The boat trip was a press trip with Tallink Silja
For many Swedes, going on a cruise from Stockholm to Helsinki on the Finnish boat has become associated with cheap drunken parties. A shame, I think, because Finland has so much to offer. Isn’t it time to give a boat trip over to Helsinki another chance?
Yes, I thought so. So one wintry evening in December, me, my sister and mother boarded the Finnish boat Silja Serenade down in Värtahamnen. My mother is Finnish-Swedish, so we have taken this boat throughout my upbringing and for me the Finnish boat is “living in a hut with the whole family”, a sea of balls, soft silja seals, mini hamburgers and a luxurious dessert buffet. One of the many unpublished posts this blog has goes under the heading “When mother would cheat on Silja Line” and is about our Helsinki weekend a few years ago when we tried *competing companies* for the first time and were so disappointed that we rebooked the return trip to Silja Line. You can still call that loyal customers.
But how do you exchange Finnish fill for gold edge on a cruise to Helsinki?
How to make the most of a cruise to Helsinki
1. Choose a cabin with a window facing the sea
You don’t want to wake up in a storm without being able to see out of the window, or have to have the curtain drawn because you had a window facing the boat’s pedestrian street. If there is ice, choose a cabin high up because the ice flakes will otherwise pound into the wall all night. If you can afford it, choose a commodore class cabin – then champagne, sauna and breakfast buffet in the finer restaurant are included. I went on my very first trip to Finland in such a cabin, and that was also what we got this time. Looking out over rocks and skerries as you sail into the Helsinki archipelago in the early morning is an everyday luxury in itself.
2. Pre-book tasting menu
After all the boat trips over the years, I would say that if you want to eat with a golden edge, there is only one option and that is the restaurant and wine bar Bon Vivan. Ate a very good Nordic tasting menu with a Japanese touch consisting of five dishes and matching wines. The restaurant must be pre-booked well in advance of the trip as it is popular. The buffet fan has the more budget-friendly option that also won’t leave anyone hungry (it’s also where the dessert buffet is, and the mini burgers were at least on the kids’ buffet).
3. Spa with gold mask
If you live in commodore class, you have free access to the sauna. It’s not a super spa we’re talking about here, but very simple, but after an icy day on the streets of Helsinki it feels luxurious to settle down by yourself with a long drink in the sauna and the skyline of Helsinki outside. On the boat there is also a whole swimming area, Sunflower Oasis, with sauna and pool where everyone is welcome. I had bought gold face masks from the duty free for a little extra luxury feeling.
4. Book a table for the show
Every evening there is show time on the boat. And I have to say that the shows have really lived up to the old times. To guarantee a seat, you now need to book a table, which you do either when you book or on board the same evening (but make sure to be there at 6pm when the booking opens). A tip is to buy a gin and tonic made with the Finnish award-winning gin from Kyrö gin distillery, which has won the world’s best gin, among other things. After the show, it’s the dance floor. If we danced? If there’s anywhere you dare to fully dance, it’s on the Finnish boat.
5. Plan the time ashore
Once you arrive in Helsinki, it is quite a short time ashore. If you exclude the walk to and from the boat, it ends up being just over five hours. Make sure you know what to do! I have previously written about the Helsinki Design District, which is a tip for those who like to look at Finnish design and craftsmanship. More tips are to book into the hip sauna Löyly, visit the old Arabia factory which has now become the Iittala and Arabia Design Center or go out on a snowmobile and pimp fish in the Sibbo archipelago just 25 minutes from the city.
More Helsinki tips from this trip will come in a future post!
Helsinki next, huh?
