Visa Free 72 Hour Ferry Excursion to St. Petersburg via Helsinki
Jun 9th, 2016, 04:49 PM
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Visa Free 72 Hour Ferry Excursion to St. Petersburg via Helsinki
I recently visited St. Petersburg for two nights via the St. Peter Line ferry from Helsinki to St. Petersburg and back. Normally, Americans require a visa to visit Russia, and getting a Russian visa involves some hassle and expense - e.g. filling out applications, sending your passport to the Russian consulate, and a few hundred dollars in fees. But Russia makes an exception for visitors who arrive by boat: they can visit for up to 72 hours without a visa - "visa free." This is ideal for cruise passengers who are visiting multiple cities and might stop for a night or two in St. Petersburg. But you are allowed to visit this way by ferry, too. The St. Peter Line seems to be the only ferry line offering this kind of trip.
The ferry is about a thirteen hour overnight trip to St. Petersburg one way, either from Helsinki or Tallinn. It gets you into St. Petersburg in the morning; you can stay up to two nights in St. Petersburg on your own, at your own lodging, then you must leave by ferry again at the end of the third day. (You can't depart by plane or train - you must depart by ferry the same way you arrived.) However, the ferries don't run every day - maybe four or five days a week. So if you want the full three days (not really 72 hours - more like 60 hours), you have to check the ferry schedules and pick arrival and departure dates that give you two nights in St. Petersburg. (You can go for less than two nights if you wish - but would it be worth it?) For example I found that June 1 departure, arrive June 2 (stay nights of June 2 and 3 in St. Petersburg) and a June 4th return to Helsinki (back in Helsinki morning of June 5) worked with my schedule; other adjacent dates did not, so I had to play with my whole itinerary to fit it in.
I was in Tallinn before going to St. Petersburg. Although there is a ferry directly from Tallinn to St. Petersburg, the schedule did not work to give me the full almost-three-days in St. Peterburg unless I departed from / returned to Helsinki. So I had to take a shorter ferry from Tallinn to Helsinki and then get on the St. Peter Line the same day to St. Petersburg.
(If like me you arrive by ferry in Helsinki from Tallinn, note that the various ferry lines serving Tallinn to Helsinki use different ferry terminals in Helsinki. The St. Peter Line uses Helsinki's west terminal, which is nowhere near the center of Helsinki, but it is also the same terminal used by two ferries from Tallinn: Eckerö Line and Tallink. If you arrive from Tallinn by either one of these ferry lines, you can walk right to St. Peter check-in without even leaving the building. If you arrive by Viking or another ferry line, you will have to get from that terminal to the west terminal - there is a tram connection that would work but of course it is more hassle. Conversely, if you arrive in Helsinki with a few hours to kill before the St. Peter Line departs, you can store your bags in a locker at the ferry terminal and take the short tram ride into the center of Helsinki, because otherwise there isn't much around west terminal - currently a big construction site - other than some fast food options.)
You may wonder whether it's worth getting the Russian visa and doing a longer trip (e.g. adding Moscow, etc.) The "visa free" option makes more sense if you plan a trip that includes Tallin or Scandinavia and can work in the detour to St. Petersburg - that's what I did. I started in Vilnius, Lithuania and worked my way up north through Latvia and Estonia and then took the short ferry to Helsinki; afterward I flew back to Amsterdam from Helsinki (don't expect cheap flights into/out of Helsinki; Tallinn might be a lot cheaper to fly into/out of but less convenient). The St. Peter Line also goes to/from Stockholm if you fancy a longer ferry trip. Whether or not you want a longer stay in Russia depends on your interests, of course.
The ferry is about a thirteen hour overnight trip to St. Petersburg one way, either from Helsinki or Tallinn. It gets you into St. Petersburg in the morning; you can stay up to two nights in St. Petersburg on your own, at your own lodging, then you must leave by ferry again at the end of the third day. (You can't depart by plane or train - you must depart by ferry the same way you arrived.) However, the ferries don't run every day - maybe four or five days a week. So if you want the full three days (not really 72 hours - more like 60 hours), you have to check the ferry schedules and pick arrival and departure dates that give you two nights in St. Petersburg. (You can go for less than two nights if you wish - but would it be worth it?) For example I found that June 1 departure, arrive June 2 (stay nights of June 2 and 3 in St. Petersburg) and a June 4th return to Helsinki (back in Helsinki morning of June 5) worked with my schedule; other adjacent dates did not, so I had to play with my whole itinerary to fit it in.
