Cruising Stockholm

Cruises to Stockholm

Lola A. Åkerström’s insider tip – If you’ve got a weekend to spare, cruising is huge amongst locals and there are several Baltic cruises to Stockholm and from the city as well.

Cruising

All photos by author.

It’s early morning. The sun is slowly rising above the horizon, casting its golden rays across the shimmering surface of the Baltic Sea’s calm waters. You’re cruising past lush green islands, many of them dotted with classic Falu red Swedish cottages and yellow cabins. These are just a handful of islands amongst thousands within Stockholm’s archipelago.

The setting is nothing short of idyllic as you tranquilly sail towards your destination. As you pass island after island, the very next scene you see is of a photogenic cosmopolitan city rising out of the morning mist. Stockholm with its vast expanses of unexplored nature, labyrinths of waterways, and the Baltic Sea itself, makes the city one of the most unique European capitals.

Because of Stockholm’s distinct location along the shores of the Baltic Sea and its deep canals which make it ideal for docking cruise ships, cruising is a major activity that both locals and travelers to the city enjoy and take advantage of. It is an affordable way of relaxing as well as visiting other Baltic cities and islands. Some cruise ships dock right next to Södermalm within walking distance of the city’s historic and picturesque old town, Gamla stan.

Tip – You can easily sail to Latvia and back for the cost of a fancy dinner in Stockholm.

You can go on a weekend getaway to neighboring countries like Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Finland, and Russia – leaving on a Friday evening and returning back to Stockholm by Sunday morning or a few days later.

cruise

Ships and ferries regularly shuttle passengers and cars daily across the Baltic Sea and some of the major cruise lines that service Stockholm’s cruising industry include Tallink-Silja Line, Viking Line, and St. Peter Line which offer attractive itineraries around the Baltics as well as to Finland and Russia.

Other international cruise lines like Royal Caribbean, MSC Cruises, Seabourn, and Silversea just to name a few also make Stockholm one of their ports of call as part of their Northern European or Scandinavian cruise itineraries.

Stockholm has many large port terminals and harbors such as Frihamnen  and Vartahamnen which is about three kilometers from the city center and Stadsgårdskajen which is centrally located and a mere 10-20 minute walk to Gamla stan.

Other harbor stops which are over 50 kilometers from Stockholm include Nynäshamn Harbor with ferries to Poland and Gotland as well as Grisslehamn and Kapellskär Harbors with ferries to and from Åland.

So on your next visit to Stockholm since you’re already on this side of the globe, you can easily add a few days exploring nearby capitals by taking a cruise across the Baltic Sea.

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Author: Lola A. Åkerström

Lola Akinmade Åkerström is an award-winning writer, photographer, and travel blogger, and is also the Founder/Editor-in-chief of Slow Travel Stockholm. Her photography is represented by National Geographic Creative. She tweets at @LolaAkinmade.

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