Weekend cruise to Helsinki š³ š«š®
A relaxing way to spend the weekend
It somehow took us almost 2 years since moving to Stockholm to try one of the popular weekend cruises between Stockholm and Helsinki. Of the few companies operating this route, we picked Tallink Silja Line based off reviews we heard from our friends. This is how it works;
- Board the cruise ship in Stockholm at 4:45pm on Saturday
- Reach Helsinki at 10:30am on Sunday
- Explore Helsinki for about 6 hours
- Board the same ship in Helsinki at 5:00pm on Sunday.
- Reach Stockholm at 9:45am on Monday.
Pro-Tip: You can start your trip on any day of the week. We chose Saturday as it meant not having to take days off from work.
Departure from Stockholm
We used public transport to get to VƤrtahamnen, the boarding terminal for our cruise. From the bus stop at VƤrtahamnen it was an approximately 1km walk to the terminal building itself.
Pro-Tip: If you have a car, getting to the ferry terminal will be much more convenient and potentially cheaper if youāre a larger group. Parking at the terminal costs 100kr per 24 hours.
At the terminal there were self check-in kiosks like those at airports, where we filled in our details and got our boarding tickets which also served as tickets to pre-booked meals and the keys to our rooms.
Soon, we were aboard the M/S Silja Symphony. In fact, we hardly realized when we set foot off the terminal and onto the ship because the lobby of the shipās entrance looked like any other building. I donāt know what I was expecting (never been on a ship before), but I expected something more shippy. š¤
There were about 15 stores on the ship ā a handful of restaurants, a couple of bars, a souvenir shop, a toy shop, a mini-grocery store and a few other miscellaneous avenues to spend time (and money) in. There were poker slot machines all over the place and it seemed to be popular among many folks, though I didnāt see anyone win anything.
We took one of the numerous elevators to reach our rooms on the fifth deck. The standard of the view that we expected to see as soon as we opened our door was set very high by the photoshopped photos on the booking website (especially the rooms with a sea-facing window, the kind we booked), so at best our first reaction was š¤·āāļø. The lighting seemed slightly less than sufficient and the window wasnāt clean enough. Those minor things aside, the room had comfortable beds, towels and toiletries, a small TV, and an attached bathroom with hot water around the clock ā we were good to go!
Pro-Tip: The time in Helsinki is 1 hour ahead of Stockholm. Horrible things (like missing breakfast) will happen if you forget to change the time on your watches and phones (unless itās automatic of course) š
Pro-Tip: When youāre in the middle of the sea, you wonāt have mobile data on your phone. Wifi is not available in the rooms but is always on in the passageways in front of the stores and restaurants.
Helsinki
After a night of pleasant slumber with the ship occasionally rocking mildly, we started our second day with the buffet breakfast that we had pre-booked. The food was good and there was a lot to choose from. It was however super-crowded and noisy. In retrospect, going for breakfast an hour earlier would have helped us beat the crowd and make the experience more enjoyable.
Soon after, we reached Helsinki at exactly 10:30am. We left all our things locked inside our rooms aboard, since we would be returning to the same rooms later in the evening. We bought public transport day passes to be able to use trams to cover as much of Helsinki as possible before 5pm.
Pro-Tip: Thereās a tram station right outside the terminal in Helsinki. A day pass costs about 9 EUR. Getting a pass for the A-B zone is sufficient to explore central Helsinki.
Helsinki Cathedral
We kick-started our visit to Helsinki by taking a tram to the huge cathedral at the Senate Square / Senaatintori (Finnish) / Senatstorget (Swedish), which is arguably one of the top landmarks in the city. Entry, at least on Sundays, is free and is allowed only from 11:30am onwards once Sunday mass ends. Architecturally more impressive from the outside than from the inside, the church was built in 1852 before Finlandās independence while it was still a part of Russia.
Temppeliaukio Church
Next, we took another tram to Temppeliaukion kirkko (Finnish) / Tempelplatsens kyrka (Swedish), or āRock Churchā as it is more commonly called. It is unique as its name hints at, because it was built directly into a huge solid rock. It was completed more recently in 1969. When we visited, sound equipment was being set up for an upcoming event. Owing to its excellent acoustics, the church is often used as a venue for concerts.
Pro-Tip: Entry to the Rock Church costs 3 EUR per person, and thereās often a huge queue at the ticketing office at the church. Instead, buy a ticket (which is actually a wrist band) from shops across the church. These tickets costs the same, are 100% genuine and usually involve no waiting times.
Uspenski Cathedral
Now heading back in the direction where M/S Silja Symphony (our cruise ship) waited for us, we visited Uspenski Cathedral / Uspenskin katedraali (Finnish) / Uspenskij-katedralen (Swedish)
Itās a bit of a hike to get to this church since itās set atop a small hill, but as you inch closer towards it, you get a strong āRussianā vibe from its design ā be it from its domes on the exterior or the style of the paintings at the altar inside. This church was consecrated in 1868 which was, just like with Helsinki Cathedral, a time when Finland was still a part of Russia.
Kauppatori Market Square
Tired from all the walking around, we looked to Kauppatori square for its street food and it did not disappoint! There were a lot of stalls selling fruits, ice cream, snacks and even traditional handicrafts. There was also a string of street food vendors with seating for lunch ā mainly fresh sea food ā which we enjoyed. While it was crowded with many people, it was more crowded with aggressive sea gulls trying to snatch food away from unsuspecting people.
Cruise back to Stockholm
And just like that our 6 hours (which sounded like a long period of time at first) were up and we made our way back to our cruise ship.
After relaxing for a while and after having an early dinner, we decided to check out some of the on-board dance and music entertainment that were scheduled for the evening. I expected it to be decent but not particularly great, given how it was just free entertainment, but I couldnāt have been more wrong. The quality of the programs put forth by the musicians, singers and dancers was top-notch. Absolutely brilliant! We stayed glued to our seats until about midnight before finally calling it a night and heading back to our rooms. The band continues playing until 3:30am for all the party animals for whom midnight is too early to call bed-time.
Pro-Tip: Almost all restaurants and stores close at 9:30pm, so plan accordingly. There is one small restaurant that stays open till 3:30am serving pizza slices, sandwiches and cold drinks which is super-convenient.
We were back in Stockholm at 9:45am the next day, again exactly on time and it was time to head to work! It felt like a weekend well-spent.
This is a great way to spend weekends when you know you want to do some-thing but canāt put a finger on what it is that you want to do. In winters, there are often huge discounts on ticket prices which are great ā especially if you are more interested in spending time on the ship itself than in exploring Helsinki.
Fin. š
