Dear Reader,
One of the most popular ferry rides in Stockholm is to Helsinki and back. This overnight trip is relatively cheap and is definitely an experience. Since our trip was booked through an agency I do not have the actual price, so I will not be mentioning it for the rooms.
Viking line
So the MS Gabrielle goes from Stockholm to Tallinn over Helsinki one day, and back the next. The ship holds about 300 people and cars, trucks, and other goods to be transported to these cities over water. Mainly offer 4 people cabins that can be booked for one person or four.
Embarkation
From Stockholm you can check-in at 14:00 and we could embark at 14:45. You will receive your boarding cards on land and need them to access the shop. Once you are there you can find your room and move around the ship. The process of checking in is relatively easy, you just need to you booking number. The cards you receive will be your room key and say the number of your cabin on them. Try not to loose these because you will also need them to get your breakfast in the morning. If you do loose them contact the info desk on deck 7 middle ship.
Cabins
Since this is a ferry and not a cruise the cabins are not made for luxury, but practicality. All cabins have 4 beds and not much space for anything else. The bathroom is actually pretty generous and has a large sink and a. Shower that is a little separated. It is perfectly fine for that one night you’ll be spending there. If you get an outside cabin, the window will provide uou some beautiful views, although I would still suggest to go to open deck to get the full experience.
Food
When it comes to food you have two options. You can eat at the buffet or at one of the a la carte restaurants. We ate at the buffet which had a lot to offer for each one of the family members and was very delicious. If you want this option make sure you go directly to the restaurant to reserve once you are on board, even before going to your cabin, because otherwise the time you want might already be full. This is especially important if you are more than just two people. In terms of price, we payed 180€ for 4 adults and 3 children, which I think is quite a fair price.
Entertainment
The ship does have a bar when in the evening they have music and a party, however we preferred the more quiet atmosphere of open deck to watch the water and the sunset. Sunset on open water are something spectacular and even after working on a cruise, I will never get sick of seeing them. Since we did this crossing during summer, the sunset was quite late (around 10 pm). Therefore once it was dark, we watched us arrive in the first stop and then went to sleep. The party was supposed to go on until about 4 am and the people who were there seemed to have enjoyed it.
Disembarkation
This process is very simple. Once you arrive in Helsinki around 10 am, you just take your things and walk off the boat. Them you can go wherever you need to go, by taxi, tram, or on foot.
That was my experience taking the ferry from Stockholm to Helsinki. I hope this helped you if you are considering doing the same. If you do embark on this tourney, I would love to hear about it. Feel free to leave your story in the comments below or share them with me on social media.
Kisses,
Juli