My wife and I are getting away without the kids for a short 8 days in July. We'll be flying in to Berlin, and retuning from Helsinki. I'm thinking of flying to Stockholm and then a couple of days later taking either the Talink Silja Line or the Viking Cruise overnight ferry. First of all, do folks agree doing the itinerary in this order makes sense? One issue is there are limited flights from Berlin to Stockholm, whereas for some reason there are many flights from Berlin to Helsinki. Second, if the overnight ferry / cruise is recommended, is Talink Silja or Viking a better option? From what I can tell, Viking is less expensive. We value comfort and quiet, and don't need a party type of atmosphere. Or, is it better instead to take the short / cheap flights between Stockholm and Helsinki, and just do a boat tour through the Stockholm archipelago? One hesitation of adding yet another flight to our week in Europe is we already have more flights than we want as our return from Helsinki has a 3 hour layover in London. Thank you!
Posted by
Upstate New York
114 posts
A few years back (2019) Friend and I took the ferry from Stockholm to Helsinki. Left Stockholm late afternoon, about 4:00 PM. Arrived in Helsinki mid morning the next day, about 10:00 AM. Friend and I were on the Silva ship. We had a small cabin. Nothing luxurious but adequate, comfortable. Private bath with a shower. Numerous restaurants on board, in addition to the buffet. Most people went to the buffet for dinner. Looked good, but crowded. Friend and I opted for one of the nicer restaurants - there are several. We chose the Italian restaurant. . Food and ambiance were very nice. Quiet compared with the buffet room. Reservations were advised. A good choice, we agreed. Also, shops and casino on the board. Like you, we aren’t into loud partying. Even though the ship had some of that, it was easily avoided. The upper deck tended to be quiet - mostly people simply enjoying the beauty we passed. Small bar offering drinks. The party people, I guess, stayed down below deck.
The sail from Stockholm takes you through the archipelago. Absolutely stunning. The islands are beautiful. Passing ships. Sunset. Except for dinner, we seldom left the top deck the scenery wasn’t to be missed. I arose early and had morning coffee on the upper deck as dawn was breaking.
While I cannot compare the Silja and the Viking ships, or the cost difference, I cannot say anything but good about the Silja. I would have no reservation recommending it.
Posted by
OP
40 posts
Thanks so much for your response, Jim - sounds like it's very much worthwhile! I would appreciate other perspectives as well.
Posted by
Upstate New York
114 posts
Checked my pictures - we were on the Silja Serenade.
Posted by
Virginia, USA
5927 posts
I would definitely choose the overnight ferry over the flight.
I’ve taken both Viking and Silja multiple times over the years, although my last trip was 10 years ago. The Silja ships have a slightly more impressive interior design with a central promenade. Otherwise, the services are comparable.
I’d recommend avoiding the C cabins which are below the car deck. I have only traveled in A (window) or B cabins (interior) and have always slept fine. The A and B cabins are quite basic with fold down beds and a very small bathroom. There are larger, more expensive cabins. I generally just go with whichever company has the better deal; my last trip was on Viking.
I prefer the restaurants over the buffet. Some people like the buffet because it is an opportunity to taste a variety of Nordic specialties like herring and gravlax. I think the quality of the food in the restaurants is better. I’d recommend making a reservation.
In Stockholm, Viking docks at the Stadsgården port which is more central than the port that Silja uses, but I would not use that as criteria to decide which line. They both can be reached by public transit.
Posted by
Washington DC
28794 posts
I've taken the overnight Viking ferry from Stockholm to Turku (not Helsinki) twice, and it was fine. Be warned, though, that the cost may rise rather steeply as the sailing date approaches, and the least expensive cabins can sell out, pushing you into a higher catergory than you want.