DIY trips in the Baltic

[sazzle99]

Hello everyone!

 

We have just got a great deal on a Baltic Radisson Seven Seas Cruise in July. I know that for St Petersburg we need to be on a trip with the ship or an independent company but can anyone offer help on the following

 

Helsinki

Tallinn

Visby

 

When you dock are you close enough to do your own thing. Is there plenty to do? Or should we book trips here and can anyone recommend anything they feel is "must see". We are pretty good at public transport and getting out there on our own - but if we are miles from anywhere when we dock I think we would consider ship trips.

 

Also, how do you manage with currency? I know some are Euros which is no problem but what about Estonia and Russia - can you even take currency in or do they accept pounds/dollars/euros

 

Any advice?

 

Thanks

[MTemple212]

Check out http://www.Denrus.ru

[Andee]

In Tallinn, we did a self-guided historical walking tour of the old city that we found in Rick Steves' Scandinavia.

 

We did Helsinki on our own: Central Market, City Museum, Senate Square, Lutheran Cathedral, Russian Orthodox Cathedral, Church in the Rock, rode the 3T tram.

 

In St. Petersburg, we toured with Red October. Our guide paid whenever rubles were necessary, and we settled up at the end of our two days.

 

In Tallinn, dollars were accepted, and ATMs were available.

[calmac]

Bear in mind that Denmark (Copenhagen) and Sweden (Stockholm), although in the European Union, do not use the euro. In Denmark the currency is the Danish Krone and in Sweden it is the Swedish Krona.

[JeannyCT]

In Helsinki I walked into town which took more than an hour (public transport is available, HAL also had busses) and spent the time on my own there. There’s plenty to see and do.

 

In Tallinn and Visby we also walked - it wasn’t that long until we arrived in the old town. I’ve seen busses in Visby and I'm pretty sure their first stop was about two minutes after they got on the bus. :)

 

If you like getting out on your own these are definitely places to do just that and enjoy your day.

 

On most Baltic cruises only Helsinki (Finland) and Warnemünde/Rostock (Germany) use Euro, the other countries have their own currencies.

I got Danish and Swedish money from an ATM, already had Euros and didn't buy anything in Estonia and Russia.

[sazzle99]

Thankyou!

 

I know as a European I should really know who has Euros (I know BAFFLING PIGS but can never remember which of the countries with the same letter are in!)

[spearmint]

Thankyou!

 

I know as a European I should really know who has Euros (I know BAFFLING PIGS but can never remember which of the countries with the same letter are in!)

 

I am sure that BAFFLING PIGS s is some sort of mnemonic, but do not know it. Could you explain it?

[Jahla Jahla]

BAFFLING PIGS = Belgium, Austria, Finland, France, Luxembourg, Ireland, Netherlands, Germany, Portugal, Italy, Greece, and Spain. DUKS = Denmark, United Kingdom, and Sweden.

[Sue G]

Hi

In Russia the correct currency to use is the Rouble which you can now get in your "home" country rather than waiting until you arrive in Russia which was the case until recently. There is a limit on the amount you can obtain which in the UK is £1000 which I'm sure would be more than enough! You may find that some will except dollars and euros but be careful.

[JodiBB]

We did everything on our own in each country with the exception of St. Petersburg, where we used Red October. Getting the Rick Steve's book on Scandanavia makes it incredibly easy to get around and the transportation systems are easy to use as well...

 

For most of the countries, we also purchased City Passes that included admission to many of the attractions we wanted to see as well as the transportation was included....made it cheaper for us than worrying about having a lot of currency for each country.

[SaylorGirl]

Sazzle - We did all ports on our own, including St. Petersburg, all you have to do is obtain a Russian Visa. In Tallin, St. Petersburg, Copenhagen and Sweden, you will need to have the local curriencies. In the others the Euro will be fine. We purchased small amounts from our local Wells Fargo and then used the ATM when we needed additional funds in each city. You will find all the ports easy to get around, we walked alot and used the public transportation in each port, including the bus and metro in St. Petersburg.

[Sniktaw]

Hi Saylorgirl,

We have gotten our own visas for St. Peterburg. Also going on organized tour during the day. Any tips on what to see after hours?

Carolyn

[Marialivia]

I highly recommend the site www.portreviews.com, which has a wealth of information on the Baltic ports, including currency info and "Must See" places and events. After doing much research on that site and in Rick Steves' "Scandinavia" (as well as questioning several friends who have taken this trip), we have booked only the St. Petersburg excursions through the ship (6/12, Amsterdam), because of the Visa requirement and our determination to make our trip as hassle-free as we can. I did not find the excursions offered by the ship to be unduly costly. (For the Hermitage, Peterhof, and the Folkloric Spectacular, the total was $182.) The remaining ports we will do on our own, using the resources mentioned above.

 

For any purchases, we will use our credit card as much as possible, and will obtain cash through ATMs (taking some dollars as backup). A GREAT advantage of cruising is that no cash is needed on board.

 

Happy trip! ML:D