For all winter travelers...
I must say this is not for you.
For the rest and main part of you that are used to travel during the summer, this is certainly your place.
My proposal is to discuss a bit about the possibilities we have when it comes to plan a cruise within Northern Europe, as the options are many but the real deals are hiding (and written in Swedish, in fact!) Let's get started.
First of all, let me define northern Europe: Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark are considered to be Scandinavia while Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are called the Baltic countries.
I want to put them apart as I understand that each group fits different traveler dreams.
While Scandinavia fits into the so much called "model for Europe" countries, specially when it comes to welfare state, security, cleanliness and general economic standards of living, the Baltic region is in the process to get developed.
Too many years under Russian influence (with all my respects for Russia) and too few within the scope of the European Union.
For those wants looking for the paradise to live in, probably a trip to Scandinavia will fit most your ideal holidays.
You will find the most fashionable and refined population you can ever imagine, beautiful very well preserved old buildings, large green parks and gardens and specially, cities that claim to the sky that they are there to make a difference and to be followed.
Walking the streets of a Nordic capital will make you feel like the king you have inside.
If you are looking to bury your brain in the past, if you enjoy discovering places that have recently been involved in conflicts and where this feeling can still be found in the atmosphere, then the Baltics is your place.
You will find there the most extreme contrasts between the remaining and hardly standing old buildings that survived bombings (Tallin, the capital of Estonia, got more than 50% of its residential buildings destroyed) and the new glass-made skyscrapers.
This different parts of the story are placed really close one to each other, and sometimes even wall to wall.
After you make this decision, or you choose the both of them, the next step is to decide on the transportation.
Traveling by plane with Sterling Airlines or with FlyNordic can be a very good option within the region, but in this case, and if you have a minimum amount of time, I highly recommend to take the sea option.
There exist many possibilities, all them good enough to be considered, but one that rises as a real hot deal is the one offered by the Viking Line.
The only thing you will need is somebody that can help you with the Swedish language.
Or an adequate dictionary, of course.
Viking Line serves mainly Stockholm (Sweden) and Helsinki (Finland).
A first vessel will do this itinerary normally.
They also have a second vessel, the Cinderella, which goes for a kind of Night Party trip, where you spend the whole night...
as you prefer, and then it arrives to an island at 7:00 a.
m, leaving again at 8:00 am.
You can imagine the amount of visitors that land on this island, probably around the 0.
5% of the total passengers in the boat.
For the service to this island you will need to pay a very small fee, but for the trip to Finland, you have a great opportunity to travel for free that I'm going to explain.
On the Viking Line web-page, you have the opportunity to get registered with them, in a way that they will e-mail special offers constantly.
Some of this offers will tell you that you have the opportunity to travel for free to Helsinki, departing in the afternoon from Stockholm and arriving there on the morning of the next day, allowing you to visit the city for about 8 hours, and then come back to Stockholm on the afternoon of the day you arrived.
Thats a quick trip, yes.
The accommodation you will get is a little 4 beds cabin, probably on the interior, yes.
But you can book as many persons as you want under your name, so I think it is a very good option for families and groups of friends, as you have the opportunity to avoid a hotel night by spending it for free in the boat, have access to a variety of shows on board and different activities, and also make a quick visit to Helsinki, which is not as big as Stockholm and can be made in 8 hours.
Thats one.
The second deal, maybe not as great and easy, but still good, is the Tallink Line.
They provide the route that links Stockholm with Riga (Latvia) and Tallin (Estonia).
The deal is specially in the trip to Riga, as often they have some special discounts that make you able to do the same you did with the Viking Line, for about 7 euros (11 dollars), which is not bad at all.
After all, just a quick note.
The Tallink option can be booked in advance, but normally Viking Line deals will be told to you with maximum one month advance, so it is really an option that you can take improvising at last minute or even already on your holidays.
Just remember to have your Swedish translator close to you.
And no, I live in Stockholm, but I do not speak Swedish, so that is not an option!
