Stockholm Ports & Docks for Cruise Ships

Photo: Stockholm Business Region, Stockholm Vistitors Board

Summer is around the corner and soon the cruise ship season will start. Cruises in the Baltic Sea have become increasingly popular with such interesting stops like Copenhagen, Tallin, St Petersburg and, of course, Stockholm. I get a lot of questions regarding the distance between the harbour and the Rival Hotel. It is actually not an easy question to answer. What many people don't understand is that there are four main ports servicing cruise ships in the Stockholm area, some closer than others. So the answer depends on which port the cruise ship will be docking at. Here are the four ports and their distance from the hotel:

• Stadsgården- One of the two main cruise ship ports. It is located on the north-east coast of the island of Södermalm (where the hotel is located as well), just a 10-15 minute taxi ride from the Rival Hotel. This is also the docks where the Birka and Viking Line ferries to Finland and Åland depart from.
• Frihamnen & Värtahamnen- The other main cruise ship port. These two docks are right next to each other and are located in the northern outskirts of the city, about a 20-30 minute taxi ride from the Rival Hotel. There are also special buses that can take you to the City Terminal next to the Central Train Station.This is also where the Silja Tallink Line ferries to Finland, Latvia and Estonia depart from.
• Nynäshamn- Cruise ships get bigger and bigger each year and some are so huge that they cannot make it through the narrow straits in the archipelago to get to Stockholm. These ships dock, therefore, in the port of Nynäshamn located just south of Stockholm. Some other cruise ships may dock there if it is especially busy at the other Stockholm ports that day. It is about a 50 minute taxi ride to the hotel, otherwise there is also a commuter train and the cruise ships often have their own buses. This is also where the Destination Gotland ferries to the island of Gotland depart from.
• Skeppsbron or Strömmen- The smaller, and often fancier, cruise ships (like Silver Seas & Seabourn) sometimes dock right at the Old Town, either at the Skeppsbron dock or moored at a buoy in Strömmen. This is about as central as you can get... just a 15 minute walk or 5 minute taxi ride to the Rival Hotel.

If you don't know which dock your cruise ship will be using, you can check the Ports of Stockholm's website, or just click here for the complete list or here for Nynäshamn. For more cruise port information, check Visit Stockholm's cruise page.
EDIT: The Stockholm Cruise Blog has recently made a similar list which can be seen by clicking here.

Photo: Stockholm Business Region, Stockholm Visitors Board

Special "cruise" tip: when arriving or departing Stockholm by ship... make sure you are near a window! It is a breathtaking sight as the ship glides by thousands of islands in the Stockholm archipelago. Not to be missed!

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Write by: AN - Tuesday, April 12, 2011