MarGG

We asked Best Guides about this before our trip, and the answer was Visa or Master Card. No American Express. (We do not use American Express anyway, but this was the answer.)

We used my Visa card but mostly to withdraw cash. Everybody seemed to be so happy to get cash, that we simply didn't want to disappoint them. Also if you wanted to pay by card you had to pay a commission.

On the first it was quite troublesome. We waited in the queue for about an hour and there were still a lot of people behind us. We were really happy to see our guide at last. It seemed that she was as happy as we were I should say.

On the second day we simply walked through without any delay at all.

We took the Hop-on-hop-off bus in Helsinki. It starts from the Senate Square in Front of the St.Nicholas Cathedral. You can bye a day ticket there or right on the bus anywhere else along the rout. It was very convenient. It had stops in all the main places of interest and you can listen to some comments using the audio-guide. It has a stop near the Rock Church as well. We listened to some music there. The sound was beautiful.

thanks everyone. We are arriving on a cruise ship, and last time went with a tour company on the first day and with the ship on the second, so didn't have to arrange transport. Because of that I also didn't notice what other forms of transport were available - the cruise company of course makes a big thing about public transport not being able to get into the port terminal, but I didn't think this was the case. They would like you to buy their tours, and our experience of this was good, but we simply don't need it this time. After posting this I did find one company recommended on Trip Advisor so I will send them a mail. I will also try the tour company we went with before, but as we don't need them for anything else, that seems like overkill.

 

Thanks

 

Diane

There are taxis in the port. We saw the Taxi desks right inside the terminal. We did not use them ourselves, but on the ship we heard complains from some of the passengers. They had Israeli passports, so they didn't need neither visas nor tour tickets to disembark. So they were going to spend the day in St. Petersburg on their own and were planning to use the taxi. However there were no taxis available and they had to wait for about half an hour to get one. So if you are just going to the city it is maybe all right, but if you are going to Moscow and need to be in time for the train then it is better to get a transfer from some tour company. That will be more expensive, but it will be guaranteed. If you had nice experience with your tour company why don't you ask them. I do not think they will be offended.

I would join everyone here. It would be best to opt for a private tour with a private company. We went with the Best Guides two times. First time in a little group and the second time individually. That was because during our second trip we wanted to see places which are not usually included into the "first time" tours. We were really happy with our choice and when we had a second customized itinerary the manager of the company worked on it very carefully to include everything we wanted to see for the second time and everything we haven't seen before. Maybe that would be what you need - just tell them how many hours you would like to spend in the city, discuss how much time you would need to see the main sights at your own paste and you will have a most pleasant tour.

I would join Bochata with this piece of advice. We were also with Best Guides and they tailor the tours perfectly well. The private tour would be a good option in your case.

Has anyone toured St Petersburg on their own without a guide? We are 4 Australians and would rather get our own visas and tour St Petersburg at our own leisure. Does anyone have any comments or suggestions about this.

Our first trip to St.Petersburg was an on-land trip. We were there for five days and did walk in the city on our own a lot. we did have time to read up for the trip and we were able to find our way around quite easily. Nevertheless we did book a tour, or let us say a number of tours and never regretted it. We booked with Best Guides. I did not know they did the cruise tours as well. Anyway, this did not matter. We had a wonderful site- seeing tour which gave us a very good idea about the city centre "geography" and history. Whatever we knew about the city we would never be able to summarize it all like that. Then the Hermitage. It really has audio-guides available, but with the guide you can discuss things, ask questions. The guide will always quickly take you to the exhibits you are more interested in. Our guide was absolutely wonderful! She knew everything and her stories were very interesting. After all the tours we had time on our own in the afternoon, so it was a very good combination of guidance and freedom :).

Later when we came back on a cruise we booked with Best Guides again, this time because the time was very limited. We only had two days in St.Petersburg and we had to see some places we missed on our first trip, so the tour would make it time-effective and also (as we knew already from our previous experience with Best Guides) - very interesting. That turned out to be a very good decision. In addition we were shocked by the crowds in the Hermitage. Our first trip was in winter, so we were absolutely unprepared for this. If not for our guide who took us through all the crowds we most probably would be unable to get inside the Hermitage.

So in your case - if you like to be on your own so much - I would book at least the sight seeing tour and the Hermitage privately and do the rest on your own. You can indeed go to Peterhoff by Hydrofoil. You can take a taxi to the port or go there by metro (and then still by taxi - but it will be a shorter drive). This is not a problem. The real reason is that with limited time for the trip a private tour would make your visit more effective.