I was in Tallinn before going to St. Petersburg. Although there is a ferry directly from Tallinn to St. Petersburg, the schedule did not work to give me the full almost-three-days in St. Peterburg unless I departed from / returned to Helsinki. So I had to take a shorter ferry from Tallinn to Helsinki and then get on the St. Peter Line the same day to St. Petersburg.
(If like me you arrive by ferry in Helsinki from Tallinn, note that the various ferry lines serving Tallinn to Helsinki use different ferry terminals in Helsinki. The St. Peter Line uses Helsinki's west terminal, which is nowhere near the center of Helsinki, but it is also the same terminal used by two ferries from Tallinn: Eckerö Line and Tallink. If you arrive from Tallinn by either one of these ferry lines, you can walk right to St. Peter check-in without even leaving the building. If you arrive by Viking or another ferry line, you will have to get from that terminal to the west terminal - there is a tram connection that would work but of course it is more hassle. Conversely, if you arrive in Helsinki with a few hours to kill before the St. Peter Line departs, you can store your bags in a locker at the ferry terminal and take the short tram ride into the center of Helsinki, because otherwise there isn't much around west terminal - currently a big construction site - other than some fast food options.)
You may wonder whether it's worth getting the Russian visa and doing a longer trip (e.g. adding Moscow, etc.) The "visa free" option makes more sense if you plan a trip that includes Tallin or Scandinavia and can work in the detour to St. Petersburg - that's what I did. I started in Vilnius, Lithuania and worked my way up north through Latvia and Estonia and then took the short ferry to Helsinki; afterward I flew back to Amsterdam from Helsinki (don't expect cheap flights into/out of Helsinki; Tallinn might be a lot cheaper to fly into/out of but less convenient). The St. Peter Line also goes to/from Stockholm if you fancy a longer ferry trip. Whether or not you want a longer stay in Russia depends on your interests, of course.
Jun 9th, 2016, 04:50 PM
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<b>How to Book</b>
You can book the St. Peter Line ferry tickets yourself directly on their website. (www.stpeterline.com then choose "English" from the menu top right). It looks slightly confusing at first, but it turned out to be very easy. First of all: unless you want to stay only one day (not overnight) in St. Petersburg, you are booking a "Ferry Trip" not a "Cruise" on their website. (So click on the "Ferry Trip" tab when booking to get started.) You can book it round trip - and you can choose a discount for round trip travel at the end, not chosen automatically for some reason, but you simply need to click on that before you pay.
FYI, when you book on the St. Peter website, you can't book for more than 72 hours unless you provide a visa number. As there is no "visa number" for the 72 hour "visa free" visit, leave the visa number blank on their website when making the reservation. You can take the ferry even if you have a visa and that will remove some of the restrictions.
There are two different ferry ships of the St. Peter Line (Princess Maria and Princess Anastasia) that sail into St. Petersburg, and they don't arrive/depart every day. I was on the Princess Maria both ways; I didn't care which one I was on, only about the sailing dates that fit my schedule. The Princess Maria was a fairly old ship that seems to have been partly refurbished, but my room, though clean and comfortable (and tiny) seemed very dated, with old 1970s-era radio knobs on one console.
Besides the ferry passage and room, you also need to book a "City Bus Tour" - which is nothing more than a simple shuttle van from the ferry terminal into the center of St. Petersburg, like a hotel shuttle to the airport or something, but the shuttle bus "tour" satisfies some technical requirement in the "visa free" law that allows you to make this trip. No one actually kept track of who boarded either of my shuttle vans, but you still have to pay for the "tour," only 25 Euros total. The "tour" gets added to your reservation automatically, so you don't have to worry about forgetting to book it. Just book the cabins on the dates you want and the City Bus Tour will be added for you. You pay once at the end for everything on the St. Peter website and that's it.
Once you get off the 15 minute shuttle bus in St. Petersburg (probably at St. Issac's Square, in the center, the last stop), you are on your own completely for the rest of your visit. You can leave nothing on the ferry (unless you booked the single day "cruise", not what I did) - it may be a different ship going back anyway. You stay in your own lodging as you would when visiting any other city. The shuttle bus has scheduled times to take you back to the ferry terminal at the end of your trip.
