Stockholm, Oslo or Helsinki

I

IrishGunner

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Trying to arrange a weekend summer break next year in one of these cities

Was going to go to Helsinki as within Euro land and was looking maybe to get to St Petersburg

Anyone been there whats it like ? Was looking to book through Blue1

Then had a look at Stockholm and know a few people that have gone there and enjoyed it the same with Oslo

Been to Denmark already so looking to go to either of these ? Are they any more expensive than Dublin ?

Cheers
 
Stockholm is amazing, i would return permantly there tomorrow, one of the best cities i've ever been to,
 
I've been to all 3 and my favourite is Oslo, followed by Helsinki and then Stockholm. Oslo is slightly more expensive than Dublin but not by too much and I found the others to have similar prices to Dublin.
 
We were in Stockholm several years ago and it was fabulous - thoroughly enjoyed it. We stayed in Freys Hotel in the city centre. Be sure to check out the old town.

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Of the three I'd say Helsinki is the least interesting to visit - in terms of sights to see on a city break - a lot of the city is quite newly built. It's still a nice city to visit but in comparison with the other two I would think it's not quite as good for a city break.

Stockholm would probably be my choice - it's got a nice old town, a lovely location around the harbour and many spectacular buildings as a legacy of it being a major capital city ruling over a large area for a lot longer than either of the other two cities.

Oslo is very pleasant too with some very interesting sights and a very nice location around the harbour.

In my experience Stockholm & Helsinki are similar enough to Dublin price levels for most things. Oslo would be on a different planet altogether, for food and drink anyway.
 
I can't comment on Oslo and Stockholm but I went to Helsinki for a long weekend and loved it, I caught the seacat across to Tallinn (takes 90mins) which allowed me squeeze in 2 cities in the one break. The service between the 2 cities is pretty good and you could do a day trip or stay overnight. If there isn't a Mrs IrishGunner I can safely say the Estonian ladies are stunning and they alone are worth the trip to Tallinn.
 
jellyshots said:
If there isn't a Mrs IrishGunner I can safely say the Estonian ladies are stunning and they alone are worth the trip to Tallinn.
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Thats who I am taking so not going on that trip to Tallinn already got my weekend break to Riga this year

was there any tours to Russia ?
 
IrishGunner said:
Thats who I am taking so not going on that trip to Tallinn already got my weekend break to Riga this year

was there any tours to Russia ?
Click to expand...

Don't know if there are any tours... there's certainly plenty buses/trains between the two cities which are quite close (but not day trip close really I don't think) ... But remember that you need a visa to go to Russia .. and (unless it's changed very recently) you can't get it on arrival - have to arrange it in advance which makes it a lot of hassle (2x trips to the Russian embassy in rathgar and at least a €30 fee)
 
Hi,

My preference would be Stockholm but it can get very hot in the Summer. I was there in February last year and it was cold, crisp, some snow still on the ground and icy - absolutely gorgeous! I was also there in the Autumn when the trees where just stunning - must sees are the old town; the Vassa Museum which is on one of the islands and a walk around that area is wonderful. Nice shops, restaurants, bars etc. it is very prices but not much more so than Dublin - except for drink which is noticeable more expensive.

I have been to Helsinki twice and felt that once would have been enough - small, contained and not particularly interesting. I did the trip to St. Petersburgh from there and if you are going to do it you need to plan it well in advance. You will need a visa which I tried to process from here and for some reason it didn't materialise - I then processed it from Helsinki and it was quite expensive - you will need passport size photos; an application form; copy of your passport and the fee. Once you have your visa you will also need to book your train tickets and your accommodation in advance - you will have difficulty at the border if you don't.

I can't remember now the cost or the duration of the train journey but could check this out for you . The hotel was in the suburbs and not particularly attractive - typical of the communist era. I was not part of an organised tour and when I got to the train station I was shocked at the poverty. I had to get a taxi from the station to the hotel and all of this you need to negotiate - once I got there, as I wasn't part of an organised tour, I had to arrange transport and a translator through the hotel - so I ended up with a mini-bus; a guide; a driver - and me! It worked out very expensive but it wasn't really possible to do it alone....

My advice to you would be if you are going to St. Petersburgh try to join an organised trip/tour as you get to see the best of the city and the tour guide can negotiate whatever paperwork might be necessary. While I enjoyed it, because I was alone (and female) I did feel very vulnerable and needed to be careful re personal security. Having cautioned you on all of my experience, I would say the city is worth seeing...

If you need further details if you want to I could email more info to you (have it stashed somewhere) regarding currency etc. and procedures on entry and exit.

Can't comment on Oslo next - that's next year's escape route!

JPH
 
JPH

Thanks for that all the info I know. I heard Russia is harder to get into than out of as friend went to Moscow. However may check out with the Russian embassy here? See if there are any organised tours that go from Helsinki ?

Maybe not worth the hassle I want a break not a headache.......

The pendulum seems to be swinging towards Stockholm so no Euros for me will look at heading over there rather than Helsinki, maybe save that for another day

Thanks Again
 
I would not rule out Tallin. there is actually quite a lot to see in Tallin. The old town is especially well preserved. Add the low cost of living and you have a good place to visit - for Mrs IrishGunner too!
There is a daily bus service from Tallin to St Petersburg (9 hrs). www.eurolines.com . I think there is also a ferry. In fact why not fly into one and out of the other.
As for the Russian visa. I think it cost about 100e last year, and I applied and got it by post. No need to go to Dublin.
Taxis are cheap in St Petersburg so it is pretty easy to see the main sites without joining a guided tour.
One weird thing is the constant daylight in summer. (St Petersburg have the white nights festival at the end of June)
 
If you want to do something interesting fly into Stockholm spend a few days wandering around Gamla Stan, Vaasa museum, royal palce, etc.
Then take one of the overnight ferries to Helsinki, spend a day and then ferry back to Stockholm.
The trip out of Stockholm through the archipelago is fantastic, if the evening is fine sit on deck and just take in the views. If late enough in the year you might even catch the northern lights as we did.
Beware lots of people on the ship getting merry but there a good few restaurants, discos, shows etc to keep you busy.

If you want you can take the fastcat ferry to Tailinn, spend a couple of days there. The old city is cool but the old soviet style apartments are depressing.
 
I was in Stockholm a few years ago,
The Vasa museet is breathtaking (Vasa Museum) The ship is amazing and can be viewed on many levels.
Beside it is a (or was when I was there) a Russian Whiskey class ( I think WW2 / Cold war) Submarine which you can explore.
Also Gamla stan (old town) is nice.
People are friendly and some great Irish pubs - where you can really meet locals who go to let their hair down.
The great thing is everyone speaks perfect English, and the women... wow!!!
 
Been to Helsinki very nice a little smaller than Dublin, but if you want to go to Finland I would suggest Tampera which from Dec 20 this year Ryanair will fly to, this is the most popular place in Finland with the Finns really nice place check the web for more,
 
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