Location: Helsinki
Top Things to do in Helsinki
Top Restaurants in Helsinki
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Top 7 Ferries in Helsinki, Uusimaa
Sitting on the edge of the Baltic, the modern, cosmopolitan city of Helsinki is the World Design Capital for 2012. The beauty of the surrounding nature blends seamlessly with high-tech achievements and contemporary trends. Walking tours of the city center show layers of history, while modern architecture and cutting-edge style stake the city's claim to the future. Choose Helsinki during its endless summer days or get adventurous on crisp, snowy winter nights.
Restaurants in Helsinki
1. HSL Ferry
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 35 reviews
Reviewed By MikaelF413 - Vantaa, Finland
This ferry service from Helsinki city center to Suomenlinna Fortress is operated by the Helsinki Region Transport Authority (HSL). The journey time is approximately 15 minutes. Depending on the season and the time of day, ferries run 1 to 4 times per hour from the morning until the night throughout the year. The ferry departs from the Market Square, opposite the Presidential Palace. In Suomenlinna, the ferry arrives at and departs from the main pier of Iso Mustasaari island. The adult AB-ticket costs 2,80. During the 80 minutes time, you can use also other means of transport: trams, buses, metro and trains inside zones A and B. The ferries can be crowded during summer months if the weather is good. There are three ferries and everyone has a sundeck. The oldest ferries M/S Suokki and M/S Tor are from 1952. The newest ferry M/S Suomenlinna II started operating in 2004.
2. Viking Line - Day Cruises
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 1,471 reviews
Reviewed By SergueyOdessa - Odessa, Ukraine
I was really glad to be there, normal price, high quality of service, beautiful big Ferry, tasty cusine and nice duty free shop, it was amazing to visit Helsinki from Tallinn for one day - like sightseeing tour.
3. Tallink and Silja Line - Cruises
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 2,113 reviews
Reviewed By MikaelF413 - Vantaa, Finland
As Club One Gold members, we got a Christmas present from Silja Line: a Commodore cruise to Stockholm in Commodore class for 125 euros plus 80.000 points. The normal price for this cruise would have been 801 euros. Commodore class is the best way to travel on board Silja Serenade or Symphony between Helsinki and Stockholm. It includes one Executive Suite on deck 11, three Junior Suites on deck 9 and Commodore cabins with or without a balcony on decks 10 and 11. There is a Commodore lounge on deck 10 where you have complimentary coffee and snacks and can also purchase alcoholic beverages. The cabin minibar and special breakfasts at Bon Vivant restaurant are included. The entertainment program was excellent this time. On the outward journey, there was 'The Game of Love' show based on music by Queen. On the return journey, there was 'Thank you for the Music' show based on music by ABBA. Both shows last 45 minutes and there are two showtimes at 19:30 and 21:00. It is advisable to book a premium table to have good visibility. Probably because of the coronavirus, it was pleasantly calm everywhere.
4. JT-Line Oy
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 25 reviews
JT-Line´s vessels operate the regular routes between - Market Square and Suomenlinna, Vallisaari and Lonna - Hakaniemi and Vallisaari - Merisatama and Pihlajasaari - Ruoholahti and Pihlajasaari All of our vessels can also be hired for private use, and you will find a suitable vessel for every occasion, ranging from short transports to all-day trips.
Reviewed By Lemmus
We took the island hopper option which allows a visit to three different islands in one day and offers flexibility around timing as the ticket is valid all day and the boats run about every 90 minutes. Suomenlinna is the most popular island and has the most to see (mainly the fortifications, along with six museums) but Vallisaari was my favourite as although it has some fortifications, it's more a nature visit than a history one. It also had some rather odd cartoon story boards which came across more like a children's 'learn to read English' than information. The third island, Lonna, is very small and I would recommend going there last (as the boat stops there on both outward and return legs) or missing it completely. Unless there is more to Lonna than meets the eye, I would struggle to fill the time between one boat and the next I think. The boats sell drinks & snacks. For €8 it's a bargain.
5. Linda Line Express
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 7 reviews
6. Finnlines
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 53 reviews
Reviewed By Dutch-Mikey - Le Havre, France
The FinnLady from Travemunde to Helsinki is very big. It's a 29 hours long trip, and leaves at the ungodly hour of 3:30 am. The cabin (you really need one) is comfortable enough for the 2 nights. Good shower, toilet and beds. Food is pretty good considering it's a ferry. TAKE THE MEAL PACKAGE!! You start with a brunch followed by an evening meal followed by breakfast at arrival. The meals are buffets with plenty of choices, and unlimited eating and drinking. The food is not incredibly good, but pretty good. You can also opt to eat in the bar and/or snackbar, but that will set you back much more. Staff are friendly and helpful and the whole sailing is well oiled. The wifi package should be forgotten. I presume they use the same LTE/4G you can get on your phone.
