We just returned from a one month tour of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Tallinn, Riga and Warsaw with side trips to Berlin for 6 days and Romania for 6 days. Way too much to post in a message to interested travelers but will be happy to share thoughts, experiences and opinions on the areas we visited.
Posted by
Winnipeg
590 posts
I traveled by train to Brasov, Sibiu and Sighisoara. I would buy the tickets there. I found it fairly easy to get around and the train conductors were very helpful to notify me when my stop was. Spend the extra cash and get a first class seat as I found a big difference between the two. The trains in Romania are much older than the ones in Western Europe. the Transylvania area was one of the most beautiful places I have seen in Europe.
Posted by
Spokane, WA
6 posts
Hello, Thank you for your offer of help! I'm considering a trip to Eastern Europe this summer for the month of July. My boyfriend and I are particularly interested in visiting Romania. He tends to get motion sickness, so I am worried about relying too much on long bus trips. Can you give any insight into public transportation? We are considering the Balkan flexipass however it sounds like buying train tickets when you get to Eastern Europe is less expensive? I tend to want to plan everything ahead of time. Is this wise? What do you recommend?
Thank you, Annika
Posted by
OP
New Berlin, WI, US
156 posts
Annika, we took a bus from St. Petersburg to Tallinn then flew the rest of the links so I can't tell you anything about train travel. We rented a car at the Burcharest airport and drove the Transylvania area to visit the castles and towns. Tallinn and Riga were both charming Baltic towns and are worth a short visit. I don't know if Warsaw is in your plans but we found it a fascinating city that gets short-changed in many travel books. I'd highly recommend it over Bucharest, for example.
Posted by
GAYLORD, Mi, USA
11 posts
Thanks for the offer, Jim!
We live in Riga and are considering a trip to St. Petersburg for a long weekend. I'd love to hear about your bus ride, where you stayed, and what you would suggest that we add to our itinerary!
Posted by
OP
New Berlin, WI, US
156 posts
We spent a week in St. Petersburg so we rented an efficiency apartment on Nevsky Prospekt. Very convenient location, internet, fridge, microwave, coffee maker. So much to see in St. Pete that a weekend can't cover it. See one of the palaces, Peterhof or Catherine's. See the Hermitage (get tickets in advance) and don't miss St. Isaac's Cathedral and the Church of Spilled Blood. You'd have to RUN to get all that covered in 2 days. If anyone would like to see pictures, send a private message with an email address and what you're interested in. The bus ride from St. Pete to Tallinn took 6 hrs. Even for a long weekend a bus from Riga (13-14 hrs) is going to consume much of your time. Consider alloting more time for your visit to St. Pete. It's worth it.