Port Profiles | Portipedia

On a Baltic cruise? You can get to Berlin from the German port cities of Rostock and Warnemunde. You’ll need to prepare yourself to hit the ground running, however, as Berlin is nearly a three-hour journey each way. Here’s how to make the most of one day in Berlin.

Prepare for a long day for the 150-mile journey by train or bus to Germany’s capital.

Your goal is to see the major sites, including the remains of the Berlin Wall, historic Brandenburg Gate and the controversial Reichstag building. You can do all that, and you’ll also have time to walk Berlin’s most famous boulevards and sample one of the city’s many museums. No time for a long lunch, so fortify yourself with a Berlin favorite, currywurst, or sausage with a special curry sauce, which you’ll have no trouble finding.

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Stockholm may just be the most beautiful city in the world to reach by water. The journey begins nearly 50 miles east, at the tip of a beautiful archipelago comprised of 30,000 islands, islets and rocks. Many of the islands are uninhabited, rocky outcrops that are homes only to birds. Other islands are dotted with quaint red-and-white summer cottages.

If you are in Stockholm for a few days, you surely will want to venture out to the archipelago on ships that depart from the city center. It’s about a two-hour journey to Sandhamn, a small village where you can take lunch at Sandhamns Vardshus before setting out on kayaks for smaller, uninhabited islands just a few miles away. Return to relax in the sauna before boarding the ship back to Stockholm. The experience is quintessentially Swedish and one that should not be missed.

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A few key points that you should keep in mind if you are cruising to or from Stockholm:

Most cruise passengers arrive in Stockholm at one of two places: Arlanda Airport (Stockholm serves as the initial port of departure for many cruises); or for those arriving by sea, the city center.

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European cruises are like exquisite appetizers. Your ship gives you a taste of the delicious culture capitals, allowing you to decide which cities and countries are most intriguing and appealing. Each stop on the cruise ship’s itinerary is designed to provide convenient access to the primary attractions, but the cruise ship must maintain a schedule, limiting port calls to 10 hours, occasionally overnight.

For a fuller flavor of any European destination, a few extra days in one of the Continent’s great cities allows you to explore more and get a sense of the rhythms and personalities of the place. To take full advantage of the trip across the ocean, more and more experienced travelers are taking the extra time before or after their cruise, extending their stay in Europe to learn and enjoy a particular place.

Following are some quick descriptions of some of the favorite European cities where cruise travelers are choosing to spend a few extra days, find some favorite restaurants and soak in the local flavors.

A large city offering travelers and visitors many events, attractions and activities, Sweden’s capital is a friendly, attractive place built on 14 islands.

Most popular of those islands and receiving more than 10 million visitors each year, Djurgården (translated as Game Park) is an island park right in the middle of Stockholm, perfect for a pleasant two-hour stroll.

At the Vasa Museum, the restored Royal Warship Vasa, which lay at the bottom of the sea for more than 300 years after it sank on its maiden voyage in 1628, is on display with more than 4,000 coins, carpenter’s tools, sailor’s pants, fish bones and other pieces of archaeological interest retrieved along with nearly all of the ship’s 700 original sculptures.

The Nordic Museum contains fascinating exhibits of how people lived in different parts of Sweden throughout the ages, with exhibits encompassing costumes, tools, furnishings and dwellings.

A beautiful and eminently livable city, Scandinavia’s largest city was originally a fishing village that evolved into a major port of trade and is now a jewel of Northern Europe.

Despite massive 18th century fires, Copenhagen retains its charming medieval layout with plenty of Old World appeal, even as it modernizes.

There are still great buildings and 1,000 years’ worth of history to explore here, including 17th century landmarks such as the Rundetårn (Round Tower) and the Børsen (Stock Exchange).

Foremost among Copenhagen’s attractions, the Rundetårn is , an observation tower honoring astronomer Tycho Brahe, and Amalienborg Palace, the royal residence, incorporates four Rococo mansions.

Other can’t-miss sights include the Rådhus (Town Hall), with its ornate interior and gilded statue of Bishop Absalon (founder of Copenhagen), and the Royal Library, whose black-granite exterior is a beacon of modernity.

Of course, no feature is more visible than Tivoli, the city’s much-loved amusement park and a destination for culture, sociability, and dining as much as for thrilling entertainments.

