Are there any other brave people out there who have driven between Finland and Russia? Is it possible to rent a car in Finland and return it in Russia? Any otehr suggestions about things to see and do in that area during the summer? Thanks!

Although I do know Russians who have done this (in their own car) for many reasons concerning safety alone I cannot recommend it for a foreigner. Also, I have never heard of a rental company that allows this, and if they did the drop-off fee would be astronomical.

I am afraid it is not possible to rent in Finland and return in Russia. I am not even sure if it is possible to take a rented car to Russia, since insurance companies want a different insurance (a lot more expensive) for driving in Russia.<BR><BR>The road between Helsinki and St. Petersburg is good at least on the Finnish side, but it is quite heavily traficed because all the trucks use it, and truck trafic is very busy.<BR><BR>I suggest you drive only on the Finnish side (less accidents and car thefts, not so reckless driving), and take a train to St. Petersburg. There are two daily trains.

I drove it in the USSR days but returned the car to Helsinki. I would probably call one of the majors and ask them if their cars can be taken into Russia; many are very skittish about allowing cars into the former east bloc. My understanding is most won't. For the record, except for the Finnish towns on the Gulf, which can easily be visited as day trips from Helsinki, the drive is somewhat tedious and uninspiring except for old Vyborg, and frankly it's not worth the hassle. I'd take the train.

I have travelled to St. Petersburg from Helsinki by bus and I have to say that this route was not very picturesque, especially on the Russian side. Near the border it is just straight and wide road in the middle of a forest. Viaborg (the route of the bus passes through)is in a very bad shape and to be frank just plain ugly as are the suburbs of St. Petes. There are plenty of regions many times beautiful in Finland than the way to Russia.<BR><BR>In addition to this you have to stand in line for hours before you can cross the border. When coming back, our bus was stopped six times for passport checks. I really am not sure what was the purpose because there was not even a possibility for someone to enter the bus between the stops, perhaps these custom officers/soldiers just wanted some bribes or so. The trip from Helsinki to St. Petes takes for about 6-7 hours, so it is not even a day trip.<BR><BR>And then there is also the securiry aspect, which has already been mentioned.. <BR><BR>I would not recommed driving, go by train instead.<BR><BR>Or rent a car and drive around the Lake District in Finland instead.