Baltic tour guides

[cwaj45]

I've been reading over the boards and have information on St. Petersburg private tour guides. I would like to hire private guides for all our ports but am having problems finding recommendations for Stockholm, Heisinki, Copenhagen and Oslo. I would appreciate any recomendations made.

[jamcat]

I also would like the same info.

 

Thanks

[WhenIsOurNextCruise]

I think Denrus offers tours in all the Scandinavian ports.

[friendship]

You don't need guides in Stockholm. Get a guide book and do the hop on hop off bus/boat.

You can get on the tram/bus right near where you dock in Helsinki. For a few euro and your guide book you have it made.

Same hop on hop off for Copenhagen. Save the money for the guide in Russia.

[TLCOhio]

Agree for Stockholm, Oslo, Copenhagen, etc., that a private guide is not needed that much. Nice, but unlike in St. Petersburg where it's a must due to their laws and confusing language, you will do fine without in these other main Baltic town. These towns are also smaller and more manageable than the more massive and confusing St. Petersburg. In Stockholm and Copenhagen, tour guides are available, but very expensive. They each have unions that set the prices and you can spend around $100 a hour for such guides, plus extras on Sunday, etc. You can Google to Stockholm Tourism Office and find their locations. Nice, but not cheap. In fact this trio of Stockholm, Oslo and Copenhagen are all in the top ten for most costly in the world. All three are wonderful, but very high in the price category. "PRICELESS" is not the charge that will show on your MasterCard for these Baltic cities. Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[moomax6]

We found a guide in Belgium - Google: Private Guides in Europe - I am currently corresponding with Joyce at qualiguides@skynet.be

Decided to use a guide there because the ship dock in Zeebrugge is not close to any of the cities and we wanted to go to The Flanders Fields Museum and the Tyne Cot Cemetery in Ypres along with time in Bruges. Our ship shore excursions does not combine these two stops. Price for two is about comparable with what we are paying for a two day private tour with Alla in St. Petersburg.

As for the other ports - we will do those on our own. We have been to Copenhagen before and it is easy to use the Hop-On-Hop-Off bus to see the sights. Tallin looks fine for a self guided walking tour. I wrote to the USA Tourist Information centers (all in NYC) for each of the countries we will be visiting and they were very prompt in sending me helpful information. Beachgirl

[Peregrina651]

For something off the beaten track, try touring Helsinki with a City Sherpa -- if the volunteer program is being offered again in 2008.

 

You can read more about it on their website: http://blogit.hs.fi/citysherpa/2007/walking-tour. I found out about the program in Rick Steve's guidebook.

 

[pattyj 1204]

The Helsinki Sherpa program sounds awesome. I believe you would learn a lot about the city. Thanks for sharing that option.

[jamcat]

I would like to thank everyone for their information

[Peregrina651]

The Helsinki Sherpa program sounds awesome. I believe you would learn a lot about the city. Thanks for sharing that option.

 

Pattyj, I just want to repeat that these are not trained guides. If you are looking for someone who is going to tell you the entire history of the city and be familiar with every detail of the places that you visit, then the City Sherpa program is not for you.

 

Also, I don't know if the program is going to run in 2008. It will take some looking into.

 

That said, we loved the Sherpa experience and would do it again at the drop of a hat.

[Nana4x]

The Helsinki Sherpa program sounds awesome. I believe you would learn a lot about the city. Thanks for sharing that option.

 

One the the cruisers in our group has been trying to reach the City Sherpa's for quite a while now. Finally heard back from one guide who indicated that she would not be doing tours in 2008. She provided the email of a second person who also in unavailable for 2008. They both indicated that new Sherpa's should be appointed by May -- here's hoping that we make contact with one of them before we leave on June 2.

[pattyj 1204]

I understand they aren't official "tour guides", but they probably know the city and would have ideas of different places to see and how to get there, maybe even personal stories to tell about the different sites. If someone came to Wisconsin, I would show them The Golden Rondelle, the Windpoint lighthouse, the Lake Michigan Beach, Our city museum, Library, fish hatchery, probably not everyones' favorite places and of course, The Spot, a drive in restaurant that has car hops. O & H Danish Bakery. Maybe I'll take a tour in my hometown this summer.Sounds like fun to me.

[Peregrina651]

I understand they aren't official "tour guides", but they probably know the city and would have ideas of different places to see and how to get there, maybe even personal stories to tell about the different sites. If someone came to Wisconsin, I would show them The Golden Rondelle, the Windpoint lighthouse, the Lake Michigan Beach, Our city museum, Library, fish hatchery, probably not everyones' favorite places and of course, The Spot, a drive in restaurant that has car hops. O & H Danish Bakery. Maybe I'll take a tour in my hometown this summer.Sounds like fun to me.

 

 

Check out travel writer Benji Lanyado's article in the Guardian last summer. He toured with three different sherpas in one day to write the article. He also tells a little bit about why Radio Helsinki started the program. http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2007/jun/30/saturday.helsinki

[mellohappy]

We did a City Sherpa tour in Helsinki- it was great to be able to really talk to a local and get her impressions on life in and out of her country. She took us to most of the major sites (note that there is really not THAT much to see in Helsinki- a lively market, the rock church, the cathedral, Sibelius monument...) plus some little known places like the Olympic observation tower and an art gallery she had been wanting to visit. In all, a very enjoyable and eye-opening day!