Baltic: Cities at our own pace

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Phil&jo

Guest
We are travelling on Jewel of the Seas on 19 August to the Baltic.

With the exception of St Petersburg we want to see Oslo, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Tallinn and Stockholm on our own.

We would prefer to visit one museum/gallery in each city and spend some time wandering around by ourselves. Anybody done this and if so what would you recommend?

In St Petersburg, we are looking at doing the Royal Carribbean tours, any preferences as to what ones we should do? Are there any local tour guides that people have done that cater for just one couple? we prefer not to travel with the 'masses'.

Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks

Philip and Joanne Sims
 
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ronrose

Guest
Hi Philip and Joanne,
I am a private guide in St Petersburg. I can provide you with e-mail addresses of my former customers from cruise ships who were on the tour with me. Hope to hear from you. info@alla-tour.com

Alla
 
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efschlenk

Guest
See my review of the Star Princess Baltic on this web site for all the shore info wyou could want. Happy cruising! efschlenk
 
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Supermomwlus

Guest
We did the same thing last year on the Celebrity Constellation. Please see my review. We also did not plan to go to a lot of museums. These are great walking cities. We were pleasantly surprised in Oslo where we ended up visiting the National musuem (turned us on to museums at the beginning of our trip) and the fortress which is right next to the cruise terminal. Celebrity provided free shuttles to the centers in each city.

Have a good map of the city center where you will be walking. You may or may not be able to get one when you get off the ship.

Tallin - definately a walking city. Buy a Tallin pass at the visitor center for enty into all the little churches.

Stockholm - you can spend several hours walking aroung Gamla Stan (the old town). See the changing of the guard and the museum in Gamla Stan. Then walk to the newer section of Stockholm.

Enjoy the trip. You are right that there is so much to see just by walking. It is a less touristy view of the cities.

Ellen
 
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BruinSteve

Guest
Phil&jo Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>...we want to see
> Oslo, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Tallinn and Stockholm
> on our own.
>
> In St Petersburg, we are looking at doing the
> Royal Carribbean tours, any preferences as to what
> ones we should do? >

My notes:
Oslo: Catch the Vigelund Sculpture Park...

Copenhagen: The National Museum has great old Viking artifacts and you may want to check out Rosenborg Palace and the crown jewels...My best recommendation is to pick up a canal boat tour at Gammel Stan...Stroll the Stroget and Nyhavn on your own...

Helsinki: We picked up a hop-on, hop-off bus tour from a kiosk on the Esplinade...far cheaper than the ship's tours and gets you all over town...

Tallinn: Find the suggested self-guided walking tour in Rick Steve's Scandinavia guide...

Stockholm: Absolutely DO NOT MISS the Vasa Museum...The Vasa is the Flagship of the Swedish Navy which sank on it's maiden voyage in the early 1600s and was recovered over 300 years later in remarkably good shape...They built the museum around it and it is flat out incredible

For St. Petersburg, we though the ship's tours were fine...although a strong recommendation of many is "Red October Tours"...Don't miss the Hermitage (try to get a morning tour...before the crowds show up)...and the Peterhof (Summer Palace of Peter the Great)...We also enjoyed the Yusopov Palace (where Rasputin was killed)...

Have fun...
 
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