Trip to Russia and Baltic countries

Hi all,

I’m planning a three week trip next summer to the Baltic countries and Russia. I already have the airplane tickets and my Russian visa. My plan at this point is the following:

a/ arrival to Tallinn and spend there 2-3 days

b/ bus/train to St. Petersburg and spend there 2-3 days (is it worth taking a train or bus is more convenient?)

c/ St. Petersburg-Moscow night train and spend there 2-3 days

d/ 5-6 days visiting a few Golden Ring cities (any recommended Golden Ring cities?)

e/ return to Moscow and travel in a night train to Riga and spend there 2-3 days (is it more convenient flying to Riga from Moscow or a night train would be worthwhile?)

f/ bus to Kaunas and spend there 2-3 days

g/ bus to Vilnius and return home from there

How does it sound this preliminary plan?

All ideas and suggestions on the above trip would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance. All the best,

Give less time to Tallin and Kaunas (also possibly to Riga) and add time to St. Petersburg.

Have you considered entering Russia from Estonia through Narva? Train or bus to St Petersburg - Ivanovo - Veliki Novgorod - Moscow?

With your current plan, I would drop St Petersburg. It would be a waste of time to devote so little time to it while spending 3 times too much time in Tallinn. Tallinn has a cute little historic area but you can see every thing on foot in 5-6 hours. St Petersburg should get a week but it depends on what your interests are. We can't really comment on a suggested itinerary without knowing your interests, budget and style of exploring. Right now, with the ruble weak a US dollar goes twice as far as it did in the last 15 years. The euro is relatively weak also and closer to parity with the dollar than any time in over a decade.

Hi all,

After doing some more reading I’ve come up with the following itinerary:

a/ arrival to Tallinn and spend there 1 day
b/ bus Tallinn-Narva and spend there 1 day (as my Russian visa is valid two days after I arrive to Tallinn I need to spend two days in Estonia)
c/ bus/train Narva-St. Petersburg and spend there 4-5 days
d/ St. Petersburg-Moscow night train and spend there 2-3 days
e/ 5-6 days visiting a few Golden Ring cities
f/ return to Moscow and travel in a night train to Riga and spend there 1-2 days
g/ bus to Kaunas and spend there 1-2 days
h/ bus to Vilnius and return home from there

How does it sound ?

A few questions:
1/ any other recommended Golden Ring cities besides Suzdal?
2/ is it more convenient flying to Riga from Moscow or the experience of the night train is worthwhile?
3/ Any other cities in Latvia and Lithuania worth visiting a couple of days?

Thanks in advance for all ideas and suggestions. All the best,

Tallinn for one day only, as others suggested. Be sure to go down to the waterside near sunset (with some beers; it's where the locals go...not in the old town). There's also a trendy/designy area in Kalamaja with a few cool bars and restaurants.

Two days in Riga and Vilnius is good. They are interesting and pretty; though neither is big, Riga is quite a bit larger, so two full days there (maybe even three)is worth it, in my opinion. There is a decent beach about an hour away from Riga, and Trakai is a decent half-day near Vilnius (if you like castles).

And why not steal a couple days from somewhere and go to Helsinki by ferry. Much more interesting than Narva or Kaunas I think (perhaps less time in the Golden Ring?).

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