Helsinki Question For Tero

[Katy P.]

Tero, do you know where the NCL Dream docks in Helsinki? Where can i catch the HOP on Hop off busthat's near where the ship docks? what street? You have been such a wealth of information to us. Thank you. :)

[Guest LetMeGo]

Tero, do you know where the NCL Dream docks in Helsinki? Where can i catch the HOP on Hop off busthat's near where the ship docks? what street? You have been such a wealth of information to us. Thank you. :)

 

The Norwegian Dream will be docking at the same pier (which makes these tips a lot easier! :D )

 

The route map for the buses says that the bus would be stopping at the pier... But since the first bus leaves at ten, it probably won't be there before 10.30. You can do a lot of sightseeing by that time. :p

[Guest LetMeGo]

Thanks again, Tero. I've been copying and pasting all your tips to my "Helsinki Tero notes" to print and take with us. I'm sure we'll have a much better time because of you. It's neat to be with the people of the country you visit.:)

 

Where are you cruising to next?

 

Judy

No problem... I just hope these tips actually work, and I'm not forgetting anything crucial. :D

 

To tell the truth, I have never been on a cruise besides the ones from Helsinki to either Stockholm or Tallinn. The dates on my signature are the cruise ships I have worked on at the shipyard in Helsinki. :eek: :D

[Katy P.]

Tero, the pier where the NCL ship docks at is it called katajanokka? how do I catch the tourist tram from there? i must have missed this in your discussions but you can pay the driver with euros, right? So is this tram 3T or 3B from katajanokka when it starts the route from that place? if it's not right from katajanokka, what street can i catch this tram? And I should buy the tourist ticket? What's the time of the first trip of this tram from the K. port? How often does this tram run? To leave the ship say at 0830 and to return by 3 PM, is there a lot of traffic? Are there lots of passengers on this tram? Are they mostly the cruise passengers? Does that mean we might have to wait for another tram if we board it at this time of the morning? would you say you might be better of walking/ Up to what street? What about taxis? Where can we hail a cab? Are there taxi stands somewhere? At what street are they easiest to find? How much would they charge? Thanks again. :)

[Guest LetMeGo]

Tero, the pier where the NCL ship docks at is it called katajanokka? how do I catch the tourist tram from there? i must have missed this in your discussions but you can pay the driver with euros, right? So is this tram 3T or 3B from katajanokka when it starts the route from that place? if it's not right from katajanokka, what street can i catch this tram? And I should buy the tourist ticket? What's the time of the first trip of this tram from the K. port? How often does this tram run? To leave the ship say at 0830 and to return by 3 PM, is there a lot of traffic? Are there lots of passengers on this tram? Are they mostly the cruise passengers? Does that mean we might have to wait for another tram if we board it at this time of the morning? would you say you might be better of walking/ Up to what street? What about taxis? Where can we hail a cab? Are there taxi stands somewhere? At what street are they easiest to find? How much would they charge? Thanks again. :)

 

NCL Dream is one of the larger ships which will dock at Hernesaari, which is two miles south of the city centre. Katajanokka is right next to the Market Square (less than half a mile), and is used only by the smallest cruise ships.

 

From Hernesaari the closest point of the 3T tram route is just over 1 mile away at Eiran Sairaala (here's a walking route), or you can take the bus which might be more crowded. You can pay the driver with cash in €'s, and he might refuse bills larger than 20€. (You should buy all your tickets at once, if you have larger bills.) The #3 trams go in a circle, so there is no reason to start the tour at a spesific stop.

 

The ticket types (for adults) sold by the drivers in Helsinki are:

2€ tram ticket, valid in all trams for 60 minutes (as marked on the print).

2.20€ single ticket, valid in all trams, buses, metro, local trains and Suomenlinna ferry for 60 minutes. You are allowed to e.g. board a tram at the last minute of validity, and drive for the full length of the route.

6€ traveller/tourist ticket valid for 24 hours.

If you are travelling only once to the city, and once back, you will save money by buying single tickets. If you aren't exactly sure how many times and how often you use the public transport, the 6€ ticket is more practical.

 

The trams will go at least every ten minutes, and more often during the "rush hours" (7am - 9am, 3pm - 6pm). Between 8.30 and 3pm there isn't a lot of people on the trams, and many of them are likely to be tourists. The trams are occasionally full during the rush hours, but you are more likely to get a seat even then, the further you board the tram from the Central railway station.

 

Taxis are mostly called by telephone, or picked up from the taxi stands located around the city. You can try to hail them from the street, but usually they are on the way to pick up passengers. The phone number to call for a taxi is +358 09 0100 0700. The basic cost of taxis is around 5€ +2€ for every mile. They will also charge an hourly rate for waiting, and a few cents extra for more passengers. There are taxi stands at e.g. at Senate Square, Swedish Theatre, Hietalahti market square, Central railway station...

 

Personally I would like to explore a city on foot... If you can, I would recommend you to walk to the city and then take a tour of the sights by tram (or vice versa).

