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Selecting a back up tour plan

We thought we had our travel plans for next year all sorted out and we were taking the Greece tour in April and Portugal in October. Life has other plans and my husband will probably be enrolling in classes that semester, so October may be a no-go. I would love feedback sorting out our back up plan.

We would like to transfer to another tour so we don't loose our deposit. It needs to be in the beginning to middle of August and it needs to be a shorter tour because our time off will be limited from our April trip. My first choice was Prague and Budapest, but it doesn't seem like there is an August departure. I thought of the shorter Ireland trip, but was thinking I might want to save Ireland until I can take the 14 day trip- does anyone have thoughts on the 8 vs 14 day itinerary? I don't like the heat, so we want something northern.

So my two ideas now are either Tallinn, Helsinki and St. Petersburg or the 7 day London tour. Tallinn looks right up my alley and my husband really wants to see St. Petersburg, but we are both kind of iffy on whether we would like Helsinki. We like quaint architecture, natural scenery, museums, etc. It also looks like flights from St. Petersburg may be expensive/time consuming and I am a bit concerned about the political climate (we have plans to visit Istanbul on our way to Turkey and are unsure if we will be able to because of the visa situation. Don't want to run into the same sort of problem). On the other hand, the London tour sounds lovely and we would be going at the right time of year to add on a Buckinham Palace tour and hopefully a Highclere castle visit, but it is the only place in Europe we have already been to twice. We like to see new things, but London is one of our favorite places. Any feedback on taking a tour to a city you've already been to before?

Sorry for the long, rambly question. I know this is entirely individual and personal preference, but I'd love any insight or ideas. It's a terrific problem to have, I know!

Posted by
3 posts

Is the Scotland tour too long for the time you have? We have friends who recently went to Scotland and really enjoyed it. I think there is a date that fits your time frame. We took the Tallin, Helsinki, St. Petersburg tour a few years ago. Helsinki is lovely. The guide who does many of those tours is a very special person. I hear your concerns about the current political climate....not sure if I would consider it now. The RS office will guide you through the Visa process. There is a form you fill out that is quite long. It was done online and it seems like it took us about a half day to get both of ours done. You also have to send your passports to the embassy and it takes awhile to get it back with the Visa. It is a bit of a hassle, but doable.

Posted by
610 posts

Thank you so much for your feedback. I should have specified that we've already taken the Scotland tour. We've done Scotland, GAS and Italy and will be doing Greece. It is good to know you enjoyed Helsinki. I don't know why it doesn't seem to speak to me, maybe I just don't know enough about it.

Posted by
470 posts

Tamara, the Tallinn, Helsinki, St. Petersburg tour was our very first RS tour and it got us hooked. Every aspect created priceless travel memories- our leader, our tour members, the hotels, the food, and the history and sights that were absolutely compelling. We also love London and have been there several times, but that is so easy to do on your own. Russia (at least for us) not so much. I think I can dispel some of your concerns:
1. The Visa process isn't difficult, just tedious. We got a 3-year Visa because it wasn't much more expensive. We used the company RS recommends which made it as easy as possible. The RS office gives you good instructions on the process.
2. Transportation can be easy. We didn't use St. P at all. We flew in and out of Helsinki. We stayed at the Hilton at the Helsinki airport for our recovery night. The next morning we took the ferry from Helsinki to Tallinn to meet up with the tour. Easy, inexpensive and fun. (You will get a second ferry trip during the tour when you travel from Tallinn to Helsinki.) At the end of the tour we took the high speed train (Allegro) back from St. P. to Helsinki. (The tour takes that same train to get from Helsinki to St. P so you will know how it works before you have to do it on your own.) We stayed at the Helsinki airport Hilton the night before our flight home. Sounds complicated, but it's not.
3. Tallinn is simply incredible. Architecture, history, authentic artisan shops...it is all good. If there is ANY way you can do it plan to arrive a couple of days early just to soak it all in. We didn't, and it still a deep regret for us. Estonia was a complete unknown to us, and has an incredible history. Our tour stayed at the My City hotel- modern and well located for exploring the Old Town.

