Scandanavia and Russia Travel--Need Help
 

My wife and I and another active senior couple are planning a trip to Finland, Norway,and Russia next year, probably in the summer. We are flexible. We have 3 weeks to spend total. We would appreciate some advice on cruise travel vs. auto travel or other and self plan vs. tour. We do not want bargain or luxury just comfort. <BR><BR>We want to visit St. Petersburg and Moscow after visiting Finland and Norway. <BR><BR>Generally, we plan our own trips but this looks like a real challenge and perhaps a tour operator could best put together our Russian itinerary. Our first impression was to cruise but after reading some comments about Finland perhaps we should rent a car and do our own except in Russia. <BR><BR>Please share your experiences. Thanks.<BR>Gary

Gary: I guess you would call this topping, as my wife and I (not necessarily senior, but no spring chicken either) are planning next summer's European trip, and our short list now includes this area: Scandanavia, Tallin, St Pete, and maybe Moscow. I have been to my travel agent, and collected several cruise brochures, not really intending to take a formal cruise, but just to see what the hot spots are. I have purchased the Michelin Green Guide on Scandanavia and will read details of each potential stop. I've probably ruled out a car, as we only have two weeks, as opposed to your three. But there are a couple areas I would love to drive. Any way, boat seems to be the best and sometime the only way to go up there.<BR>My feeling now is that I will use Michelin, the Fodor's guide, my brochures, and this forum to plan my city stops and hotels. I may rely on my TA for the St Pete - Moscow part. It appears Tallin can be easily visited from Helsinki.<BR>Its fun planning this stuff, isn't it.

Bill,<BR>Thanks for the info. Hope your trip goes well. There is a lot of information on this travel talk page for each country. We are just starting to look at our itinerary. Hope someone tells us the most important thing to do first.<BR>Gary

Lonely planet has a really good Russia &amp; the Baltics, as well as northern Europe travel page (www.thorntree.com I think). In Russia, you can travel by yourself. Just book your hotels before you get there. St. Pete's is a terrific place, as is Moscow. I would say 6-7 days total to give the place justice. If you plan it, you can be there during hte White Nights festival ... don't know when that is, but it is during the summer. Also visit Peterhof (Peter's palace outside St. P) and Catherine's Palace in Pushkin.

The hotel situation in St. Petersburg from 15 May-25 June will be grim, rate and availability wise (because of the 300th Anniversary). <BR><BR>As a start plan (assuming you are coming from USA) to fly in to Helsinki, and fly into Petersburg and back from Moscow (or reverse) to Helsinki.

As Marc David Miller said, hotel situation in St Petersburg is going to be grim next summer. I have heard that it is hopeless already now to find a room. Seems like it will be a really huge party... I suggest that you try some travel agent for Russia, maybe they can find a hotel with vacancies. For example a Finnish travel agency Finnsov has arranged trips to Russia (and Sovietunion, as you can see from the the company name) something like 30 years. They are really experts, and there are also many others here in Finland. Check www.finnsov.fi<BR><BR>I would not take a car to Russia. And it is not necessary in Finland, because public transportation is frequent, comfortable and reliable. But it is NICE to drive smaller roads, experience the countryside, stop when you feel like it and stay as long as you like. That is why I would rent a car.<BR><BR>I don´t know if you fancy countryside, but last summer I found from central and eastern Finland some charming old countryhouses turned into small inns with just four or five rooms. Nothing fancy, but comfortable and with atmosphere. I had nothing reserved, I just walked in and got a room.<BR><BR>There are also roads with a &quot;theme&quot;: &quot;King´s road&quot; is the ancient postal route that linked western Finnish Turku with St Petersburg. &quot;Archipelago Ring Road&quot; takes you from island to island (between islands there are ferries that take cars) in Turku archipelago. &quot;Cultural Road of Green Gold&quot; takes you through small roads in the &quot;lake land&quot;. there the road sometimes ends at a lake shore, then you just push a button, and a ferry comes and takes you and your car over for free. <BR><BR>For Finland there are many good web sites, for example:<BR><BR>http://www.finlandforyou.com/<BR><BR>and<BR><BR>http://virtual.finland.fi/

And for Bill: Yes, Tallinn is very easily visited from Helsinki. In the summertime there are almost 40 ferries/catamarans/hydrofoils that take you over in 1 to 4 hours. Also once an hour helicopter that takes only 18 minutes. Ship companies ave great hotel packages for Tallinn. You can sometimes get the catamaran ticets PLUS a hotel for one night cheaper than just catamatan tickets.<BR><BR>

And sorry about all the typos.

