Visa-free cruise to St.Petersburg and Moscow (15.05.2019-19.05.2019)

Departure 15.05.2019
End date 19.05.2019
Availability over 8
Price from 355€

Trip overview

Explore Saint Petersburg on a new visa-free ferry trip: 3 days in Russia and two nights on ferry! Experience top quality culture, take tours to outstanding palaces and sights, have great parties and lots of fun in Russian style! Visa-free for all nationalities. All tours guided in English.
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Guided activities

	CATHEDRALS OF SAINT PETERSBURG Duration 2,5 - 3h, from 25€ A tour that takes you to three cathedrals from three different centuries. We start with St. Nicholas Cathedral – built in the beautiful baroque style in the18th century. Next it’s St. Isaac’s – one of the largest domed cathedrals in the world and a true demonstration of Russia’s imperial ambitions. And finally, the Cathedral on Spilled Blood – so named because it was built on the site where the beloved Tsar Alexander II was assassinated. You'll marvel at the beautiful architecture and find out about the vital role of religion in the history of this fascinating country. Play video
	State Hermitage museum Duration 2h, included for students / from 20€ for non-students The third largest art museum in the world – based on the collections of the Russian royal family, starting with Catherine the Great in the 18th century. Located in a number of former imperial residences, the Hermitage Museum houses millions of artworks in hundreds of rooms. The tour takes you to the most important exhibits and the most interesting parts of the museum, with a running commentary (in English) provided by a professional local guide. And, as a Timetravels’ clients, you don’t have to queue to get in! Play video
	RIVER AND CANAL CRUISE Duration 1,5h, from 15€ A definite must-do when in Saint Petersburg! The so-called Venice of the North has a 300-kilometre network of rivers and canals, 800 bridges and 16 kilometres of embankments lined with many of the city’s most beautiful palaces and mansions. On a river and canal cruise you travel back in time to the heart of the imperial city. Breathtaking views are accompanied by beautiful music and of course by Soviet “Champagne” (Russian sparkling wine)! Cruises operate from late April until the end of October.. Play video
	Moscow // THE METRO From 15€ Moscow metro stations are often called “people’s palaces”. Decorated with marbles, mosaics, sculptures and chandeliers they were supposed to display the superiority of Soviet architecture and the wealth of the Soviet citizens. In addition, subway is the best way to move around the city. The guided tour in the Moscow metro shows you the most beautiful stations, reveals the historical back grounds and teaches you using the subway, which still is the cheapest and fastest way to get around in Moscow. Play video
	Moscow // THE KREMLIN students from 25€ / adults from 30€ The Kremlin is the oldest part of Moscow, housing the political headquarters of the Russian Federation. It’s the symbol of the Russian heartland, its mystery and power. The guided tour allows you to visit the Kremlin grounds and the ancient cathedrals, were the Russian Tsars were crowned and buried through the centuries. Play video
	Moscow //Sanduny bath house from 30€ The oldest public bath house in Russia has several departments, separate for gentlemen and ladies, with spacious lounge zones, swimming pools and classical Russian steam rooms. Notice that the guests of the public departments are NOT provided with sheets and towels, slippers, shower gels and shampoos. All of the above you may rent/buy from the Bath House, as well as VENIK (bunch of branches), which you may use in the steam room to hit your friend or yourself in order to get true Russian Banya spirit. Duration of staying is 2 hours. After the visit the group will come back to the city center. Not available during Spring 2019 trips.
	Moscow // Museum of GULAG from 20€ This is a museum dedicated to the most horrible part of Soviet reality – Labour camp system. You can really feel yourself being barred behind strong doors. This tour for some serious emotions and thoughts. This activity is available for trips starting after 27.10.2018.
	Tallinn // Walking city tour from 10€ This activity is avaialble for ferry Helsinki - St.Petersburg departing on Friday only Great informal walk with the local guide. About 1-1,5 hrs. This activty is available only for Friday departures.

Preliminary trip program

This is a preliminary itinerary. The order of the activities may change in the final itinerary. You will receive the final itinerary 2-3 days prior the trip by email.

Please, remember to bring your passport in original copy and valid at least 6 months after the end of the trip.

DAY 1

15:30 Meeting at Helsinki West Terminal (Länsisatama)

17:30 Check-in closes.

19:00 M/S Princess Anastasia departs from Helsinki

21:30 Nightclub folk and variety show "Columbus" bar (7th deck, until 23.00) FREE ENTRANCE

22:30 Nightclub on the 7th deck Crazy party until late!