 

I hope this helps instead of confsing you! :D

[daju22]

Tero,

I remember now that you worked on building ships. Great to know that we can walk to the tram 3T, but can you buy a 6 euro ticket on the tram? Seem like I read that they don't sell them or even check for the ticket very often.

 

Thanks for you patience with all these questions!

Judy

[Guest LetMeGo]

Tero,

I remember now that you worked on building ships. Great to know that we can walk to the tram 3T, but can you buy a 6 euro ticket on the tram? Seem like I read that they don't sell them or even check for the ticket very often.

 

Thanks for you patience with all these questions!

Judy

 

Yes, you can buy the 6€ ticket from the tram as well. The drivers will sell a printed version of the 24 hour ticket, and I can't think why they would ever run out of paper. :D

I think some of the bus drivers will sell the official "tourist ticket" which is a credit card sized chip card, but the paper version is equally valid.

 

Bus drivers will ask you to present a ticket when you enter, and they will sometimes even check the time of validity... On trams, metro, local train, or the Suomenlinna ferry you don't have to present the ticket to anybody, so at least some 10% of the passengers will travel without tickets.

 

There are random inspections on all methods of transportation, and if you don't have a ticket, you are obligated to buy a valid ticket and to pay a fine of 66€. I don't know what they will do with tourists who are only there for a day, but I can only guess they will try to collect the fee on the spot if you don't have a Finnish identification card...

 

No problem! I don't have that much to do at work anyway! :D

[daju22]

Thanks for your answers. There always seems to be one more question:rolleyes: Oh well, here goes.:D

 

Would it be worth going on the Suomenlinna ferry? How long is the trip and where would we board the ferry according to your map.

 

Thanks,

Judy

[Guest LetMeGo]

Thanks for your answers. There always seems to be one more question:rolleyes: Oh well, here goes.:D

 

Would it be worth going on the Suomenlinna ferry? How long is the trip and where would we board the ferry according to your map.

 

Thanks,

Judy

 

It's a good thing I'm still at work... :D

 

The ferry ride itself isn't that special, but you would get a view of the Market Square from the sea... (You would leave from #12 at the other end of the Market Square.) The trip would take approximately 15 minutes one way, and the ferries go every 20-30 minutes depending on the season.

 

The main reason anybody would want to visit Suomenlinna is if they are interested in military history and fortifications. There is an artillery museum as well as the museum submarine Vesikko. It is in fact one of the prototypes for the German U-boats of the 1930's (because they were circumventing the treaty by designing the submarines abroad.)

 

The island as a whole are unique because the whole square kilometre is full of fortifications to explore, walls to wlimb etc. from the 18th and 19th century. I posted a few photos in the first page of this thread that show what the island has to offer.

[daju22]

Tero,

Don't work too hard!! :D Probably won't take the ferry, but good to know what is available in case we run out of things to do!!!

 

Anyway, while I was waiting for your answer, I found the link to the 3T tram brochure that has all the sights to see in it and the map. Won't have to find the tourist info building to get it

 

Here's the link.

 

• The route of tram line 3T is ideal for a sightseeing tour. Become acquainted with the brochure 3T - Take the tram fo Helsinki Sightseeing (PDF file). You can get on the tram at any stop and the tour takes about 60 minutes.

 

Judy

[Guest LetMeGo]

Tero,

Don't work too hard!! :D

 

Hah... I don't think there's any worry about that happening. :D

[daju22]

Tero,

 

Let me get this straight:rolleyes: . I just realized that I've been talking about the #16 bus, but we have a scooter and you said the bus is only entered through the front door, so we can't go on the bus-right?

 

So we have to walk to the tram stop at #32 in the brochure and we can use the walking map http://aikataulut.ytv.fi/reittiopas/fi/?mm=trip&sm=&m=&adv=1&map=1&n=&a=7614&b=229&c=&an=3&bn=&cn=&keya=Hernematalankatu%203&keyb=Eiran%20sairaala&keyc=&date=20060807&time=0830&params=1l1l1l3l2l2ll0l0l0l0l0l1&temp_a=2551446,6671167&temp_b=229,0&temp_c=&time=0830&date=20060807&which=&cs=234&detail=&sr_order=1&loc_mode=&edit_stop=&zoom=16&map=1&x=300&y=100&px=2551915&py=6671481&ppx=&ppy=&zx=2551915&zy=6671481&width=600&height=400&route=t0a2551446a6671167t0a0a0t9a136b70t9a318a688t9a494a20t9a1a32t9a16a1t9a39a120t9a46a37t9b41a169t9a0a0&ss=Hernematalankatu%203&se=Eiran%20sairaala&nc=1 you made. Or, we can use the ship's shuttle to get to the tram. Am I right?

 

Judy

[Guest LetMeGo]

Tero,

 

Let me get this straight:rolleyes: . I just realized that I've been talking about the #16 bus, but we have a scooter and you said the bus is only entered through the front door, so we can't go on the bus-right?

 

So we have to walk to the tram stop at #32 in the brochure and we can use the walking map you made. Or, we can use the ship's shuttle to get to the tram. Am I right?

