HELSINKI - St. Petersburg, Helsinki and Tallinn - page 161

The South Harbor berths that are closest to downtown ( Kanava terminal and Makasi-
ini terminal ) are used mostly by overnight boats, though occasionally overflow cruise
ships may end up there. Either one is an easy five-minute walk to Market Square.

Connecting Helsinki and St. Petersburg
Remember, American and Canadian travelers to Russia need a visa, which must be ar-
ranged weeks in advance. For all the details, see here .
Visa Exceptions: If you arrive in St. Petersburg on a cruise, the visa requirement is
waived provided you contract with a local tour operator (or join one of your cruise line's
excursions) for a guided visit around the city—you'll have no free time. But there is an
exception that gives you time on your own: If you go to St. Petersburg on a St. Peter Line
ship (see below), then pay for a “shuttle service” from the dock into the city (typically €25
round-trip), you can technically stay up to 72 hours before returning with a St. Peter Line
shuttle and boat. Although this is not a guided visit, it's treated as the “cruise exception” ex-
plained above—at least, it is as of this writing (in early 2013). Important: As this loophole
may well be closed in the future—and all aspects of the Russian visa situation (especially
how far ahead you'll need to apply) change frequently—carefully confirm these details be-
fore planning your trip.
By Land: You have two options. The bus is slower and cheaper (3/day—departing at
9:00, 12:00, and 23:00; 8-9 hours, €40, less for students, www.matkahuolto.fi ) ; the Al-
legro train, operated by Finnish Railways, is much faster (4/day, 3.5 hours, €76-97 de-
pending on demand, no student discount, www.vr.fi , book ahead by email at internation-
[e-mail] ) . There's also a daily overnight train to Moscow.
BySea: Many Baltic Sea cruises include a stop in St. Petersburg. But if you're on your
own, a relatively new service called St.PeterLine can take you there from Helsinki. Their
Princess Maria sails every other day (3-4/week), departing from Helsinki's West Harbor
(from the West/ Länsiterminal ) at 19:00; 14.5 hours later, it reaches St. Petersburg (where
it turns around and, at 19:00, heads back to Helsinki). In high season (July-late Aug), the
cheapest bunk in a shared four-bed cabin costs €27 one-way; a round-trip “cruise” starts at
€150. St. Peter Line's ship Anastasia connects St. Petersburg to Tallinn about once weekly,
then continues on to Stockholm. For details, see www.stpeterline.com ; Helsinki Expert also
has information.

Finnish Survival Phrases

In Finnish, the emphasis always goes on the first syllable. Double vowels (e.g., ää or ii )
sound similar to single vowels, but are held a bit longer. The letter y sounds like the Ger-
man ü (purse your lips and say “oo”). In the phonetics, ī sounds like the long i in “light,”
and bolded syllables are stressed.

English Finnish Pronunciation

Good morning. (formal) Hyvää huomenta. hew -vaah hwoh -mehn-tah

Good day. (formal) Hyvää päivää. hew -vaah pī -vaah