure out your priorities, in advance, for what you want to do and see.

While we have not been to either Berlin or Aarhus, I can offer lots of ideas and suggestions for the other ports.

1. Except for having some euros that work in Tallinn, we did all of the rest with just our credit cards and it worked successfully to avoid needing to deal with the wide range of different local currencies. Much depends if you plan to use . . . or not . . . local public transit and street food sellers.

2. Hop-on and Hop-off buses might work, but, depending on the number of cruise ships and tourists in port that day, things can get crowded and slow . . . in some cases. Much also depends on your personal travel style and what you seek to see and do.

3. For "natural scenery" these Baltic areas will be a little limited on your options for much in these areas of northern Europe. If you want those great scenic views, wildlife, etc., you will need to be doing more along the western Norway coast, the fjords, etc. In going to Oslo, you will sail along what is called a "fjord', but it is not the major "drama" and scenic jewels that some seek, expect. Sorry!

4. It is great that you will two full days prior in Copenhagen. It is a wonderful, charming city with so much wonderful architecture, history and character. BUT, I am worried that your timing is very tight to get to their major international airport, do all of the security, walking long hallways and be comfortable for a 10 am flight out. Maybe?? If, if?? The ship might arrive at 5 am, but that does not need that you will be able to roll off of the ship at 5:15 am.

5. Good food? This is a nice goal, but the Baltics are not exactly France and Italy for best food. There are some top places in some cities, but that type of dining can take lots of time.

6. You mentioned "historical sites" and doing it "ALL". Tell us more on what exact types of such locations you seek and desire. The Hermitage is both five palaces AND a world-class museum. What are you seeking for palaces, castles, museums, culture, water/boat rides, photography, shopping, music, art, etc. With so many great options in most of these locations, you cannot do it "ALL". As you are doing, you need to research and determine, in advance, your personal priorities, top needs, etc.

7. Tallinn is easy to do on your own, but sometimes there are in many other ports of the "logistical trade-offs"!!?? With so many options in a short time to see in places such as Stockholm, a ship tour might cost more. BUT, it can save you valuable time and make things easier/faster to experience a wider range of varied locations. How ambitious are you in wanted to see and do more? Versus saving limited money?

8. Misc.??: Will your cruise dock in Stockholm or at the port an hour south of their capital? Will you have one, two or three days in St. Petersburg? That stop is the "Crown Jewel" for doing this cruise.

Below are a few of my favorite visual highlights to see and enjoy, especially in Oslo. Happy to share more, answer any added questions, etc.

People will sometimes ask how Oslo compares to Stockholm and Copenhagen. Much of the difference is about the contrast of Oslo's more contemporary great art/design . . . versus . . . the deeper depth of history/design and royal background associated with both Copenhagen and Stockholm. Both of these capitals of Sweden and Denmark have had much longer recent histories of power and wealth, while Oslo is "newer" in many ways.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Did a June 7-19, 2011, cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Dozens of nice visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc. We are now at 199,458 views for this live/blog re-cap, including much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

This picture shows the main, historic Akershus Fortress/Castle next to where many cruise ships dock in Oslo. The fortress construction started around the late 1290’s. It successfully survived all sieges, primarily by Swedish forces. It surrendered without combat to Germans in 1940 when the Norwegian government evacuated the capital in the face of the German invasions of Denmark and Norway. The very interesting and moving Norwegian Resistance museum can be visited there. Norwegian Royalty have been buried in the Royal Mausoleum in the castle. A portion of this fortress was replicated at the Norway pavilion at Disney’s Epcot Center.:

At the National Museum in Oslo, there is Munch art, including one of his two famed Scream painting that are in this Norway capital. At the separate Munch Museum, just a little distance away from central Oslo, there is the other Scream painting in Oslo. There are many other of his painting at this museum by the famed artist. How much is this type of art of interest, including from the next pictured super-star in Oslo.:

Vigeland Park has a wide variety of outdoor sculptures in a super, wonderful setting that is a highlight for Oslo. There is a wide variety of art, water features, spectacular settings, etc. Its admission is free and the views and art are "priceless". It is open 24/7 so hours are not an issue.:

A guard and statue in front of the current Royal Palace in Copenhagen. Amalienborg Slot includes four rococo-styled residences of Denmark’s royal family. This site includes a museum surrounding an octagonal cobblestone courtyard. You can witness the Royal guards walk from Rosenborg Castle to Amalienborg Palace for the Changing of the Guard daily at noon. Adult fee for museum about $13. For more info, see: ses.dk/amalienborg.:

Copenhagen's canal views and going under a bridge. YES, doing this canal tour is a must-do to allow better views of the various historic buildings from a relaxing angle in this Royal city.:

Private, personal tours can be worth it, especially in St. Petersburg. Here our group of four, with our guide, Jane or Zhenya from Anastasia, we are viewing and learning more about one of the two da Vinci masterpieces (Madonna Litta or Madonna and Child) at the Hermitage after setting up an early admission. There are only 14 such paintings by this artist existing in the whole world. We did an early admission at the Hermitage, lessening the crowd battles and adding to the enjoyment in this spectacular place/set of five palaces AND museum. It is both! This Madonna and Child was probably painted in Milan, where the artist moved in 1482. The Madonna's tender gaze as she looks at her son, and the tranquillity of the distant mountainous landscape, reflect humanist dreams of Ideal Man and a Harmonious Life. Experts says the painting reveals great beauty in its coloring and composition. The painting came to the Czar's collection and museum in 1865 from the collection of Count Antonio Litta in Milan.:

We are just finishing our 3 day pre-cruise stay in Copenhagen. It has been wonderful. Very doable on your own. We stayed at the Scandic Palace. Pricy but a perfect location. We can see Tivoli park from the room, it is adjacent to the main pedestrian shopping and eating area, and is a 15 min walk to Nyhaven. There is a free walking tour that starts 40 steps from the front of the hotel. It was a great way to get acquainted with the city. We've had good food: sit down fancy Italian and Danish, and street food ranging from hot dogs and pastries to shawarma. Prices are high here. Most sit down restaurants are pricy, even the $$ ones. I'd hate to see the bill at at $$$/$$$$ place. We planned ahead and saw the Paris ballet at the Royal Opera House last night. It was fabulous and got to sit about 10 rows behind the queen as it was opening night. There are tons of public busses and canal water busses. I think they wouldn't be hard to figure out if you're at all adventurous.

I'll post when we get home about our port adventures.

As for money, we've used our credit card for everything bar a couple of street vendors. You need a card with a chip.

Excellent amount of useful information and great photos, thank you.

As for money, we've used our credit card for everything bar a couple of street vendors. You need a card with a chip.

This is something I was telling my husband about. I assume most cards in the U.S. do not have a chip in them already. Do we need to just call our bank and ask for a new card that has the chip? I am wondering if this will be available or if we will have to apply for an entirely new credit card? I am hoping we can keep our same account and just have them send us a card with a chip.

This is something I was telling my husband about. I assume most cards in the U.S. do not have a chip in them already. Do we need to just call our bank and ask for a new card that has the chip? I am wondering if this will be available or if we will have to apply for an entirely new credit card? I am hoping we can keep our same account and just have them send us a card with a chip.

BigB0882,

It depends on the credit card (and its bank) whether you can just keep your same account and just have them send a card with a chip. Our Chase credit card was a MasterCard. When we asked to have them send us a new card for our account with a chip, they sent a VISA card, instead, with an entirely new account number. They later explained to us that they are only issuing VISA cards with a chip.

So, our old account was canceled and we had to have a new one.

Call your credit card company and ask what their policy is.

The one port in which I would only consider doing a tour is St. Petersburg. We did a private tour and it was wonderful, but very full days. I don't think I would want to try to do St. Petersburg on our own; and then there is the visa issue.

We did Tallinn, Copenhagen, Helsinki, and Warnemunde on our own. There are a number of walking tours available online if you enjoy those.

It was an outstanding itinerary!

Thank you so much for this valuable information. The cruise and flights were set my my travel agent. I will double check with her. Thank you again for your time and assistance!

Just got back from Baltic cruise. Took 400 Euros and my Mastercard(no chip) Had no problems with card anywhere. Most places take MC or Visa. I also used my Discover card(with chip) in a couple of places which surprised me. Most will not take American Express!

As for money, we've used our credit card for everything bar a couple of street vendors. You need a card with a chip.

I don't know why people claim here that only cards with chips are taken in Europe.

The majority of restaurants, stores and the ATM 's use our chip-less cards. Does anyone honestly think European countries would turn away our business?

The ONLY place where our credit cards are not used are in public transportation ticket machines. We pay in local currency if there isn't a manned ticket counter.

Most banks in the US aren't supplying cards with chips yet.

Another good way to gather information is to look at roll calls for Baltic cruises of the different cruise lines. It's a great way to help plan.

eandj, my mother's non-chip card was declined at a few places. My chip card never was. IMHO, easier to just get a chip card and not worry about it.

The only place we ever needed cash was a few street vendors for food, in Copenhagen and Stockholm, and a restroom in Stockholm.

We did private tours in Tallinn and SPB. We did ship based excursions in Helsinki and Stockholm. If I had to do it over again, I'd skip the ship ones all together and look for more private tours, either all day or at least half day in port. I'm all for wandering and discovering in foreign lands, but with 4 kids and grandparents in tow, having a scheduled tour and guide is much easier on me.

