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iaing1000
Just Starting
Joined: 15 May 2005
Posts: 3
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 Posted: Sun May 15, 2005 3:35 pm Post subject: Round trip via Norway and Murmansk |
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Hi,
This is my first post, I just joined the site. I was very impressed by it whilst looking for details about a forthcoming holiday, so I'll cut right to the chase......
Myself and a friend are thinking of flying to Tallinn from England, getting a train to St. Petersburg, staying a few nights then taking another train to Murmansk stopping there for a few days then heading into Norway somehow and working our way back to Bergen/Oslo to fly home. At the moment the bit from Murmansk to Norway is not obvious (train/bus?), we don't want to feel too stranded once we get to those parts. We shall go in about a month's time, are there any other considerations we should make when planning this trip?
Thanks
Iain |
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e
VIP
Joined: 23 Apr 2005
Posts: 654
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| Posted: Sun May 15, 2005 10:00 pm Post subject: |
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If you want to get into St. Petersberg more quickly and pretty cheap and more senicly, I suggest you take the Helsinki-St. Petersberg route which is what I did. At the last time I remember, at least 3 to 5 express Trains and Busses leave Helsinki for St Petersberg and back daily. Getting from St. Pete back to Helsinki by bus is also one of the easiest ways in and out of Russia. If you want really cheap, try to get on the bus packed to the brim with traders --read: smugglers. It only cost $10, ˆ10, ₤10. Bear in mind, you get what you pay for as service quality is very low and its very slow.
There are also ferries that leave for Helsinki to St. Petersberg twice daily and coming in by ferry is a great way to check out St. Petersberg and the closets you'll ever get to see a real live Russian naval base with subs parked there and everything.
Its also more convienient as customs are done on the train and boat and on the spot and speeds by quickly if you have your papers are in order.
Going from Helsinki to St. Pete you can also stop over at Vyborg and the Karelia which is a stopover on the way if you don't use the express service. Vyborg is a nice town and its a nice place to strech your legs and recharge.
From there you can take or St. Pete you can take a bus or train to Murmansk. You can spend as much time as you want in Murmansk and then you can go back down to St. Pete or Vyborg, take whatever back to Helsinki and then from Helsinki there's all sorts of cheap flights out or cheap flights/ferries to Oslo.
I hope this helps.
Good Luck and happy travels!  |
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iaing1000
Just Starting
Joined: 15 May 2005
Posts: 3
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| Posted: Fri May 20, 2005 12:34 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks for that,
I shall look into the Helsinki-St.P route in that case. I'm sure there are loads of cheap fligths to Helsinki from the UK anyway. A ferry from Murmansk is somethnig we'd not thought of, but we'd like to get from there to somewhere in Northern Norway and then go down by train to Oslo/Bergen viewing the fjords and perhaps stopping on the way. Any ideas?
Iain |
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Varangian
Frequent Guest
Joined: 04 Apr 2005
Posts: 21
Location: Toronto, Canada
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| Posted: Fri May 20, 2005 7:11 pm Post subject: Over the Top |
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My first bit of advice is not to rely on us for all your information. The trip that you propose is not for the faint of heart, the light of wallet (Norway is very expensive) or the ill-prepared.
I love Norway. My father was a Norwegian, and it's an extremely beautiful country. Since I am marrying a Russian, I considered myself whether I could visit Norway via the land border with Russia. It's not an easy thing to do, but still, it could be worth it, if you have the money and are looking for an adventure. Norway certainly has better infrastructure than Russia, and Norwegians often have a good knowledge of English.
There are daily buses from Murmansk to Kirkenes in Norway. They leave at 7 or 8 am, and arrive 5 or 6 hours later. A one-way ticket is about 20 Euros. After that, you'll have to rely on buses and ferries for about one-third of the way to Oslo. The northenmost train station is at Bode, not including Narvik which only connects to the Swedish railway system. My uncles are building a cottage on Engeloye, an island just north of Bode. Give them a wave if you're there.
This bit of information just comes from personal knowledge and a quick internet search. Find out more before you go! And after you go, please send us a post or two about your trip. |
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iaing1000
Just Starting
Joined: 15 May 2005
Posts: 3
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| Posted: Fri May 20, 2005 9:38 pm Post subject: |
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That's great, cheers
I notice you're in Toronto. I went there last summer and loved it. Couldn't resist flying to Winnipeg and taking a 36hr train journey north to Churchill on the Hudson Bay to see polar bears/tundra etc. I've got a thing about the Arctic.
I'll buy a 'Rough Guide' or something. Money wise we'll have to keep an eye on things of course. Maybe flying St. P to Murmansk is a possibility too. Then ferries around the Northern coasts of Norway until Bode if that's possible, that of course depends on there being ferries from towns on the Northerly Norwegian coastal parts.
I'm currently planning to do the visa application for Russia early next week, it certainly looks like a fair bit of planning is involved.
What's an unusual but interesting thing to do in Northern Norway/Russia? Ideas welcome!
Iain |
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