Helsinki to Tallinn on the Viking Line, Viking XPRS. Best Cruise Ferry on this route?
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 7 фев 2025
- This week we have the return leg of my trip out to Helsinki from Tallinn and it's with Viking Line entitled: Helsinki to Tallinn on the Viking Line, Viking XPRS. Best Cruise Ferry on this route?
In this video I'll show you the spectacular cruise out of Helsinki amongst all the little islands and islets, before taking a quick tour of the boat and seeing what Viking Line have got on offer. I'll compare some aspects of the ship to the Eckero Line Finlandia I travelled out with and draw some conclusions from that.
There may be a better ferry on this route - Tallink's Megastar or Star? I haven't tried them, so please let me know what you think.
As always, I would love to hear from you with your thoughts and if you feel the urge, please consider subsribing to the channel. That would be great, your support really means a lot and helps me to carry on making these videos.
Thanks for watching guys and cheers for now.
Thanks for watching and cheers for now.
Mark
🔴 Ko-fi page and shop here: ko-fi.com/lets...
🔵 Instagram trip pics: / lets_makeatrip
🔶 Twitter: / lets_makeatrip
🔴 Facebook Page Link: / letsmakeatripwithms
🚄 #railtravel ✈️ #flightreport 🚌 #coachtrip ⛴ #ferrytravel 🚎 #urbantransport 🎲 #random
#letsmakeatrip
Picture Credits:
All Maps: OpenStreetMap (no changes made)
www.openstreet...
Viking Line Viking XPRS: Pjotr Mahhonin (no changes made)
commons.wikime...
![Blox Fruits Dragon Rework Update [Full Stream]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/EqDAp8udhm0/mqdefault.jpg)
My wife and I did this trip in 2018 , when we visited Tallinn for the Christmas markets , it was brilliant , although we flew into Helsinki and on to Tallinn it only took us about 20 minutes or so by plane , it was great doing the day trip by ferry . I really enjoyed the video and keep up the great work you do 👏👏👍👍😁.
Really enjoyable trip to watch! Beautiful scenery as you left Helsinki as your sailed through the Islands. The crew definitely have great skills navigating through those islands. ✈️
Cheers AFUK, yes amazing how they do that through the islands. Must be fairly deep there as well I would imagine. Definitely recommend it, whichever cruise ferry you take 👍
A great trip thanks for taking us along, stay safe, cheers.
Hi Simon, glad you enjoyed it. I’m hoping to be out and about at the end of the month so some new content should be coming along after that 😊👍
A little trivia for you. That two funneled ship on the picture in the stairway originally a turbine steamer in the English Channel built in 1924. She originally hade the name t/s Dinard and participated during the evacuation of Dunkirk in the second world war. She became Viking Lines first vessel in 1959 when the company was founded. :)
Hi Markus, hope the review was worth the wait! Interesting detail on the steamer there. I love those old photos. I remember when I was very young taking an old Sealink ferry from Weymouth to Jersey, early 70’s I reckon and things have changed a lot even from then. I’ve been hooked ever since!
@@LetsMakeaTrip It would be nice seeing more of Viking Line on your channel, this was a great review!
@@ThinkCleverAndSmart Hi TCaS, thanks for the comment. Yes I’m definitely a fan of them now, this was my first Viking Line trip as unfortunately they’re not so close to the UK. Though I’m pretty sure that way way back I took a ‘Sally Line’(?) ferry from somewhere like Ramsgate and I think there’s a connection there with Viking Line historically. Cheers.
@@LetsMakeaTrip Yes, Sally was originally part of the Viking Line consortium together with Slite and SF-Line and they started during the expand in the 80's with proper cruiseships and with Sally Line from Ramsgate. SF-Line is the only one remaining from the original three. SF was renamed to Viking Line after Slite was declared bankrupt in 1993.
@@LetsMakeaTrip Yes Markus explained that beautifully! The wonderful thing about their other ships is that they are built like small cruise ships, since the journey usually is as long or longer than a full day. It’s a great experience, and your travel with XPRS was just a taster of what it could be :)
Fantastic pronouncing of the Eckerö Line, didnt understand what you meant first... but then the token fell in... always fun hearing other trying pronounce swedish/scandinavian words.
Eckerö is both an island and a municipality in the province of Åland in Finland, but on Åland they mainly speak swedish.
Why Åland became Finland is because the peace treaty between Sweden and Russia 1809, it became a neutral zone which is still active today even if Finland has joined Nato.
I travelled on this liner in December 22 but on their 'Night Cruise' service. The night cruise started in Helsinki and just travelled backwards and forwards between Helsinki and Tallinn, with the service ending again in Helsinki the next morning. It might sound odd option but it only cost €26 for the ticket, which included a private cabin, which for a nights accommodation was cheap as chips and different
Me and my family used to take this ship always during the summer to helsinki and later to the Linnanmäki Theme park.