Before setting out to pedal around Copenhagen, my first challenge was to obtain the proper bike to straddle. I found it at Kobenhavns Cykler, located at the Copenhagen Central rail station (on the right side if you’re facing the station).

I even found a convenient way to get to the city center to rent my bike. Outside my hotel room, Radisson SAS Scandinavia, I found two city bikes. Copenhagen has 2,500 “City Bikes” that anyone can pedal away on simply by inserting a DKK 20 coin into the bike’s locking mechanism. Lock your bike upon return at any of 110 bike-parking stations to retrieve your coin.

Or just lean your bike against a wall if you can’t find a station. Don’t worry: Someone else will return it. Of course, they’ll also collect your DKK 20 coin. Oh, and don’t take the city bikes out of the City Bike Zone, or you will be fined.

The city bike wasn’t the bike that would win the Tour de France. The tires could have used a few more pounds of pressure, and the bike clanked with each revolution of the pedals. It was shy of material for my 6′ 5″ frame. My knees knocked my chin with each pedal. I had to stand on the pedals for most of the ride, but luckily, I wasn’t going far.

The city bike would have attracted all sorts of snickering back home, but no one gave me a second look here. Cycling in Copenhagen is more of a utilitarian activity than a fitness event. Copenhagen commuters ride all sorts of bikes, in various degrees of disrepair. Some cyclists straddled nice bikes, yes, but the majority were “beaters,” bikes that, if stolen, would not send the owner into lasting despair.

Copenhagen cyclists wore utilitarian clothing as well. There wasn’t a great deal of lycra or cycling jerseys or even cycling shoes. Most cyclists wore the clothes they would wear to work or for a night out. I found that cyclists in Copenhagen and in Amsterdam generally don’t wear helmets, and I did not either.

Even without helmets, statistically, these cities are much safer than cycling in the United States. According to Bicycling magazine, Dutch bike commuters are 30 times less likely to be killed on their bikes than their stateside counterparts. I suspect Danish commuters are equally as safe.

I abandoned my city bike, not at a station, but by leaning it against a wall. It felt odd to walk away, but I did so. I walked inside and rented a worthy bike for my ride up the coast.

Finding Bliss in the Baltic

SOMEWHERE IN THE BALTIC SEA, July 1 — It is near midnight, or at least that it is what my watch tells me. The sun and sky suggest otherwise. The bright orange orb hovers over the watery horizon, casting a reddish-yellow glow on a cloudless sky.

My (then) wife and I stand on our stateroom balcony waiting for the sun to dip below the horizon. Our body clocks are out of sync, six times zones east of our home (we’ll lose two more hours as the clock moves forward one hour on each of the first two nights of our cruise from Copenhagen).

The sun seems that it will never set, even as the clock ticks — and ticks.

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CHANCES ARE YOU MAY NEVER HAVE HEARD OF KLAIPEDA. That’s because Lithuania’s oldest city was closed to tourists until Soviet occupation ended in 1990. Since then, Klaipeda has been quickly modernizing — all while keeping its heritage and beauty intact.

Klaipeda is an up-and-coming, quaint and charming seaside city that presents opportunities to explore cultural, historical and natural attractions. The region bills itself as “One port, three destinations,” and cruise ship visitors who have time will want to explore Klaipeda itself as well as nearby Nida and Palanga. Combined, the three destinations are “the jewels of Lithuania,” and all are worth a visit.

Klaipeda. From the new cruise ship terminal, the historical city center is only a few steps away. Visit the Old Town for glimpses of Germanic architecture (Klaipeda was part of Germany until 1923) and half-timbered, lattice-work buildings that reflect the city’s Prussian past. Stroll through Drama Theater Square, where Hitler incited fear into Lithuanians in 1939, or visit some of the city’s many museums.

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September 2003 - Michael, the bartender at the trendy Copenhagen cafe Dan Turrell’s, had no qualms about telling me where to go. See, I had explained to Michael how as editor of a cruise magazine, I had come to Copenhagen to explore the shoreside attractions and activities that cruise passengers must see and do. Wanting help, he leaned across the bar with a “let’s see” look on his face.

“You’re going to see the Glibte,” he said, in the lazy manner that Danes drop letters and occasionally whole syllables, making the language incomprehensible to foreigners.

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