The ship docked a short bus ride away from the city centre. We took the free shuttle bus and walked round Gamla Stan, the old town, by ourselves. In the afternoon, we greatly enjoyed a waterways cruise from which we saw a great deal of the city. Sweden was as friendly as we thought it would be.
We went on an organised excursion to the very attractive old town of Porvoo which we would recommend. On the way back, we stopped briefly in the city centre but preferred to return to the ship.
We saw many of the main sights including cathedrals, churches and palaces. There was a welcome coffee beak and a chance to do some shopping in one store.
Hermitage Museum Rating:
Great crowds and a queue to get in. Once in, a three hour tour with no breaks of the main exhibits which are very impressive. However the experience was somewhat exhausting.
Neva River Cruise Rating:
This was excellent and covered some of the main canals as well as the river which is very wide. We saw the famous Aurora battleship that featured in the 1917 Revolution.
Peter & Paul Fortress Rating:
Part of the Neva River cruise. We saw the tombs of the Romanov Tsars from Peter the Great to the newly created memorial room for the last Tsar Nicholas 11 and his family.
Peterhof Palace Rating:
I went on this alone. I enjoyed the coach ride and the tour of the grounds with the numerous fountains. Damage caused by the Germans in WW2 is still being made good. There was no time to enter the palace. Many Russian visitors on this Sunday afternoon and tame red squirrels.
Russian Ballet Show Rating:
My wife went to this. She enjoyed the experience but the quality of the ballet was mediocre - perhaps performed by students.
Very interesting tour of the old town and a more relaxed atmosphere than St.Petersburg. The guide however talked far too much and we would have welcomed more free time to explore. We could have seen this city by ourselves.
A very good tour of Rostock after a river cruise from Warnemunde. We were taken to the Stasi detention centre and were addressed by a former prisoner of the old Communist regime. We also went on a coach tour that included an impressive minister, a very enjoyable steam train ride and a trip to the Baltic coast resort of Kuhlungsborn.
The ship docked at Kalundborg which is about 90 minutes away by coach. Copenhagen is building anew metro system and so there were several hold-ups in very heavy traffic. We saw the Little Mermaid, the royal palace and had a canal cruise but the whole day was a bit of a rush. Better if the ship docks in Copenhagen itself.
The ship docked on a Saturday when there was a celebration of the Norwegian Air Force. The crowds were immense and most passengers, including ourselves, swiftly returned to the ship. The city looked very interesting but our experience was unfortunate.
More 
