Tallinn, St Petersburg or Helsinki which 2?

miss choc

Plan on doing a two city holiday next year from Dublin my husband and I have never travelled to the 3 cities we would only be able to take 7 days off so we really dont want to squeeze in a third city. Just wondering which two cities would you recommend in terms of getting to and from each city, cost, accommodation, sights, weather etc havent done any research on them yet. On the net it says there is 5hr difference between the three. Also because I am doing a two city break should I try it independently or use a travel agent don't know any in dublin that would deal with two centre city breaks think Trailfinders only do long haul.

ardmacha

You don't need a travel agent to go to Helsinki and Tallinn. You may for St Petersburg as you are into visas and the like. That said St Petersburg has important sights, Tallinn is very nice, but small. Helsinki is pleasant but not an historical gem.

cailinoBAC

Of the three St Petersburg is definitely the best. But you will also need a visa. You don't need a travel agent as you should be able to do this yourself. However, I can't really comment as I was there 7 years ago (God, really need to make it back...) but some of the hotels could be pretty expensive. I stayed in a hostel when I was there so not absolutely sure. Also, I'm not sure where the 5 hours distance comes from, I thought it was 7 hours bus from Tallinn. I took an overnight boat though, as I'm not mad about long bus journeys.

Skuxx

I can't say anything about Tallin as I havnt been there yet, but I have been to St.Petersburg and Helsinki and would highly recommend them!
St.Petersburg is a beautiful city with loads of things to see! Tbh I would go back there in the morning! Theres something about the place I just love! As the others have mentioned though you will need a visa!

Gatica

for the visa to Russia you need a invitation letter. Google it and I'm sure you'll find a hotel/hostel in that business. That's how friends of mine got theirs. I've friends there so got a personal invitation.
It's a fab city with old churches, palaces, the square, museums...

Unshelved

Tallinn is gorgeous. It's a very small city and you'd see most of it in a couple of days. We stayed in an apartment, which was within walking distance of the old town and was fantastic value - we got it through the Tallinn listings on www.inyourpocket.com . We were there in June and the weather was really changeable - I had to buy an extra fleece one day but by the end of the week it was warm enough to go swimming. There's a very different atmosphere around the city at weekends - a lot of stag parties and Finnish tourists who seem to drink like fish!!

We did a daytrip from Tallinn to Helsinki which was fun. There isn't a huge amount of things to see in Helsinki - we did a four-hour guided tour and saw pretty much everything.

If you plan it well you could do all three cities. I've never been to Russia but everyone who goes there seems to be amazed by St. Petersburg.

Todd Gack

Gatica wrote: »

for the visa to Russia you need a invitation letter. Google it and I'm sure you'll find a hotel/hostel in that business. That's how friends of mine got theirs. I've friends there so got a personal invitation.
It's a fab city with old churches, palaces, the square, museums...

You can get the visa invitation letter separately from realrussia.co.uk for £15stg and the visa itself costs €60.

The express train from Helsinki to St. Petersburg is about €85. It's a lovely city but is relatively expensive if cost is a concern. Tallinn is a nice little city too but can be seen in a couple of days, Helsinki I didn't find as nice as the other two but is not unpleasant. It is similar enough pricewise to Dublin, possibly a little more. Tallinn is the cheapest and is a 2 hour ferry trip from Helsinki so easy to get to from there, about €20 each way i think. The train to St. Petersburg has recently reopened and there's a bus as well.

FouxDaFaFa

I haven't been to St.Petersburg so I can't advise you about that but I did a 3-city trip earlier this year to Stockholm, Helsinki and Tallinn and would probably rank Helsinki third in that list. There isn't anything particularly wrong with it though, just didn't enjoy it as much as the other two cities. Soumenlinna fortress is an enjoyable day trip if you decide to go to Helsinki.

Tallinn is small but really beautiful. It could easily be seen in a few days and it is cheaper than Helsinki.

Personally, if I were to choose I would pick St.Petersburg and Tallinn.

spurious

St. Petersburg is quite pricey and they still do the 'price for tourists' scams that they used to do in the old Soviet days.

That said, it is stunningly beautiful and absolutely worth seeing.

Tallinn is pretty too, though of course much smaller (and cheaper).
In that general area, Gdansk, Riga and Stockholm are all ideal for short breaks too. Helsinki wouldn't be in my top five cities in that region. I found it very concrete-y and grey, though admittedly it lashed rain the whole time I was there.

miss choc

Thanks for feedback think we will base ourselves in Tallinn and do a day trip to Helsinki. I really want to see St Petersburg but wouldnt do it justice if I was rushing it (pardon the pun) I want to see Moscow some time in my lifetime too so I think would be more economical and less hassle to get visa all in one go and do a two week visit maybe to Russia some time then I can see the two cities.

sarkozy

Tallinn you can do as a daytrip or overnighter from Helsinki. Helsinki is ace (I spent a month there), but I never made it to Russia. It's harder to get into, and it's gotta be way different to Europe (generally) and Finland (which is very different amongst the nordic cultures).

So, I'd recommend Helsinki because I've been there, but I haven't been to St. Petersburg, and I'd be fascinated to go. But I wouldn't do both unless I had the time.

davepatr07

Sorry if this is slightly off topic, but to those that have been to St Petersburg how did you find it as a tourist/visitor? Did you find it welcoming? Heard stories in the past of tourists been knifed or mugged. Maybe it has changed since then. Always wanted to go there and to Moscow. Thanks

Gatica

Like most cities you'd have to be careful at night-time, don't go down dark lanes and that sort of thing. Otherwise, the touristy areas are always full of police, maybe watch out for pick-pockets.

Personally I don't find the general russian population that friendly at all. Have usually found them quite rude in fact. However, if you happen to make friends or meet friends of friends, they're very kind and generous. If you're invited in for tea, it's a feast. I don't know why there's such a cold front put up towards strangers, but on a more familiar setting they're far more open than even the friendly Irish.

sarkozy

Enjoy your holiday, Tallinn is an interesting and different place. It depends what you're into, but personally, I'd spend more time in Helsinki. More to see and do.