Stockholm, Sweden
efschlenk
Stockholm, Sweden
Shore Excursion and Port Information
Stockholm is a great city but the visit on
Star Princess is cut short because it anchors at Nynashamn an hour south
of the city (by train or cruise bus) and one must wait for tender passes –
which leaves little more than half a day in the city even if one starts
out early. Tender passes are nominally available at 0700, and independent
travelers are supposed to be able to tender ashore easily between 0700 and
0730 when the tour groups are supposed to leave, but the tender
arrangements for independents were disorganized and disappointing. We were
ready at 0645 but barely made the 0805 train to Stockholm. Hopefully
Princess will do a better job in the future.
Once ashore, it is a 15 minute walk to the left (south) to the small
Nynashamn train station. Tickets are available for 95 Swedish Krona ($14)
at the small kiosk just before the station (which takes credit cards).
Tickets for seniors are 45 SK ($8). These tickets are good for the entire
day, including all public transport in the city. The train takes an hour
each way (it is a suburban commuter line with many stops) and runs every
hour (0735, 0805, 0905, etc. northbound; 1250, 1350, 1450 southbound;
beware, the latter is the last train which will get you back to the ship
in time; verify schedules in case of changes!).
The train arrives at Stockholm’s central station, where you can pick up a
transport map. Near the station to the northeast is bus #47, which will
take you to the famous Vasa ship museum (opens at 1000), the Nordic
museum, and Skansen (the open air folk museum). If you have not seen it
before, I recommend the Vasa followed by Skansen (good weather) or Nordic
museum (bad weather). The same bus #47 will take you back to the city
center for a walk through historic Gamla Stan (old town) and a visit to
the Royal Palace (the interior does not compare with Russian Palaces,
although the armory museum is famous for those inclined). There is a
musical/military changing of the palace guard at mid-day, but time is so
limited that I would rate this a skip since it can be seen elsewhere. The
one other sight of interest is the famous city hall, where the Nobel
prizes are awarded. For architecture buffs, the one-hour tour (1000 or
1200) is worthwhile. Although most museums and the city hall charge
$10-$15 entrance, the Stockholm card is probably not worth it since you
already bought a transport card and shore time is limited.