Our Best Tips for Cruising the Baltic Sea

Back in July, the DeBode clan took a cruise in the Baltic Sea on Norwegian Cruise Lines’ Norwegian Sun, which was great fun. We thought we would share a list of the highlights with you this month rather than write a long story like I usually do (your girl is typically long-winded, as you know).

We flew into Copenhagen, Denmark to explore on our own before we were met by the rest of the crew for the cruise. We like to arrive early to give us time to get over the jet lag and explore an area before we set off – get grounded, if you will. Then we stay an extra night at the end of an adventure to give us time to get organized and packed up without cutting into trip exploration time.

The itinerary looked like this:

• Copenhagen, Denmark – 1 full day, 2 part days, 2 nights
• Warnemünde, Germany – 1^st cruise port
• Gdynia, Poland – 2^nd cruise port
• Klaipeda, Lithuania – 3^rd cruise port
• Riga, Latvia – 4^th cruise port
• Stockholm, Sweden – 5^th cruise port
• Tallinn, Estonia – 6^th cruise port
• Helsinki, Finland – 1 full day, 1 night, 1 partial day
• Munich, Germany – overnight layover
• Denver, Colorado – unplanned overnight layover

Let me just say, that was a LOT of ground covered in a short amount of time. The only thing I really didn’t like (but also loved) about this cruise was how we were in a different port every day. It’s a bit mind boggling to be greeted by a new language every day, and never really get time to become oriented in any one place. It is a great way to see a little bit in lots of places quickly, but I always just had that anxious unsettled feeling, despite having the “home base” on the ship.

The ship itself, the Norwegian Sun, was an older ship that had been refurbished in 2024. All of our dining experiences were great, although sometimes a bit lengthy. We didn’t ever eat in the buffet in an effort to avoid any illnesses or sneaky allergens. The restaurants where we typically ate were great about letting me order ahead the day before so they could make things for me without dairy (and my mother-in-law without gluten) – super helpful! You know if you have an allergy you’re constantly worrying about exposure ruining your trip.

There were plenty of shows, events, bars, pools, a casino, shopping, and things to do to keep a person hopping on the ship, but I’ll be honest, Jason and I didn’t do hardly any of them. We kept a low profile, tried to relax, and get good sleep so we could be operating at top speed during the day. We were great about getting in a brisk walk along the ship’s promenade after breakfast or dinner and otherwise just enjoying the view from our balcony.

Let’s get to the highlights and “small” descriptions, by location. *wink*

Copenhagen, Denmark

• Hotel: 25hours Hotel Indre By – so unique, quirky, and fun – we loved it! Great location.
• Rosenborg Castle Tour – former medieval home of the Danish kings & queens and the crown jewels
• Self-guided walking tour to Christiansborg Palace, Amalienborg Palace, Frederik’s Church, Kastellet, the King’s Garden – our route was about 4 miles long, flat, and took us around 3 hours of walking slow, popping in places, and stopping to admire the view. We didn’t do any of the palace tours, just admired from the outside to save us some time and see more of the city.
• Highly recommend getting a street hotdog from a stand. Typically this is something we would never do over food safety & allergy concerns, but it came highly recommended and the stand we chose was highly rated (and always had a crazy long line) – DØP The Organic Hotdog Stand– we had a goat meat hotdog with all the proper Danish fixin’s. It was delightful!
• Breto Creperie had amazing sweet and savory crepes
• Ølhaven was a great relaxing stop for 26 local beers on tap in a quiet courtyard
• Garden Restaurant & Vinbar had a delightful menu and drinks

Warnemünde, Germany

• We walked the small village of Warnemünde, twice – once on our own and once after the new arrivals joined us after sleeping in
• Lots of shops to pop into and peruse – such a strange collection of shops from beachy souvenir junk shops to Bugati clothing
• The 1866 Lutheran Church is the brick centerpiece of the village
• Expansive sand beach to wander along the Baltic Sea
• We just missed the Strawberry Festival, but there were still fresh strawberry stands scattered throughout the village
• Visit the Warnemünde Lighthouse for a birds eye view of the village

