Baltic Ports and Riding Bikes

[MMonreal55]

Hello friends,

my family and I are traveling to the Baltic this August on the sky princess.  We love riding bikes and we are thinking this would  be a great way to see Stockholm, Copenhagen, Tallin, and Oslo.  
 

Is renting bikes easy And accessible to do at these ports?  
 

or would just walking into the town center be do-able from  the cruise port? 
 

we are trying to minimize the excursions since our girls are young 8 and 5 and that way we can stay mobile at our own pace.  
 

let me know if you think renting and riding bikes in these cities would be recommended or not? 
 

Thanks in advance, Manny. 

[Host Kat]

Howdy Manny!

 

Thank you for your new thread on the Ask a Cruise Question forum that is for general questions about cruising. 👍  

 

Since your topic is Baltic ports I have moved your thread to the Ports of Call - Europe - Northern Europe & Baltic Sea forum where it will be on-topic. That is where all things Aarhus, Bergen, Copenhagen, Gdansk, Greenland, Helsinki, Oslo, Reykjavik, Riga, St. Petersburg, Stockholm, & Tallinn are discussed. You will find your fellow Cruise Critic members have posted questions and received answers that will be of interest to you.

 

I sincerely hope this will be helpful and glad to have you aboard Cruise Critic!

 

Happy sails,

 

Host Kat

[clo]

I can't speak to renting bikes but I can tell you that - well, except for Vietnam!!!!! - I've never seen more bikes on the street than in Copenhagen. And I was surprised that I rarely saw anyone with a helmet on. Have a great time.

 

[Sauer-kraut]

Tallinn is walkable from the ship to the old town, about 15 minutes.  Walk the old town, look at the shops and the market and then wander back to the ship. 

Are you going to Warnemunde?  There is a bike rental ship not far from the port.  Someone did a reivew of it a couple of years ago, if you search you might be able to find that thread.

Edited January 26, 2020 by Sauer-kraut

[clo]

1 hour ago, Sauer-kraut said:

Tallinn is walkable from the ship to the old town, about 15 minutes.  Walk the old town, look at the shops and the market and then wander back to the ship. 

Are you going to Warnemunde?  There is a bike rental ship not far from the port.  Someone did a reivew of it a couple of years ago, if you search you might be able to find that thread.

I've read here that Tallinn is crazy touristy so your advice sounds good. Thanks.

[trosebery]

You don't want to ride in many of the Old Towns, like Tallinn, because of the cobblestones. But there are many interesting places to ride to outside the Old Towns. When we were last in Tallinn, we did a walking+cycling tour with Traveller Tours where we did a walking tour in the Old Town first (before it was crowded) and then hopped on bikes and rode the modern outskirts like Telliskivi (we could also have gone to Kadriorg).

 

Copenhagen is bike-friendly, but in Stockholm and Oslo, it would depend what you want to see? They are more spread out (e.g. Bygdoy, where many of the museums are, and Vigeland Sculpture Park are somewhat are somewhat removed from other sights).

[kaisatsu]

In Oslo, I think there are some bicycle tours available, but we also have a city bike program with several stands around the city. https://oslobysykkel.no/en The city has put in several new bike lanes in the past few years, and there’s a cycle route along the waterfront all the way out to Bygdøy that’s very popular. Getting up to Holmenkollen would be a workout and probably a bit challenging on a 3-gear city bike! But the in-town sights, including Vigelands Park, should all be reasonably accessible. If you opt for the city bike rentals, you’d need to bring your own helmets along. There’s no helmet law, but several of the bike paths are just separate lanes in the street, so it’s wise to wear a helmet.

[MMonreal55]

On 1/25/2020 at 3:12 PM, clo said:

I can't speak to renting bikes but I can tell you that - well, except for Vietnam!!!!! - I've never seen more bikes on the street than in Copenhagen. And I was surprised that I rarely saw anyone with a helmet on. Have a great time.

 

Thanks you, I have seen the images of the bike parking areas on TripAdvisor  and it looks like it’s a very common way to get around.  our family is young and healthy so my wife and daughters would both appreciate riding the bikes around town.  We rented bikes in Kyoto and we loved it!  So much faster than being on foot.  
 

Thanks again.  

[MMonreal55]

6 hours ago, kaisatsu said:

In Oslo, I think there are some bicycle tours available, but we also have a city bike program with several stands around the city. https://oslobysykkel.no/en The city has put in several new bike lanes in the past few years, and there’s a cycle route along the waterfront all the way out to Bygdøy that’s very popular. Getting up to Holmenkollen would be a workout and probably a bit challenging on a 3-gear city bike! But the in-town sights, including Vigelands Park, should all be reasonably accessible. If you opt for the city bike rentals, you’d need to bring your own helmets along. There’s no helmet law, but several of the bike paths are just separate lanes in the street, so it’s wise to wear a helmet.

