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What a nice time of year to be in those places—at least, I would think so.
I thought Lofton knew something about Finland? But he doesn’t hang around here much anymore.
Can’t wait to hear how your trip is.
Interestingly enough, reciprocity concept works
It is equally exciting for an American to a get the Russian visa as it is for a Russian to get the US visa 
Where are you heading? What is you want you know specifically? (Beside what you know already.)
Some specifics:
We’re visiting Helsinki, St. Petersburg, Moscow, Tallinn, Vilnius and Riga. Would be interested in historical stuff in all locales. I’m also interested in the historical stuff that’s not on the basic tour — kind of offbeat stuff like “museum of fallen statues” “museum of forgotten wars.”
Hotel locale in Moscow probably means taking the subway — any tips?
We’ll be taking the fast ferry (Tallink Silja) between Helsinki and Tallinn at least once. Is this a kind of “hop on” option like the train or is it the usual “check in two hours before sailing” like most ferries.
Possible day trips from Helsinki and Vilnius???
And, of course, since this trip is a real budget buster, any tips on saving money….
Metro stops are plentiful in Moscow, it’s easy to get around.
Perhaps you’ll find this link useful.
If you scroll to the bottom of the page you’ll find lots of info on Russia and the Baltic countries.
http://www.ricksteve…
There’s good advice on logistics and must-sees. Kinda outdated but still applicable. (The landmarks didn’t go anywhere) This link is for Finland:
http://www.ricksteve…
Have you been to Stockholm before? Because it’s possible as a day trip from Helsinki. Silja ferry also runs between Helsinki and Stockholm. You arrive in Stockholm in the morning, so you can spend a whole day (or 3) in the city and return to Helsinki in the evening. It looks like a beautiful city.
I can’t offer any wisdom since I’ve never been anywhere on your itinerary, but it sounds like a lot of fun
I just got my new passport in the mail this morning and am off to Spain on August 3.
Moscow Subway system is very efficient. It is best to avoid rush hour, but I notice that it always takes me where I need to be sooner then I expect it. Metro has many stops throughout the city center. Way too many. Surfacing in the wrong spot (for example there are two “Arbatskaya” stops not linked to one another) could mean having to spend 5 – 10 minutes trying to figure out where the hell are you. When planning a trip make sure you know your destination and try to make as few connections as possible.
If you have a few hours to spare, preferably in the evening, head over to Kolomenskoye, a short walk from the namesake metro stop. Church of the Ascension (UNESCO World Heritage Site) is the most spectacular wooden church I’ve ever seen. The rest of the park is a very nice walk, especially during the sunset. It is also a better place to get souvenirs then more touristy spots closer to Kremlin.
St. Petersburg Not sure about “museum of fallen statues” (although I knew a place or two where “fallen out of favor” statues used to be stored) but I highly recommend visiting Menshikov’s Palace. As Peter The Great was busy building the nation and the new capital while living in a hut, his first lieutenant used his influence to channel government money into his own pockets. The result was the most opulent home of its time built in the middle of nowhere and used by the czar to give official receptions for the lack of alternatives.
Have you considered Novgorod as a day trip? The place is pretty much the Russian analog of The Acropolis.
Vilnius How about Kaunas as a day trip?
Thanks, Seva. I think the “fallen statues” is, in fact, statues of Stalin and other “fallen leaders” in or near Vilnius.
I will definitely look into Menshikov’s palace and Church of the Ascension. Kaunas was suggested by a friend who taught in Lithuania, but she thought it best to rent a car to get there??
Discobolus: I posted a thank-you for your tips, but it showed up twice. When I deleted the “extra” I must have gotten both copies. I looked into Helsinki-Stockholm, but I don’t think overnight ferry/day in Stockholm/overnight ferry is worth if for this trip. 2 of us have been to Stockholm (on a trip that was only slightly less “whirlwind”) so I don’t think it’s worth it for the 1 of us who hasn’t been there.
Why? There are plenty of direct trains between Vilnius and Kaunas. Most trips take under 1.5 hours. Perhaps she thought car rental would save you time and/or money?
@oldlady
How did you secure your Russian visas? Did you have to book a hotel in advance?
I ended up using a visa expediting service since a) they would handle the invitation and b) I don’t live near a Russian consulate. They required the voucher from one of the hotels to get an invitation letter, but got the letter to cover the entire itinerary, so the visas are good for several days on either side of our actual stay in Russia, so will give us some leeway if we want to change plans. It worked out well, but visa expediting service and getting a letter of invitation is pretty pricey….
Wow. All of the legwork and funds spent just wouldn’t be worth it to me. I’d love to visit Russia one day but would rather visit a place where I’m actually wanted and appreciated. If I have to perform a variety of circus acts just to get permission to enter then it’s just not worth it to me. But I hope you enjoy yourself. The itinerary you have planned looks to be an awesome ride!
yojimbo, be thankful you’re not a citizen of 3rd world country
coz then you’d need a visa for every freaking country on earth. I booked hotels, bought a return ticket, a bank statement, a job letter, an invitation letter… and waited for 15 days until I got my schengen visa.
Do not fool yourself. While this procedure reeks of cold war paranoia, getting a US or Schengen visa involves equal amount of jumping through the hoops. Besides, the more politicians talk about “open borders” and “good neighbors” the more red tape I come across in various consulates.
One thing is how the government makes you feel welcome, and quite another is how the people make you feel welcome.
Do not fool yourself. While this procedure reeks of cold war paranoia, getting a US or Schengen visa involves equal amount of jumping through the hoops. Besides, the more politicians talk about “open borders” and “good neighbors” the more red tape I come across in various consulates.