You don't need to book anything else besides your cabin (and the automatic "City Bus Tour") when booking your ferry passage on their website - hotels, meals, etc. are completely optional. I didn't book anything else besides the cabin and the "City Bus Tour." You can book the hotel completely on your own, and you don't need to pay for any meals ahead of time. There are restaurants and snack bars on the ship; you can just eat what you want. I ordered pizza at the Italian restaurant on board - only about 8 Euros total for a whole pizza (for one person) and a soda. Booking the buffet dinner was something like 27 Euros - not something I wanted myself, but you might. You can just bring your own food and snacks and not buy anything on board at all.
I also booked my hotel on Booking.com. I stayed at a modest place called The Library, next to the W hotel, very close to where the shuttle bus drops you / picks you up at St. Issac's square in St. Petersburg. This was a fantastic location close to the Hermitage and Nevsky Prospect. This hotel did not even contact me after I booked or before I arrived; some places you book may contact you asking about a visa or invitation letter. (Just tell them it's a visa free visit via ship - there is no visa at all.) I have heard of people using AirBnB too. The thing is, though: you MUST provide a printed copy of the hotel or lodging reservation to the St. Peter Line in Helsinki (or Tallinn) when you first check in before boarding the ferry. All you need is a printed piece of paper of the hotel reservation you made - no special proof of payment or anything. (This is a requirement only for the St. Peter Line, not for Russian immigration.) Just make the hotel reservation like you would for any other city in Europe, then print it out and take it with you before St. Peter check in. When I checked in in Helsinki for the ferry, I presented my passport, the printed copy of my Booking.com reservation, and a copy of my St. Peter Line website booking showing the confirmation number- that's all. Completely routine.
When you check in with the St. Peter Line in Helsinki or Tallinn, the agent gives you a paper boarding card with a bar code - you show this to get on the ferry; it also works as your room key. They also give you an arrival card and a departure card that you must keep. Russian passport control in St. Petersburg needs to see the boarding card as well as your arrival card when you get there; when leaving St. Petersburg they need to see your departure card plus your new boarding card (which you get when you check in in St. Petersburg to go back). (Russian passport control will give you a migration document when you arrive, just a piece of paper that fits inside your passport, that you also MUST keep and give back to them when you leave!) My hotel also wanted a copy of the boarding card for their records, along with making a copy of my passport. I took pictures of all of these papers and cards just in case I lost something - not sure if it would have helped but better than not having pictures of them!
I traveled alone and booked the cheapest private cabin (B2) I could. It cost only 99 Euros round trip (plus 25 Euros for the required shuttle bus "tour"). My cabin was tiny with two single beds and tiny bathroom, but it was all private. (This wasn't quite clear on the website - I kept thinking about shared train compartments, that I might be booking just one bed and sharing a cabin with someone, but my cabin was completely private.) The cabin was clean but modest and obviously old. There were knobs for an old radio between the beds - looked like something about of the 1970's. Otherwise, the ship seemed modern especially in the public areas.
My ferry, the Princess Maria, seemed huge: eight decks, with stairs and elevators, like a cruise ship. You can go outside (if the weather is good) on deck 8 (there's a "sky bar" on top of deck 8, too). As noted above, there are several restaurants where you can buy food just like any other restaurant (with credit cards or with Euros or Rubles).
St. Petersburg is nice, but it's huge: very touristy too. Few people speak any English, but the people at your hotel might (a few at my hotel spoke just a little; some spoke no English at all). Many restaurant menus and words are in Latin (Roman) alphabet as well as Cyrillic. I used my phone's Google Translate app a few times to translate text I was looking at (signs, water bottles, etc.). Sadly, I never got to ride the St. Petersburg subways (I hear the stations themselves are beautiful), but I did use the bus numerous times (very easy: pay 30 Rubles per ride to a conductor or to the driver once you get on; they will make change). If you use a map app like Google Maps on your smart phone, it will tell you exactly how to get to any place in town, by walking and/or by bus or tram (or subway I guess), so that makes navigating the bus system very easy. St. Petersburg is walk-able to a point - you can stay close to the center and the museums and easily walk among them without any public transportation, but the city is spread out so if you want to go beyond that small area consider public transit.