Thank you for the link...😄👍🏽.  I downloaded the app and that’s what I was looking for.  I’m an avid bike rider here in Southern California and I feel very comfortable on a bike just about anywhere.  
 

I have one follow up question... my daughters are 5 and 8 years old, have you seen any kids bikes?  Or do they rent a bike trailer to pull the girls around in?  
 

I wouldn’t feel comfortable with the 5 year old riding in traffic, at the parks she’d be ok, any thoughts on accommodations the little girls?  

[MMonreal55]

13 hours ago, trosebery said:

You don't want to ride in many of the Old Towns, like Tallinn, because of the cobblestones. But there are many interesting places to ride to outside the Old Towns. When we were last in Tallinn, we did a walking+cycling tour with Traveller Tours where we did a walking tour in the Old Town first (before it was crowded) and then hopped on bikes and rode the modern outskirts like Telliskivi (we could also have gone to Kadriorg).

 

Copenhagen is bike-friendly, but in Stockholm and Oslo, it would depend what you want to see? They are more spread out (e.g. Bygdoy, where many of the museums are, and Vigeland Sculpture Park are somewhat are somewhat removed from other sights).

Thank you, I will most likely just walk to the Tallinn old town since I have been told that it’s very close to the port.  But I like the idea of doing a combo tour walk/ bike.
 

did you like telliskivi? How much Money was the tour and how long did it take to do both the walking and bike portion?  

😄👍🏽

 

[MMonreal55]

On 1/25/2020 at 7:02 PM, Sauer-kraut said:

Tallinn is walkable from the ship to the old town, about 15 minutes.  Walk the old town, look at the shops and the market and then wander back to the ship. 

Are you going to Warnemunde?  There is a bike rental ship not far from the port.  Someone did a reivew of it a couple of years ago, if you search you might be able to find that thread.

We are going to Warnemunde, what would be the best place to check out in Warnemunde?  We don’t want to do the 3 hour bus ride each way to Berlin.  
 

Is Rostoke work checking out after going to the other Baltic capital cities?  And how long would it take to walk to Ristoke from the cruise port?  
 

thanks for your reply.  

[trosebery]

6 minutes ago, MMonreal55 said:

Thank you, I will most likely just walk to the Tallinn old town since I have been told that it’s very close to the port.  But I like the idea of doing a combo tour walk/ bike.
 

did you like telliskivi? How much Money was the tour and how long did it take to do both the walking and bike portion?  

😄👍🏽

 

 

It was 4 hours total. We started shortly after 8 am and walked 2 hours in the old town (while it was still uncrowded!), followed by 2 hours in the Kalamaja district (including Telliskivi), although we could have also cycled to Kadriorg, and yes, I very much enjoyed seeing modern Tallinn by bike. It was a private tour (just us), and I think it was about 120 Euro for the 3 of us. I really liked our guide.

 

We still had plenty of time in the day to do something afterwards. Last time we were in Tallinn (with young kids,), we visited Seaplane Harbour Lennusadam. This time (since I was travelling with my older daughter and my teenager), we did a chocolate truffle-making workshop at the Kalev shop in the Rotermann district. Do try the chocolate in Estonia!

[trosebery]

15 minutes ago, MMonreal55 said:

We are going to Warnemunde, what would be the best place to check out in Warnemunde?  We don’t want to do the 3 hour bus ride each way to Berlin.  
 

Is Rostoke work checking out after going to the other Baltic capital cities?  And how long would it take to walk to Ristoke from the cruise port?  
 

thanks for your reply.  

 

There are bike rental places in Warnemunde and some beautiful trails. We also enjoyed the Seal Experience at the Rostock Marine Science Centre (nominally in Rostock, although you reach it from the public ferries beside the cruise ship dock).

[kaisatsu]

5 hours ago, MMonreal55 said:

Thank you for the link...😄👍🏽.  I downloaded the app and that’s what I was looking for.  I’m an avid bike rider here in Southern California and I feel very comfortable on a bike just about anywhere.  
 

I have one follow up question... my daughters are 5 and 8 years old, have you seen any kids bikes?  Or do they rent a bike trailer to pull the girls around in?  
 

I wouldn’t feel comfortable with the 5 year old riding in traffic, at the parks she’d be ok, any thoughts on accommodations the little girls?  

The city bikes come in just the one size. The seats can be adjusted to be quite low, but not far enough for a 5-year-old, and I'm not sure they'd work with a trailer. They're essentially just an alternative public transit. Okay for getting around, but not particularly great bikes.