As for the visas - it was really quite troublesome and expensive to get a Russian visa. I would not bother to do that for just a two day trip.

We just reserved a Russian/Baltic Cruise on the Serenade of the Seas for next summer. I am just starting my research and I need the trusted advice of my fellow CCers. :) Here are my first of what will be many questions in the next few months.

 

1. We are arriving at ARN in the late afternoon the day before our cruise. Is it worth it to stay in the central area (thinking of reserving the Sheraton or Grand)? Thinking that we could have dinner in the area and explore the next morning and early afternoon before heading to ship? Or should we stay closer to the port?

 

2. How far of a commute (Probably will take taxi) from hotel to cruise port?

 

3. And the big question ( as we have not reserved our return flight to Canada)....There is a flight out of ARN that leaves at 9:50 AM that connects in Frankfurt and then flies direct into Calgary. (According to ship's itinerary, we are in port at 7 Am.) We could be home by 3:10 PM that day versus arriving 10:00 or later going through Toronto. I know that on our RCCL cruises that we have been on in the past, that we have been allowed to self-disembark. We would be flying biz class so hopefully no long airport lines and we will be departing the ship early on a SUnday morning, so hopefully not too much traffic. THoughts?

 

Thank you for all your insight!

 

:)Pam

To have some time to explore the city before going to the ship looks like a good idea, though I have to say that if you only have about two hours you will not be able to see much.

As for the morning flight - it looks risky. Less than tree hours between the ship and the airport... The ships are seldom late but still you need some time reserve to disembark, to get a taxi. And then there is everything that Naval Architect mentioned about the airport... I would not make my timing so tough.

We went to St.Petersburg twice and the first visit was an on-land visit and it was longer than the ships usually stay. So we did see a bit more than just the standard first choice tour would show you. And according to my experience I would recommend you to see the Chinese palace in Oranienbaum the Russian Museum and the Usupov Palace. I think Faberge Museum must be an interesting option as well. Unfortunately when we were in St. Petersburg this option did not exist yet.

If you choose a cruise with three days in St.Petersburg you can also use the second day to go to Novgorod. It is a charming little town about 200 kilometers from St. Petersburg which has authentic Russian architecture to see. We just loved it.

really looking forward to boats and ferries !!!

 

want to go on the boat for greater part of the day that goes along the archipelago !!;)

Yes, this too. We did not use this option, but I think a saw an add somewhere, that there is a HO-HO boat (same like a HO-HO bus - you get a day ticket and can hop on and off on different islands whenever you please). I do not know if it goes along the archipelago as well or only to the islands in the city, but you may check it.

was trying to respond to and thank PNW traveler but

response came up blank !!

 

think we have narrowed our choices to victory & scandic

 

did either of you (traveler & vineyard) choose the lower price

paying at booking ?? how many nights did you stay ??

did the elevator function ? we don't do stairs !:eek:

We used Scandic Star Solentula just a month ago. It is not in the centre of the city. You have to go by train and then by subway to get to Gamlastan. But it took us half an hour altogether as the public transport n Stockholm is very well organized. And the price was lower than in the Scandic located in the centre, so we decided that as we were staying for five days we would have enough time for a little trip like that. The hotel was very nice! Beautiful lobby, nice room, quite spacy. Breakfast was above all expectations. It was a buffet breakfast and you could not even taste everything that was offered. You can use a sauna there. Not that I liked it much but we thought that it was one of the local traditions, so we had to experience it. And the experience was quite interesting.

It has been my pleasure! Yours is on its way...;)

Thank you so much Paula! Now I definitely have to go to Tallin once more and experience this route! As a matter of fact when we were on the cruise we did Tallinn on our own and I fell in love with this little city. I would say it became my favorite port (after St. Petersburg of cause). So I do plan to go there for several days and see more of it.

I think that was just terrible. Visa or no visa, I can not believe there was no other way than to make a person feeling unwell stay on the bus for several hours. Flexibility is what private tours are for. They could have sent you back with the driver. They could have organized a transfer. One can always find a way to solve the problem if one only has a will to do so.

We will be finishing a cruise next late May in Stockholm. We will have 4 nights and will be staying 3 of those nights in Gamla Stan. I have a couple questions -

1) would you plan on mostly walking and taking local transportation? (I hear that taxis are not regulated.) and will our location allow for us to easily see and do many of the wonderful sites in this beautiful city?

Thank you!