Gdynia, Poland

• Our only cruise-sponsored excursion was to Stutthof Concentration Camp – a very well-preserved and well-explained Nazi concentration camp from WWII. Our tour guide was VERY knowledgeable, if a bit long-winded. We highly recommend the experience, though, especially if it’s a personal area of interest. We also highly recommend it even if it’s not a particular area of interest; it’s an important and difficult piece of history. As a long-time student of difficult history, I really pushed to experience this. We opted for the cruise’s excursion rather than going on our own since it was a short port day and the camp was quite a distance away. We didn’t want to take any chances of missing the boat! If you’re on one of the cruise line’s excursions, they will wait for you, but not if you’re on your own!

Klaipeda, Lithuania

• Brewery tour and beer tasting at Švyturys Brewery – we learned SO much about types of beer and the brewing process. Filtered vs unfiltered. Lager vs. ale. Can you tell the difference? It’s a great tour and tasting!
• The Castle Museum for local history and the local WWII experience during the war and behind the iron curtain afterwards. It was interesting to experience this view of the war and its aftermath. We don’t typically get that peek behind the iron curtain in our history books.
• Said “hello” to the Black Ghost sculpture on the way back to the ship. Legend says a black hooded figure raised itself from the water in 1595 to ask a passing guard if the city was well supplied in grain and timber because a famine was soon to come. Startled by the inquiry, the city fortified its stores and managed to survive the following famine.

Riga, Latvia

• For a unique experience and souvenir, our group made silver rings with Paula Tremine Jewelry. A delightful time was had, and new hobbies possibly unlocked. Paula is very knowledgeable, kind, and patient with 6 people operating a blow torch at once! We loved our time with her! Message her on Instagram or WhatsApp to book!
• St. Peter’s Church – you can climb to the top of the 123-meter steeple for views of the city or enjoy the brick architecture and excellent history display boards from the ground level of the Lutheran church.
• Sampled the local black balsam liquor and truffles at Riga Black Magic Bar. The building has the coolest 18th-century apothecary vibes and is illuminated by candlelight. So atmospheric!

Stockholm, Sweden

• The cruise port is an hour from Stockholm, so we got on our second tour bus with the cruise just to get to the city. It dropped us off a Stockholm City Hall and we grabbed Ubers from there – Stockholm is HUGE!
• Half of us headed to the Vasa Museum. It houses a phenomenal example of a Swedish warship that was sunk in the harbor on its maiden voyage 300 years ago! I can’t believe how well preserved it is! There was also a James Cameron exhibit at the museum (until Sept 2027) that had lots of artifacts from his dives and props from his movies. I found the Heart of the Ocean!
• The other half of the group headed to Junibacken Children’s Museum in the same area. We were told it was super fun and they could have spent the whole day there. Great for kiddos!
• The first half of the group also went to the Nobel Prize Museum. It was interesting, but small and rather dry, as one might expect. It houses exhibits about different Nobel Prize winners and some examples of their work.
• The rest of the group went souvenir shopping and we grabbed them to head to Skeppsbro Bakery. We HAD to get cinnamon buns – delish! We didn’t have time to get to the gluten-free bakery, but I had Happy Atelier Gluten Free Bakery on my list as well.
• The group walked back to Stockholm City Hall hoping for a tour, but the tours didn’t line up with our remaining time available. So we visited the gift shop and café, and I came home with a Swedish recipe book – cinnamon buns included, and I can tell you they are amazing! If you’re a fan of Jonna Jinton Sweden, like I am, you’ve seen the inside of City Hall in some of her YouTube videos when she has to travel to Stockholm for award ceremonies.