I must say this is not for you.
For the rest and main part of you that are used to travel during the summer, this is certainly your place.
My proposal is to discuss a bit about the possibilities we have when it comes to plan a cruise within Northern Europe, as the options are many but the real deals are hiding (and written in Swedish, in fact!) Let's get started.
First of all, let me define northern Europe: Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark are considered to be Scandinavia while Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are called the Baltic countries.
I want to put them apart as I understand that each group fits different traveler dreams.
While Scandinavia fits into the so much called "model for Europe" countries, specially when it comes to welfare state, security, cleanliness and general economic standards of living, the Baltic region is in the process to get developed.
Too many years under Russian influence (with all my respects for Russia) and too few within the scope of the European Union.
For those wants looking for the paradise to live in, probably a trip to Scandinavia will fit most your ideal holidays.
You will find the most fashionable and refined population you can ever imagine, beautiful very well preserved old buildings, large green parks and gardens and specially, cities that claim to the sky that they are there to make a difference and to be followed.
Walking the streets of a Nordic capital will make you feel like the king you have inside.
If you are looking to bury your brain in the past, if you enjoy discovering places that have recently been involved in conflicts and where this feeling can still be found in the atmosphere, then the Baltics is your place.
You will find there the most extreme contrasts between the remaining and hardly standing old buildings that survived bombings (Tallin, the capital of Estonia, got more than 50% of its residential buildings destroyed) and the new glass-made skyscrapers.
This different parts of the story are placed really close one to each other, and sometimes even wall to wall.
After you make this decision, or you choose the both of them, the next step is to decide on the transportation.
Traveling by plane with Sterling Airlines or with FlyNordic can be a very good option within the region, but in this case, and if you have a minimum amount of time, I highly recommend to take the sea option.
There exist many possibilities, all them good enough to be considered, but one that rises as a real hot deal is the one offered by the Viking Line.
The only thing you will need is somebody that can help you with the Swedish language.
Or an adequate dictionary, of course.
Viking Line serves mainly Stockholm (Sweden) and Helsinki (Finland).
A first vessel will do this itinerary normally.
They also have a second vessel, the Cinderella, which goes for a kind of Night Party trip, where you spend the whole night...
as you prefer, and then it arrives to an island at 7:00 a.
m, leaving again at 8:00 am.
You can imagine the amount of visitors that land on this island, probably around the 0.
5% of the total passengers in the boat.
For the service to this island you will need to pay a very small fee, but for the trip to Finland, you have a great opportunity to travel for free that I'm going to explain.
On the Viking Line web-page, you have the opportunity to get registered with them, in a way that they will e-mail special offers constantly.
Some of this offers will tell you that you have the opportunity to travel for free to Helsinki, departing in the afternoon from Stockholm and arriving there on the morning of the next day, allowing you to visit the city for about 8 hours, and then come back to Stockholm on the afternoon of the day you arrived.
Thats a quick trip, yes.
The accommodation you will get is a little 4 beds cabin, probably on the interior, yes.
But you can book as many persons as you want under your name, so I think it is a very good option for families and groups of friends, as you have the opportunity to avoid a hotel night by spending it for free in the boat, have access to a variety of shows on board and different activities, and also make a quick visit to Helsinki, which is not as big as Stockholm and can be made in 8 hours.
Thats one.
The second deal, maybe not as great and easy, but still good, is the Tallink Line.
They provide the route that links Stockholm with Riga (Latvia) and Tallin (Estonia).
The deal is specially in the trip to Riga, as often they have some special discounts that make you able to do the same you did with the Viking Line, for about 7 euros (11 dollars), which is not bad at all.
After all, just a quick note.
The Tallink option can be booked in advance, but normally Viking Line deals will be told to you with maximum one month advance, so it is really an option that you can take improvising at last minute or even already on your holidays.
Just remember to have your Swedish translator close to you.
And no, I live in Stockholm, but I do not speak Swedish, so that is not an option!
Source...