My friend and I will be taking this tour in June. We'd be interested in hearing about other people's experiences. Also, would anyone be willing to answer by PM some questions about specifics -- the days' schedules, distances walked, getting around on your own, etc. -- especially as it relates to St. Petersburg?
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8319 posts
We took a Baltic cruise, and would especially recommend seeing the region by water. Scandinavia is deadly expensive and not on the Euro. For example, 2 burgers/fries and Cokes at TGI Fridays was $60. Coffee at the 7-11 was $4 and Cokes were more than that. The food's included on the cruise, and it's so much cheaper than traveling on the ground. We visited Warnemunde, Tallin, St. Petersburg, Oslo, Stockholm and Copenhagen before flying to Oslo and taking a train to Bergen.
We avoided the $150 approx. cost of a Russian visa by taking guided tours of St. Petersburg with an approved tour operation. We were with them 2 full days and had a fantastic time. Their small buses went through alleys and took all the short cuts--thus avoiding the lines at the big tourist sights with other travelers coming on big bus tours.
What's somewhat ironic is that St. Petersburg was the "show city" making people think that the old Russia was successful and rich when all the time it was smack dab broke. And so many people slaved in an agricultural society while the fat cats could live in style in St. Pete. Paris was like that too, and off went the heads of their aristrocracy in the French Revolution of the 1780's.
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15781 posts
If you are going to visit St. P independently, I was there in 2009 for 2 days on a cruise. I'd be happy to share my experiences. My 2 companions and I had Israeli passports, so we got free on-the-spot visas. I believe it's expensive if you have a US passport and may not be worthwhile for 2 days.
My cruise had only 6 hours docked in Tallinn (depends on the tides). We docked at 7 am and I was among the first off, walked to the old walled town and had a couple quiet hours to enjoy and take photos, then saw some of the sights, enjoyed the markets and a glass-blowing workshop. When I got back to the dock at 12.30, there were tons of stalls, mostly souvenirs.
The day in Helsinki was mid-summer's day (Friday, June 19) and a national holiday. About half the sights were closed and most of the residents had left the city for the countryside.
Posted by
Washington
470 posts
I took this tour in 2015. Feel free to PM me with any questions you have. You are going to make the memories of a lifetime on this tour.