7. MOBY SPL (ex. ST.PETER LINE)
Overall Ratings
3.5 based on 331 reviews
ST.PETER LINE company is a St. Petersburg-based ferry operator whose fleet includes two first-class ships - Princess Maria and Princess Anastasia. The company runs regular cruises on Helsinki - Stockholm - Tallinn - St. Petersburg line and Helsinki - St. Petersburg line.
Reviewed By brucef165 - Hot Springs Village, United States
After being intimidated by many of the reviews I read here, my wife and I, duly forewarned, decided to take the plunge and both of us, after doing so, decided that our St Petersburg adventure via Moby SPL was the highlight of our 4 country personal trek (Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia). The Moby-SPL reservation system is clunky and difficult to use, but after many attempts to master the thing, it began to actually make sense to me. I secured a Commodore class room (outside port window). This entitled us to a free scrumptious buffet breakfast included with the room and most importantly priority disembarkation and first in line at immigration which I have heard can be very time consuming. We were through customs and immigration in about 10 minutes. As we are elderly a young crewman helped us with our bags (without being asked) on the gangway (both on and off the ship). One nagging fear I had was that Moby SPL would give me grief about not booking a hotel with them. I secured my own booking at a wonderful, quiet boutique hotel in a courtyard in the center of the historic district on the Moyka Embankment (The Arcadia, which I also heartily recommend for its value and its friendly service). I had no problem from Moby SPL in booking my own hotel. Be forewarned that If you do book your own hotel it must capable of "registering" you with Russian Immigration (they kept our passports at the hotel until this was completed, during the first evening.) You must have proof of your reservation at such a hotel when boarding in Helsinki, mine was from bookings.com The excursion that you must buy from Moby SPL is the "city tour" in order to get by Russian Immigration requirements for the 72 hour visa free visit. This is not a tour but merely a 12 passenger van that drops you off "near" St Isaac Square. Our driver did not speak English and dropped us off on a side street a couple of blocks from St Isaac square. They run a scheduled "shuttle" that will presumably pick you up at the same place (if you can remember it) Do yourself a favor and skip the shuttle and any anxiety associated with it for the return trip. Taxis are cheap and reliable. I installed the Yandex Taxi App (Russian Uber) and used it everywhere in St Petersburg ($3 to $5 anywhere in the historic areas) The Moby SPL Pier is well marked on the Yandex app map. Alternatively you can have your hotel secure a return taxi to the pier for complete peace of mind. The on-board experience was wonderful. We ate both dinners at the Napoli pizzeria since we were not overly hungry. We had fruit of the sea pizza (shrimp, mussels octopus, and squid as I recall) with wonderful sea views from our table. The pizza was good and the wine of reasonable quality for the price. Our waitress, a Ukrainian girl, was patient, friendly, and quite charming. If you want to tip, bring some Rubles or Euros. Credit and debit cards work everywhere but you can't include a tip on the charge. I got the idea that tips are not expected. The lounge show was excellent, the drinks were reasonably priced, and the service was courteous and professional (both ways). We saw no drunken louts or bad behavior on anyone's part. What we watched was gray-haired Russian seniors cutting a rug on the dance floor to well played 60's style US Rock and Roll (live) and doing a good job of it. Our room was nice with adequate space, the toilet worked well and the shower delivered lots of hot water on command . We also had a nice view of the sea from our port windows. The TV worked but it was Russian and there was too much else to see and do on the ship. My negative with the room was the thin mattress over a hard planking. We both slept OK but we longed for a thicker mattress for our old bones (we are both in our mid 70s). Our room was on Deck 5 and I would recommend you ask for a room near the bow if you can, we did and it was a wonderful ride. The major source of noise on any ship is the cavitation of the props and separating yourself from them as much as possible is always a good idea. This was a trip we will long remember and hold dear. We are seasoned world travelers and love to seek cross cultural experiences. We had never been to Russia and this trip far exceeded all expectation in all the aspects that count. We arrived Friday September 13 2019 and departed on Sunday Sept 15.