I liked St. Petersburg - very pretty at night when everything is lit up! - but would have needed a week to get a great feel for it; without that, two nights was plenty to get a taste. I enjoyed my visits to the Baltic states too and was happy with my small taste of Russia. But my Vilnius, Riga, Tallinn, St. Petersburg itinerary is one you might consider.
You can book the St. Peter Line ferry tickets yourself directly on their website. (www.stpeterline.com then choose "English" from the menu top right). It looks slightly confusing at first, but it turned out to be very easy. First of all: unless you want to stay only one day (not overnight) in St. Petersburg, you are booking a "Ferry Trip" not a "Cruise" on their website. (So click on the "Ferry Trip" tab when booking to get started.) You can book it round trip - and you can choose a discount for round trip travel at the end, not chosen automatically for some reason, but you simply need to click on that before you pay.
FYI, when you book on the St. Peter website, you can't book for more than 72 hours unless you provide a visa number. As there is no "visa number" for the 72 hour "visa free" visit, leave the visa number blank on their website when making the reservation. You can take the ferry even if you have a visa and that will remove some of the restrictions.
There are two different ferry ships of the St. Peter Line (Princess Maria and Princess Anastasia) that sail into St. Petersburg, and they don't arrive/depart every day. I was on the Princess Maria both ways; I didn't care which one I was on, only about the sailing dates that fit my schedule. The Princess Maria was a fairly old ship that seems to have been partly refurbished, but my room, though clean and comfortable (and tiny) seemed very dated, with old 1970s-era radio knobs on one console.
Besides the ferry passage and room, you also need to book a "City Bus Tour" - which is nothing more than a simple shuttle van from the ferry terminal into the center of St. Petersburg, like a hotel shuttle to the airport or something, but the shuttle bus "tour" satisfies some technical requirement in the "visa free" law that allows you to make this trip. No one actually kept track of who boarded either of my shuttle vans, but you still have to pay for the "tour," only 25 Euros total. The "tour" gets added to your reservation automatically, so you don't have to worry about forgetting to book it. Just book the cabins on the dates you want and the City Bus Tour will be added for you. You pay once at the end for everything on the St. Peter website and that's it.
Once you get off the 15 minute shuttle bus in St. Petersburg (probably at St. Issac's Square, in the center, the last stop), you are on your own completely for the rest of your visit. You can leave nothing on the ferry (unless you booked the single day "cruise", not what I did) - it may be a different ship going back anyway. You stay in your own lodging as you would when visiting any other city. The shuttle bus has scheduled times to take you back to the ferry terminal at the end of your trip.
You don't need to book anything else besides your cabin (and the automatic "City Bus Tour") when booking your ferry passage on their website - hotels, meals, etc. are completely optional. I didn't book anything else besides the cabin and the "City Bus Tour." You can book the hotel completely on your own, and you don't need to pay for any meals ahead of time. There are restaurants and snack bars on the ship; you can just eat what you want. I ordered pizza at the Italian restaurant on board - only about 8 Euros total for a whole pizza (for one person) and a soda. Booking the buffet dinner was something like 27 Euros - not something I wanted myself, but you might. You can just bring your own food and snacks and not buy anything on board at all.
I also booked my hotel on Booking.com. I stayed at a modest place called The Library, next to the W hotel, very close to where the shuttle bus drops you / picks you up at St. Issac's square in St. Petersburg. This was a fantastic location close to the Hermitage and Nevsky Prospect. This hotel did not even contact me after I booked or before I arrived; some places you book may contact you asking about a visa or invitation letter. (Just tell them it's a visa free visit via ship - there is no visa at all.) I have heard of people using AirBnB too. The thing is, though: you MUST provide a printed copy of the hotel or lodging reservation to the St. Peter Line in Helsinki (or Tallinn) when you first check in before boarding the ferry. All you need is a printed piece of paper of the hotel reservation you made - no special proof of payment or anything. (This is a requirement only for the St. Peter Line, not for Russian immigration.) Just make the hotel reservation like you would for any other city in Europe, then print it out and take it with you before St. Peter check in. When I checked in in Helsinki for the ferry, I presented my passport, the printed copy of my Booking.com reservation, and a copy of my St. Peter Line website booking showing the confirmation number- that's all. Completely routine.
