kaywes

We ended up taking Princess ship transfer last week from Copenhagen and liked it. Very convenient. We waited a bit at the dining room for our color to be called. Then just walked off and took one of the big buses. All luggages were waiting for us at the airport.

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Hi, we just came back last week from the Baltic cruise on Regal Princess. They put docking at Nynashamn on the passenger website but we actually ended up docking at Frihamnen. It was amazing to sail through the archipelago. I would suggest going to a website to double check on where you would be docking. I used TJ Travel, paid for a tour docking in Nynashamn, and just recently got refunded the $ difference since we ended up at Frihamnen.

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We took the Island Hopping tour with Viking Biking last week in Oslo. Amazing to see the 3 nearby islands! We had a nice hike, picnic, and swim (for 4 hrs). We were there until 10pm so we still had time to do some shopping and take a taxi to the Vigeland Park afterwards.

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We did a private tour of 6 people last week with TJ. It was fantastic! So flexible with the itinerary.

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We purchased a few amber pendants while on the cruise last week. To be honest, I didn’t know much about amber so I can’t tell you whether they are unique or if there is any advantage of buying them there. I just don’t see much amber around here but there are tons over there. They look pretty and I like them so I bought them :)

I did read here that they are better values in Tallinn, Estonia than the ones in Russia. So that’s where I bought them. I bought them at a souvenir shop called Hansa Suveniirid in Tallinn located at the top of the hill (Upper Old Town) across from the Dome and Tower Church. Great selection of jewelry and souvenir, and friendly sales ladies. We ended up getting a few Faberge egg pendants there as well.

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We did a private tour just the 6 of us last week with TJ Travel. Absolutely fantastic! Was able to customize the tour to our liking. I requested a quote from several operators. TJ was very responsive via email and answered all of our questions prior to the tour. I highly recommend them.

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There's a fat tire bike tour in Berlin, and the city is pretty flat. That might be something for you.

We are on a group tour in Berlin so I don’t think we would be able to do a bike tour there.

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I think Copenhagen would be the flattest of those cities, but I wouldn't consider riding bikes in the city to be a relaxing way to get around, especially for a kid or a senior. The Danes use cycling as a means of transportation and there are dedicated bicycle lanes, but from my experience as a pedestrian, the cycling was fairly "purpose driven" and not leisurely (i.e., you better not get in the way of a cyclist!)

 

 

 

Are you going to be in Warnemuende by any chance? We rented bikes there and there is a great scenic bicycle path along the Baltic. We came across very few other cyclists and because it's a bike trail, there were no problems with city traffic. (You do have to cycle a little within Warnemuende to get to the bike trail, but it was a short distance without heavy traffic.) I think cycling there would be much less stressful than in one of those cities.

Thanks for your comment and insight about bike rides in Copenhagen! Doesn’t sound very relaxing :)

We are going to stop at Warnemunde but we plan to go to Berlin. I know it would be a long ride but we don’t plan to go back there anytime soon.

Hopefully I get more comments about the other Baltic ports.

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Hello, which out of these ports (Oslo, Tallinn, Helsinki, or Copenhagen) do you think would be good and easy for a bike tour? We are a group of 6 with 2 kids ages 10 & 12, and 2 seniors ages 71 & 73. Would like a relatively flat and leisurely bike tour. A specific recommendation on a bike tour operator would also be welcomed!

Also if you have any input/thoughts on the port above that’s most likely to rain. We will be there in early July.

Thanks so much for any recommendation!

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I think they would be equal. I have been there 2x over a 25 year period. One time we saw the prison cell areas which was ok. The other time we saw the tombs of the Romanov family. I found the tomb area far more interesting as I am a history buff. It probably wouldn't mean much to people who didn't follow the history.

 

I like both Peter and Paul Fortress and St. Isaac's Cathedral. As kids, I don't think either would be that interesting unless they can relate to it later when they study Russian history. Sorry - I had not heard of it referred as Peter Fort before though I have spent several weeks in Russia.

 

If you can explain the Romanov story to them they may find the tombs interesting. There is a kid movie called "Anastasia" which is a cartoon that maybe of interest to them. Though it is not historically accurate. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anastasia_(1997_film)

Thanks Coral! I will have them watch Anastasia. Didn’t realize that it was about the Romanov story. We decided to do the Grand Maket instead of the Peter Fort or St Isaac. I think it would work better for our kids.

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This is the tour we will do with our 10 and 13 yo (private tour through TJ)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8:30 am​Meeting by the ship. (Please note: the start time of the tour is given approximately and will be adjusted depending on your ship arrival time). City tour includes driving and photo stops in the most beautiful, historical places of St. Petersburg. A visit to a farmer’s market and a subway station.