Hi Gary, my wife and I spent 3 weeks in Finland 2 years ago. We rented a car for part of the trip which was pricey, but easy country to drive in. The train system is exceptional. We took the train from Helsinki to Oulo, and then to Tampere, and I can highly recommnd traveling by train. The best part of Finland are the outdoor markets. The one in Helsinki is incredible , and I believe it is open every day of the year. lots of very good restaurants through out the country too. The cruise from Helsinki to Stockholm is worth the trip, just for the scenary as you travel up the fjords, but be forwarned, it's called the booze cruise for a good reason. We didn't plan anything in advance, and everything went very smoothly. Cheers, Al

Gary: Three weeks are fine, but also a true challenge, if you plan for both Norway, Finland and parts of Russia. <BR>If I were the one to travel, I'd make some limitations: First of all I'd drop Moscow. If St Petersburg is a must, I'd consider a packaged tour (3+ days) from either Helsinki or Stockholm. Then I'd start thinking really hard about how to accomplish a sound Scandinavian itineray to connect with the St Petersburg package (going from Helsinki or Stockholm, if the latter, probably by ferry through the Stockholm/Helsinki archipelague.<BR>My first choice would be Norway, because of nature. Maybe the fjords in the south-western part, but especially the northern Norway (beyond Trondheim, and as long as you want, at least to Bodo and Lofoten, maybe (preferably) further. Coastal roads on your way north, and a fast drive through Sweden to get (back) to Stockholm, or the whole distance crossing the Finnmark plains and going south tohrough Finland ending in Helsinki.<BR>Consider an open jaw flight, ie getting into Scandinavia in one airport, leaving from another. I have no details right now, but I'd plan for getting in in Bergen or Oslo and return from Stockholm or Helsinki. And have a rental car to get around, ahead of the ST Petersburg appendum.<BR>Hope this give you some ideas for a start.<BR>Welcome to the land of the midnight sun!<BR><BR>Bjorn, Oslo

Gary, Moscow was one of the highlights of my trip this past summer so I would not consider a trip to Russia without including Moscow. The Kremlin was wonderful, the city center was lovely. I traveled independently but did hire a guide for my first day in St. Petersburg to help me get accustomed to the subway etc. I also had them escort me to Peterhof and although I would have preferred going it alone the people with guides have preference in getting in. The wait to get in would have been hours on my own. I was there at the end of June which is a very busy time for tourism.<BR>If you do choose to go on your own you just start by booking a hotel ( I stayed at Moskva in St. petersburg) and they get you documents to use for obtaining your visa. There are a number of sites on the internet you can use to get your visa. You must have hotel reservations to get a visa. If you have questions you can contact me at [email protected]

I did the Holland America Cruise to Russia and Baltics. Very reasonably priced and you get to see a lot. we had two days St. Pete, Tallin, Visby, Helsinki, Stockholm. Had option to go to Moscow but wanted to spend time in St. Pete.<BR><BR>Accomodations were superb and it was so easy.

Thanks to all. Sorry, but I am not able to view the resonses every day. A few have emailed me with very good advice. I have not yet received a consensus of which places to delete in our 3 week itinerary. Safety in Moscow seems to be the number 1 issue. <BR><BR>Has anyone taken the Passage Tours?<BR><BR>We are currently thinking on doing our own in Scandinavia and an escorted tour in St. Petersburg and Moscow if we have time. <BR><BR>I really appreciate all the comments. Hope that I can return the favor.<BR><BR>Gary

What is your concern over safety in Moscow? <BR><BR>There was a recent thread on the topic--search under &quot;Russia&quot; for the complete discussion.

Thanks to everyone who responded. We are going to include Moscow. We are even thinking of taking the river cruise from St Petersburg to Moscow. Comments on that cruise would be appreciated.<BR>