Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
corner of Mannerheimintie and Lönnrotinkatu). To reach the top of the Esplanade, cross the
busy Mannerheimintie boulevard and proceed down the street between the huge, red-brick
Stockmann and the white, round Swedish Theater (Svenska Teatern). Another option is to
take a
hop-on,hop-offbustour;
these meet arriving ships at Hernesaari terminal, and are
easy to find around the South Harbor (for details, see “Tours in Helsinki,” earlier).
West Harbor (Länsistama/Västra Hamnen)
This ugly industrial port is about a mile and a half west of downtown. From either of the
two cruise ports here, it's about a €15-20 taxi ride into town.
Hernesaari Terminal (Ärtholmen in Swedish):
The primary cruise port for Helsinki
sits on the eastern side of West Harbor. It has two berths (Quay B, code: LHB; and Quay
C, code: LHC) and a handy TI kiosk where you can pick up free maps and brochures, buy
a day ticket for public transit, or use the free Wi-Fi. It's a five-minute walk to the stop
for
bus #14,
which takes you downtown: Head through the parking lot, turn left at the
street, take the next right, and look for the bus stop (3-6/hour). From here, ride bus #14 to
Kamppi (a 10-minute walk from the train station area and the Esplanade) or continue to
Kauppakorkeakoulut (near Temppeliaukio, the Church in the Rock—get off the bus, walk
straight ahead one block, then turn right up Luthernikatu to find the church). In summer,
there's also a
ferry
that goes from Hernesaari to Market Square (€7 one-way, €10 all day,
only 3/day starting at 9:30, late June-early Aug daily, early-late June and early-late Aug
Sat-Sun only, 30 minutes, mobile 040-736-2329,
www.seahelsinki.fi
)
.
West Terminal (Länsiterminaali/Västra Terminalen):
From the cruise berth at
Melkki Quay (code: LMA), you'll walk 10 minutes through dull shipyards (follow the
green line on the pavement) to the Länsiterminaali building, with ATMs and other services.
From right in front of this terminal, tram #9 zips into town (6/hour, handiest downtown
stop is Rautatieasema, at the train station).
South Harbor (Eteläsatama/Södra Hamnen)
This centrally located harbor, which fans out from Market Square, is an easy walk from
downtown (taxis are unnecessary here, but if you take one, figure €10-15 to most points
in the city center). Ringing this harbor are several terminals for both cruises and overnight
boats; two are most commonly used by cruise ships.
Katajanokan Terminal (Skatudden in Swedish):
The harbor's northern embankment
has two cruise berths (codes: ERA and ERB). A third berth (code: EKL), used more by
overnight boats than cruise ships, is closer to town. The Viking Line terminal in this area
has ATMs, other services, and—across the street—the stop for
tram
#4T, which zips you
right into town (stops at City Hall, Senate Square, Lasipalatsi near the train station, and
National Museum). Or you can simply
walk
15 minutes to Market Square (stroll between
brick warehouses, with the harbor on your left, toward the white-and-green dome).
OlympiaTerminal:
Smaller cruise ships use this terminal (code: EO), along the south-
ern embankment. Inside the terminal are ATMs and other services; out front is a stop for
tram #2,
which takes you to Senate Square, then the train station (Rautatieasema stop),
then the Sammonkatu stop near Temppeliaukio (the Church in the Rock). It's also easy to
walk
into town from here—figure about 15 minutes (head around the harbor, with the wa-
ter on your right, to the white-and-green dome).
