Route · Baltic Sea via Åland · Tallink Silja and Viking Line
Two ships, one departure time, two different harbours. Every afternoon at 16:30 the Silja ferry leaves Värtahamnen and the Viking ferry leaves Stadsgården, both in Stockholm. Both sail overnight through the archipelago and past Åland, both dock in Helsinki the following morning. Our archive shows exactly these two departures on 22 of 23 days.
Our archive covers 23 days from 18 August to 9 September 2026 with 45 departures from Stockholm. Both companies sailed on 22 days, only one of them on a single day. Departure was 16:30 without exception; arrival in Helsinki was 10:10 (Viking Line) or 10:30 (Tallink Silja) the next day. The sailings below come live from the timetable.
| Departure | Arrival | Duration | Operator | Ship |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16:30 | 10:30 (+1) | 1020 min | Tallink Silja | Silja Symphony |
| 16:30 | 10:10 (+1) | 1000 min | Viking Line | Cinderella |
East from Stockholm through the archipelago, a brief night-time call at Mariehamn on Åland, then across the Gulf of Finland to Helsinki in the morning. The clock changes on the way: Finland is one hour ahead of Sweden, and all times shown are local.
Same departure time, crossing times within 20 minutes of each other. What differs is the harbour, the ship and the fare.
Silja Serenade and Silja Symphony
Gabriella and Cinderella
Fares are a sample from our archive (26 values, 18 August to 9 September 2026, per person). A cabin is compulsory on this route, so the spread mostly reflects cabin grade and day of the week. Vehicles are extra.
This is not a crossing so much as a night at sea. Three things follow from that.
Tallink Silja leaves from Värtahamnen in the north-east of Stockholm and arrives at the Olympia Terminal in Helsinki's South Harbour. Viking Line departs from Stadsgården just below Slussen and ties up at Katajanokka in Helsinki. Turn up at the wrong quay in Stockholm and you face a half-hour dash across the city; the 16:30 sailing will not wait.
Neither company sells deck passage on the Helsinki route; every booking includes a cabin. The per-person fare therefore depends less on the operator than on the grade: inside without a window low in the ship, outside with a window, or one of the suites. The same applies on the way back.
In the middle of the night the ships call briefly at Mariehamn. The reason is tax: Åland is outside the EU VAT area, which allows the on-board shops to sell duty free. Nothing changes for passengers and nobody has to get off. Early risers see the lights of the island capital slide past.
Four things that regularly go wrong on this route.
Finland is on Eastern European Time. A 16:30 departure from Stockholm and a 10:10 arrival in Helsinki are both local times, and the gap between them is 16 h 40 min, not 17 h 40 min. Anyone booking an onward connection in Helsinki should work in Finnish time; phones usually adjust themselves, watches do not.
Our sample ranged from €51 to €241 per person. The top figure is not a dearer company, it is an outside cabin on a Friday. To save money, take an inside cabin on a lower deck on a Tuesday or Wednesday; the crossing is identical.
The overnight ferry is the natural link between the Swedish and Finnish rail networks: night train or day train into Stockholm, ferry to Helsinki, onwards by train to Tampere, Turku or the Lapland sleepers. Interrail and Eurail passes give a discount on the crossing with both companies, but the ferry still has to be booked separately.
The booking covers the cabin and the passage; dinner buffet and breakfast are sold separately and cost more on board than in advance. If you only want the crossing, bringing your own food is perfectly fine; on this route the buffet is part of the outing rather than a necessity.
Taking your own vehicle to Finland
Both ships carry vehicles; the car deck is closed during the night. For motorhomes this is the classic start to a Finnish road trip: off the ship in Helsinki in the morning, parked by a lake the same evening.
16 h 40 min with Viking Line and 17 h with Tallink Silja. Both leave at 16:30 and arrive the next morning at 10:10 and 10:30 Finnish time respectively. In the other direction it works out at 18 h 10 min to 18 h 15 min because the clock goes back an hour.
Twice a day, once per company, both at 16:30. In our archive from 18 August to 9 September 2026 that was the case on 22 of 23 days; on one day only one of the two sailed.
Tallink Silja with Silja Serenade and Silja Symphony from Värtahamnen, and Viking Line with Gabriella and Cinderella from Stadsgården. Both operate all year.
Tallink Silja from Värtahamnen in Gärdet, Viking Line from Stadsgården on Södermalm near Slussen. The two harbours are on opposite sides of the city centre.
Our archive holds 26 fares for Stockholm–Helsinki: €51 to €241 per person, average €93. Tallink Silja averaged €78, Viking Line €112. The spread is mostly down to cabin grade, and a cabin is compulsory. Vehicles are extra.
Yes. Every booking on the overnight Stockholm–Helsinki route includes a cabin; deck passage is not sold.
Yes, briefly at Mariehamn on Åland during the night. Passengers stay on board; the call is what allows duty-free sales.
Sweden and Finland are both in the Schengen area. A valid passport or national ID card is still required at check-in; a driving licence is not enough.
Both sailings from Tallink Silja and Viking Line compared. Book directly with the operator, with no mark-up.
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