Scandinavia and Russia - Excursions

[Rebababoo]

We are going on the Scandinavia and Russia cruise in July and would appreciate some advice about worthwhile organised trips. Any suggestions?

[helpthejuggler]

You would find good info at the Baltic Ports board

 

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=192

 

Really recommend an 3rd party independent tour in St. Petersburg as you need to be busy so a small group works best for this.

 

We used Alla Tours, but DenRus, STB and others have many favourable reviews.

[rwr235]

Hi,

 

Concur with suggestions above...do peruse the websites of the many excellent Private Tour Companies in StP (most offer discounts if you use them in one of the other cities as well)...a majority of feedback of folks, both on our ship, and on here, are very positive, and usually highly recommended over ship-sponsored tours.

 

Many of the cities are quite doable on your own...Tallinn, Helsinki, Stockholm, Copenhagen...but there are also some great excursions you can combine...depending on port time, activity level etc. For example in Copenhagen we did an excellent "electric bicycle" tour as soon as we arrived, and it was a fun, wonderful way to get a great overview of the city, and then allowed more than ample time to to explore on our own, and do a canal tour/walk/shop/eat/drink/explore.

 

Stockholm we did the "rooftop walk" tour, which gave a great "different" perspective of the city (certainly not for those with a fear of heights) !!...and then again, had ample time to explore, eat, drink, shop etc.

 

If you are planning on Berlin...be ready for a LONG day...and many folks (including us) decide instead to explore the Warnemunde/Rostock area. FYI, some of the same excellent private tour companies in StP offer a variety of organized excursions here as well.

 

And I see you have already joined your Roll Call...where you have/or are receiving some great feedback.

 

Do enjoy...it is a great itinerary...on a great ship !!

 

Woody

[We're The Groupnors]

Here's a response I wrote for a previous post:

 

In Russia we used Anastasia tours, and used Rubles for snacks and our awesome Red Line subway ride, and as a tip.

 

For other tours, or self tours we did:

 

Bruges: the Bruges on your own tour through Celebrity, which is really just a coach into Bruges, then you're on your own until you meet the group to take the coach back. No tour needed for Bruges; a map and a good pair of walking shoes was all we needed.

 

Warnemunde: we walked the beautiful little town in the morning (literally all of it!), had lunch back on the blissfully empty ship, then took the train to Rostock for the afternoon, which was also lovely.

 

Helsinki: we took the Celebrity shuttle into the downtown and did a self guided walking tour. Beautiful city and an easy walk.

 

St. Petersburg: tour with Anastasia as noted. We originally booked their basic group tour, but we're the only people on our ship that did, so we ended up with a private tour for the same price, just us, a guide, and a driver in a sedan. It was awesome!

 

Tallinn: there are shuttles available into town, but we did the 15 minute walk to the old city water gate instead, and did a self walking tour that we found on the Internet. We did the tour in the reverse of how it was printed, and missed all the crowds.

 

Stockholm: we got in the first HOHO bus on the pier, and got to the Vasa Museum just as they opened. We toured it and we're leaving just as the first tour group arrived, then got back on the HOHO into the downtown and took advantage of the many convenient stops.

 

Copenhagen: we did a self guided walking tour, which started at the Little Mermaid statue a 10 minute walk outside the gates from the pier. Walked around the city back to the ship for a late lunch and then took the Celebrity shuttle and Tivoli ticket combo out to Tivoli Gardens for the evening and dinner.

 

Enjoy your trip! If your interested in any of the walking tours we did send a private message to me through Cruise Critic and we'll be happy to share.

[Rebababoo]

Thank you all for the excellent advice. We are so looking forward to the trip. If you do St. P on you own I've heard you need a visa. Is this difficult to organise?

[fleckle]

Thank you all for the excellent advice. We are so looking forward to the trip. If you do St. P on you own I've heard you need a visa. Is this difficult to organise?

If you are going to be there on a cruise, you are so much better off using one of the excellent, highly recommended private tour operators than getting your own visa and trying to do it on your own.

 

Their group tours are wonderful, but if you prefer, they will arrange a private tour for you. I would suggest contacting several of the recommended tour operators in advance by email, describe what you want, and see what kind of replies you get so that you can pick the one that will best fit your needs and wishes.

When you go with them, whether on a private tour or a group tour, you are covered under their company's group visa.

They will ask you for your passport information in advance and they take care of making all the arrangements and sending you the paperwork you need to get off the ship and through immigration without any hassles.

 

 

Someone else had previously posted about trying to get his own visa to tour St. P independently, but by the time he added up all the costs and researched all the complications involved, he decided that for only 2 or 3 days there you are better off going with one of the recommended, licensed tour operators.

 

Edited November 21, 2013 by fleckle

[RavennaM]

I would recommend Suomelinna castle in Helsinki. You can also do that on your own by ferry. Be Aware that weather in scandinavia is very versatile. It could be very hot, almoust 100 F or near 0 in july.

[alcpa1]

I have been to St. Petersburg by both land and sea.

Please join the Roll Call for your sailing. That is your biggest advantage to tour planning.

Now to the Russian Federation Visa for U. S. Citizens....It is costly. My last Visa was $175. It is very exacting. There can be no erasures nor omissions. If you have served in the military or police you may also find it intrusive. If you have ever been involved in political actions of any kind this could also raise issues. And, that just starts the list.....

St. Petersburg is best done in a small group tour. Transportation in a small van is more comfortable with quicker and closer access to every major site. Schedules can be altered to maximize each day. There is a concentration of sites with The Hermitage in the middle. But you will also want to see Catherine's Palace, Peterhof, or other sites that are difficult to enjoy on your own.

There are quite a few recommended tour operators. Link up with others on your Roll Call and plan your tours together.

