Cruising the Baltic Sea & Norwegian Coast: Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Germany, Poland & Beyond by Larry Ludmer

Author:Larry Ludmer [Ludmer, Larry]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Hunter Publishing
Published: 2014-12-03T22:00:00+00:00

Port of Kiel

Hamburg’s growing cruise port actually has three different terminals. The cruise line documents will tell you from which terminal the ship is going to be sailing or at which terminal it will be arriving. Two of them lie along the Alster River, not too far from the city center. The third – the newest and largest of the terminals and, hence, the one from which your cruise is most likely to depart, is a bit further up the river in the suburb of Altona. It is only a little bit further than the older terminals. Public transportation to Altona, however, is not a good option when you have luggage. The best choice is a taxi from the Hauptbahnhof (main station) in central Hamburg. Once again, for those staying in Hamburg it is wise to select a hotel near the train station.

Kiel is only rarely a stop on cruises. Even then it is considered as being a way to get to see Hamburg (although Lübeck would also be an excellent choice).

London and Amsterdam are, obviously, well-known tourist destinations. It is worth mentioning that Hamburg – certainly less famous among travelers – has a wealth of interesting sights. In addition, both Hamburg and Kiel have train access for a day-trip to Lübeck, a medieval walled city for which it is worth adding a day to your itinerary.

Others: There are cruises departing from Bergen (Hurtigruten line) and a few from Oslo. Since only a small fraction of you are likely to be taking Hurtigruten, I will not provide details. Suffice to say, it is not far from the Bergen airport to the sea port. There is bus service if you wish to save some money; otherwise taxis are available. While Oslo is also an unlikely departure point for most, the cruise terminal is right downtown. It is so close that you could even walk from the main train station while dragging your luggage. But, since most people will arrive by train, consider either the direct bus service or taxis from the Oslo airport to the city center. More detailed travel instructions for the two main gateway ports within the Baltic Sea and Norwegian Coast region follow below.

Copenhagen: Although Stockholm has been increasing in popularity as a gateway for the cruise lines, Copenhagen is far and away the busiest gateway within the region. Copenhagen’s international airport is only about seven miles away from the city center so even the readily available taxis will not bust your budget. You should not need to take a cruise line transfer. However, you should consider the train. Trains depart from right below the main level of the airport terminal and will whisk you quickly into any number of stations in the city center in about 15 minutes, including one that is close to the main cruise port. Luggage on these trains is not a big problem (but it is on local trains so do take the airport express train even though it costs more money). Service is frequent and far less expensive than any other method of transfer.

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