One thing is how the government makes you feel welcome, and quite another is how the people make you feel welcome.
I’ve heard about how difficult it can be to enter the United States or an EU nation. But with terrorism concerns and illegal immigration I can understand why it is so difficult. Americans and citizens from EU nations are likely not a problem with either but I can see why a nation like Russia would seek to level the playing field. Sucks that backpackers and others seeking to explore the world get caught in the middle of global politics.
Terrorism and illegal immigration are major problem for Russia too, not just the US. And US entry requirements can be very harsh not just for poor countries, but for certain prosperous non-Muslim countries as well.
Of course, Russia should consider easing entry requirements for select nationalities, such as Americans and EU nationals.
Terrorism a major problem for the USA? Hehe the USA is a major problem for the world.
Funny how Americans think of themselves as God’s chosen people. You must be too arrogant to think of yourself as “select”. Any self-respecting American would have revoked his nationality by now.
Honestly, this doesn’t offend me at all. Eurotrip veterans will see a hilarious irony here: calling LTB (of all people) a nationalist/arrogant American, that’s too funny.
But anyways: I think there’s been a vocabulary misunderstanding here. I don’t mean “select” as in Americans are special. I mean “select” in its generic sense. Russia should consider easing entry restrictions for specific nationalities, from which there is practically no possiblity that any of them would be illegal immigrants or terrorists. There is a growing interest in the EU, USA, and Canada to visit Russia with its wealth of architecture, museums, culture, and historic sites, and since the fall of the USSR, Russia has now become a major tourism destination. Let alone the countless business travelers that need to enter the country. And the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi might create a surge in tourists interested in Russia; it happened for Spain after the 1992 Summer Olympics and for Greece after the 2004 Summer Olympics.
Likewise, with Russia’s current economic boom, the EU is considering easing entry requirements for Russians. EU countries like Spain, Greece, France, and Cyprus are losing out in tourism revenue, as growing numbers of Russian middle-class sun-seekers are holidaying in Turkey. And, unlike budget-conscious Brits and Swedes, Russians spend big when they visit the Med.
Ironic and drop dead hilarious!!! lol
Hah!
Discobolus, you being new here and all, you are unfamiliar with LuvtheBeach so don’t appreciate the irony of your seething-with-high-moral-indignation post. But yeah, it’s probably a bit of semantics, too.
We’re visiting Helsinki, St. Petersburg, Moscow, Tallinn, Vilnius and Riga. Would be interested in historical stuff in all locales. I’m also interested in the historical stuff that’s not on the basic tour — kind of offbeat stuff like “museum of fallen statues” “museum of forgotten wars.”
Hotel locale in Moscow probably means taking the subway — any tips?
We’ll be taking the fast ferry (Tallink Silja) between Helsinki and Tallinn at least once. Is this a kind of “hop on” option like the train or is it the usual “check in two hours before sailing” like most ferries.
Possible day trips from Helsinki and Vilnius???
And, of course, since this trip is a real budget buster, any tips on saving money…
Nice itinerary! I’ve been to the first 3 citites, and I can give some tips, but i don’t really know Moscow that well.
Helsinki is a pratty city, built by Russians and thus probably the most beautiful town in Finland, at least what I and some other natives think. Helsinki doesn’t have that great historical value, as it is relatively young city. (Built under Russian rule, 19th century)
Interestingly it is one of the European capital cities that were never invaded during WWII. (There are not very many of them)
If you’re into drinking, save your money for the Russia. Alcohol is very expensive in Finland. Most finns also speak English, so that shouldn’t be a problem.
St. Petersburg is very interesting and has great history. If you happen to be a student, (Or happen to look like a student and have a card that even remotely looks like a student card) you can some discounts. I.e. Heremitage entry is free for students, and that is a place worth visiting.
Getting around is easy with subway, and route-taxis (маршутка) are also handy. I found busses rather inconvinient, they only get stuck in the traffic. Walking too is an option, but Peter is so great that it is faster to use subways.
As in most towns, in Peter too best drinking places are student pubs.
Bah. I was intended to write more, but i’m running out of time now. But point me some questions, i might visit this forum again.
Thanks Tursas. We’re not students, but if you have any recommendations on “student pubs” or at least the general locale for non-tourist drinking establishments, at least one of us will be interested. Our hotel in St. Petersburg is pretty centrally located and we’re walkers, so we’ll probably be doing a lot of walking. I usually find the subway easier to navigate than above ground transportation, so we’ll probably use that if we can’t walk to something. Any tips on figuring out the routes and stops would be appreciated. Are there “route maps” available? Is there some way to tell which line is which — like the colors in some cities or naming the line for the final stop on each end in other cities? My knowledge of Russian is limited to basic understanding of the alphabet — I can sound out words on signs, etc. but that’s about it.
A route map can be found over here:
http://travel.inc.ru…
Easiest way to know when to leave the subway is simply to check first where you want to go and then count the stops. You can hear the next stop being said from the loud speakers, but the message isn’t very informative even if you have studied Russian. You’ll also notice when the subway “dives” under the Neva river, that might help you to figure out where you are if you are lost.
Well, there is one good student pub on Ulitsa Marata, close to the Mayakovskaya metrostation. (on the same side of the ul. Marata) Though it is often very crowded. Sorry i can’t recall its name)
If you like russian underground music, zoccolo club might interest you.
http://www.zoccolo.r…
The entry fee is 150 rub.
A good place for cheap eating is restaurant yolki palki (Ёлки палки) There is one at the center, малая Конюшенная 9. It should be open 24/7.