Baltic Bliss

Late May through early June is a great time to visit Stockholm. If your timing is right, you’ll get to witness the Swedish rite of passage known as Studenten.

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Once you land in Stockholm’s Arlanda Airport, you have several choices to get yourself to the city center and your hotel. You can buy tickets using a credit card from the machines pictured above. Continue Reading »

Baltic Sea port destinations feature history and culture, city sophistication and rural charm, medieval streets and town walls, Viking villages and fairytale kingdoms, and the palaces and castles of kings and queens. Design your journey around the predominant themes that characterize this part of the world. Continue Reading »

Cruising into Baltic Sea ports is an exhilarating experience. From the 50-mile transit to Stockholm’s city center through a beautiful archipelago of 30,000 islands and islets to slow transits past castles, palaces and fortresses to reach St. Petersburg, few regions come close to offering such diverse cruise experiences.

Fortunately, because many Baltic Sea cruises are 10 days or longer, itineraries are port-intensive, and cruise passengers get to see several cities by the sea on a single sailing. The approach to any Baltic Sea port by ship is an inspiring experience. Distant city skylines typically are characterized not by high-rise buildings but by copper covered church spires and towers of castles and historic buildings.

Some port cities feature well-preserved town walls and buildings from the Medieval Age, silent sentinels of long ago, when German merchants of the Hanseatic League sailed between ports to engage in commerce. Often, the city skylines that cruise passengers see today would be recognizable to those German merchants long gone. Because of their historical importance and the fact that they are so well preserved, some of the cities are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Cruise ships transit old trading routes from the days when Vikings ruled the sea. History lives on the city shores. Moreover, cruise ships typically dock within walking distance of historic city centers and other attractions. When transit is required, distances from the ship to the city center are usually quite short. Waterfronts can be lively, with shops, restaurants and cafes — and always the bustle of people.

The Baltic Cruising Region serves up some of the world’s most remarkable port destinations: Stockholm, situated on 14 islands; St. Petersburg, with so many rivers and canals that it is called the Venice of the North; Rostock, the old German town that shares a port with the seaside resort Warnemunde; Visby, a town that speaks volumes about its Medieval heritage; Kalmar, where visitors still feel the influence of the German Hanseatic League; and UNESCO World Heritage sites such as Tallinn and the historic center of Riga.

These are only a sampling of the cities that have inspired voyages for millennia — and for many more years to come.

[Tomorrow, Holland America Line's Eurodam ties up in Copenhagen, at which time I'll post the first in a series of reports about how to spend two perfect days in the Danish capital. For now, however, this article is for all of those who wish they were on Eurodam.]

Set aside what you’re doing for a moment, and come with me. Together, we will board Holland America Line’s brand new Eurodam for a virtual cruise. I’ll give you a few minutes to pack. Let me know when you’re ready.

You’re lucky to be traveling with me, because I’ll make travel painless for you. We’ll whisk through airport security, breeze through baggage claim and make a quick transit to the ship, where, with an air befitting royalty, we’ll cross the threshold into this lovely vessel.

Welcome aboard!

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Tags: Holland America Line, ms Eurodam

Need a reason to cruise to or from Stockholm? I’ll give you ten good reasons.

1. Stockholm is immensely beautiful. The city is built on 14 islands that appear to be floating on water.
2. If 14 islands should prove to be insufficient, not to worry: At Stockholm’s doorstep are 30,000 islands in the archipelago.
3. Gamla Stan, Stockholm’s Old Town, is one of the world’s best preserved Medieval cities. Enjoy strolling the Old Town’s narrow alleys and cobble-stone streets, taking time to stop in cozy cafes, shops and world-class restaurants.
4. Stockholm is a walkable and bikeable city. The Swedish capital is compact and easy to get around. You can see and do a lot in a short amount of time. Be sure to take time to bicycle through the former royal deer park known as Djurgarden. Some of the scenes in Djurgarden fool you into thinking you’re in the Swedish countryside.
5. You can fika in Stockholm. Fika is where catching up with friends meets with coffee and cakes. But Fika is about much more than caffeine and carbohydrates. It’s a Swedish social institution, where friends sit down and chat about life and current events over snacks like kanelbulle, the Swedish version of a cinnamon bun, and a cappuccino. You will want to fika in one of Stockholm’s many cozy cafes.
6. Stockholm has dropped from 23rd most expensive city to live in to 31st. By comparison, Copenhagen ranks 7th, Oslo, sixth. Stockholm offers the best value among the Scandinavian capitals.
7. Stockholm is a city of culture. It has the world’s highest concentration of museums and an abundance of attractions, sites and galleries. There’s something for everyone: for families, for singles, young and old, gay or straight.
8. With one third of its land area covered in parks, and one third in water, Stockholm is a green city. Stockholm is Europe’s first Green Capital.
9. Getting to Stockholm from destinations worldwide is easy thanks to numerous flights daily from all over the world, including some low-cost carriers. Getting around once in Stockholm is easy and efficient.
10. Stockholm is the capital of Scandinavia. The city is a Nordic hub in business and in culture. Today, instead of Stockholmers going abroad for a fix of glamor and sophistication, visitors are coming to Stockholm for a taste of the international high life. Why not join them before or after your next cruise to or from the Swedish capital?

One of the most popular itinerary options in Europe, a Northern Europe cruise presents passengers with cultural diversity, historical attractions, and magnificent scenery. Cruises in Northern Europe typically combine visits to Copenhagen and other Scandinavian capitals and overnights (on the ship) in St. Petersburg.

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Countries bordering the Baltic Sea Region offer varied shopping venues. Many of the town and city shopping areas, for example, are for pedestrians only, and shoppers may browse at their leisure while strolling along wide streets free of traffic. Other cities offer shopping within well-preserved medieval walls and along charming cobblestone streets in the old sections of town. Continue Reading »

Shop without having to worry about getting mowed down by passing vehicles on pedestrian shopping streets that are closed to vehicular traffic. Continue Reading »

Kalmar is well known for Swedish crystal, handmade in one of the 15 glassworks in the Kingdom of Crystal, among which Orrefors and Kosta Boda are the most prominent. In Orrefors factory shop, purchase (tax free) firsts and seconds from the Orrefors collection and watch master craftsmen in action as they create crystal masterpieces right in front of you.

Poland also offers crystal. Cruise passengers will want to make for Swietojanska Street, Gdnyia’s main shopping street, for a selection of crystal in shops and galleries.