It was a lovely ship 👍
Wow, I was quite surprised with the interior of the ferry. Often I imagine ferries only having large sitting rooms with perhaps a simple cafe. Thanks for sharing this ship. Cheers 🍺
And that ship is pretty bare bones compared to other ferries in the region. Two ferries between Stockholm and Helsinki have a multideck high promenade with restaurants, bars, shops, casino, playrooms. They were first with that concept is now a main stay on Cruise ships such Voyager of the Seas and Freedom of the Seas.
Yep, like Markus says if you’re used to, say, some UK -France or Calmac ferries, these are a totally different class. Much much nicer and I definitely recommend a trip here to try them out 👍
I would say that that is a ship not a ferry
If you liked the archipelago bit at the start of the journey and want almost a whole day of it, you should try the Turku-Stockholm route. The crossing is 11 hours one way, and only about one hour of it is spent on open seas in the Sea of Åland. The rest is spent in the Turku and Åland archipelagos in the eastern half and in the Bay of Stockholm in the western half (the latter you can also see on the Helsinki-Stockholm and Tallinn-Stockholm ferries). There are many options you can do on this route, from a day cruise (changing ship in Mariehamn and returning back the same evening, only seeing one half of the route), to a 23-hour cruise (not possible to visit the city at the other end), to using the ferry as, well, a ferry to get to the other end of the route.
As for the right company to try next, that depends on the route. On the Turku-Stockholm route, Viking Line has the newest and probably fanciest ships, while on the Helsinki-Stockholm route, Silja Line (Tallink) ships are fancier (featuring the first multi-deck interior promenades on a ship).
Really interesting comment Henri, thank you. I’m adding your suggestions to my ‘to-do list’! Cheers 😊👍
Yet another wonderful review. There seems to be so much to do on a 2 1/2hr crossing. A very well equipped ferry.
Hi Tim, cheers mate. Yes this ship was quite impressive I thought. There is a lot to do and it’s almost on too short a route (if you see what I mean). I do wonder about the longer routes in that part of the world and how well-equipped those ships must be. Well if I get enough views on this video I may well be tempted back at some point 😊👍
@@LetsMakeaTrip If you want some company im happy to join! 😁
@@Markmeister1989 yes mate, you would be more than welcome. Nothing planned yet but I normally mail out my itineraries on my Ko-fi page. 1st half of this year is pretty-much full but 2nd half is a possibility. Would love to try one of the longer routes so I could look at the cabins. Let me know if there’s any you would recommend. 👍
@@LetsMakeaTrip Viking Glory/Viking Grace and Silja Symphony/Silja Serenade. Viking Glory will be put into service at the beginning of March 2022.
I’m taking the night cruise this month thanks for the info.
Pleasure, cheers for the comment and have a good trip!😊
You might like to try the ferry from Kiel to Oslo, Color Line, lovely ferry. I believe there are other ferry services right up the coast line.
Cheers Jean, that does sound fantastic! I’ll have a look at it. 😊👍
Excellent quality footage 🍺🍺🍺🍺💕💕💕🤩🤩🤩🤩❤️❤️❤️🙏🙏🙏🙏🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰
Thank you Derisley- always look forward to your comments mate, much appreciated 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🤟🤟🤟🤟🤟🤟🤟✅✅✅✅🚢🚢🚢🚢🚢🚢
Original Gin Long Drink is very popular in Finland. You can use Euro since both countries have them :)
Nice one, cheers Barflax 😊👍
Is it possible to buy the ticket at the terminal counter or does it have to be paid online?
Despite being local, I've never taken Viking Line going to Helsinki, so it's interesting to see what it's like.
Out of all the cruiselines, I think Tallink is the best. They have the most modern ships, the best food & they use the much nicer D Terminal in Tallinn (others using the A Terminal which looks quite tired and sad in my opinion). Saying that, they are pricier, around €10-€15 euro more. It's not too bad when going solo, but travelling with a Family, it can add up.
Hi RB4K, thanks for the comment. Yes, others have said Tallink are the best. I didn’t try them on this visit, but they’re definitely on the list for next time. Agreed they were a bit more pricey when I was researching this trip - not prohibitively so but I get what you mean with the more people you need to pay for. As I just went to Helsinki and back for the day, one of the three ferry companies on this route had to go and I ended up with Eckerö Line on the way out (see my other video on that one) which I thought looked nice from a distance but a bit tired when you looked more closely. All the best, Mark
I've been to many Tallink ships and the XPRS. XPRS is by far the best. Tallink has really poor design usually, interiors look cheap.