 

Judy

Don't worry, the bus will be fine as long as you are there before others with similar situation. While people are asked to board through the front door (so the driver can control the tickets), those with strollers, wheelchairs and other large objects can enter through the middle door, and then walk back to the driver to show a valid ticket.

 

The centre door is about 4' wide, and there is a 4' x 7' space inside. The driver will be able to manually set up a wheelchair ramp for people entering the middle door. Like I said earlier somewhere, the shuttle buses are identical to public buses, because they are chartered from that very same company. :D

[daju22]

It's my job to worry, Tero! My husband just goes along and has fun!:) He says he wants to be surprised. I guess I have to line everything up as I used to be a teacher and needed lesson plans for every day made up a week in advance!

 

Thank you so much. You've really helped with Helsinki. It's going to be fun. Hope it doesn't rain.

 

Judy

[Dbedros]

I LOVE this thread! Helsinki had me very confused. Thanks for all of the questions. Tero thanks for your answers.

[Guest LetMeGo]

You're welcome! I just hope you're going to enjoy your stay here for the one day... :cool:

 

While I'll be stuck here for years. :eek: :D

[daju22]

Tero.

We're all stuck somewhere! Guess it's the grass is greener syndrome! Helsinki doesn't seem to be a bad place to be "stuck"!

 

Thanks alot,

Judy

[Guest LetMeGo]

Everything is relative... I'm sure there are a lot of people who might even find it a fascinating place to live (at least in the few summer months :p ), but I would rather be in a city with a bit more history, and variety in the places to see. :D

 

I don't know if the city is like that because of the people or vice versa, but a lot of the time it seems so... colourless an flavourless. I'm glad tourists aren't here in the winter when it is literally grey because of the darkness and snow. :)

[Katy P.]

Tero ,for visitors to Helsinki that only has a day to see Helsinki and was starting from Hernesaari port, how would you recommend they spend their day to see the sights? Would you tell them for example to go inside the Lutheran cathedral? What would be your suggested walking tour of Helsinki? This forum is certainly very informative and quite helpful to new cruisers. Thank you.

[Guest LetMeGo]

Hi

 

I think the best way to spend a day would be very close along those lines I posted in the first page of this thread (with possibly the the exception of skipping the Sibelius monument and saving two miles of the journey). If you don't mind walking, I would actually recommend you to walk through the entire route because the distances are relatively short. (The total distance of what I listed is approximately 10 miles.)

 

As a personal opinion on which sites are worth seeing... Generally speaking the lutheran churches aren't very interesting on the inside, because they have very little interior decorations. The rock church is more interesting of the two mentioned earlier because of the uniqueness. Uspenski Cathedral, the orthodox church at Katajanokka is more interesting because it has lots of decorations. Also, like I have mentioned earlier the Suomenlinna island might be interesting as a unique experience depending on how much you are iinterested in wonndering through a square kilometre of fortifications, tunnels and walls.

 

I hope this has helped to answer your question. Feel freee to ask more. :cool:

[daju22]

Everything is relative... I'm sure there are a lot of people who might even find it a fascinating place to live (at least in the few summer months :p ), but I would rather be in a city with a bit more history, and variety in the places to see. :D

 

I don't know if the city is like that because of the people or vice versa, but a lot of the time it seems so... colourless an flavourless. I'm glad tourists aren't here in the winter when it is literally grey because of the darkness and snow. :)

 

Tero,

Winter here in Pennsylvania can be grey, dark and snowy. Schools are closed or delayed sometimes during snowstorms and the days are short, but probably not as short as Helsinki. Makes me appreciate the summer more.

Judy

[Guest LetMeGo]

Tero,

Winter here in Pennsylvania can be grey, dark and snowy. Schools are closed or delayed sometimes during snowstorms and the days are short, but probably not as short as Helsinki. Makes me appreciate the summer more.

Judy

 

Yeah, I just love winter... Three months when the sun rises after I arrive at work, and sets before I leave... -60 to -90 degree temperatures... Snow turning from white to grey to brown in less than a day... But the good thing is that in Helsinki the streets are kept so clean that schools or workplaces are never closed. :D

 

And there's always something to complain about the summer as well! :p

Some years it has rained non-stop for three months. This year there's been 80 degrees and sunshine every single day for months... And the worst thing about that is that even in the middle of that heat the sea has rarely been warm enough for "normal" people to be able to take a swim. :eek:

 

 

I suppose there is fault in everything if you want to find it. I suppose Helsinki is not such a bad place to live, but I would prefer a bigger and older European city.

[daju22]

Tero,

I don't think I'd like -60 to -90 in the winter. Far too cold for me!!

Guess I'll stay in PA!!

Please save that sun for the day we're there.:)

 

Judy

[Guest LetMeGo]

Bloody hell. I knew there was something wrong with my math! I've never had to do fahrenheit conversion with negative temperatures... :o

 

It's actually somewhere between 0 and -40 degrees only. Probably not that different from your temperatures. :rolleyes: :D

[3beauvid]

Not sure whether to take the #16 bus and do the trams and buses or to do the Heslsinki Hop ons and Offs.

If we do the HoHos..........where does it initiate and can you pay on board with credit card?