Baltic Cruises

The Baltic cruises region has become more and more popular in recent years.  The Baltic is part of what is considered a Northern Europe itinerary, and it generally includes port calls in places such as Oslo, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Helsinki, St. Petersburg and Tallinn.

These cruises often involve at least one day of scenic cruising among the Norwegian fjords viewing ice-capped glaciers and other natural wonders that make this itinerary particularly appealing to many travellers.

For many cruises in Northern Europe, Stockholm and Copenhagen are popular ports for embarking and disembarking your cruise ship.  There are other places available though, such as Dover, Southampton and Harwich, in England.  One cruise line, Celebrity Cruises, even uses Amsterdam as its originating port.  The reason the selection of embarkation port is so important is because it is probably the place you will be spending a few days either before and/or after your cruise, so you want a place where there is plenty to see and do.  Most cruise lines will offer comprehensive pre and post-cruise tour packages including hotels, transfer to the ship and all tours.  Many meals will also be included in the cost of these packages as well.

The prime season for Northern Europe / Baltic cruising at one time was confined to July and August, with transatlantic options at both ends.  During these summer months, the temperatures could run a very comfortable 60’s to 70’s most days.  But today the touring season has been extended and now generally begins as early as May and can run well into September.  While the temperatures will be a bit colder at these “shoulder” times, the advantage to going then is that you will avoid most of the crowds that make getting in to see the major attractions such a challenge.  Cruise prices will also be lower at these “off-peak” times, making a Baltic cruise a very real possibility, even for families.

You have a variety of ship options for Baltic cruises as well.  All of the big cruise lines supply them, including Holland America, Cunard, Princess, NCL, and Regent Seven Seas.  But a lot of smaller cruise ships also sail that region, including some niche tour providers, running their cruises from what amount to large yachts, with only a handful of people aboard.  These ships offer the advantage of a more personalised experience, albeit a far more expensive one and they are usually able to get passengers into some of the more “offbeat” ports of call – places that the larger ships simply cannot go.  Some of these small to mid-sized operators offering a more “intimate” cruise experience include Fred Olsen, Azamara, Crystal, Oceania and Swan Hellenic, among several others.

Itineraries can range anywhere from one to two weeks, and sometimes longer, and many will include a least one overnight stay in St. Petersburg, where many passengers arrange for multi-day private tours with a variety of “official” tour vendors licensed to take people around this area.

See all the great destinations you can visit as part of a Baltics cruise holiday

Copenhagen	Gdansk	Helsinki	Kiel
Kristiansand	Oslo	Riga	St Petersburg
Stockholm	Tallinn	Travemunde	Warnemunde