4. Helsinki wasn't that remarkable to us, but we are still so glad we got to see it. The remarkable part was taking the optional boat trip out to the Suomenlinna Fortress. August should be just perfect weather. Walking along the edge of the island looking out at the sea. Unforgettable. http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/583 Our tour stayed at the Hotel Rivoli- small room but immaculate and well located.
5. St. Petersburg. Where do I begin? Every aspect was unforgettable, and it was packed with experiences, sights, history and interaction with native Russians. I think ESPECIALLY now is a good time to go, as normal citizens of every country share commonalities that supersede what their politicians might be doing. The elaborate palaces, cathedrals, the art, the music, the architecture, the people...I could go on and on. Be sure and do the optional Summer Palace trip. Should be spectacular in August, it was amazing even in May. The tour stayed at the Pushka Inn. Beautiful hotel, in a lovely neighborhood just around the corner from the Hermitage square.
We took this tour two years ago, and we still talk about what we saw and experienced. You will not regret this substitution, and it will give you a travel year with a distinct contrast of experiences. Feel free to PM me for more details about any aspect of the tour. I would love to help.
P.S. I just looked and saw that there is a Prague/Budapest tour leaving August 26,2018. That was our second RS tour, and also wonderful in every way. It doesn't end until Sept. 2 though, and you would absolutely want to add extra days on post-tour to explore Budapest. We love both these cities and are returning there for a "big" anniversary trip next year. (on our own)

Posted by
2732 posts

Having been to London multiple times we took the RS tour this past summer so our. daughter could see the city. Are we glad we did! It was like seeing it through new eyes. We sure got lucky with Tom Hooper as our guide and a great group. Don't let having been there dissuade you. We wish we had more time but had just come off the Portugal tour. Be sure and re book that one in the future, it was great. We rank it up there with our favorite which is.......wait for it.........Greece!

Posted by
610 posts

Thank you both so much for your input! Travelingmom, it really helps to have firsthand experience. I'm not really afraid of visiting Russia in a volitile political climate so much as I am afraid of an interruption to the trip if the Visa process where to be halted the way it is for Turkey right now. But most likely the chances of that are low. I do think it would be a very unique trip and probably makes the most sense for us. I will have to consider the round trip tickets to Helsinki. I will definitely add an extra day to Tallinn, it looks beautiful.

Alan I appreciate your feedback on the traveling to London on the tour. I think if we don't do London this year I would still like to take that tour in the future. We will definitely be re booking Portugal as I was very excited to visit there. The tour looks great! Glad to hear your high reviews of Greece as well. We are really looking forward to it!

Posted by
15781 posts

Heart of Italy? Paris? Paris and Heart of France (11 days)?

I ended up in Helsinki on a bad day - summer solstice so half the city was closed and most of its residents out in the country enjoying the holiday, and it drizzled rain. There was still enough to enjoy for a day. Tallinn is beautiful and St. Petersburg is outstanding. If there are visa problems RS would have to cancel the tour and then you'd presumably have months to roll the deposit forward to 2019 if necessary.

I don't know where you're flying from, but Aeroflot's fares are usually very competitive.

Posted by
1258 posts

Personally I could never spend enough time in London. I was just there for my 3rd time in June seeing some repeats and some new and it was wonderful!! There is soooo much on offer your trip can be different every time. And, with a lot of other places so close day trips are easy. And, if you want to see Buckingham and can actually go when it is open that might be worth it. Tough choice!!

Posted by
737 posts

WE just returned from the Best of London tour and thoroughly enjoyed it. Sure, you could explore London on your own but being on a tour is very helpful. No waiting in lines for museums....hotel stays included. Not sure where the group would be staying but we stayed in Mayfair, which is an extremely convenient location. Plus Mayfair hotel prices tend to be more expensive. I figure the price of the tour isn't much more than what it would cost us to do everything on our own. We love interacting with tourmates which I think adds to the experience. This was our third RS tour in as many years and I would highly recommend it! I'd be happy to converse further if you have more questions!

Posted by
308 posts

My husband and I visited Helsinki and Tallinn before taking the RS Scandinavia tour. For what it's worth, I loved Helsinki and Tallinn. I have not been to St Petersburg. I have read some of the RS tour reviews for Tallinn-Helsinki-St Petersburg and it seems that everyone's favorite of the three cities is always St Petersburg so it must be pretty amazing because I thought Helsinki and Tallinn were quite amazing!

Posted by
1124 posts

Have you considered a winter break tour, instead of August? We have had some wonderful experiences in Europe in off season in December. You couldn’t pay me to go to Europe in August when everyone else is there, all Europeans are also on vacation and questionable a/c even in hotels that have it.

Posted by
737 posts

I vote for the Best of Munich, Salzburg, and Vienna tour......similar price. Go in December before Christmas. Christmas Markets are incredible!

Posted by
610 posts

Thank you all so much for your input, though I can't say it helped narrow things down! So many great reasons to go to each place! We had considered the winter tours to visit the Christmas markets, but we are not sure we can make it work with semester breaks. We are still looking into maybe delaying classes for one more semester and keeping with our original tour, but no matter which way we go it sounds like we can't go wrong and I've added each of these to our list! Thank you!