CMV: Baltic cruise

[Dark Knight]

We are off to the Baltics next year doing the following ports

Copenhagen
Warnemunde
Tallin
Helsinki
Stockholm
St Petersburg
Aarhus

Any info on theses ports would be nice and the names of any tour companies in St Petersburg, would also be appreciated

Ta

[Manoverboard]

Copenhagen, Tallinn, Helsinki, and Stockholm .... very easy DIY but easier with TC Guide Books for these Cities.

Warnemunde .... train to Rostock, bit of a walk to Old Town from station, return by river boat.

Aarhus ... a few ideas to consider, perhaps >>>

[david63]

We used Anastasia Travel when we went to St Petes a few years back and they were excellent - although from what I have heard/read they are all very similar.

A few things to be aware of:

• Ignore all the rubbish about visas - the tour company will take care of it. In fact under Russian law you cannot be prevented from leaving the ship even though the cruise line might try to imply that you cannot.
• Do not worry about not getting back to the ship - if the tour company does not get you back then the will, amongst other things, loose their tourism licence.
• Do not book with any company that wants the money "up front" - most of those are not based in Russia.
• You will get a better deal if you pay in crisp, new USD bills.
• If you make up a group then the cost per person will be less but you will not have the flexibility to do what you want when you want to do it.
• I don't know how many days you have in St Petes but beware that the traffic can be horrendous, especially at weekend, so arrange your tour to start furthest away from the ship and work back.
• If you are in the new port then you are literally miles out of the city.

[qbman1]

Try to fit in a river tour in St P - you get a really good feel of the city from the water - and there's loads of it.

Really loved Tallinn. As Moby says, an easy DIY but do try to get up to the top of the old town where there are some fabulous views. Great bars and cafes in the main square

[Quizzical Bob]

Aarhus: It's a long while since I've been there but 'Den Gamle By' is interesting https://www.dengamleby.dk/the-old-town/

Copenhagen: All the usual tourist stuff. It's all quite walkable, Nyhavn (pronounced 'noohown'), Tivoli, little mermaid. If you get to the central area where there is a sort of canal 'loop' then you can get a sightseeing boat trip.

Stockholm: There are hop-on/hop-off boats that run a circular tour. If there is a cruise ship in then they usually run one straight to the Vasa museum first - well worth visiting if you like old wrecks. You are now in Djurgården:
http://www.visitstockholm.com/en/See--d ... jurgarden/
From there it's a short walk to the Swedish History Museum and its Viking Gold room - lots of lovely gold, if you like that sort of thing. Then round to the Gamla Stan (Old Town) for cafes and restaurants.

St Petersburg: We booked all the P&O trips under pressure from Her Majesty who also insisted in returning to the ship for lunch each day. The traffic is such that there isn't time for it. The gold room at the Hermitage is spectacular. We also did an evening trip to a cossack show which we both thoroughly enjoyed but came on top of all the shuttling about. I would have liked to have seen more of the Stalinistic architecture.

[qbman1]

.... little mermaid.

The little minx had been shipped off to China for an exhibition when we were in Copenhagen !

[Mervyn and Trish]

If you get chance to do an evening tour of the Hermitage grab it. They are only open to restricted numbers so though busy it is quieter than in the day. But don't expect to see everything. It would take a month to even start doing the Hermitage justice.

[Manoverboard]

Another ' fun ' evening, if the opportunity arises is a P&O trip re an evening of joviality ( HoHoHo ) in the ' Tivoli ' in Copenhagen.

ps ... sure we saw yon mermaid, following her Chinese trip, in Dec 2012

pps ... TC's ' CitySpots ' Books on e-bay, ' HotSpots ' is the other series.



+ All the books required are listed on e-bay.

[qbman1]

Might be difficult to book a P&O tour on a CMV cruise ?

[Manoverboard]

Might be difficult to book a P&O tour on a CMV cruise ?

DK has the wit to look at it on P&O to read the details and then to book it elsewhere , you on the other hand ...

[qbman1]

Sounds like a plan - book an evening tour of Tivoli when the ship sails at 5 ?

[Quizzical Bob]

Sounds like a plan - book an evening tour of Tivoli when the ship sails at 5 ?

It's also open during the day. If Dark Night wears dark glasses then he'll never know the difference.

I spent an evening in Copenhagen back in September and went for a walk through Tivoli. All right if you like roundabouts and things but it does have a good steak restaurant, if a little pricey. http://a-h-b.dk/tivoli/

[Manoverboard]

The Tivoli is deffo past its sell by date and a tad tat but at night or on a Christmas Market's cruise ( which this is not - Cubie ) it is a spectacle not to be missed ... imo.

[Gill W]

Warnemunde is a nice seaside town to walk round, with plenty of beer gardens if you get thirsty.

They also give you a good sailaway. As you sail, all the townspeople spill on to the quayside to wave you off

[Dark Knight]

we have an overnight stay in St Petersburg, so will be doing the 2 day intensive trip, to cover as much as possible, one of the things I cam across was the Faberge museum? has anyone done this ?

[david63]

There is a Fabergé museum within the Hermitage - I don't know if that is what you mean. If it is then, from memory it was not that big.

The biggest problem that you will have is that you will not have time to see/do everything that you want in the time available. For example there is a saying that it you were to spend 10 seconds looking at every item in the Hermitage then it would take you about five years (there are several variations on this - but you get the picture)

Further to what I said in my other post about starting furthest out, then if you are doing a two day tour do St Katherine's and Peterhof on the first day and St Petes itself on the second day

[Manoverboard]

Always do Peterhof in the mornings, 08:30 ish, before the mozzies get up.

ps .... that reminds me, take some Mozzie repellent.

[Quizzical Bob]

Always do Peterhof in the mornings, 08:30 ish, before the mozzies get up.

ps .... that reminds me, take some Mozzie repellent.

Our guide told us that they have two seasons in St Petersburg - winter and July.

[Manoverboard]

There is also a Thomas Cook's Guide Book for ' Aarhus ', in the CitySpot Series as above.