trip to baltic in summer of 2010

In eight days, you can't do justice to all in the previous posting.

Maybe do half: either Copenhagen-Oslo-Stockholm or Helsinki-St Pete. Unless you have a pressing interest in Finland/Russia or just have to see the Hermitage, probably do the first series on the first trip.

For information, Norway in a Nutshell as a day-trip from Oslo, is a nineteen hour bed-to-bed ordeal that will leave you wasted for the next day. Just about as bad to do it enroute from Oslo to Bergen, maybe worse since you have a hotel change to work in. Not a bad outing from Bergen, but that begs the question of how to get to Bergen (a neat place by the way).

Crusies get the capitals and St Pete, but I think they take more than eight days, even out of Copenhagen.

My choice would be Copenhagen, Oslo, Bergen by car. Going north through Helsingborg and Goteborg for a touch of Sweden. Coming back, there's a car ferry (probably not runnning all year) from Kristiansand to the tip of Jutland. After that, it's mabye a four or five hour drive back to Copenhagen. I'd spend the night somewhere since there's a lot to see along the way.

Additional thought on sleepeer ferry. Lots of folks use them for a mini-cruise. Parties go on in the pasageways, even in the lowly bunk room areas. Not exactly sure how one would sleep in order to go see the sights the next day

Yes, I would agree with Ed, don't spread yourself too thin. Speaking from experience, the visa process for Russia is difficult and expensive, so I would leave that for when you have more time there.

Concentrate on two or at most three areas. I would think about Copenhagen, Jutland, Oslo, and Norway in a nutshell. Finland is great, but out of your way. Estonia is the same. Russia, cumbersome and far away too. Stockholm is worth your time, consider doing Copenhagen, Jutland, and Stockholm. I like Norway better though.

While I agree that Norway is beautiful, it is not on the Baltic so it would be quite out of your way if you wanted to focus on the Baltic.

With 8 days, I'd suggest you focus on 3 cities. The easiest trip would be the route Stockholm - Helsinki - Tallinn (or Stockholm - Tallinn - Helsinki). You could easily do this on your own using the ferries. Tallink/Silja and Viking lines offer service here. Riga would also be an option out of Stockholm if you wanted to focus on the Baltic states.

I've taken several ferry trips in the Baltic region and have not had an issue with sleeping on the ferry due to noise. Party goers tend to take the cheaper ferries (e.g. Stockholm to Åland). However, you may want to avoid taking the ferry on Friday or Saturday night.

I'd do a seven day cruise out of Copenhagen. The cost of any other option is really expensive. Ferries offer flexibility but when you check the prices, you will realize a cruise (that includes room, food and transportation) works out much better.

Most of the Baltic cities are compact and can be seen reasonably well in a day. A cruise usually includes two days in St. Petersburg, a day each in Stockholm, Helsinki and Talinn, with maybe a day in another port.

Check out vacationstogo.com for prices on some cruises.

Joan, I must admit that when I read the heading of your post (...Baltic...) I didn't immediately think of the Scandinavian countries and St. Pete, Russia. So I want to suggest to you that you would find the three Baltic states--Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania--a real traveler's treat. We have done volunteer English teaching for two Summers in Lithuania and have really enjoyed learning to know the people, culture, and their recent history (less than 20 years since the Soviets left). There is good bus service connecting major cities (Eurolines), trains but not at the efficiency level of Germany and Switzerland, and there is more English spoken that you'd guess. Consider open jaw into/out of Tallinn and Vilnius.
Good luck.

Vilnius is very similar to Prague in the early 1990s, before it became packed with tourists and souvenir shops.