What an excellent boat! Nice to have a little bit of entertainment and a drink 🍷😂 why was there passport control? 🇪🇺
Yep, great boat. I think it was more of a checkpoint at Tallinn (and not much of one at that). They were much stricter at Helsinki with the restrictions as they were at the time!
Great video, I need to check out a ferry sometime.
Cheers yes, depending on where you are, there's plenty in the UK for example and I would always recommend the west coast of Scotland where ferries are plentiful and cheap (if you're on foot).
Have you done the overnight trip with a bed?
Viking's XPRS and Tallink's Star & Megastar overall are not so different from each other. I personally like the Viking XPRS much more than the Tallink ships. In my opinion Megastar has a colder interior design while XPRS has a warmer one. XPRS also has more deck space compared to Star & Megastar, which means decks on the Tallink ships become easily crowded. Megastar is like a floating mall. If you like older ships (like me) you likely prefer the Viking XPRS, but if you like modern design and want more activities on board, you likely prefer Megastar. Overall both XPRS and Star & Megastar are good.
Hi Clipper Fairwind, thanks for the info. Interesting you mention about deck space because, for me, that is one of the most important things- the ability to have a wander around, especially on a longer crossing which I’m thinking about doing next. I’m not so bothered about loads of shops, so long as I can buy some memorabilia (I.e. a postcard of the ship), eat and drink, then I’m happy. I’ll definitely try a Tallink at some point but I’m really interested in the Smyril Denmark to Iceland route atm. That looks like an epic voyage and two nights on board. Watch this space!
Interesting to hear someone refer to Viking XPRS as an older vessel when she in reality was put into service in 2008. 😅
@@Markmeister1989 The ship is not old, but it has that "old" feeling when compared to Megastar or even Star (which was built in 2007). Even Silja Europa built in 1993 feels more "modern" compared to the XPRS. But maybe we shouldn't compare Silja Europa to the other ships, since Europa wasn't designed for the Helsinki-Tallinn route.
@@ClipperFairwind Haha i agree with you. But yes, Silja Europa was designed for Viking Line and the Stockholm-Helsinki route originally. 😅
I will be doing Tallinn soon
Have a great time 👍
Tallink is undoubtedly the to-go version if you want to get the best experience on Baltic sea. They are pretty much the largest shipping company on the Baltic sea after purchasing Silja Line in 2006. Of course that might just be Estonian bias. Viking and Eckerö of course offer cheaper tickets but one big plus for Tallink from Estonians is that we get served in our language on their ships. I remember when I took Eckerö and had to bear the horrible safety messages which were voiced by an Finnish lady and her accent for Estonian was... um... pretty bad. Like, couldn't they take some Estonian for that? It's not like we live too far :P
Hi eesti919! Thanks for the comment. Yes others have also recommended Tallink so I’m going to have to try them at some point - probably on a longer route so let me know if there’s any you recommend and/or a specific ship. I have to admit I don’t remember the safety announcements much tbh, what I would say is that all the Estonian (and Latvian) people I met on my recent travels were extremely nice and friendly. I will definitely be back one day 😊👍
I frequent this route and I agree with the rest of the commenters, Tallink is the best imo. Viking XPRS is a bit lacking imo, half of the deck space was for crew areas and it was hard to find a nice comfortable seat for the journey. Meanwhile Eckerö Line is often cheaper and has a better product imo.
Yes I never got to try Tallink but I will do next time I’m in the area 👍
It's actually Katajanokan Terminaali in finnish, Skatuddens Terminal is the swedish name :) Also, at least in my opinion, I would take Tallink (or Viking line) any day over Eckerö Line, altough Eckerö is decent too!
Thanks Kap, yes I agree with you about Eckerö. I did a separate video on them but did prefer Viking overall. Nicer ship I thought.
thanks for the video! if you wouldn't mind me asking if you'd purchased the ferry tickets online or at the terminal? is there price difference between online and terminal?
Hi Sarah, I purchased at the terminal the day before. I did check online though before I went down there though and there didn’t seem to be much difference from what I recall. Cheap enough for either option.
You should also try Silja Europe.
I have had this suggested and yes, I've been told it's pretty good I just didn't have the time to do anymore ferries whilst I was there. I am looking at possibly doing the Smyril Line from Hirtshals to Seyðisfjørður. That would be an awesome trip!
@@LetsMakeaTrip If you are in Holland any time in April then i'd suggest Holland Norway lines, as they are chartering one of Tallink's ships, so you can get the Tallink experience.
Tallink cruise ferrys are the best.
Hi Katrin! Yes I did think they looked pretty impressive but unfortunately I didn’t have time to try one out after opting for the Eckero and Viking Lines instead. I think Tallink were a bit more expensive too. Maybe next time 😊🤞
Take it you are aware of the MV Estonia that used to sail that crossing
Hmm well MV Estona was earlier MV Viking Sally that was sailing between Stockholm and Turku, after some other routes she was MV Estonia between Tallinn and Stockholm direct.
