Cruise

A Cruise on the Baltic Sea (33 images)
Since the Scandinavian countries are actually peninsulas surrounded by water, the people there heavily utilize ferries as transportation. We took the Helsinki-Stockholm ferry at the end of one tour, and then two weeks later, we took the very same boat from Stockholm back to Helsinki.

The ship is large and quite luxurious. Everything you could possibly want is available on the ship: gambling, dining, shopping and entertainment. And you get to see the archipelagos between the two countries.

Many of the locals use it as a quick weekend getaway as well as a chance to buy duty free merchandise, mostly alcoholic beverages since there is such a high tax on them. You see people exiting the ship with shopping carts full of cases of beer and other beverages.

The ferry is so economical that several guidebooks actually suggest that people can save money on hotels by taking the ferry back and forth over night. The ferry leaves about 4 pm from each city, and arrives at 9 am the next morning, allowing seven hours for sightseeing.

Click a picture to see a larger view.

Boarding in Helsinki