When you check in with the St. Peter Line in Helsinki or Tallinn, the agent gives you a paper boarding card with a bar code - you show this to get on the ferry; it also works as your room key. They also give you an arrival card and a departure card that you must keep. Russian passport control in St. Petersburg needs to see the boarding card as well as your arrival card when you get there; when leaving St. Petersburg they need to see your departure card plus your new boarding card (which you get when you check in in St. Petersburg to go back). (Russian passport control will give you a migration document when you arrive, just a piece of paper that fits inside your passport, that you also MUST keep and give back to them when you leave!) My hotel also wanted a copy of the boarding card for their records, along with making a copy of my passport. I took pictures of all of these papers and cards just in case I lost something - not sure if it would have helped but better than not having pictures of them!
I traveled alone and booked the cheapest private cabin (B2) I could. It cost only 99 Euros round trip (plus 25 Euros for the required shuttle bus "tour"). My cabin was tiny with two single beds and tiny bathroom, but it was all private. (This wasn't quite clear on the website - I kept thinking about shared train compartments, that I might be booking just one bed and sharing a cabin with someone, but my cabin was completely private.) The cabin was clean but modest and obviously old. There were knobs for an old radio between the beds - looked like something about of the 1970's. Otherwise, the ship seemed modern especially in the public areas.
My ferry, the Princess Maria, seemed huge: eight decks, with stairs and elevators, like a cruise ship. You can go outside (if the weather is good) on deck 8 (there's a "sky bar" on top of deck 8, too). As noted above, there are several restaurants where you can buy food just like any other restaurant (with credit cards or with Euros or Rubles).
St. Petersburg is nice, but it's huge: very touristy too. Few people speak any English, but the people at your hotel might (a few at my hotel spoke just a little; some spoke no English at all). Many restaurant menus and words are in Latin (Roman) alphabet as well as Cyrillic. I used my phone's Google Translate app a few times to translate text I was looking at (signs, water bottles, etc.). Sadly, I never got to ride the St. Petersburg subways (I hear the stations themselves are beautiful), but I did use the bus numerous times (very easy: pay 30 Rubles per ride to a conductor or to the driver once you get on; they will make change). If you use a map app like Google Maps on your smart phone, it will tell you exactly how to get to any place in town, by walking and/or by bus or tram (or subway I guess), so that makes navigating the bus system very easy. St. Petersburg is walk-able to a point - you can stay close to the center and the museums and easily walk among them without any public transportation, but the city is spread out so if you want to go beyond that small area consider public transit.
I liked St. Petersburg - very pretty at night when everything is lit up! - but would have needed a week to get a great feel for it; without that, two nights was plenty to get a taste. I enjoyed my visits to the Baltic states too and was happy with my small taste of Russia. But my Vilnius, Riga, Tallinn, St. Petersburg itinerary is one you might consider.
Jul 3rd, 2016, 02:45 AM
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Hi Andrew. Looks like great St Petersburg info but I skipped that for now as I'm not going there this trip. But I am going to Helsinki. You have already helped by pointing out where the Tallink ferry docks (which I had not focused on, so thanks, you probably just saved me a lot of angst). Did you take the tram (just googled it and it looks like tram 9) into the center. Not walkable? Google says 3km so was wondering if it might be a pleasant walk, no?
What else did you do in Helsinki. I am going on a day trip from Tallinn tomorrow and have from 12:30 to 19:30 (but that includes getting on and off the ship which I assume takes a while). Did you go to the Suomenlinna Islands? Any advice on what to see?
Have you posted your Tallinn, Riga, Vilinus report yet. I searched but couldn't find it.
Thanks
What else did you do in Helsinki. I am going on a day trip from Tallinn tomorrow and have from 12:30 to 19:30 (but that includes getting on and off the ship which I assume takes a while). Did you go to the Suomenlinna Islands? Any advice on what to see?
Have you posted your Tallinn, Riga, Vilinus report yet. I searched but couldn't find it.
Thanks
Jul 3rd, 2016, 08:37 AM
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Hi Isabel. Still working on my main trip report - but the pictures that go with it will take even longer!
Yes, it is tram #9 to get you into the center of Helsinki. Don't bother walking. Buy a day pass from the machine that's right outside the ferry terminal. If you have a chipped visa credit card, it should work in the machine - my card did (I used a card that has no PIN and none was requested). The day pass works not only for the trams but for the HSL ferry out to Suomenlinna, which I did visit and is worth doing. You can buy single tickets on the tram for a small surcharge from the driver, but if you ride the tram twice and the ferry twice, the day pass is going to be cheaper.
