Coastal Cruises
Finland, like the Roman goddess Venus, is rising from the sea. Pressed down during the ice age, the land is rising at the rate of a few millimeters a year. Rocks poke their noses above the waves; over the centuries they grow into islands. You can see the thousands of islands of the Baltic - some barren and inhabited only by birds, others with docks and small cottages - from the decks of ships and boats of all sizes.
The sun glitters on the waves, a small cottage hides among the trees on the shore, the seagulls follow in the ship's wake. A great way to see Finland is from the deck of a ship.
There are sea routes in all directions. You can take a quick cruise from the harbor of Helsinki, on small ferries around the town, to the island of Pihlajasaari or to the island fortress of Suomenlinna. From Turku there are coastal cruises among the islands and to Naantali, where the Finnish President's summer residence is located. Take a cruise to Mariehamn in the Åland archipelago from Turku or Helsinki. From Helsinki you can sail across the Baltic to Tallinn in Estonia and Riga in Latvia, and eastward to the town of Kotka and to St Petersburg. Farther north, there are ferries taking traffic across the Baltic from Vaasa to Sweden.
There are sea routes in all directions. You can take a quick cruise from the harbor of Helsinki, on small ferries around the town, to the island of Pihlajasaari or to the island fortress of Suomenlinna. From Turku there are coastal cruises among the islands and to Naantali, where the Finnish President's summer residence is located. Take a cruise to Mariehamn in the Åland archipelago from Turku or Helsinki. From Helsinki you can sail across the Baltic to Tallinn in Estonia and Riga in Latvia, and eastward to the town of Kotka and to St Petersburg. Farther north, there are ferries taking traffic across the Baltic from Vaasa to Sweden.
Near Vaasa is another group of islands, the Kvarken Archipelago, which is a Unesco World Heritage area of unique natural beauty. Here the continental uplift is especially fast - by the year 4000 you will be able to walk to Sweden.
Helsinki's importance as a Baltic cruise port grows with each passing year. Well over 250 luxury cruise ships (270 in 2008) visit its harbor every summer, carrying visitors from all over Europe and North America.
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