Tallinn, Estonia

• On my quest for unique experiences, I found an axe-throwing and archery experience at Viikingite Küla (Viking Village) on Viator. Our guide picked us up in a minibus at the port and told us about Estonian history all the way to the village, about a 45-minute drive. There, the phenomenal instructor taught us how to throw an axe, shoot longbows, and shoot crossbows, some better than others. Personally, I had an absolute blast, and my competitive streak came out a bit as I battled my father-in-law and my brother-in-law for the best aim. I’ve also decided I now need a longbow…and probably a crossbow as well. Hehe. On our way out, the guys tried the Viking beer. I think the verdict was “not bad.”
• Our guide dropped us off in Tallinn’s old town to wander back to the ship. We got snacks, shopped for amber, and hiked up SO MANY stairs to the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. I can now cross my first onion-dome cathedral off my wish list.
• We went on a hunt for Kehrwieder Saiakang Chocolaterie, without knowing the name or its exact location. Jason’s parents had been to Tallinn previously and said we absolutely had to visit. A local shop owner pointed us in the right direction, and we got coffees in the underground café.
• Walking back to the ship we stumbled on local vendors in the cruise terminal. Postcards, sweatshirts, liquors, a jacket, and some very cute potholders and matching tea towel were secured by the group. Always read those labels and make sure the items you purchase were actually made in the area you’re visiting.

Helsinki, Finland

• Our last cruise port. We disembarked the ship and grabbed a taxi to the Waldorf Astoria Helsinki. The number of people waiting for an Uber was crazy! No one was just getting into the taxis waiting in line, so we did. The hotel was phenomenal – highly recommend. We treated ourselves on points and were not a bit disappointed – well, other than the fact that we couldn’t get into our spectacular room until after 4 PM. It had its own sauna!
• Gateau Kruununhaka Bakery – great location for pastries and tea/coffee. We went twice in 24 hours.
• Ravintola Kolme Kruunua – great, authentic Finnish restaurant. It totally had the vibes of an Elk’s Lodge in the US. We tried reindeer, cloudberries, lingonberries, squeaky cheese, and blueberry pie.
• Uspenski Cathedral – very cool architecture. We didn’t go inside as it was Sunday morning and services were going on.
• Helsinki Market Square – we visited twice! Such a neat collection of local vendors offering all kinds of souvenirs. We got some locally made silver jewelry, an adorable painting, and some rare spectrolite stones, a type of labradorite with a rainbow iridescence only found in Finland. The food and produce looked and smelled amazing, but we didn’t have any.
• Helsinki Cathedral – a very prominent Lutheran cathedral in Senaatintori (Senate) Square. The cathedral was neat, if understated, and the day we visited, military bands from Finland, Switzerland, and Canada were performing in the square in a mini tattoo preview event for the Hamina Tattoo military music festival beginning that day in Hamina, Finland. I love a band. It was great fun, and we stood watching for over an hour.

Munich, Germany

• We had a planned overnight layover in Munich due to a previously canceled flight. The Hilton at Munich Airport was a great stay with a good restaurant. It was a very short 5-minute walk back to the terminal the next day for our flight home. Word to the wise: there are almost no signs in the airport for this hotel, which was a little frustrating. If you ever find yourself staying here, make sure you fully exit the airport. As you’re walking out the doors, you’ll finally see signs for the hotel (on the right).

Denver, Colorado

• We had an unexpected overnight in Denver late at night when our flight was delayed to the next morning. Since it was last minute, all the nearby hotels were booked up, and we had to take an Uber 30 minutes away to a Hilton Spark hotel. It was fine, but not ideal, and definitely not the Waldorf or even the Hilton we stayed at the two nights prior. It was fine, but not exactly a “recommend” from us. You know how it is: when you’re traveling home, nothing else is as good as home, and it wasn’t the floor at the airport.

If you want to read about our wild travel days to and from this cruise, check out last month’s post.
Always an adventure!

There you have it! As you can see, it was a very busy trip, and a lot of planning was involved ahead of time to keep the group busy and find unique experiences to create memories rather than just check boxes in each port. Luckily for them, I really enjoy planning such trips. Where are we going next, clan?