Has anyone taken the Helsinki-St Petersburg train..round trip.....and if so....what were the pro's and cons's of your experience?

I've taken it before, it is somewhat bland of a trip. Usually I recommend to clients that, all things being equal, they fly between Helsinki and St. Petersburg (one hour flight vs. seven hours train).

If there is a direct ferry service between St. Petersburg and Helsinki next year (a real possibility) then that is an interesting option as well (somewhat dependent on the weather, though, and you should book the trip in advance).

Hi imag,

An acquaintance of my grandfather, V. I. Ulyanov, made this trip a while ago.

Although he intended to do a round trip, certain events caused him to stay in Russia.

Actually, Lenin was "returned" to Russia in a sealed railroad car thanks to the German government but I suspect he bypassed Helsinki.

Hi intrepid,

I looked it up. It seems he did come by way of Helsinki to the Finland Station in Petrograd.

My wife and I took the Helsinki-St Petersburg train this summer (27 July, returning 31 July). We took the Sibelius (Finnish Rail) train out, and the Repin (Russian) train back - there are 2 departures each day, one morning, one afternoon. We liked the train, and on the way out, had our first class cabin to ourselves. An advantage to travelling by train is that the border formalities are handled while the train is moving, and done very efficiently. If you have the extra few hours, its a much more relaxing journey - you can catch up on your travel journal, or read, or sleep, much more comfortably than on a plane. On our trip back, we ended up sharing our cabin with members of a large tour group. Once in St Petersburg, you end up at Ladoshka Station, and can get to the Metro, or a cab, very conveniently. In Helsinki, the railway station is right downtown, and convenient to both the trams and the subway. The only problem we ran into is that we had to book the tickedts through a travel agent (we like to go independently). I suppose we could have made some overseas calls and booked it ourselves, but sometimes, you need travel agents. Also, Helsinki is really a beautiful city - I was pleasantly surprised, and quite taken with it.