I spent only part of my last day in Helsinki but didn't do much besides putter around the town center and the market square by the waterfront, from which you take the ferry out to Suomenlinna. There are surely museums in Helsinki but I wasn't interested in them. Otherwise, Helsinki was a pleasant town to walk around but not the "charming old town" Tallinn is.
Yes, it is tram #9 to get you into the center of Helsinki. Don't bother walking. Buy a day pass from the machine that's right outside the ferry terminal. If you have a chipped visa credit card, it should work in the machine - my card did (I used a card that has no PIN and none was requested). The day pass works not only for the trams but for the HSL ferry out to Suomenlinna, which I did visit and is worth doing. You can buy single tickets on the tram for a small surcharge from the driver, but if you ride the tram twice and the ferry twice, the day pass is going to be cheaper.
I spent only part of my last day in Helsinki but didn't do much besides putter around the town center and the market square by the waterfront, from which you take the ferry out to Suomenlinna. There are surely museums in Helsinki but I wasn't interested in them. Otherwise, Helsinki was a pleasant town to walk around but not the "charming old town" Tallinn is.
Jan 8th, 2017, 07:37 AM
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Hi Andrew,
Thank you so much for the informative report. We are heading back to SPB for the second time. We chose the less expensive option of ferrying into the city because we do not have time to take the longer cruise.
I have a few questions for you if you do not mind. First during the 72 hours, is it allowed to visit on your own another city, for example Moscow? I think express train will be a nice transportation option between the two cities. I wonder whether they will check visa. Second, how do you get Rubles? Does US bank card work?
Best wishes,
John
Thank you so much for the informative report. We are heading back to SPB for the second time. We chose the less expensive option of ferrying into the city because we do not have time to take the longer cruise.
I have a few questions for you if you do not mind. First during the 72 hours, is it allowed to visit on your own another city, for example Moscow? I think express train will be a nice transportation option between the two cities. I wonder whether they will check visa. Second, how do you get Rubles? Does US bank card work?
Best wishes,
John
Jan 8th, 2017, 09:17 AM
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Thanks, everyone. I also posted a much longer report about my whole trip including St. Petersburg not just the ferry:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-amsterdam.cfm
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-amsterdam.cfm
Jan 8th, 2017, 09:17 AM
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hx88: <i>I have a few questions for you if you do not mind. First during the 72 hours, is it allowed to visit on your own another city, for example Moscow? I think express train will be a nice transportation option between the two cities. I wonder whether they will check visa. Second, how do you get Rubles? Does US bank card work? </i>
Yes, I got Rubles easily using my ATM card.
I'm not sure about the train to Moscow. I have read about people talking about doing that - there's a long Trip Advisor thread about the 72 hour visa-free trip where many people have commented. There are a few Russians on the thread. You could ask there.
In theory, you should be able to do it, as long as you get back to St. Petersburg in time to leave within that 72 hours. You do get a transit document (what passes for a 72 hour visa but not really the same thing) at passport control when you enter St. Petersburg, so in theory you would show that. I actually thought about a quick visit to Moscow myself for half a second, til I realized how much time that would eat up for me on a very tight schedule already, having never been even to St. Petersburg.
The one limitation might be that you won't be able to spend a night in Moscow. First, you need to show the St. Peter Line agent proof of a hotel confirmation when you check in for the ferry, and they'll be expecting to see one for St. Petersburg. Granted, all I had to show was a print-out of my Booking.com reservation - something they didn't check beyond a quick glance, something I could have canceled the minute after I printed it. (But of course, I didn't know that.) But the other issue is that hotels in Moscow might not allow you to check in without a visa. Hotels in St. Petersburg may want a visa, too but should be aware of the 72 hour option and the transit document instead of the visa. A hotel clerk in Moscow may have no idea. So - if you really wanted to go to Moscow on this brief journey, I'd plan on a very long day trip from St. Petersburg at best.
Yes, I got Rubles easily using my ATM card.
I'm not sure about the train to Moscow. I have read about people talking about doing that - there's a long Trip Advisor thread about the 72 hour visa-free trip where many people have commented. There are a few Russians on the thread. You could ask there.
