Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
In supermarkets, buy the semi-flat bread (available dark or light) that Finns
love—every slice is a heel. Finnish liquid yogurt is also a treat (sold in liter
cartons). Karelian pasties, filled with rice or mashed potatoes, make a good
snack. A beautiful, upscale supermarket is in the basement of the
Stock-
mann
department store—follow the
Delikatessen
signs downstairs (Mon-Fri
9:00-21:00, Sat 9:00-18:00, open most Sun 12:00-18:00, Aleksanterinkatu
52B). Two blocks north, a more workaday, inexpensive supermarket is
S
Market,
under the Sokos department store next to the train station (Mon-Sat
7:00-22:00, Sun 10:00-22:00).
From Helsinki, it's easy to get to
Turku
(hourly, 2 hours by either bus
or train) or
St. Petersburg, Russia
(see options later). For train info, visit
www.vr.fi
.
For bus info in English, consult
www.matkahuolto.fi
.
Tallink Silja and Viking Line ships sail nightly from Helsinki to
Stockholm
(see beginning of this chapter for details) and
Tallinn
(ferries and—in sum-
mer only—fast boats travel the 50 miles many times a day; see the Tallinn
chapter for details). See “Arrival in Helsinki” for terminal locations.
For more details on the following ports, and other cruise destinations, pick up
my
Rick Steves' Northern European Cruise Ports
guidebook.
Cruise Ports
Cruises arrive in Helsinki at various ports circling two large harbors—West
Harbor (Länsistama) and South Harbor (Eteläsatama). Each individual cruise
berth is designated by a three-letter code (noted later, along with each ter-
minal's name in both Finnish and Swedish). For a map, see
