jkw3tx

http://www.spb-tours.com/flash.html

vika.rother@gmx.de

Nows the best time to start conversing with Viktoria since it's the off season- try to plan ahead- once it gets to may and the busy cruise season starts swinging she will be very hard to get ahold of.

jkw

Just to defend myself- if I sounded like I expected Berlin to be aound the corner- of course not- I do teach Geography- you just need to be prepared for a long trip- nap, listen to music, check your cameras- whatever. Doesn't matter if its by train or bus or van it is 2-3 hrs to Berlin. Most of the rest of the trip the sights are much closer.

Regarding St Petersburg and Russia visitation- don't listen to your boat- the officials don't care what tour you take- get down to the disembarkation lines early and you'll be in good shape.

Viktoria will setup your tours however you decide- both in Berlin and St Pete.

Just a quick further note- a couple of the earlier postings are on target- it would be much better if you had 2 days because if you only have 6 or so hours there is no way to see "everything" that there is to see in Berlin.

You'll have to pick and choose. Keep in mind- like every other port- you're only getting a taste.

But again- for me a history teacher that teaches about the cold war- how could I miss the chance to visit East and West Berlin.

Also keep an eye on all the wind turbines in the fields along the ways.

We should have so many!

Okay, I guess I'll be the first to say we used Viktoria and SPB in both St Pete and Berlin this pastJuly.

First off you can't compare the 2 experiences because St Petersburg is so much more and it is over 2 days- 2 very full days. I didn't enjoy Berlin as much but I am very glad we went- who knows if we'll ever get back.

Getting back to SPB- out tour was very good and some of the highlights included time at the Reichstag and walking upto and thru the Brandenburg Gate and then on to the Holocaust memorial. I also loved seeing the Berlin Wall and Gendarme Square. I apologize that I don't remember our guides name b ut she was from the US but had lived in Berlin for ovber 7 years working as a translater and I would reccommend her always.

The best thing about our tours was her willingness and ability to personalize the tours. We had a group of about 9 in St Petersburg. Then in Berlin we hooked up with some additional people and split into 2 groups for Berlin and one group focused on Jewish sites. We all shared the same bus from Warnemunde so that saved on some costs.

The only real negative was the ride to get there and back- there is no getting around that weither by bus or train.

Both me and my wife would highly recommend using Viktoria for both tours.

I have to add my thanks for putting together this great guide to Old Tallinn. If people do nothing except wander around and take time to enjoy the views they will have had a great day. This was one of the alltime favorite stops.

We're flying in a dasy early and plan to do our walking tour ending up at Tivoli at night. I've read your description before an am convinced we will have a very enjoyable walk- weather permitting. We even have a stop at the icebar in the afternoon planned.

Thanks for all the pictures.

JKW