In theory, you should be able to do it, as long as you get back to St. Petersburg in time to leave within that 72 hours. You do get a transit document (what passes for a 72 hour visa but not really the same thing) at passport control when you enter St. Petersburg, so in theory you would show that. I actually thought about a quick visit to Moscow myself for half a second, til I realized how much time that would eat up for me on a very tight schedule already, having never been even to St. Petersburg.
The one limitation might be that you won't be able to spend a night in Moscow. First, you need to show the St. Peter Line agent proof of a hotel confirmation when you check in for the ferry, and they'll be expecting to see one for St. Petersburg. Granted, all I had to show was a print-out of my Booking.com reservation - something they didn't check beyond a quick glance, something I could have canceled the minute after I printed it. (But of course, I didn't know that.) But the other issue is that hotels in Moscow might not allow you to check in without a visa. Hotels in St. Petersburg may want a visa, too but should be aware of the 72 hour option and the transit document instead of the visa. A hotel clerk in Moscow may have no idea. So - if you really wanted to go to Moscow on this brief journey, I'd plan on a very long day trip from St. Petersburg at best.
Jan 8th, 2017, 09:36 AM
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Hi Andrew,
Thank you very much for your quick responses! I truly enjoyed reading your detail trip reports and vivid photos and peaceful night shots!
This will be our second time visiting SPB but it is the first for my son who could not join us for a Baltic cruise in 2015. So we still need to spend a good amount of time inside SPB.
My thought is to take an early express train into Moscow and return SPB in the late evening or even overnight on the train. Thus I hope hotel accommodation will not be a problem.
There are many threads on TA about visiting Russia visa free. But I have not come across one talking about visa free to Moscow from SPB. Do you happen to have a link?
Best regards,
John
Thank you very much for your quick responses! I truly enjoyed reading your detail trip reports and vivid photos and peaceful night shots!
This will be our second time visiting SPB but it is the first for my son who could not join us for a Baltic cruise in 2015. So we still need to spend a good amount of time inside SPB.
My thought is to take an early express train into Moscow and return SPB in the late evening or even overnight on the train. Thus I hope hotel accommodation will not be a problem.
There are many threads on TA about visiting Russia visa free. But I have not come across one talking about visa free to Moscow from SPB. Do you happen to have a link?
Best regards,
John
Jan 8th, 2017, 09:42 AM
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Sorry, I don't have a link, John. I'm guessing I could find some mention with googling or searching on TA. It should be easy to find the master thread there that's been going a few years and probably still active. Just post at the end with this question - someone will probably respond.
Jan 8th, 2017, 09:58 AM
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One more question, Andrew. You mentioned you took the next-to-last 4:45 pm bus back to SPB terminal. When would the last bus depart? What would happen if there are more people than seats for the last bus? Thanks!
Jan 8th, 2017, 10:04 AM
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There's actually not one "bus" - there are numerous little shuttle vans. When one fills up, it leaves and people arriving hop on the next one. They seemed to have plenty of vans. Ours left when it filled up, even before the scheduled time.
At worst, if you missed the last shuttle van, you would have to take a taxi. I wouldn't want to cut it that close, however.
At worst, if you missed the last shuttle van, you would have to take a taxi. I wouldn't want to cut it that close, however.
Jan 8th, 2017, 10:18 AM
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Thanks Andrew!
Bad news (for me). St Peter Line will only have one ferry servicing in 2017 per https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopi..._District.html.
Not possible to stay three days in SPB anymore. Moscow has to be off the plan.
You were lucky did the tour in 2016!
Bad news (for me). St Peter Line will only have one ferry servicing in 2017 per https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopi..._District.html.
Not possible to stay three days in SPB anymore. Moscow has to be off the plan.
You were lucky did the tour in 2016!
Jan 8th, 2017, 10:28 AM
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Gosh, that's really a shame!
You do still have the option to get Russian visas, of course. It sounds pretty easy if you do it through an agency and with some planning (a friend of mine did it last spring without a hitch) - you send them your passport and some forms, and they send it back to you with your visa. And you have to do this within 90 days of first arrival in Russia, I think, so you would have to have details of your trip nailed down early. (I tend to change my itinerary near the last minute.)
