Thanks again Percy for your trip report--it is very thorough and no doubt I will re-read parts again when closer to our trip dates. I've read others' trip reports too and each has valuable info. Thanks to you all as well for taking the time to post them.

I'm really looking forward to Tallinn, since old charm, old buildings, and old city walls are favorites of mine. They add so much to a city's identity. The reason for choosing the mid day ferry instead of a morning one to Helsinki was precisely because I may not want to leave Tallinn. Do I have to book the ferry days in advance, or just the day before?

nancicita and kay2, and Percy, I've heard many good reports on how lovely Stockholm is, so I'm sure that city will delight us as well. Thanks for the heads up about all the closings and schedule adjustments around midsummer. We'll watch out for them.

Again, I appreciate your time, suggestions, and insights.
Kathy

Sounds like a nice trip! Just one comment: You won't have very much time in any of these marvelous destinations, so it might help to decide on your priorities for each city before going. Enjoy!

Be sure to check the travel times on the ferry between Tallinn and Helsinki. We took the fast ferry which was about 1 1/2 hours - if I remember correctly. Some of the ferries take much longer.

Have a Hesberger in Helsinki.

And don't forget that for St Petersburg you will need to undertake steps for the Russia visa well in advance.

<b>"From Helsinki, train to St. Petersburg -3 nights (Most likely through Nordic saga tours with return train to Helsinki)."</b>

Finnsov Tours in Helsinki has 3 4 day tours by bus and train to St. Petersburg. They are very easy to deal with by phone and by e-mail. They are also well established in Helsinki. Look at what others have to say about Finnsov: http://www.fodors.com/search/results...search=Finnsov

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Vic's travels: http://my.flightmemory.com/vogilvie

Thanks kja and laurie_ann. No doubt I will be piecing together a very tight itinerary for each city, given the limited time. And I'll check on the visa for St. Petersburg. I believe both tour agencies mentioned will help with that.

Orlando_Vic, I'm now checking into that company too. Thanks for the info on it.

Kathy

I just got back from the same trip. My opinion.

Spend 3 to 4 days in Copenhagen. Spend 4 days in Stockholm. Spend 2 days in Helsinki. Spend 2 days in Tallinn. Flights are very few out of Tallinn. Use a large city like Stockholm or C-hagen to get back. Might even look at Amsterdam. Might even look at Helsinki with Fin Air.

Also, although train trips are great in Europe, with the water barriers, I found it cheaper nad better to take flights except between Helsinki and Tallin where you should take the ferry. Flights are pretty cheap.

If you want to go to St. Petersburg, it is near but you will have to get the visa and all of that. But SP should not be missed sometime in your life. If you want to know where to stay in the cities, I can help. Just say so on here and we can contact somehow. Again, I just got back in Dec from a 2 week trip.

Subway-S, I'd love to hear about your trip, where you stayed, what you did. Are you going to post a trip report here?
Kathy

probably not as work is too busy. send an email to my junkmail account [email protected]. Maybe I can guide you to some areas to stay, eat, logistics

Have you considered flying between Helsinki and Tallinn - faster than the ferry and not that expensive - check flights via Air Baltic or Finn Air (we flew Tallinn to Helsinki via Air Baltic - quick flight and nice to get an aerial view of all the islands in the Gulf of Finland). The Helsinki airport is about 1 hr from the City - you can take Finn Air bus to get from airport to city - much cheaper than a taxi. We stayed at Hotelli Helka (www.helka.fi) and loved it. 2-3 full days in Helsinki will give you a good overview of the city.

In Tallinn, we enjoyed our stay at the Imperial Hotel (www.baltichotelgroup.com)-the hotel is literally built into the city wall and minutes away from the town square and is at the base of Toompea Hill. 2 days in Tallinn would be sufficient, 3 if you want a day trip outside the city. The medieval feel of the city is unique and you might want to spend more time there than you think. Prices in Tallinn will be significantly less than in Helsinki.

There are no direct flights from Tallinn to the US.

You have a nice trip planned - and it would be a shame to not include St Petersburg - but you'll need a VISA to visit. You might want to save Russia for another trip and possibly combine St P and Moscow to really appreciate the beauty of the country.

Enjoy!

I'd take the ferry from Stockholm to Turku and spend 1-2 days there (visit the castle and the old city, maybe drive out to Ruissalo and Naantali). After that, you can take the train/bus to Helsinki and will still have enough time to discover the capital.