7 Highlights of Cruising Russia and Scandinavia & Tips for a Baltic Cruise

One of the things I love about cruising is the range of destinations you can see with relative ease. It’s hard to beat coming back to the same luxurious floating hotel each night compared to stuffing things back in your suitcase and changing hotels every morning.

Our 10-day adventure with Princess Cruises combined all the comforts of cruising with a truly memorable itinerary. From the Medieval walls of Tallinn, to Swan Lake in Russia and Fika in Sweden – every day bought a new cultural experience to treasure.

While it was hard to draw out just 7 highlights from 6 contrasting destinations, I wanted to give you just a taste of what you can expect on this cruise, after all the beauty comes from experiencing it yourself, right?

Check out our full Russia and Scandinavia cruise itinerary here.

Cruising Russia and Scandinavia – 7 best bits!

  1. Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg

Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg
Now that’s an entrance!

I’m not sure what wowed me more about St Petersburg’s Hermitage Museum, the staggering 3 million works of art or the sensational buildings they are housed in. Spread across 7 historic buildings, including the mint green, Baroque style Winter Palace, the Hermitage houses works by Da Vinci, Monet, Renoir and the largest collection of Rembrandt outside the Netherlands.

Rembrandt Room Hermitage Museum
The Rembrandt Room at the Hermitage contains the largest collection of his works outside the Netherlands.

We were lucky to gain early access on our excursion with Princess Cruises so could marvel at everything from the gold-leaf walls, to marble staircases, frescoed ceilings and golden peacock clock without a single obstruction.

Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg
An early-access pass offers the privilege of exploring the Hermitage in peace.

Check out Vicki from Make Time To See The World’s awesome photo tour of the Hermitage Museum for more information on the buildings and exhibitions.

  1. Swan Lake by the Russian Ballet

Russian Ballet, St Petersburg
A suitably grand venue to watch the Russian Ballet.

Top of my Russia bucket list was seeing Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake and our night at the ballet in St Petersburg was certainly a highlight of the trip. Like many, I knew the story but had never seen it danced on stage.

Russian Ballet, St Petersburg
We were close enough to the dancers to see every muscle elegantly flex.

We were so lucky to have seats so close to the front we could watch every magical move of the dancers’ muscles and hear the patter of delicate feet as they floated across the stage. The costumes, music and setting were spectacular.

Please book this excursion if you take our cruise!

  1. Tallinn’s Medieval Old Town and Telliskivi Creative City

Old Town Tallinn, Estonia
There she is! Regal Princess pops up in Tallinn.

It’s been many years since I’ve explored the Medieval Old Town of Tallinn so it was great to go back on this trip and feel transported once again into a history book.

Old Town Tallinn, Estonia
The Medieval buildings of Tallinn’s old town look straight out of a fairy tale.

Unlike my previous visits to Tallinn, however, we also took the time to see Estonia’s modern side with a visit to Telliskivi Creative City. This creative hub, within walking distance of the Old Town, has cafes, boutiques and offices in old industrial buildings, including a disused rail depot. We dined at F-Hoone and I think their Perogi were one of the best things I ate off the ship.

F-Hoone, Telliskivi Creative City, Tallinn, Estonia
Discovering the funky side of Tallinn at F-Hoone in Telliskivi Creative City
  1. Fika in Sweden

Fika in Sweden
Just look at those buns!

Speaking of eating off-ship, I knew I would like Stockholm based purely on my knowledge of the Swedish custom of enjoying Fika – basically a guilt-free coffee and cake break that’s considered a social institution in Sweden.

Stockholm, Sweden
Super cool streets of Stockholm.

Stockholm was, in my opinion, the coolest city we visited on the cruise and somewhere I could see myself living – if I could speak a word of Swedish. We enjoyed a spectacular lunch with show-stopping views at Eriks Gondolen, literally a dining gondola suspended over the city, but it was the cinnamon bun I smuggled back on the ship for some Fika on the balcony that makes me lick my lips just thinking of it.

Fika at sea, Sweden
Enjoying my Fika back on the ship.
  1. Sauna in Finland

Helsinki, Finland
Laid-back locals in Helsinki.

Helsinki was the most laid-back city we visited on this trip and I think that might be because of all the time the Finns spend unwinding in the sauna.

On a boat tour of the waterways it was fun to spot all the miniature waterfront saunas built to match the wooden houses and learn more about how seriously the Finns take their sauna habit.

Sauna in Helsinki, Finland
A most charming waterfront sauna.

Did you know practically every household and some public spaces have a sauna? I’m talking libraries, Burger King and even Helsinki’s big wheel – it’s called SkySauna and it sounds awesome! I hadn’t come dressed to work up a sweat but I’m keen to try a sauna in the Finnish winter and am already planning a trip back in my head.

  1. Nyhavn, Copenhagen

Copenhagen's iconic Nyhavn Harbour.
Copenhagen’s iconic Nyhavn Harbour.

Copenhagen is another of the destinations that wasn’t new to me but seeing it in the sunshine was definitely a new experience. I’d explored the city on bike some years before so this time took the easy option and hopped on the Hop On Hop Off bus that was waiting outside the ship to cover a lot of ground in the time we had to play with.