Besides taxis and public transport Stockholm also has boats. They go like public transport on regular basis from organized piers. It is a very convenient way to get from island to island. For instance if you want to get from Gamlastan to Duragarten on foot or by taxi you have to drive or walk a long way around along embankments and several bridges to get there. But if you take the boat you just go across the harbor and it takes about 15 minutes and you have a beautiful view while sailing. Have a look here http://www.waxholmsbolaget.se/visitor/djurgarden-ferry/maps-ferry-terminals/

Happy to...check your mail.:)

Paula, according to how many e-mails you've sent you are an angel! I am not quite sure if it is nice to ask for more, but maybe you could be so kind as to send me a copy as well? I'd really appreciate! margieg67@yahoo.com

I just got into their website no problem. I have been corresponding with them - they have always responded fairly promptly, but are the least proactive of the three companies I started conversations with.

May I ask you what exactly you mean by proactive? Just curious. In my case the correspondence always worked perfectly well.

I think you mean the Lutheran Cathedral in Senate Square

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe1062.jpg

 

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe1063.jpg

 

Cheers

 

Len

Thank you for the hint, Len. I did not realize it was Lutheran as a matter of fact. The architecture looks quite Roman to me.

What were some of the things you enjoyed in Helsinki?

 

 

-Toni

Well, we just loved the Rock Church. There is nothing like it. I would not call it beautiful, but it is very special. I think the Scandinavians have some kind of special attitude to their nature the way they combine it with architecture. The church is really made inside a big rock and has a copper wire sealing which makes music sound beautiful. We just sat there and listened. Stayed there for more than half an hour.

Also we went up the Olympic Stadium tower. It is the tallest point you can get to in Helsinki and you can see all the city from there.

We enjoyed the Sibelius monument, but mostly because the walk in the park was very pleasant. The monument itself is fascinating, but I believe you have to be Scandinavian to completely understand and appreciate it.

And we liked the central square - I do not remember the name of the big cathedral there, but it has a very tall and wide stairway in front of it and we liked how a lot of people just sat on these stairs and talked to each other. It looked like it was usual to do it and we tried as well (though just sitting on the stairs is not what we usually would do :)). A funny little detail, but that is when we really felt ourselves at ease in Helsinki.

My DH and I will book private tours for Berlin & St Pete. We'll do a ship's tour in Oslo. I know we can walk around Tallinn on our own, and probably Aarhus. What about Helsinki & Stockholm? For Stockholm, it looks like we dock in Nynashamn. Are there shuttles into Stockholm? This is a Princess cruise.

 

Any help you can offer would be appreciated.

Vicki

We did the HO HO bus in Helsinki. It is very convenient. Takes you to all the main attractions.

In Stockholm they also have a HO HO bus, but we did not use it as the most interesting place there is Gamla Stan and most of it is a walking area. So we preferred to spend more time there. As for the Vasa Museum - it is on Djuragarten island. We used a boat (ferry) to get there. It goes from Slussen and is part of the public transport in Stockholm. You may Google "Duragarten Ferry".

Thank you!Twelve sounds quite nice, we don't want our group to be larger. I've checked other companies web sites, they usually have either larger groups or private tours. Probably private tour is better, although we don't mind to be in a group.

Is it better to form your group by yourself or it's ok to leave it to the tour company?

As for me I always prefer individual tours. But it is the matter of choice. The group tour will reduce the cost. I would say that if it is your first time in a big city and the time is limited it is OK to join a little group. You will include all the first choice places into your itinerary anyway, so why pay extra. However if your circumstances are special (like being in the city for the second time, limited physical activity, having a little baby or having special interest in what to see) then it is better to have an individual itinerary. And if you would like to have an individual itinerary and at the same time reduce the cost you may try to form a group of people willing to join you (I mean those who have the same preferences and like your itinerary). Again we did not do that, but I read on this forum, that you can invite people to join you through the Roll Call of your ship.

Hello all,

 

 

Are there any tips that you can offer for a solo traveller for any of the above locations?

 

Many thanks,

 

Bev

Oh, Bev,

you must not even think about any unpleasant things. We are two ladies and we have traveled quite a lot. There was no easier trip than the cruise we took this summer (just remembering how nervous I was before the trip makes me smile now). The ship (we were on Celebrity Eclipse) just felt like home. All the ports were nice and very easy to find your way around just using a map. In Helsinki, Stockholm and Tallinn you can take a Hop-on-Hop-off bus if you like. You obviously can get lost in St. Petersburg, but this is the only port where you must take a guided tour anyway unless you have got a Russian visa. I had an experience of applying for this visa and it was a nightmare. For just a two day visit it is not worth the time. And it is also quite expensive. It is much better to join a little group with a private company. They are nice, flexible and provide high quality tours. At least the references about most of them are very nice (which was fully proved by my own experience with Best Guides).