DAY 2

7:00 Breakfast in the restaurant (8th deck, 7:00-09.00, extra cost).

9:00 Arrival in St Petersburg. Debarking from the ferry. Passport control. Please, leave the ferry straight after the arrival otherwise you’ll be late for the city tour!

11:00 Guided city tour (Peter & Paul fortress, The Spit of the St Basil Island etc.) We’ll have a lunch break
during the tour. Free time to explore the city.

18:00 For departure dates from 20.03.2019 to16.04.2019

         Traditional Russian Evening – Show and Dinner – (extra activity*)

         Afterwards transportation to the hotel/hostel. Possibility to stay in the city center for clubbing.

For departure dates from 17.04.2019 to 31.05.2019

         Night River and Canals Cruise* – (extra activity*)

         Afterwards transportation to the hotel/hostel. Possibility to stay in the city center for clubbing.

* weather permitting, if cancelled we will refund the cost

21:00 Departure from the city center to the train station.

22:50 Night train departure to Moscow (estimated)

DAY 3

07:00 Arrival in Moscow. All luggage to the bus or locker. Breakfast in the restaurant

09:00 Guided city tour of Moscow, visit of the Red Square, Sparrow Hills, Lenin Mausoleum (if it’s open) *

14:00 KREMLIN GROUNDS AND CATHEDRALS 30 € student / 40€ adult. Student cards will have to be shown at the entrance! Guided tour 1 – 1,5 hour.

16:30 Meeting for Museum of Gulag 20 € (going by metro).

This is a museum dedicated to the most horrible part of Soviet reality – Labour camp system. You can really feel yourself being barred behind strong doors. This tour for some serious emotions and thoughts. The group will get to the museum using metro. Guided tour starts around 17:30 and lasts for 1 – 1,5 hour. After the tour the group goes back to city centre by metro.

19:30 Subway Tour 15 €. Moscow has the most beautiful subway in the world (it’s true). During the tour you will see the most spectacular stations with the guide. Duration app. 1 – 1,5 hour. After the tour the group will come back to the city center or go directly to the railway station.

22:50 Night train departure to St Petersburg (estimated)

DAY 4

07:00 Arrival in St Petersburg. All luggage to the bus. Breakfast in the restaurant

09:30 Departure to Hermitage Museum.

Guided tour of the State Hermitage Museum (FREE for students/ 20 € adults). Duration apx. 2 hours. After the tour you may stay in the museum or have a lunch or a walk in the city.

14:00 Cathedrals of St Petersburg tour 25 €. Starts from the Hermitage Museum, no transportation from the hotel. Includes visit to the most beautiful cathedrals of St. Petersburg: Nikol’skyj Cathedral, St Isaac’s Cathedral and Cathedral on the Spilled Blood. Overall duration of the program – 2,5 hours.

17:30 Bus departure from The Palace Square to harbor

18:00 Passport control and boarding

19:00 M/S Princess Anastasia departs to Helsinki. Same cruise program as on the 1st day

DAY 5

08:00 Arrival in Helsinki. Debarking, Finnish customs and passport control. End of the tour.

   Timetravels reserves the right to changes in the itinerary.
What is included
- Departure from your booked departure point
- Ferry connection. For trips on Wednesday the route is Helsinki - St. Petersburg - Helsinki. For trips on Friday the route is Helsinki- St.Petersburg - Tallinn - Helsinki.
- Shared B4 cabin during the ferries: Helsinki-St. Petersburg, St.Petersburg-Helsinki, St.Petersburg-Tallinn
- Night train connection St. Petersburg - Moscow - St. Petersburg (shared cabins for 4 people with bedlinen)
- Guided tour of St Petersburg of the SS Peter and Paul fortress
- Guided tour of the State Hermitage Museum (included for travellers with student card only)
- Guided tour of Moscow and the Red Square
- Services of the tour guide during the whole stay in St Petersburg and Moscow
- 2 breakfast in Russia included
For extra cost
- Optional guided excursions and activities
- Travel insurance
- Other ferry cabin types if available when booking
* Due to high demand of cabins on this route, we reserve right to upgrade any cabins to higher class for outbound in inbound service. Should this happen, no extra fee is applied

Accommodation

On our student trips we use three star hotels for accommodation. All of the hotels we use are located in the historical city centre and provide good services and easy access to local sights. Due to difficult vacancy situation in the hotels, we confirm the name of the hotel usually 1-2 weeks prior to the departure. The most usual hotels we use are listed below.

