Finland-Sweden, car + ferry, on your own.
This year they gave an incredibly "long" vacation - as many as six days! We immediately decided - Stockholm! Or rather:
St. Petersburg - Helsinki - Stockholm (2 nights, 3 days) - Helsinki - Imatra - St. Petersburg. Ferry Silja Symphony + car. Family traveled.
ROAD AND BORDER.
We left on 23 Aug. at 6.00, at 8.15 we were at Torfyanovka, and at the beginning of the twelfth (local time) we drove to Helsinki. Almost all the time 120 km is allowed, excluding some sections (towns).
HELSINKI, PARKING.
This is where the surprise was waiting. We drove on the map, without a navigator. And the last time I was in Helsinki was in 1993. In short, we got a little lost. opera, and there... a tow truck and people in yellow vests are clearing it, maybe an event or something. We drove around the stadium - the same picture. We are on the street. Iso Puistotie, and there is a repair, the whole street is torn up and blocked off. In short, having decided that nerves are more expensive, we went to Autohotelli to the terminal. It turned out 80 euros for 4 days, a guarded garage.
The bags were handed over to the storage room at the terminal (2 euros) and went for a walk. We walked along the embankment, went to the Assumption Cathedral, ate fish on the market square. Couples walked slowly along the Esplanade park, there were not many people. It is interesting that in the cafes along the park, people sit exclusively facing the promenade, like in a theater.
I booked at the Tallink Company (office on Kazanskaya St. ). Boarding starts 1.5 hours in advance. You show the reservation number on the check-in, they give you cards - the keys to the cabin and cards - breakfast (dinner). There are a lot of windows (check-in), everything arrives quickly. queues. ) They take pictures at the entrance. (You can buy a photo later on the promenade. 1 pc. (A4) -11.90 euros (125 sek) gymnasts periodically advertised a night show in the casino. We spent an hour and a half after the ferry left on deck 12. Very beautiful views of the bay, city, islands.
Dinner (buffet) was not taken, were in Mundo (meatballs with lingonberries liked), and on the way back to Al Kapitan.
We had a cabin "Promenade", until late at night you could see how people were walking, how the lighting of the promenade was changing. In the morning, at six o'clock, people began to appear with suitcases. Having sat on the stage, they sat there until they arrived. (Why? )
Breakfast (buffet) at the level. About 30 minutes before arrival, they begin to quickly clean everything up.
STOCKHOLM MAP.
We bought it on the ferry for 48 hours. 47.15 euros for an adult, 20 euros for a child (under 17 years old). There is no information in Russian in the booklet.
Stockholm met with bright sun and beautiful summer weather, which remained like this for all three days. Before arrival, it is also very interesting on deck 12, maybe not as cool as at the Viking terminal, but still. Having got off the ferry, we had no problems after 10 minutes, we ended up at the Gardet metro station (there are signs with the letter "T" everywhere), activated our Stockholm cards (you need to sign on the back, and put the date and time on the front side at the box office) and after 20 minutes we were at the hotel.
Stockholm is certainly an amazing city. Three days are catastrophically not enough for him! I can only say that we visited the Town Hall, the Museum of the VASA ship (Unique! ), Junibacken (I liked it very much! My 15-year-old daughter just fell into childhood and, in my opinion, photographed everything! ), climbed the entire Skansen, the Nobel Museum ( audio guide, which is just terrible, by the way for an additional fee of 20 kroons), walked around the old city during the day, and in the evening, and at night. We went on a boat around the islands. which I think succeeded.
In the evening, after 21.00, we went to the JENSEN'S BOFHUS restaurant near the Radmansgatan metro station. I highly recommend it! Nice atmosphere, it looks like an artistic cafe, candles, a wonderful steak.
I was pleasantly surprised that almost everywhere they accept bank cards, euros (change will be given in kroons) and issue TAX FREE even in small souvenir shops. -dog, ice cream, toilet, magnet, postcard, etc. Stockholm is not a cheap city.
Subway ticket (2 coupons) - 40 kroons for adults and 24 for children, bought at the subway ticket office.
ROAD HOME AND IMATRA.
Actually, the way back is unremarkable. The only moment, since we were driving to Imatra, where friends were waiting for us, then in the Hamina area we turned from E18 to E26 to Lappeenranta. And there, of course, signs 50 and sometimes 70. On an absolutely empty road, where we 2 tractors and a herd of cows met in the field, we sawed for more than an hour. We followed the rules. The E6 highway in the Lappeenranta region is being repaired and completed in many places, so it’s also slow there. We rested in Kü lpyule and went home in the evening.
This is how the vacation turned out. Now I want to see Stockholm in winter.
I will be glad if my review helps someone.
