Mini cruise

How the mini cruise works

The mini cruise uses the regular overnight ferry in both directions. You board in the afternoon, spend the first night in your cabin and arrive in the other city the next morning. You have the day ashore, sail back on the same route in the late afternoon, and after the second night you're back at your starting port in the morning. Both ferry companies sell this as a package with two nights on board and one day ashore, from Stockholm or from Helsinki. On the way, the ship calls at Mariehamn on Åland every night.

Because Finland is one hour ahead of Sweden, you put your watch forward an hour in Helsinki and back again on the return. All times in the timetables are local.

With Viking Line

Viking Line calls the mini cruise a short cruise. From Stockholm, the programme is called "Day in Helsinki": you check in at Stadsgården in the afternoon, breakfast is served from 08:00 the next morning, and at 10:10 the ship docks at the Katajanokka terminal in Helsinki. You then have until the return sailing in the late afternoon, as per the timetable. The following morning you're back in Stockholm.

In the other direction, you start in Helsinki in the afternoon, arrive in Stockholm in the morning and sail back in the afternoon as per the timetable. On the third day you're back in Helsinki in the morning.

Your luggage stays in the cabin during the day, and your boarding card is valid for the whole trip. The departure times for your date are in the timetable.

With Tallink Silja

Tallink Silja also offers the route as a mini cruise with two nights on board, from Värtahamnen in Stockholm or from the Olympia terminal in Helsinki. From Stockholm you're in Helsinki from 10:30 to 16:45, which is 6 hours 15 minutes. From Helsinki you stay in Stockholm from 10:00 to 16:30, which is 6 hours 30 minutes. Allow for the time you need to be back on board before departure.

Your cabin is yours for the whole cruise, including the day in port. On the last morning you vacate it straight away. You can book the mini cruise with Tallink Silja up to 45 minutes before departure. The available cabins are on the Cabins page.

ID and age

Even for a day ashore you need a valid passport or national ID card; this applies to every traveller, children included. Viking Line doesn't accept digital IDs, and on the way from Finland to Sweden everyone over 18 shows their document at check-in.

Viking Line mini cruises have a minimum age of 20. Younger travellers can only come with parents, a guardian, grandparents, or an aunt or uncle. The Check-in page describes what happens at the terminal.

With a dog

No animals are allowed on Viking Line mini cruises. If you want to travel with your dog, book a regular crossing with Viking Line.

If you start in Helsinki with your dog, remember the rules of the Finnish Food Authority, Ruokavirasto. Your dog counts as having entered Sweden, even if it doesn't leave the vehicle during the cruise. To return to Finland it therefore needs a tapeworm treatment. Because it is abroad for less than 24 hours, a single treatment is not enough: only the 28-day rule applies, with two treatments in Finland before the trip and one after. The details are in Ruokavirasto's questions and answers. All rules on board and for entry are on the Dogs & pets page.

The day ashore

In Helsinki, Viking Line docks at the Katajanokka terminal, where tram 5 stops outside. Tallink Silja arrives at the Olympia terminal, served by trams 2 and 3. In Stockholm, Viking Line docks at Stadsgården, and from the Londonviadukten stop a bus runs to Slussen metro station. Tallink Silja docks at Värtahamnen, where bus 76 stops right at the terminal. The day is yours to plan. If you want to stay longer, book a regular return trip instead of the mini cruise. What the terminals are like is on the Stockholm ferry port and Helsinki ferry port pages.