helenw

On a cruise in Russia in July and thinking of taking train to Helsinki. Having trouble getting info. Anybody do it? Which train and how much? Also, good hotel in Helsinki and what to do with five days. Thanks, Helen

indytravel

I was in Scandinavia June of 2002.<BR><BR>Helsinki had a lot to see and do. The Kiasma modern art museum was good and had free internet access. The art museum has a large collection worth seeing with several paintings by Munch. See the Sebilius monument if you get a chance. It's pretty, as is the church in the rock. They have quite a few musical events scheduled in the church, try to see one if you can. The cathedral on the main square is gorgeous. It's clean Lutheran lines are quite a contrast to the over-the-top ornateness of many Roman Catholic cathedrals.<BR><BR>There's a tram (3T I think) that makes a loop around the city. Makes it easy to see and go do stuff that's a little far for walking. In the Embassy district is a small museum in what used to be the owner's house. Nice collection with pretty views. <BR><BR>You can slam-dunk through Suomolinna in a half day. It's an island about 30 minutes by boat from the city center. If you can allot a full day for the island. There's a visitors' center with overview film, a WWII submarine to tour, an artillery museum and a WWII museum. It's really pretty to walk around and see all the boats moored there. One of the areas was rebuilding an old wooden sailing vessel that was interesting to see. There are plenty of little places to stop for refreshment. The pizza in the main part of the fortress the furthest from the city dock was a very nice lunch. <BR><BR>I trained from Turku to Helsinki so I don't know about the trains to Russia.<BR><BR>I stayed at the Lord Hotel. It was a very pleasant, centrally located hotel for about 80USD per night.<BR>www.lordhotel.fi

CarolJean

Several years ago we trained from Helsinki to St Pete and return. It was a fascinating trip. We had been told to take the Finnish train (as opposed to the Russian one) and we did. I highly recommend the trip ON THE FINNISH TRAIN. As I recall, the return train got into Helsinki about 9:30 or 10 p.m. We were staying at a large hotel right across from the train station. I had fought this hotel (wanting to stay at a small hotel &quot;something Anna&quot;.) There were some folks on our train who were staying at the &quot;? anna&quot; and when we got in to Helsinki we were all tired and we were home. They had to make their way back to their hotel. I can't recall the name of the hotel, it started with an H (I think) and was probably a business hotel but served our purpose very well. It was adjacent to a shopping center, had a nice bar-restaurant on an upper floor and large rooms. Sorry for the vagueness.The bottom line is, this is a good trip (on the Finnish train.) Enjoy<BR> <BR>

jor

Be prepared in Finland to meet (if you can) the most shy people on the face of the earth.

elina

jor, I am not shy ;o) It is not really shyness, it is more like respecting other people´s personal space. It is not polite to invade that. Plus also the fact that we don´t know how to &quot;small talk&quot;. One speaks only when means 100% what s/he says. It is a cultural trait, not shyness.<BR><BR>Helen, you´ll find the train info here:<BR><BR>http://www.vr.fi/heo/eng/index.html<BR><BR>Three daily trains: one Helsinki-Moscow, and two Helsinki St. Petersburg. The Moscow train stops also in St. P.<BR><BR>Sorry, I don´t know Helsinki hotels. I have never stayed in one.

ira

Hi Helen,<BR> I think that you will find Finland to be a marvelous place.<BR><BR> Jor, elina reminds me of the old joke about the two Finns sharing a sauna which ends, &quot;Are we here for a sauna or are we here to talk?&quot;.<BR><BR>

elina

Heck, Ira. That is not quite how the joke went. It went something like this: <BR><BR>Pekka and Toivonen meet for a hefty boozing evening. And like usually, the meeting takes place in a sauna. They sit, sweat, and sip vodka at regular intervals. One hour. Two hours. Three hours. Nobody says a word. Then Toivonen opens his mouth and says: So, how are you nowadays? Pekka answers: What the hell you are blabbering? We did not come here to chat, we came here to drink.

CarolJean

Helen, The hotel we stayed in was the Vaakuna - right across from the train station. It was very convenient. We didn't have enough time in Helsinki - would like to return. Check the Vaakuna out on Fodor's hotel site. CJ