The problem is the expense per visa. But on the other hand, the Ruble is so weak now compared to the USD that you would save money on a visit now vs. say 3-4 years ago. So that is some compensation.
You could still take the ferry one way. Then you could train to Moscow and fly out, I guess.
But it looks like my trip report is now obsolete.
You do still have the option to get Russian visas, of course. It sounds pretty easy if you do it through an agency and with some planning (a friend of mine did it last spring without a hitch) - you send them your passport and some forms, and they send it back to you with your visa. And you have to do this within 90 days of first arrival in Russia, I think, so you would have to have details of your trip nailed down early. (I tend to change my itinerary near the last minute.)
The problem is the expense per visa. But on the other hand, the Ruble is so weak now compared to the USD that you would save money on a visit now vs. say 3-4 years ago. So that is some compensation.
You could still take the ferry one way. Then you could train to Moscow and fly out, I guess.
But it looks like my trip report is now obsolete.
Jan 8th, 2017, 10:37 AM
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Thanks for the tips on visa. Your guides are still helpful. Two days might be enough for most non-photographers for a quick taste of SPB. We did that with a tour company in 2015.
St Peter line intends to up sell their services. They could still surprise us. But per the tentative schedule, the longest stay is to take a ferry from HEL on Wed and arrive in SPB Thursday morning. Leave SPB Friday evening and arrive in HEL Saturday morning.
St Peter line intends to up sell their services. They could still surprise us. But per the tentative schedule, the longest stay is to take a ferry from HEL on Wed and arrive in SPB Thursday morning. Leave SPB Friday evening and arrive in HEL Saturday morning.
Feb 12th, 2017, 12:07 AM
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Thanks for your detailed report. It helps a lot.
Yes, St.Peter Line opens again. I just booked the ferry trip: https://stpeterline.com/visa-free-rule
Yes, St.Peter Line opens again. I just booked the ferry trip: https://stpeterline.com/visa-free-rule
Feb 12th, 2017, 11:56 AM
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Thanks for the update. Did you book a visa-free trip? The St. Peter Line (new owner is Moby) won't allow you to book anything over the 72 hour limit unless you provide them with a visa number, I guess.
But it looks like the new scheduling (just one ferry instead of two as before) - if I am understanding this correctly - requires you to stay on the ferry for hours after it arrives in St. Petersburg in the morning before you can disembark - and required you to get back on many hours before it departs the final day.
This is different from the old procedure; last year, we arrived at 8AM and got off immediately and after two nights, on the third day we boarded late afternoon and departed for Helsinki soon after. But now it looks like, if you have no visa, you must stay on the ferry for another six hours after it arrives in SPB and wait until after 14:00 to get off. And after spending three nights in SPB, you must get on the ferry the 4th day by 13:30 and then wait another 4-6 hours before the ferry departs SPB.
I guess this is good and bad: you can now stay three nights in SPB instead of only two without a visa - but you also have to pay for three nights of hotel instead of two. And there is a lot of extra waiting at arrival and departure. Technically you will get more time in SPB than before - almost the full 72 hours - but the extra time compared to last year is the third night when most people would be sleeping.
At least the ferry has restaurants and bars and decks while you wait, but I imagine that might be rather frustrating. It might be worth the extra money just to get a visa.
But it looks like the new scheduling (just one ferry instead of two as before) - if I am understanding this correctly - requires you to stay on the ferry for hours after it arrives in St. Petersburg in the morning before you can disembark - and required you to get back on many hours before it departs the final day.
This is different from the old procedure; last year, we arrived at 8AM and got off immediately and after two nights, on the third day we boarded late afternoon and departed for Helsinki soon after. But now it looks like, if you have no visa, you must stay on the ferry for another six hours after it arrives in SPB and wait until after 14:00 to get off. And after spending three nights in SPB, you must get on the ferry the 4th day by 13:30 and then wait another 4-6 hours before the ferry departs SPB.
I guess this is good and bad: you can now stay three nights in SPB instead of only two without a visa - but you also have to pay for three nights of hotel instead of two. And there is a lot of extra waiting at arrival and departure. Technically you will get more time in SPB than before - almost the full 72 hours - but the extra time compared to last year is the third night when most people would be sleeping.
At least the ferry has restaurants and bars and decks while you wait, but I imagine that might be rather frustrating. It might be worth the extra money just to get a visa.