You might want to read my post about SPB tours in Helsinki, St Petersburg, Tallin, Copenhagen, and Stockholm. Just arrived home last Thursday, and I think we " did it all". So many Churches, Cathedrals, Castles and Palaces to mention. Have done Italy and the Adriatic twice, but this was like combining Florence Rome and Ravenna each day, every day for 12 days. Here is just a brief rundown of what you can expect to see on an active 12 day cruise. And did I say that I have mobility problems, so I took it easy.

In Stockholm, 3 days we did a boat tour, the Nobel Museum, city Hall, the Palace, the Vasa Museum, the Abba Museum, Changing of the Guard and the large Church at the top of Gamla Stan. We walked the Gamla Stan from end to end.

In St Petersburg, 2 days we did, St Isaacs Cathedral, the Hermitage, Church on Spilled Blood, St Peter and Paul Cathedral, Yusopov's Palace, Evening visit to the Faberge Museum, a canal boat ride, the Hydrofoil to Peterhoff Gardens, Catherine's Palace and a walk through Pushkin City.

In Helsinki, we did the Senate Square, the Market Square, the seaside rug- scrubbing stalls, the Lutheran Cathedral, the Russian Orthodox Cathedral, the Rock Church and a trip to Porvoo for lunch, shopping and the Lutheran Church on top of the hill ( which was closed)

In Tallin, we did the Old Town, the Nevesky Cathedral, the Troompea Overlook, the lower square, the craft market, the flower market, the sausage building, Fat Margaret,the old KGB Headquarters, Peter the Great's summer palace, St Brigid's Convent, the former Olympic Sailing Village, and the Song Grounds Ampitheatre.

In Fredericia, we did Hans Christian Anderson's childhood home and Museum and the Egeskov Castle.

In Copenhagen, we did the Little Mermaid, Elsinore Castle( Hamlet's Castle) and Fredericksborg Castle. We went to Tivoli Gardens for an evening. On day 2 we did the Ameliaborg Castle, the Stock Exchange Building, a Canal Boat ride and Brunch at a Cafe at Nyhaven.

In Berlin, we saw the Banhoff, the Victory Column, the radio tower, walked the Wall below the Topography of Terror, did checkpoint Charlie, walked through Museum Island past the Neuss and Pergamon Museums over the Spree River Bridge to a wonderful lunch on the square. We returned to the Russian Embassy, the American Embassy, the Holocaust Memorial, drove unter der Linden, the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichsdag the Royal Palace and we beat it out of town before the rush. Had to take a detour through a beautiful forest past a picturesque lake on the way back.

In Amsterdam, we did a walking tour to the Portugese Synagogue, the Jewish Museum and climbed the stairs to the Anne Frank House. Day 2 we took a tour to the Zans Shantz Windmills and the seaside at Volendam, toured a Maritime Museum and a Cheese making facility. Then we took a ferry across the lake to Malren(?) had a walking tour and a visit to a shop where they made wooden shoes. We took a bus across the causeway and returned to Amsterdam proper, where we took yet another Canal Boat ride, followed by dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe where we made the obligatory T - shirt purchase for the kids back home.

I think we did everything and we are now home sleeping it off!

In Copenhagen, if you only had a one day (8 hour) port stop, how would you prioritize things?

I would very much recommend a private tour in St Petersburg with a company called Best Guides and request Nina as your guide, we had a fantastic tour and believe that we had a much better tour than anything the ship could offer not to mention how much cheaper it actually was! They offer different tours and we did the 2 day All St Petersburg. If you need any details give me a shout and I can give you their details. Have a great time!! :-)

In Copenhagen, if you only had a one day (8 hour) port stop, how would you prioritize things?

Recommendations would depend on the day of the week you are visiting (most museums are closed on Mondays), the hours you will be in port (most attractions close at 5pm) and your interests.

I have done some extensive research on our upcoming Baltic cruise because we will be in Copenhagen 3 days before and during the cruise. We plan to start our visit with a 3-hour guided tour at 11am with "Copenhagen Free Walking Tours" followed by a visit to Rosenborg Castle or the National Museum of Denmark. After the museums close, we might take a canal tour with Netto-Badene. With a quick meal somewhere and perhaps a walk along the Stroget, that should easily fill up 8 hours.

http://www.copenhagenfreewalkingtours.dk

http://www.kongernessamling.dk/en/rosenborg/

http://en.natmus.dk/

http://www.havnerundfart.dk

We are likely to use the HOHO bus and get off at a few strategic places. Will also probably do a canal boat.