It's now midclass as far as i know (local).
I'm not happy. There is not enought new and fresh things like Viking's next new ships Grace and Glory. In 9.32 point you see big window, why there is not multideck arcade like their Cinderella ships in that place. Instead I like Eckerö's Finlandia. There is nice multideck place in front of ship. I have seen photos new MyStar and it look like nice too.
Hi Arto, thanks for your comment. I thought the Finlandia looked a little tired tbh. Just my opinion and that’s why I asked the question but it’s great to hear others thoughts. I’m quite eager to try out some of the other cruise ferries so yes, something like the MyStar - there’s so much choice in that part of the world. If you could choose any ship/route what would you recommend?
@@LetsMakeaTrip Of course Helsinki-Tallinn doesn't need lot of cruising things, because route is mainly in route traffic. But Viking Line had earlier Cinderella 20 hours cruisings in that route and they now still offer XPRS small minicruising between 20.30-9.30, so ship could be better in cruisings also.
Well in Helsinki-Stockholm route there is Silja Serenade and Silja Symphony with big promenade. And if you want to see best Viking Line ships, Grace and Glory in Turku-Stockholm or that Cinderella 20h cruisings from Stockholm. Glory is coming and starts 1.3.2022, but in video you can see some places, ship has also gym, ruclips.net/video/4EBkoUmPDNs/видео.html
Very good ship but I still think silja europa is better, europa have better departing times 😃
Yes you might be right - I just haven’t tried it yet. How does the price compare?
@@LetsMakeaTrip Sometimes cheaper some times not, these prices chancing a lot😃
🇪🇪🇪🇪
With all respect it's a ship. It's not diminutive, and it's not a submarine.
I hope that singer has his work visa.
Thanks brexit.
ei ole vene on laiva
I’m speaking colloquially.
Sveaborg, not soumen...☹️
(It’s a Google maps thing so thanks for the correction). Am I right in thinking Sveaborg is the island and Soumenlinna is the fortress?
@@LetsMakeaTripSveaborg is just the Swedish name for both the fort and the island, since Finland is a bilingual country (Finnish/Swedish). Both Suomenlinna and Sveaborg are correct names to use. You might've noticed, but there were two names for the terminal you entered through, as well: Katajanokan terminaali and Skatuddens terminal. Same thing here, one name is Finnish and the other one Swedish.
@@PuolenJeninPaska hi, thanks for the reply and providing the reasoning behind the names. I didn’t hear back from Henrik who made the original (short) comment which is a shame but there you go. Much appreciate your explanation though so cheers. Mark 👍😊
Sorry, didn't get any notification. I wrote it with a smile on my face since there can be some tension. Both names are ok but regarding the correctness of each.. I guess it depends on whom you ask 😀
Much better than Tallink that truly sucks. Feels like USSR, same as Estonia. Viking is the best option.
Interesting Henrik, a lot of people reckoned Tallink (though a tad more expensive) was the better option. I didn’t try them tbh, maybe next time. Cheers, Mark.
@@LetsMakeaTrip Also In my opinion the service is much better on Eckerö and Viking Line vessels. On TallinkSilja the service quality is poor or very poor on many vessels. Silja Europa is one ot the worst that I have experienced. Shouting and nagging to customers all the time.
@@AARNEMAN oh dear, I wouldn’t be too keen on getting shouted at by the staff! Having said that, I feel strangely drawn to trying them just to see how bad it really is 😂 Thanks for the heads up 👍
Silja Line (Finnish) used to be the best possible option, before Tallink (Estonia) bought it. The service and overall quality went down A LOT. Especially at Helsinki-Tallinn route the service went to be rude soviet style as they changed a lot of the staff.
But I still prefer Silja Serenade and Silja Symphony (Helsinki-Stockholm) to be the best ships at the region. Also on that route most of the service staff is Swedish and Finnish.
I think Tallink is best and fastest (2 hours). Eckerö Line i don't recomend anyone it's just awful. Viking Line is good too.
Gin and the colour scheme is for Finnish gin and tonic long drink pre-mix. Quite popular in Finland, a bit less in Estonia.
Suomenlinna - lit. trans. Finnish fortress/fort/castle (Suomi - Finland, linna - fort).
Ah, I’m not a gin drinker tbh! Again, I never managed to get to the island but it was certainly thrilling watching the ship negotiate the tight passage. They must’ve done it thousands of times I guess but still impressive.
@@LetsMakeaTrip I bet they have pilots coming on board for that. But who knows, maybe, indeed, the crew is professional enough. Probably GPS is helping a lot, too. With navigational computers and all that jazz.
@@RodneyEnt yes I suppose they do it quite a lot but I bet it’s even more thrilling in the dark!