It's always dangerous to disagree with a local. ;)

 

Agreed that the Hermitage is vast, I don't doubt you are correct in saying that many of the 1000+ rooms aren't open pre-public hours - but even if they were all open, how many rooms could one possibly see in an hour?

 

JB :)

I have a mixed opinion about this. My first visit to the Hermitage was in winter. We just strolled around like the museum belonged to us, occasionally bumping into some Chinese group which almost ran by some paintings worth spending an hour in front of them. Two times we met Russian school groups which was absolutely charming. But other than that we were almost alone there. So when we took the cruise and wanted to return to the Hermitage the manger of Best Guides tried to talk us out of it, saying that in comparison to winter time in summer the Hermitage will be overcrowded and we will not be able to see it properly. But we were really dreaming about the Hermitage so finally we decided on an early admission. And I should say - despite all the warnings it came as a little shock for us. There really was quite a crowd at the entrance. However we got in quite smoothly and inside it was not so bad. I did not notice any special route. Possibly that was due to our guide Inna who led the tour so nicely that all we had to do was to follow her. (Inna was our guide in winter as well, and when we booked the cruise we asked Best Guides to give us the same guide. Inna is absolutely wonderful!) At some point we noticed that crowds around us were growing and Inna explained that it was already the general working time of the museum. Then Inna took us to some rooms which we did not see during our first visit and they were not crowded at all. Most probably it happened because they were off the main route. For instance we had a look at the 18-19th century English paintings, walked through the antiquity collection and saw the Russian applied art exhibition. So, as you see, my experience is special. But for what I noticed in early admission hours there were less people than later, at least along the main tour rout.

As for the price - the early admission really added something to the price of the tour. I do not remember how much, but we decided it was worth the money and looking back I think it was a right option to take. (Unless you have a possibility to come to the Hermitage in winter of cause :))

Thank you!We are deciding now between Eurodam and Crystal Symphony, both dock for two days, so we will take two-day program anyway.

And how many people there are usually in a little group?

I am not sure as we didn't opt for the group tour. Best Guides' web-site says there would be 12 (which in my opinion is quite a comfortable group size). I think most other companies have larger groups, but really do not know how much larger. In the port in St.Petersburg we saw a lot of mini-vans which looked like they could accommodate about 20 people. There were a lot of big buses as well but those were mostly for ship excursions.

I promised to come back to this thread with my impressions about the trip. Well, it took me a long time to do that, but I want to thank you,Trialawyer, once again, for this thread was of great help for me to choose my first cruise! The trip was absolutely wonderful! We enjoyed every single minute of it! We liked everything - the ship, the crew, the people around us, the route of the tour. The ship is really like home. Everything is done to make you comfortable and happy. And we made a lot of little discoveries which we would probably never make on a land-based tour. For instance, I knew St. Petersburg was wonderful and I always wanted to see Stockholm. And I was not a least disappointed. But I never even thought of visiting Tallin. And unexpectedly fell in love with it. A charming little place which I will come back to one day for sure - now I know that. I will come back with a little review a bit later, and now I just want to say thank you to everybody on this forum who shared their experience with us and gave such nice and useful advice!

We are going to visit St.Petersburg during our first! cruise next summer and are choosing between Best Guides and few other companies. What would you recommend? We are family of 4 with 2 children of 9 and 12, and that's why we're thinking between group tour and children tour. It's hard to decide as both of children are quite mature and used to excursions but still need fun! :)

Jane

We were in St. Petersburg twice. First time it was a land-based tour and then it was a cruise. Best Guides did a wonderful job both times. So I have no doubt that if you book with them you will be absolutely happy with your choice. As for the group tours versus individual tours it is difficult to give any advice. Both my tours were individual. But when I was in St. Petersburg first I was on a relatively long trip in winter, so there simply were no tours to join. When I went on a cruise it was my second visit and all the group tours offered the must-see places that I had already seen before. So once again my choice was a private tour to see something else.

If I were on a cruise and it was my first visit to the Baltic I would probably join a nice little group tour. It's more budget and you will see all the first choice places anyway.

Have you already chosen a cruise? How many days does your ship dock in St.Petersburg?

Bon voyage to you and the other posters who are joining you on your journey. Wishing you all clear skies and smooth seas. Please share your thoughts and experiences with us when you return. :)

Merci Trialawyer! Your thread was probably the most helpful of all and I will definitely come back and share my own experience.