Way to Russia Talk Lounge

oflavia

Above is my intended route for a 6 day trip. Is there a best way to travel this route ? Will fly from stanstead to Riga. I checked and couldnt find an overnight train from Tallin to St Petersburg. Are buses comfortable enough to have overnight rest ? how do I get from St. P to Helsinki ? Any tips on travel options would be appreciated. Smile

Paul Holmes · VIP Joined: 12 Apr 2005 Posts: 958

Euroline buses are awesome. You will be impressed. Try Eurolines (website is on this site ) and they should have a bus to Helsinki also.

oflavia · Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 8:11 pm Post subject: Travel Route

Thanks . Im wondering if overnight buses would be more suitable. Tried looking at the eurolines website but couldnt tell. The distance from Talinn to St. P is 9 hours. Would it be more advisable to take a ferry from St. P to Helsinki or to take a bus instead ? And any advice for accomodation in smaller hotels for St. P ? I would prefer to stay closer to the St. P main bus stand and in a place which has tour buses passing through to pickup for sightseeing.

greg222 · VIP Joined: 15 Feb 2005 Posts: 521

There's an overnight train from Tallinn to St Petersburg. It's not in the timetables on WTR but it exists. My advice is to take buses if you're traveling during the day, trains if you're traveling overnight. The bus seats don't recline much and I personally find overnight bus trips a nightmare.

It's better to stay in the center of St Petersburg (might be near the station depending on what transport you take). And there are no public 'tour buses' in St Petersburg. The subway is your best bet.

oflavia · Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 10:43 am Post subject:

Thanks. If there is a night train from Talinn to St.P, where could I find info on that. Also, is there a hotel next to the train station assuming I take this train.

Im wondering which is the closest place to stay, considering Im interested to see the historical sites and stick to tourist areas only. Is there like a hopon hopoff bus to go around in St. P and any hotel located on that route ?

overseas_expat · VIP Joined: 11 Jan 2005 Posts: 612 Location: Moscow

I believe there is no train from Tallinn to St. Pete. There is an overnight train from Tallinn to Moscow leaving each evening about 6 PM. There is only bus service from Tallinn to St. Petersburg.

greg222 · VIP Joined: 15 Feb 2005 Posts: 521

Train #650 departs from Tallinn at 22:24 and arrives in St. Petersburg at 07:43. I don't know which station it arrives to. But, again, I would recommend booking something in the center - you will be able to get there easily by metro.

No, there's no hop-on, hop-off bus. The best ways to get around are by metro and by foot.

overseas_expat · VIP Joined: 11 Jan 2005 Posts: 612 Location: Moscow

greg222 · VIP Joined: 15 Feb 2005 Posts: 521

Yes, I'm sure. The vendors advertised on WayToRussia often sell tickets on this train, so if it doesn't exist then there's something very wrong...

hpesch · Frequent Guest Joined: 09 Mar 2008 Posts: 14

Its Tallinn (2xL and 2xN).
Flights are cheap if booked in advance. The easiest route would take a ferry from Tallinn to Helsinki (1.5 hours) and take a bus from Helsinki to Petersburg and back. Buses leave mostly early in the morning and arrive at 4 pm in Petersburg. Russian buses can be cheap, at about 20 Euros, and they collect their passengers at the parking lot north of Tennispalatsi in the city center.
For six days I would not bother, chose two cities from the bunch. Such a tight schedule needs careful planning.