Hello fellow travelers,

I've started dreaming about my next free trip--probably not until a year from now--in order to keep that carrot out in front of me.

Anyhow--was looking at a map, and got the idea to do a loop of Helsinki, Finland, Tallin, Estonia, and St. Petersburg Russia. I might throw in a night or two in Amersterdam going or coming, as that's where KLM (my miles for this one are with Northwest--thanks, Sprint!) changes planes.

Has anyone one done all or part of this loop? Thoughts on each city? Is there one rail pass that would cover all these, including ferries? Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated!

JP

I've been to all of these places and frequently travel the route. IMO, the best way to get from HEL-TLL is by taking one of the many ferries that travel between the two cities. The main one being Tallink www.tallink.ee (http://www.tallink.ee) , others are Silja line, Nordic Jet and Linda Line. Tickets on ferries and catamarans are very cheap. From TLL to LED the most convenient way would be to take a bus. These are European standard coaches with all appropriate comforts. For some reason I cannot recall the name of the bus line but its buses can be seen all over Europe including Estonia (It could be EuroBus or something). You can also take the train but it's slow and the stop on the Russian border takes a good hour. Another option would be to buy a tour in TLL to LED which works out about the same priceways but you get the tours in as an extra bonus. If you need more specifics then don't hesitate to ask.

Thanks, Spider! What about the trip back to Helsinki from St. Petersburg? How are the border crossings for each? I was in Moscow several years ago, and it was slow getting in, mostly from bureaucracy.

Any thoughts on how long to spend in each place? I have friends in Tallin that I'll probably spend a few days with. Also, any experience with Amsterdam?

I've read that Helsinki has good public transport. How about Tallin & St Petersburg?
Do each offer signs in english? My cyrillic is not good!

J379pa,

From LED-HEL you can either take a train or coach/bus. Buses are always speedier since there are less people on board. Even better if you use tourist buses since in the eyes of the border guards tourists are innocent dorks.

Border crossings are not a problem as long as your paperwork is in order and you have nothing to declare. BTW, if you have limited foreign cash on the Russian border then do not forget to mention that all your money is on debit/credit cards as otherwise your luggage might undergo a thorough and unwelcome search.

Spending your time in these places? It all depends on what you like. There are 3 decent nightclubs in Tallinn and a lot mor in LED. As far as Amsterdam goes then it is a lot more friendlier towards foreigners than Germany and especially Belgium which I personally find VERY racist.

Helsinki has very good public transport just like TLL and LED. The downside of public transport in those cities (TLL and LED) is that a number of homeless people who are called "bomzhi" use it and they really stink and are infested with fleas and whatnot. So, you might want to steer clear of them. In Tallinn you can use maxicabs (vans) which are like buses with a set route except they charge a bit more and do not accept passengers without fares. Taxis in Tallinn are also inexpensive, most decent ones being Tulika, Tallinna Taksopark and Esra.

English is widely spoken. Any major supermarket in HEL will be able to assist/communiacte with you in English. In Tallinn go for Stockmann or Maksimarket department stores for service in English. BTW, Finnish and Estonian are not cyrillic, Russian is! Any other questions?