 

There are some other bike rental options, but I don't have any personal experience with any of them:
Viking Biking: https://www.vikingbikingoslo.com/en/rentals
Oslo Velo: https://oslovelo.no/pages/sykkelutleie (scroll down for English info)

 

VisitOslo has several resources related to biking in Oslo: https://www.visitoslo.com/en/activities-and-attractions/activities/biking/ This page includes a link to the city's cycle routes, which gives some indication of how the different cycle paths are set up.

 

Within the city center, cycling routes tend to focus on getting from point A to point B. Most of the areas that would be interesting for sightseeing (e.g. Karl Johans gate) are pedestrianized, and it could be difficult for younger riders to weave among the foot traffic.

 

The route along the Akerselva river can be pleasant. It's mostly a gentle uphill route from the city center, winding along the river. https://goo.gl/maps/afam79jp8dQ4SECE7 At the southern end, it's a wide walking/cycling route along some riverside park area and wooded urban areas, and just north of the Mathallen food hall, there are a series of waterfalls with several 19th-century industrial mill buildings. There's a steep hill alongside the Vøyenfallene waterfall, but otherwise the route is fairly easy. On weekends in nice weather, it can be a bit crowded, but there are several families with children.

 

If you're not looking to cover much distance, Frogner Park is about 1km across and has a few different areas to explore, including the famous Vigelands sculpture park (worth noting that all of the sculptures are nude if you're sensitive to that kind of thing). However, depending on where you pick up the cycles, it could be difficult to get there without riding on streets with car traffic. For example, there is a cycling route from Slottsparken (the palace park) up to Frogner Park, but it follows some small residential streets: https://goo.gl/maps/MEQYYCi1DhzT688o9 https://goo.gl/maps/sRMjW1Ro4X4BwPC36 Riding on the sidewalk may be possible if you're moving slow and there aren't many pedestrians.

[Sauer-kraut]

15 hours ago, MMonreal55 said:

We are going to Warnemunde, what would be the best place to check out in Warnemunde?  We don’t want to do the 3 hour bus ride each way to Berlin.  
 

Is Rostoke work checking out after going to the other Baltic capital cities?  And how long would it take to walk to Ristoke from the cruise port?  
 

thanks for your reply.  

For information to help you about the German cities I refer you to this website:  https://travelanni.webs.com/

Anni has a TON of information about the region and how to get around on public transportation. 

If you are in port on a NON-Monday the girls might be interested in Schwerin Castle almost a Cinderella castle.  The gardens are lovely and you can stop and have a tea and cake in the cafe there.  Warnemunde has a lovely beach, so if you walk the promenade to the end you'll be at the public beach access, be sure to validate a ticket for each person (1 Euro p/p) to sit on the sand or paddle in the Baltic. Also I might suggest the Molli steam train that goes to Bad Doberan.  Its a neat small gauge train that is really neat to ride as it basically goes near the roads.

Edited January 27, 2020 by Sauer-kraut

[CrazyJess]

We’ve rented  bikes in Copenhagen.   It wasn’t easy  to say the least. On the first day I felt really confused as the bike traffic was too busy for me. There were special streetlights just for bikes and I realized that only at the end of the first day. I still don’t know how I survived on that day. Don’t even think to let kids of 5 or 8 bike in the city. No chance. In a rent shop there were a few bikes with special bicycle seats for kids of different age. I think it’s exactly what you need.

Jess.

 

[ljandgb]

I've never ridden bikes where you're asking about, but our walking tour guide in Copenhagen called the bike lanes "the kill zone" and warned us repeatedly not to wander into them.  They start biking on their own very young there (our guide said 7-8 yrs)  and I can totally see how the PP did not feel up to speed, no pun intended.  

[Travelling2Some]

On ‎1‎/‎29‎/‎2020 at 5:52 AM, CrazyJess said:

We’ve rented  bikes in Copenhagen.   It wasn’t easy  to say the least. On the first day I felt really confused as the bike traffic was too busy for me. There were special streetlights just for bikes and I realized that only at the end of the first day. I still don’t know how I survived on that day. Don’t even think to let kids of 5 or 8 bike in the city. No chance. In a rent shop there were a few bikes with special bicycle seats for kids of different age. I think it’s exactly what you need.

 

Jess.

 

I have to agree with this.  We are frequent bike riders at home and had planned to rent bikes and use them to get around the cities during our first trip to northern Europe.  We thought better of it when we actually saw the bike traffic.  Even though we ride in urban environments here in the USA, we are not used to riding at speed surrounded by other bikes only inches away from us!  It was a bit too much for us, even as adults.