Best Baltic cruises

Select the cruise with the best ports for you
Of the 28 Baltic cruise ports, these are the best five. Click their blue links to see my rankings and descriptions of their top attractions.

St Petersburg Russia
Copenhagen Denmark
Stockholm Sweden
Talinn Estonia
Helsinki Finlands

These Baltic ports didn't make my selective Top 5 Baltic port list, but have special qualities that attract visitors.

More Baltic cruise ports
Listing is alphabetical.

Aarhus, Denmark (right photo)
MAIN APPEAL: Den Gamle By. It's an open-air museum with reconstructed old Danish buildings with traditional furnishings (right photo).

Gdynia, Poland
MAIN APPEAL: Ship museum tours. Best two ships: A World War II destroyer and a 1909 three-masted frigate.

Kristiansand, Norway
MAIN APPEAL: The seaport's waterfront in the Fiskebrygga (fish market area). Offers a good photo opportunity.

Mariehamn, Finland
MAIN APPEAL: Four-masted windjammer museum tour. Ship launched in 1903 and sailed as far as Australia.

Oslo, Norway
MAIN APPEAL: Museum hopping. Stars include Viking Ship, Kon-Tiki, Munch, Polar Ship, and National Gallery.

Riga, Latvia
MAIN APPEAL: Old Town. For a memorable bird's eye view of this tight-packed area, take the elevator in St Peter's Basilica.

Ronne, Denmark
MAIN APPEAL: The Bornholm heritage museum and the Erichsen house & garden museum are worthy venues in this laid-back island town.

Rostock, Germany
MAIN APPEAL: For many cruisers, it's the daytrip shore-excursion gateway to Berlin (several hours away by road or rail).

Visby, Sweden (left photo)
MAIN APPEAL: The Old Town is camera-friendly and is surrounded by a tower-perched Medieval defensive wall.

Other Baltic cruise ports
Elsinore, Goteborg, Helsingborg, Kalmar, Karlshamn, Karlskrona, Kemi, Korsoer, Kotka, Malmo, Saaremaa, Turku, and Umea.

More insights
Pre- and post-cruise stays
Many cruise itineraries begin or end in Copenhagen or Stockholm. This is good news for Baltic cruisers wishing to enjoy days ashore before or after their cruises. Those two cities rank 2nd and 3rd on my "Best 5 Baltic Ports" list.