[bludevil]

I used Anastasia in St. Petersburg a few years ago and it was amazing. I highly recommend the small group experience instead of a large tour. We were able to see and do what we wanted to do.

 

If you're booked on a tour with an authorized operator, they handle the visa for you. All you do is print out what they send you and your tour ticket and you're good to go.

[ladyflatlander]

We are going on the Scandinavia and Russia cruise in July and would appreciate some advice about worthwhile organised trips. Any suggestions?

 

SBP tours did an incredible private tour for us in St Ptsb. Handled all visa requirements. We worked up a group of about 20 fellow CC members on the roll call.

[atlgators]

Agree with previous posters to use a private tour company for Russia. We did a web search of the main recommended tour groups and chose Alla Tours for our two days in Russia and our trip to Berlin. One of the things we liked about Alla was that they formed the group from our ship. We didn't have to worry about doing that ourselves. There was the option, though, of forming your own group if you desired. Also, once we booked, Alla was very quick to correspond with us. Emails were always answered by the next day.

 

Good luck on your search, and have a fabulous trip. We did!!!!

[abouna]

I have used Itravelspb (I travel St. Petersburg) tours many times and Anna is wonderful to work with.

[cheriooo]

We used ALLA tours for St Petersburg and Berlin. The 2 day comprehensive tour was outstanding. Getting somebody who provides early entry to the Hermitage is a must if you want to enjoy it. The Berlin tour was good. Its a 3 hr bus ride each way and you basically are in Berlin for 3-4 hrs. It was a killer ride. We did the evening folk life show and was surprised at how entertaining it was. We tried to go to the theater but it was too hard and to rushed to do. I looked into StP tours and it was back and forth between the 2 and I was very glad I chose Alla tours. You can check them out on Trip Advisor.

[clmom]

If you are going to be there on a cruise, you are so much better off using one of the excellent, highly recommended private tour operators than getting your own visa and trying to do it on your own.

 

Their group tours are wonderful, but if you prefer, they will arrange a private tour for you. I would suggest contacting several of the recommended tour operators in advance by email, describe what you want, and see what kind of replies you get so that you can pick the one that will best fit your needs and wishes.

When you go with them, whether on a private tour or a group tour, you are covered under their company's group visa.

They will ask you for your passport information in advance and they take care of making all the arrangements and sending you the paperwork you need to get off the ship and through immigration without any hassles.

 

 

Someone else had previously posted about trying to get his own visa to tour St. P independently, but by the time he added up all the costs and researched all the complications involved, he decided that for only 2 or 3 days there you are better off going with one of the recommended, licensed tour operators.

 

I also vote for one of the independent tour companies in St. P. (We used Alla with great results). They take care of the visa, they do all the driving, they get you into all the sites ahead of the crowds. The early admit to the Hermitage was worth its weight in gold alone. We had a small group of 15 with a private driver AND a guide who was fabulous. An added bonus is the small van allows maneuvering into tight spots up close to the sites. We saw people on the ship's tour buses having to walk long distances because the large buses couldn't get any closer.

[Can'tstopcruising]

Here's a response I wrote for a previous post:

 

In Russia we used Anastasia tours' date=' and used Rubles for snacks and our awesome Red Line subway ride, and as a tip.

 

For other tours, or self tours we did:

 

Bruges: the Bruges on your own tour through Celebrity, which is really just a coach into Bruges, then you're on your own until you meet the group to take the coach back. No tour needed for Bruges; a map and a good pair of walking shoes was all we needed.

 

Warnemunde: we walked the beautiful little town in the morning (literally all of it!), had lunch back on the blissfully empty ship, then took the train to Rostock for the afternoon, which was also lovely.

 

Helsinki: we took the Celebrity shuttle into the downtown and did a self guided walking tour. Beautiful city and an easy walk.

 

St. Petersburg: tour with Anastasia as noted. We originally booked their basic group tour, but we're the only people on our ship that did, so we ended up with a private tour for the same price, just us, a guide, and a driver in a sedan. It was awesome!

 

Tallinn: there are shuttles available into town, but we did the 15 minute walk to the old city water gate instead, and did a self walking tour that we found on the Internet. We did the tour in the reverse of how it was printed, and missed all the crowds.

 

Stockholm: we got in the first HOHO bus on the pier, and got to the Vasa Museum just as they opened. We toured it and we're leaving just as the first tour group arrived, then got back on the HOHO into the downtown and took advantage of the many convenient stops.

 

Copenhagen: we did a self guided walking tour, which started at the Little Mermaid statue a 10 minute walk outside the gates from the pier. Walked around the city back to the ship for a late lunch and then took the Celebrity shuttle and Tivoli ticket combo out to Tivoli Gardens for the evening and dinner.

 

Enjoy your trip! If your interested in any of the walking tours we did send a private message to me through Cruise Critic and we'll be happy to share.[/quote']

 

Thank you for all the wonderful information. We are just beginning to think about our July Baltic cruise. Is Anastasia the same as White Tours? (Or

White something!)

[Onessa]

Even though we normally do "on our own" sightseeing and we've done two Baltic cruises with stops in St.Petersburg, that is still one place I would not want to try on-my-own. I would suggest a private tour or a small independent group. We've done both (five in a car with a driver/tour guide) and a small bus with 13 of us with separate driver and tour guide. I'd avoid the large bus tours.

 

The tour takes care of:

1) VISA

2) language barriers

3) pre-purchase tickets

4) priority entrance

5) all the driving

 

With a small group, you can tailor your trip. And if you want to be able to slip in some shopping, the guide can arrange for something better than the tourist trap places near the pier.

 

As to other typical Baltic ports, do your research prior to the trip and you should be able to handle those ports on your own.