Travel from Estonia to St. Petersburg

First, to visit Russia you need a visa. This is not cheap or easy to get, but, of course, people do it. Look at some websites to see what's involved, and see if you are up for this, before proceeding further. Visa rules and fees change frequently, but the basic principle is "if the US requires something of a Russian citizen to get a US visa, we will require the same thing of a US citizen to get a Russian visa." You need paperwork to "support" the visa (an invitation from a hotel or business association), then have to send this along with other stuff to a consulate. And, each consulate works somewhat differently - just because they can. I don't mean to be discouraging, but I wouldn't be honest if I didn't prepare you. And remember you will have to do this for 5 people; even if you don't have difficulties, you'll have expense. There's the visa fee itself (currently $140), the fees to get the support documents, FedEx, etc. Once you have visas sorted, here are four companies that do tours of St. Petersburg. Their main business is working with cruises (passengers arriving by cruise ship don't need a visa if they use one of these companies), but they will also do a private tour if you arrive another way. I have no connection with any of them, but they get good reviews on CruiseCritic.com: http://www.alla-tour.com/ http://www.denrus.ru/ http://www.redoctober.us/ http://www.spb-tours.com/st-petersburg/en/ If you can swing it, St. Petersburg is amazing. But if you can't, the money you'll save will buy quite a blowout in the places you are going.

Last fall I was in Russia. I visited St.Petersburg, Moscow, and did cruise on Volga Moscow - Astrakhan. I found all necessary information (also about visa) on this website: http://www.expresstorussia.com
It is not a big hassle if you are prepared but for 5 people it's expensive (visa).

I was getting ready to post the same thing. Harold is more than correct - if that is possible. Russian visas are a BIG hassle. This is one area where an established tour company has a big advantage.

In June 2012 we took an overnight ferry from Helsinki to St. Petersburg, stayed two nights in a hotel (thus three full days in St. Pete), and returned on the overnight ferry. One can do that trip for one night (thus two days in St. Pete), or out and back on consecutive nights for a day trip to St. Pete. You do not need a visa if you stay less than 72 hours in St. Petersburg. See www.stpeterline.com for information. (1) Best way from Estonia: You can go by St. Peter line ferry, but it doesn't return to Tallinn. You could take the short ferry from Tallinn to Helsinki and then follow the trip schedule in the first paragraph. (2) Finding a tour group or agency: the others have posted the names of some of them. Or visit TripAdvisor, determine the best rated tour companies, visit their websites and see their tours and prices. (3) Finding a tour director: do in conjunction with number 2. (4) Enjoy Lithuania: Vilnius old town, Trakai, the Hill of Crosses, Curonian Spit, and more. Let me know via PM if you want more info about visiting St. Pete via ferry. Also, we've been in Lithuania three times, so we could offer more suggestions. Good luck!

Just a correction/clarification to Galen's post: The ferries and cruise lines have arrangements with Russian authorities for "visa-free" stays in St. Petersburg less than 72 hours. Just showing up at the border with a family of 5 and no visas, no matter how short you plan to stay, will NOT get you entry.

Douglas, you are correct. I should have included that piece.