Visa-free cruise to Moscow and St.Petersburg from Helsinki (26.04.2017-01.05.2017)

Departure 26.04.2017
End date 01.05.2017
Availability Sold out
Price from 345€

Trip overview

Explore Saint Petersburg on a new visa-free ferry trip: stay 3 days in Russia and enjoy a ferry-cruise! Experience top quality culture, take tours to outstanding palaces and sights, have great parties and lots of fun in Russian style! All tours guided in English.

IMPORTANT: a passport valid at least 6 months after the end of the trip is required!

Guided activities

	PETERHOF from 30€ Peterhof is a magnificient summer palace on the Gulf of Finland, some 30 km from the city center. of St Petersburg. Founded by the order of Tsar Peter the Great in 1725, it was meant to beat Versailles in glory and splendor. The complex of verdant gardens, luxurious baroque residences, genuine fountains and cascades of marble and gold still remains as impressive as it was on the 18-19th century! Guided tour includes bus trip to Peterhof with admissions to one of the palaces (Grand Palace, Marli, Monplaisir, Cottage, The Bath Block) and lower park with fountains and guidance. Play video*
	OPERA OR BALLET from 50€ St Petersburg is known as the cultural capital of Russia. There’s a possibility to attend a world famous ballet or opera performance. You can book tickets through us to the performance scheduled for your trip - we often get student discounts from the theaters and transfer is included. If you are interested in some other event you can check theater's online shops or try your luck at a box office but usually tickets are sold out quite fast. Play video
	NIGHT FEVER — LIMO TRIP from 25€ Discover the St.Petersburg by night with style and glamour! A limousine ride takes you around the most spectacular places of the city with some stops for taking pictures. Eventually the limo drops you at one the trendiest night club, where you will bypass the queue. Limousines are loaded with sparkling wine. Play video
	CATHEDRALS OF ST PETERSBURG from 25€ This tour includes three cathedrals from three different centuries. We start with St Nicolaus cathedral- built in beautiful baroque style in 18th century. Second cathedral is St Isaac’s – one of the biggest dome cathedrals in the world and a true demonstration of ambitions of the Russian Empire. The last one is Cathedral on the Spilled Blood that was built on the assassination site of beloved Tsar Alexander II. You'll enjoy beautiful architecture and find out about Russian religion and its place in the history of the country. Play video
	State Hermitage museum Included for students / from 20€ for non-students The third biggest art museum in the world bases on the collections of the Russian royal families starting from the 18th century. The museum locates in formal imperial residences, housing millions of exhibits in hundreds of rooms. Take a tour to the most important exhibits and parts of the museum, learn the interesting backgrounds and get a guaranteed entrance without queuing! The tour is given in English by a professional local guide. Play video
	Cruise on rivers and canals from 15€ Definitely one of must-to-do’s in St Petersburg! “The Northern Venice” has 16 km of embankments, 48 canals and rivers and 800 bridges. Many of the beautiful palaces and mansions were designed to façade the riverside. With a river and canals cruise you make a time travel to the heart of the imperial city. Breath-taking views are accompanied by music and of course – the Soviet champagne (Russian sparkling wine)! Available in late April - October. Play video
	St.Petersburg // TRADITIONAL RUSSIAN EVENING — SHOW & DINNER from 30€ Definitely one of the funniest and most loved programs! The highlight of the evening is the colorful folk show, consisting of Russian songs, dances and games.By the end of the evening, you will have a total overview of what it means to celebrate an evening in Russian style! All of this, while we are enjoying a traditional Russian dinner and drinks! Vegetarian option is possible. Available on November-April trips. Play video

Preliminary trip program

DAY 1 - WEDNESDAY

00:00 Departure from Kaunas, at parking lot near Akropolis (Here)
01:30 Departure from Vilnius, at McDonald parking lot near the train station (Here)
11:30 Arrival in Tallinn, check-in to ferry
12:30 Ferrry departure from Tallinn
14:30 Arrival in Helsinki, West Terminal
15:30 Check-in to St Peterline ferry (same terminal)
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 – THURSDAY

09:00 Arrival in St Petersburg. Buffet breakfast (8th deck, extra cost 10 €).
    Debarking possible only after 14.00 from the ferry. Passport control.
15:30 Guided city tour. Get to know the famous city sights: Peter & Paul fortress, The Spit of the St Basil Island,
Nevsky prospect, etc. (included for all)
18:30 Check-in at the hotel, accommodation in twin rooms (estimated time)
20:00 Meeting at the hotel lobby. Departure to Russian Dinner party.
Traditional Russian Evening – Show and Dinner – 30 €
Afterwards transportation to the hotel. Possibility to stay in the city center for clubbing.

DAY 3 – FRIDAY

  Breakfast (included in hotel accommodation)
09:00 Check-out. Guided bus excursion to Pushkin, Catherine's Palace in "Village of the Tsars", 25 €
  Location 30 km away from the city. Afterwards free time in Catherine’s park.
If you are not attending Pushkin tour you have to check out till 12:00! Luggage could be left in a luggage room.
13:00 Departure from Pushkin back to the hotel. Arrival to the hotel 14:00-14:30. Free time
15:30 Departure from the hotel to the Hermitage museum.
16:30 Guided tour of the State Hermitage Museum (FREE for students/ 20 € adults). Duration apx. 2 hours.
19:30 Meeting next to the Hermitage. Departure to The night cruise on Rivers and Canals.
Night Cruise on Rivers and Canals 15€ (Available from late April, weather permitting).
21:00 Departure from the city center to the train station.
22:50 Night train departure to Moscow (estimated time, depends on train schedule).

DAY 4 – SATURDAY

07:00 Arrival in Moscow (estimated time, depends on train schedule). All luggage to the bus. Breakfast in the restaurant
10:00 Guided city tour of Moscow, visit of the Red Square, Sparrow Hills, Lenin Mausoleum * and the Kremlin
16:00 Free time for own interests
19:00 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.
23:30 Night train departure to St Petersburg

DAY 5 – SUNDAY

07:00 Breakfast in the restaurant
09:30 Cathedrals of St Petersburg tour 25 €. 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.
11:30 Bus departure from the hotel to the harbour
12:00 Passport control and boarding (by the latest according to the visa-free regulations)
19:00 M/S Princess Maria departs to Tallinn via Helsinki. Same cruise program as on the 1st day

DAY 6 – MONDAY

11:00 Arrival in Tallinn. Debarking, Estonian customs and passport control.
12:00 Bus departure to Vilnius
19:00 Arrival in Vilnius
20:30 Arrival in Kaunas

* Mausoleum could be closed on special occasions without notice to public and if so couldn’t be visited. We’ll do our best to inform you beforehand.

Timetravels reserves the right to changes in the itinerary.

Accommodation

On our trips, we use hostels and three star hotels for accommodation. All of the ho(s)tels 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 hostels / hotels, we confirm the name of the ho(s)tel 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.

HOSTELS IN ST PETERSBURG

http://visuals.timetravels.fi/717191

On our student trips during the high season we use hostels for accommodation. They are all greatly located in the historical center and provide good services. Common features for all hostels:

central location
good access to public transport
dorm rooms
bed linen and towels included
free wi-fi
kitchen facilities
24-hours reception
quiet hours: 23:00-10:00
no alcohol and no smoking policy
Here you can check some of the hostels we usually use: BED&BIKE, GRAFFITI

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 2018 (Instagram)