Scandinavia Itinerary

If I recall, the ship arrives at 10:00 AM in Helsinki, and departs for Stockholm at 5:00 PM. There is some lag time though for boarding and walking to and from the dock, etc.

Yes, you can see the Russian orthodox church and Lutheran church and fish market area (they are all in the same general area) within 3-4 hours. But Helsinki is a lovely city. And there is much more to see.

We also saw this in Helsinki, which is a 20-minute walk away from the town center;

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/finland/helsinki-rock-church-temppeliaukio

I'm not a religious person, but stepping inside this place (the photos don't do it justice) was almost a religious experience for me.

There is also Suomolinna fortress on an island in the harbor that we found lovely. We also did a day trip to Savonlinna castle in the Finnish "lake district" three hours away by train.

Randy, You are probably right about the times. I can't remember exactly, but I felt like we had a full day in Helsinki. That said, more time is always better. No argument there.

Actually, I'm not even sure Brian is considering the ferry. I think it was Ryan that asked about the ferry, not Brian. Or perhaps both did and I missed it.

Brian, you may want to consider it if you haven't already. Spending four whole days in Stockholm would be great too. It's a beautiful city.

There is nothing major to complain about that I can see. Flying twice in that small space is an unusual choice, but if you have found good prices, not a bad one.

I assume you have looked into http://www.flysas.com/en for regional flights. Their economy choices can be pretty appealing.

The flight from Oslo to Stockholm may only be an hour, but it will take 4+ hours from the time you board transportation to one airport and step into the center city of the other. The train trip is 6 1/2 hours and is within walking distance of each city center.

I see from your other post that you want to do the boat to Helsinki. Is this on day 13? If it is a RT excursion within the day 9-12 Stockholm schedule then I think that takes too much time away from Stockholm (at least two nights) and not enough time in Helsinki (only5-6 hours).

Have you considered flying home from Helsinki? That's what we did.

Have you considered doing the overnight ship from Copenhagen to Oslo, Nutshell to Bergen, and then fly to Stockholm? Basically it is trading an overnight ship for a day flight - more fun and efficient, I think, but I don't know how it compares cost-wise.

I think this is a great itinerary, Brian. I took a very similar trip about 10 years ago and loved it. We flew on SAS and at that time they offered reallly inexpensive city to city flights within Scandanavia if you flew with them to and from Scandanavia. (Of course, that was pre 9/11 and flying wasn't as unpleasant then.)

My only suggestion is to try to find another day for Bergen. I loved it and it would be great to have a day to really see it. But if you can't, you'll still get a chance to see the highlights.

We took the overnight ferry to and from Helsinki when we were in Stockholm. We had most of the day in Helsinki (not just 5-6 hours) and we found that was enough time to see everything we wanted. On a different trip, we took the ferry to Tallinn, Estonia, which we also loved. If I could only do one, I would pick Helsinki because it was so different from the rest of Scandanavia. Tallinn was similar to Gamla Stan in Stockholm.

Have a great trip!

Ryan Brian Ryan Brian

Both ask a similar Scandinavian question at the same time - what are the odds!!!

Sorry, my mistake.

But the cruise is VERY cool, and if you can arrange to fly home from Helsinki, it is a very efficient way to add a country without adding a lot of time.

Thanks for the input!

Now I'm considering adding Helsinki to the plan -- I hadn't thought of that before but the cruise sounds like a wonderful option for extending my vacation a few more days.

My only concern is I am a single traveler so I would be sharing a berth with other passengers. Do any of you know how secure the ship is? Is there a safe place I can leave my luggage on board (in the cabin or elsewhere) because I wouldn't want to be worrying about my stuff the entire time I'm out of the berth enjoying the rest of the ship!

Thanks again!
Brian

That is a good question and I don't really know the answer. I would assume there must be some accomodation for security since you can't be the only one travelling alone, but I don't know the details.

If I recall correctly, the Viking line allows people to purchase "deck passage" only which means you sleep on deck on a lounge chair (or just stay up all night in one of the many lounges). There must be lockers for those people, too. Or maybe you just paddle-lock your bag to your ankle?

I think there are rooms for 2 also on both Viking and Silja line, so that would at least cut down on your exposure.

FYI, the youth hostel we stayed in in Helsinki was quiet, pleasant and cheap.

Kind of an add-on to the original post:

I'm noticing hotel prices in these cities are very expensive, and hostels are not my thing, so I was considering staying at bed and breakfasts - many appear to be in my budget ($ 70 - 80 per night).

I've found many web sites listing what appear to be good, reasonably priced establishments. However, I cannot find reviews anywhere and I am hesitant to blindly book whatever random B&B catches my fancy.

Do any of you have recommendations for reasonably priced, centrally located B&Bs in Copenhagen, Oslo, Bergen, and Stockholm?

Thanks again! All the advice so far has been awesome!

I always use tripadvisor.com for info on hotels and bed and breakfast establishments. You can enter specific places as it appears you have some names. You can also go to the city and see a listing of many locations.

Years ago, I sometimes booked a female cabin so I didn't have to pay for the whole cabim myself when traveling alone and a few times I still had the cabing to myself and saved money. I would pick Silja Line. Viking Line is more of a party boat. If you have a cabin, your stuff will be safe. I have never had any problems. I take the ship from Helsinki to Stockholm and back every summer when I am visiting my family.

As a rule Scandinavia is safe and clean and I would trust the B&Bs there also.

Brian, B & Bs,
Copenhagen : Annette and Rudy Hollender -- located very near Christianshavntorv Metro stop. The bathroom is shared with the person in the other room. Rooms are old, not luxurious, but I liked it. If you fly to Copenhagen : before you fly to Copenhagen, ask Annette (in E-mail) for directions for going to her house from the Copenhagen Airport. She knows a route (commuter train and Metro) that has less travel time than riding in a train to Copenhagen Central station.
Bergen : Alf and Elisabeth Heska -- Share a bathroom with people that are in one other room. (Four rooms, two bathrooms). Kitchen does not have a refrigerator. Rooms do not have Telephone or frills, but it is in a quality house, good solid floors.
Bergen : Marit and Hugo Dahl -- I was not there, but I think it is pleasant. Read about it in the book "Rick Steves' SCANDINAVIA".
Stockholm : Stureparkens Gastvaning -- I went there because I perceived it to be the lowest priced decent place for sleeping in Stockholm. Conveniently located for tourists, it is a guest house, similar to a hotel. All the staff people are gone at 5:00 p.m. Guests may cook their dinner in the kitchen. A good breakfast is served in the dining room. Television in the dining room at night. Owner Jan does a quick visit there in the mornings. I think the beds are very old./// I was at those cities in May of 2007.