10:30 am - 11:00 am​Travel to Peterhof by hydrofoil

11:00 am - 12:30 pm​Guided tour of the Upper Gardens and Lower Fountain Park

12:30 pm - 1:30 pm​Lunch (expenses not included)

1:30 pm - 2:30 pm​Driving to Pushkin city

2:30 pm - 4:00 pm​Inside guided tour of Catherine Palace with the Amber Room

4:00 pm - 5:00 pm​Driving to the city

5:00 pm - 6:00 pm The cat cafe 25 USD per person (for 1 hour).

Day 2

8:00 am​Meeting by the ship. Payment for the tour. Shopping

8:30 am - 9:30 am​Boat ride along the rivers and canals

10:00 am - 12:30 am​Inside guided tour of the Hermitage Museum early admisson, before the official opening hours)

12:30 am - 1:30 pm​Traditional Russian lunch (expenses not included)

1:30 pm - 2:00 pm​Inside guided tour of the Church of the Spilt Blood

2:30 pm - 3:30 pm​Inside guided tour of the Grand Maket (scale model (1:87)

Hi, we plan to do a private tour with TJ as well and your itinerary looks similar to ours, minus the cat cafe. Hopefully this itinerary would work well with our kids [emoji4]

Day 1, Tuesday, 10 July

8:30 am Meeting by the ship

8:30-10:00 am City tour including driving and photo stops in the most beautiful, historical places of St Petersburg.

A visit to a farmer’s market and a subway station.

10:00 am-12:00 pm Inside guided tour of the State Hermitage Museum (early admission, before the official opening​ ​hours). Winter Palace Staterooms. Italian High​ ​Renaissance art, Rembrandt's paintings, the collection of Dutch and​ ​​Flemish masters etc.

12:15-12:45 pm Inside guided tour of the Church of the Spilt Blood

1:00-2:00 pm Inside guided tour of the Grand Maket (scale model (1:87) of Russia, permanent interactive exhibition)

2:30-3:30 pm Lunch (expenses are not included)

3:30-4:15 pm Travel to Petergof by hydrofoil

4:15-5:30 pm Guided tour of the Upper Gardens and Lower Fountain Park

6:30 pm Return to the ship or evening optional program (theatre/folk show/boat trip)

​​Day 2, Wednesday, 11 July

7:30 am Meeting by the ship. Continuation of the city tour, including the Spit of the Basil Island Michael’s Castle,​ ​Summer Gardens of Peter the Great, The State St Petersburg University, Academy of Fine Arts, The Russian​ ​Academy of Sciences Ancient Egyptian Sphinxes, the Monument of Peter the Great, Admiralty etc

8:30-9:30 am Boat ride along rivers and canals

9:30-10:30 pm Driving to Pushkin city

10:30-12:00 pm Inside guided tour of the Catherine Palace with the Amber Room

12:00-1:00 pm Driving to the city

1:00-2:00 pm Lunch (expenses are not included)

2:15-3:15 pm A stroll along Nevsky prospect

4:00 pm Return to the ship

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Day one eat lunch at Stolle and forget that 2nd meal at 5:00-6:00pm...you could use that extra time before heading back to the ship (where you can eat) to see or do something else. We visited a large Russian grocery store...very interesting option unless you're going to be on a group tour where you won't have the flexibility.

That sounds great! Which Russian grocery store did you go to?

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Thanks for all your reply! We are not history buffs, neither are our kids. At this point, I think we would probably choose the Grand Maket and skip St Isaac. Seems to be more interesting for our kids.

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Are you referring to Peterhof? Peter the Great's Summer Palace? If so, yes, kids would like the outside grounds.

No, I’m referring to the Fortress of Peter and Paul. We are for sure going to the Peterhoff. Just wondering whether the Fortress would be any more interesting than the inside of St Isaac.

I’d love to know the answer to this as well. Would like to make sure we make it to the airport from the port in a timely manner!

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Hi everyone! We are in the process of developing our itinerary for a 2-day private tour (Standard Excursion) of St Petersburg with TJ Travel, and need some advice from you.

We are traveling with 6 people including 2 kids ages 10 & 12. The itinerary includes both the inside tour of Catherine Palace and St Isaac. I’m wondering whether we should replace St Isaac with Peter Fort. TJ Travel said that the kids may not like the tomb there and suggested replacing it with the Grand Maket or stick with St Isaac and go to the top to see the panoramic view.

What do you guys think? Is the Grand Maket any good? Would we miss a lot skipping St Isaac? I just don’t think the kids would be interested to see the inside of more churches. Would Peter Fort be more interesting for kids that age? This is the first time we go to St Petersburg and we don’t want to miss any major sights, but we also want to strike a good balance with the kids’ interests.

Thanks so much for any input!!

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