Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The next best thing to being in Helsinki is getting there. Europe's most en-
joyable cruise, from Stockholm to Helsinki, starts with dramatic archipelago
scenery, a setting sun, and a royal
smörgåsbord
dinner. Dance until you drop
and sauna until you drip. Budget travel rarely feels this hedonistic. Sixteen
hours after you depart, it's “Hello Helsinki.”
Two fine and fiercely competitive lines, Viking Line and Tallink Silja, con-
nectthecapitals ofSwedenandFinland.Eachlineoffersstate-of-the-art ships
with luxurious
smörgåsbord
meals, reasonable cabins, plenty of entertain-
ment (discos, saunas, gambling), and enough duty-free shopping to sink a
ship.Ofthetwo,VikingLinehasthereputation asthepartyboat.TallinkSilja
is considered more elegant. But both lines—used mostly by locals for a quick
getaway and duty-free booze run—have their share of noisy, sometimes-irrit-
ating passengers.