Common features to all hotels

Location in the historical city centre, max. 3 km distance to the main sites and action
TWIN rooms with conveniences: twin bed, bathroom, tv in all rooms
Full buffet breakfasts
Free wifi
Security

Moscow***

Moscow hotel is one of the largest in St.Petersburg and thanks to its good location and services our default hotel for student groups.

Ibis***

Ibis St Petersburg Centre is a 3 star hotel offering 221 comfortable rooms. Located in the centre of St.Petersburg, it is close to Nevsky Prospekt (the main avenue of the city)

Dostoyevsky***

Hotel Dostoyevski is a rather new hotel in the heart of the city, opposite to the Vladimirsky Cathedral. Nevsky prospect 0,5 km.

Good to know

Passport and visa issues

Travelling by ferry to Russia with staying 72 hrs in the destination is visa-free for absolutely ALL citizens, as long as the following conditions are met. A) Passenger has a travel passport valid for at least 6 months after the end of the trip. Please note! An EU ID card or any other national ID card will not do! B) Passenger has purchased a package tour, including at least accommodation and a city tour. C) Passenger arrives and leaves Russia using the St Peterline ferry connection (it is not possible to arrive by ferry and leave by train, for instance). D) Passenger has sufficient travel documents for leaving and returning to Finland (either a European/Schengen area passport or Passport and residence permit in an EU/Schengen country if you are not an EU/Schengen citizen). If you need visa for arriving to Finland, make sure it has enough entries left! If you have arrived to Finland with a single-entry visa, you need a residence permit in an EU country in order to travel to Russia. If you are unsure of your situation, please contact our customer service at customerservice@timetravels.fi

Can I travel to Moscow during my visa-free stay?

It is recommended not to leave St. Petersburg area during your visa-free stay, however travelling within Russia is not prohibited. Please inform your tour leader if you have such plans. You do not need to stick to the group after arriving to St Petersburg, but the travel agency is responsible for your stay in Russia and will get into trouble, if you do not show up to the port by the departure of the visa-free ferry. For violating the visa-free rules passenger has to pay high penalties +issue an exit visa from Russia through his own consulate, which is a both money and time consuming process.

Money Exchange

Russian currency is rouble (RUR). While cards are widely in use Russia still has a lot of places where only cash is accepted. Money exchange rate is not stable, you can check current rate here. Roubles can be withdrawn from ATM or changed in numerous banks in the city. We recommend to exchange some money in advance in FOREX, because it will save your precious time in the destination.

Customs regulations

You are allowed to bring alcohol to Finland if you are older then 18 years old (20 for alcohol stronger then 22%). You can take not more then: 1 liter of alcohol more than 40 % of alcohol (e.g. Vodka) OR 2 liters of aperatifs (eg. Champagne, long drinks or other beverages less than 22% of alcohol) + 4 liters of wines + 3 crates of beer (16 liters) + 1 carton of cigarettes

Weather

The weather in St Petersburg is much alike in Helsinki. Typical temperature in Summer is 15-25 Celcius, in Winter anything between +5 and -30 Celcius. Due to closeness of the sea, weather can change rapidly.

Electric devices

Normal European standard plugs and 220 V sockets. No adapters are needed.

Language

English is not widely spoken in Russia so it could be useful to learn some basic sentences in Russian. Your tour conductor will assist whenever you need help.

Safety

St Petersburg is no more or less dangerous than any European metropolis. We recommend to use your common sense, take care of your belongings in crowded places, watch out for traffic and to know your limits for alcohol.

Price level

If compared to Helsinki or Stockholm, St Petersburg is relatively cheap. This applies to groceries, alcohol, cigarettes and public transportation. Eating out and clubbing represent about the same prices as in Finland.

Emergency

In a case of emergency, sickness or accident, contact your group leader immediately. He will contact the medical care, and you will receive help as soon as possible. Doctors will arrive straight to the hotel. If you have purchased a travel insurance with us (5€), it covers all the medical costs and the medical treatment is free of charge. If the group leader is not available, contact the hotel reception. Remember to save all the receipts and doctor’s statement for medical treatment and medicine. Insurance company will refund all the expenses to your bank account.

ATTENTION! Insurances do not cover self-inflected cases, such as anything involving the consumption of alcohol or drugs.
Gallery

Images taken by our travellers in Spring 2016