CRUISE QUAYS
SOUTH HARBOUR
EPL Pakkahuone Quay.
EKL Katajanokka Quay
ERA Cruise Quay
EO1 Olympia Quay
WEST HARBOUR
LHA & LHB Hernesaari Quays
LMA Melkki Quay
PASSENGER SERVICES
PORT OF HELSINKI
Cruise lines use Helsinki as a useful staging point on their way to and from St Petersburg but their passengers discover an elegant city, well worth a visit of its own. It is dynamic and modern yet peaceful and civilised.
Cruise ships berth in two areas. The South Harbour is in the very centre of town. The West Harbour is about 2½ km (1½ miles) away as the crow flies. All quay areas are fenced and guarded.
Vessels longer than 230 metres (755 feet) or with engine power of less than 22 mW (30 000 hp) can't navigate the straits at Suomenlinna that lead to the South Harbour. About two-thirds of the cruise ships calling at Helsinki in 2009 will berth in the West Harbour.
Passengers of ships using Helsinki as a turnaround port (the place where the cruise starts and finishes) have access to cruise terminal buildings.
For the rest, there are limited quay facilities. Ships berthed in the South Harbour are so close to the shops, restaurants, ATMs, etc. that this hardly matters.
HERNESAARI in the West Harbour has a cabin by Quay C containing a couple of souvenir shops and a tax refund office. Also in attendance on the quay are "Helsinki helpers", guides hired by the city to dispense advice and information. These are seriously useful people.
| Ship length determines your harbour | |
|---|---|
| 230+ metres: West Harbour |
Under 230 metres: Inner city berths |
| In high winds, ships shorter than 230 meters may be re-routed to the West Harbour |
|
| Berths allocated by the Port of Helsinki | |
There is a post box and a phone booth nearby but no ATM cash machine. Next to the souvenir shops is a small cafe but be warned; this is a dull industrial area and not for sitting around in.
Fortunately the sights are not far away. On a shuttle bus, the journey to the centre takes about ten minutes.
If you have the time, it is quite feasible to walk to the city centre. Alternatively, you could take a shuttle bus into town and walk back if you find you have time. The usual terminus for shuttles is marked on the map.
Walking from Hernesaari, the first 600 metres (a third of a mile) are unattractive but then there is pleasant scenery, with several shore cafes en route. The distance round the coast to the South Harbour marketplace is 4 kilometres (2½ miles).
You can shorten the journey by taking a shortcut round the northwest of Kaivopuisto Park along Puistokatu Street, instead of following the coast all the way. This will save 1 kilometre (just over half a mile) but at the cost of missing some fine sea views.
If at any point you decide it's too far, the route of tram 3 is never far away. See Public transport.
Instead of taking a shuttle bus, you can also take a public bus into town. Route number 16 starts in Hernesaari. The buses usually depart at intervals of 15 minutes and reach the centre in 12 minutes. They continue to an eastern suburb but the driver can tell you where to get off, for example on the Esplanade. Tickets can be bought from the driver. See Public transport.
There is a taxi rank nearby but any taxis waiting may have been pre-ordered by someone else. It makes sense to book your own by phone in advance and ask to be picked up from the quay gate, stating whether it is quay B or quay C. A taxi ride from Hernesaari to the centre will cost no less than 8 euros. See Taxis.
MELKKI QUAY in the West Harbour in the farthest berth from the centre of town. On a shuttle bus, the journey to the centre will take about 25 minutes.
Although there is no cruise terminal building, there is a nearby West Harbour terminal for ferries. It contains a restaurant, cafe, kiosk, bank and ATM.
The walk into the centre of town is not much fun because the area is very busy with traffic. The West Harbour is used for passenger and vehicle ferries traveling between Helsinki and Tallinn.
Public buses 15 and 15A depart from the West Harbour terminal roughly every twenty minutes. The 15A goes direct to the central railway station, while number 15 goes to a nearby metro station, which is linked by underground train to the centre.
A third public transport option is to walk north out of the port area and pick up a number 6 tram to the centre. All public transport options can be completed in under an hour but are only for diehard enthusiasts. See ticket prices.
Because so many Finns and Estonians use the West Harbour terminal, there are good chances of hailing a taxi there. The ride to the centre will cost no less than 10 euros. See Taxis.