I managed to cover off the Latin Quarter, Tivoli Gardens, Christiana, The Little Mermaid and the iconic primary coloured buildings of Nyhavn, which was by far my favourite area.

Copenhagen's iconic Nyhavn Harbour.
Atmosphere as vibrant as the paintwork in Nyhavn.

It was a warm and sunny public holiday so the waterways were lined with tourists and locals dunking their feet, ordering fresh seafood dishes and drinking cold beer. The atmosphere was as vibrant as the paintwork and I could have spent all day just soaking it in.

  1. Opera House, Olso

Oslo Opera House
Oslo Opera House encourages you to walk all over it.

Last on our itinerary was Olso and what turned out to be the most sensational sail in between fjords and morning mist. It was worth rising early to watch the approach to this port, breathing in the fresh pine-like fragrance from my perch on the balcony.

Sailing into Oslo on Regal Princess
A magic, misty sail into Oslo.

Admittedly once in port our energy was flagging a little from all the jam-packed days of sightseeing but luckily one of Oslo’s most impressive works of architecture is just a short journey from the ship. Designed by Norwegian artists Kristian Blystad, Kalle Grude and Jorunn Sannes, the Oslo Opera House was created to be treated the same way as Norway’s nature – i.e. you are encouraged to walk it.

Oslo Opera House
Under your feet are a myriad of public rooms and halls and a vibrant workplace for more than 600 opera and ballet professionals.

The sloping marble roof and giant glass windows reflect different parts of the city and landscape and it’s just as incredible to observe from up close as afar.

Tips for a Baltic Cruise

If you’re thinking of booking a cruise to this region, here are a few tips based on my experience.

Grab a port guide – If you haven’t already booked excursions for your port days, grab a port guide from guest services on board the ship for help with planning sightseeing and advice on things such as key phrases.

Enjoy a mix of organised tours and independent sightseeing – Speaking of excursions, one of the things I loved about our itinerary was that it included a mixture of group tours and exploring on our own steam. In Russia you will need to join an organised tour for visa purposes but it really pays to have a local expert here. Other cities, like Tallinn and Stockholm, are easily explored on foot and depending on where you dock you may be able to walk straight into the city. (You can hop on a shuttle bus organised by the cruise ship if not.) I’d recommend doing some prior research on the time you have in each port and main things you’d like to see and then deciding if you’re happy to go alone at some places. If you’re not feeling so independent though, the great thing about Princess shore excursions are that you’re guaranteed to have small groups, the best price and be returned to ship before it leaves!

Get a prepaid travel money card to cover the different currencies – Apart from the 2 countries who have the Euro (Estonia and Finland) you pretty much need a new currency for every destination on this trip. Instead of taking out cash and having lots of unspent coinage, I’d recommend using a prepaid travel money card as they often have lower foreign transaction fees than your regular bank card.

Pack sturdy walking shoes and layers – If there is one thing that city breaks have taught me it’s that you need comfy shoes. This cruise is like doing 7 city breaks one after the other so please invest in a couple of sturdy pairs of shoes that you can walk around all day in. You’ll also need lots of light layers. We found mornings (in May) often started off cold and drizzly but cleared to bright sunshine by the afternoon, so you’ll want lots of layers you can strip off as and when you need to.

Are you thinking of doing a Russia and Scandinavia cruise? Let me know if you have any questions about this itinerary.

You may also like:

Best things to do on a Sea Day on board Regal Princess

Giggles in St Isaac’s Cathedral: Travels in St Petersburg

12 things I learned on my first cruise

About the author

I’m Jayne, a travel blogger, content creator and mum to a 4-year-old son. I’ve been blogging since 2010, travelled to 65 countries and share travel guides and tips to help you plan stylish, stress-free trips.

6 thoughts on “7 Highlights of Cruising Russia and Scandinavia & Tips for a Baltic Cruise”

  1. I’d really love to do this cruise! Having never really thought about a cruise before, I’ve been enjoying seeing your posts, and can definitely see myself looking into doing one in the future. I’ve not explored much of Russia and Scandinavia (I’ve visited Stockholm once!) but I’d love to explore more.

    Reply
    • I think cruising works so well in certain regions and this was definitely one of them. There is no way we could have seen so much so easily – plus getting into Russia was a breeze without worrying about visas!

      Reply
    • I will be arriving in St Petersburg in October I have not yet booked any exclusion yet please send info including visa required for usa travelers

      Reply
  2. Hey Jayne, Thank you for this beautiful overview of your Baltic Cruise! Personally, I love the Hermitage. You were extremely lucky to visit it in the early morning hours! I would like to mention that during the Summer Hermitage is open till 9 p.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays, so “owls” , too, can enjoy the museum without crowds 🙂

    An amazing new policy for travellers wanting to go to St. Petersburg, Russian government has enacted the E-Visa regulations for St. Petersburg!! E-Visa is completely free, and lets you enjoy St. Petersburg up to 8 days. Check out how to apply for the E-Visa: https://exptours.co/st-petersburg-e-visa-guide/

    Reply

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