Best way to travel

G'day
Can anyone suggest the best way to travel to St Petersburg from either Tallin in Estonia or Helsinki, Finland.We can organise our travels to go from either spot, we need to get to St Petersburg to start the trans mongolian train trip. What's best? Bus, train or boat?
Thanks everyone for your help (hopefully!)

Hello. I would probably suggest either taking a train, a ferry/train combo, or a flight. I found a site that might help you with the decision: way to Russia. Also, there are some cheap airlines that fly those routes: find then at www.harefares.com</a>. Happy Travels!

There are no ferries, unless you go from Helsinki to Tallinn (or vice versa) and onwards from there, which would be pointless unless you want to see both cities. By far the best way from Helsinki is the train (details on the Finnish railways website, vr.fi), although if you want to go on the cheap there are plenty of buses (which take longer and are less comfortable).

...from Tallinn there is 1 train daily and several buses including some night buses...

A train from Tallinn goes at night - so, while crossing the border you will be woken by border guards - and their politeness would not help; from Helsinki there are two daily sitting trains - about 6-hour long journey with all the formalities not leaving a carriage. Ticket used to be worth 55 euros last October.

I suspect that it is cheaper to fly to Tallinn and take the train or bus from there to Petersburg than to fly into Helsinki which is a much more expensive city.

There is information in the New RU Sticky about transportation options from Helsinki to Petersburg besides the train.

Ruth

Bus from Tallinn is 390 EEK (US $37). Taking it tomorrow! Several a day, the overnight bus is even cheaper I think. Check details with EuroLines. Train from Tallinn is overnight and more like 600 EEK for a bed in a sleeper compartment. You'd save on accom, but as #4 rightly points out you will be woken by guards at the border.

OP, do you have your visas sorted? You will run into trouble if you are planning on getting visas in Estonia or Finland. In fact, the only way for most nationalities now is to get their visa from their home country, be it returning home or sending their passport off. I've just had to do a round-trip back to London from Helsinki to get mine, rather inconvenient...