CRUISE QUAY & KATAJANOKKA QUAY
These quays are about a kilometre (half a mile) from the town centre. Nearby is Katajanokka Terminal, which serves scheduled ferries sailing to Stockholm and Tallinn. It is open daily from 8. a.m. to 9 p.m. and contains a restaurant, a kiosk, a money exchange bureau and an ATM.
Next door to the Terminal is Katajanokka post office, open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays.
There are several parallel streets leading towards the city centre, marked by the green copper domes of the Lutheran Cathedral. On the way you pass the red brick Orthodox Cathedral with its gilded cupolas.
Public transport by tram into the town centre is good, although if your cruise ship arrives soon after a ferry from Stockholm or Tallinn, the tram will be crowded.
Tram route number 4 starts from the Katajanokka Terminal. The trams depart at intervals of 10 minutes or less during most of the day, even on Sundays. Senate Square and the Lutheran Cathedral are six stops away. Tickets can be bought from the driver. See Public transport.
There is a taxi rank outside Katajanokka Terminal. The ride to the Market Square in the centre will cost 7-8 euros. The distance is so short that most of the fare is the starting price. See Taxis.
PAKKAHUONE QUAY & OLYMPIA QUAY
These quays are well inside the South Harbour, which is used mainly by ferry lines and high-speed vessels sailing to Tallinn and Stockholm. Pakkahuone Quay is almost next to the Market Hall.
Cruise ships berthing at the Olympia Quay have access to the modern Olympia terminal, used by scheduled ferries to Sweden. In any case, the area teems with restaurants, kiosks, money exchange bureaus and souvenir shops. There is a tourist information point at the start of the Esplanade and a post box next to it.
FERRY LINES
From Helsinki there are scheduled daily services with Tallinn in Estonia, Stockholm in Sweden and Travemünde in Germany, as well as slightly less frequent sailings between Helsinki and Rostock, Germany.
The ships on the Helsinki-Tallinn and Helsinki-Stockholm routes carry mainly passengers but with some cars and lorries. The services with Germany are mainly for freight but with some passengers.
VIKING LINE serves both Tallinn and Stockholm, and calls at the Åland Islands on the way to Stockholm. Its ships berth in the South Harbour and use the Katajanokka Terminal. Tram line 4T has its terminus here and goes to Market Square, Alexander Street and then north up Mannerheim Road. The distance to Market Square is about 900 metres (yards).
Its ships cross twice a day between Helsinki and Tallinn, throughout the year. The voyage takes 2½ hours.
Viking also has daily sailings to and from Stockholm, departing from each city in the evening and arriving in the other the following morning.
SILJA LINE, which is owned by the Tallink shipping company. serves Stockholm daily from the Olympia Terminal, on the other side of the South Harbour.
Tram line 3T stops outside the Olympia Terminal and continues to Market Square, Alexander Street, the Railway Station and Töölö, passing the Church in the Rock. The distance to Market Square is about 500 metres (yards).
TALLINK sails to Tallinn under its own name. There are many departures each day, throughout the year. The voyage takes 2 hours.
The ships to Tallinn depart from the West Terminal in the West Harbour, about 2½ km (1½ miles) from the city centre.
There is no tram line to the West Harbour, and the area is not pedestrian-friendly either. Bus 15A goes there from the plaza on the west side of the railway station. The journey takes about 15 minutes.
LINDA LINE operates high-speed catamarans between Helsinki and Tallinn during the spring and summer. As long as the Gulf of Finland remains ice-free they continue into the autumn and winter too. In high season, they cross the Gulf up to seven times daily in each direction.
In Helsinki, Linda Line uses Makasiini Terminal in the South Harbour, in front of Palace Hotel. The crossing takes only 90 minutes and, because passenger capacity is no more than 450, disembarkation is very rapid.
SUPERFAST, owned by Tallink, and FINNLINES, owned by the Grimaldi Group, serve ports in northern Germany. The voyage takes up to 30 hours, but the final check-in time is considerably before departure.
These are Ropax vessels intended mainly for freight but with accommodation for passengers. They use the Hansa Terminal in Helsinki's new freight harbour at Vuosaari.
Vuosaari Harbour is to the east of Helsinki, about 15 km (10 miles) from the city centre. The metro from Helsinki central railway station reaches Vuosaari station in 20 minutes and a feeder bus no. 90B then continues to the harbour in 15 minutes, although it departs only every half hour.
A less time-consuming alternative is to use the Seaport Express minibus service that runs between the harbour and the long-distance bus terminal at Kamppi shopping mall in the centre of Helsinki.
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