FROM THE BALTIC TO THE BLACK SEA
Helsinki & South Karelia Escorted Group Tour 2022
That bit more than a city break in Helsinki, this will get you out of town and into the Finnish nature. South Karelia is east of Helsinki and located along the Russian border. It is a lakeland region and Lappeenranta is a lovely resort to indulge in some off-the-beaten track Finnish culture. We always love to compare and contrast time in cosmopolitan Helsinki with time in the Finnish wilderness.
4 Nights * 4 star Hotels * Optional day trips & tours * Departure dates June - August * Escorted group tour (max 16 people) * From 581 EUR per person
Day 1 (SUNDAY): ARRIVAL HELSINKI
Arrival in Helsinki, optional transfer to Hotel Radisson Blu Seaside**** or similar, check-in, welcome meeting.
Day 2 (MONDAY): HELSINKI
Helsinki is truly located at the crossroads of Western and Eastern culture. The sightseeing tour takes us around the harbours and the Senate Square with the Lutheran Cathedral, up central Mannerheim Street and by the Parliament Building, the Finlandia Hall, and the Sibelius Monument and for a visit at the famous Church-in-the-Rock. The afternoon offers an optional excursion to Suomenlinna Fortress, a cultural treasure which construction was started in the 18th century as a sea fortress. Located on an island, fortress is a unique attraction for visitors. The evening offers optional Finnish dinner at Restaurant Salve.
Day 3 (TUESDAY): HELSINKI - LAPPEENRANTA
In the morning we go to the railway station and depart with train bound for Lappeenranta, where we arrive shortly after midday. Transfer to Hotel Scandic Patria**** or similar. Lappeenranta is beautifully set at the shores of Lake Saimaa and was an important Swedish fortress town in the 18th century. Nowadays it is an attractive and popular resort town. The afternoon walking tour of Lappeenranta takes us to the historical Old Town, the port area and Lappeenranta Fortress with its wooden and redbrick buildings, artisans’ shops, museums, wooden Orthodox Mary the Virgin Church and cafes. Return to hotel and check-in. Late afternoon we walk to the pier to embark on spectacular evening cruise on Lake Saimaa and to the Saimaa Canal. The ship has a restaurant, where we can enjoy drinks and snacks or a full dinner while we are stunned by the views of the lake. After three hours we return to port and walk back to hotel.
Day 4 (WEDNESDAY): LAPPEENRANTA - HELSINKI
The day offers the possibility to the explore Lappeenranta resort town on your own. The hotel is located between the Old Town and the port area and both are easily accessible on foot. Go shopping in the small boutique in the Old Town, try the Karelian cuisine or enjoy the atmosphere and the views at the port. In the late afternoon transfer to the train station and departure by train back to Helsinki. Arrival to Helsinki early in the evening and transfer to Hotel Radisson Blu Seaside**** or similar, check in.
Day 5 (THURSDAY): HELSINKI
Optional transfer to the airport. End of tour.
Overview
DEPARTURE DATES 2023
Tour Departure Date - Tour End Date
25th June - 29th June 2023
9th July - 13th July 2023
23rd July - 27th July 2023
6th August - 10th August 2023
13th August - 17th August 2023
20th August - 24th August 2023
TOUR INCLUDES
4 overnights at centrally located 4 star hotels
4 x buffet breakfast
Welcome meeting with champagne-cocktail or juice
Personalised welcome package
Entrances to Church in The Rock in Helsinki, Lake Saimaa
Express train tickets Helsinki - Lappeenranta - Helsinki (economy class)
Service of English speaking tour escort in Helsinki and local English speaking guide in Lappeenranta
Service of 1st class motor coaches or 1st class minivans throughout the itinerary
Porterage at hotels
Notes
OPTIONAL EXTRAS - choose the tours to suit you!
Transfer airport to Hotel Radisson Blu Seaside: EUR 90.00 for private car (1-3 pax), EUR 120.00 for private minivan (4-7 pax)
3-hour excursion with water bus to the Suomenlinna Fortress: EUR 60.00 pp
Transfer Hotel Radisson Blu Seaside to airport: EUR 90.00 for private car (1-3 pax), EUR 120.00 for private minivan (4-7 pax)
Half board at hotels (4 x 3 course dinner with coffee/tea): EUR 195.00 pp
FLIGHTS
Please note flights are NOT included in this package. If you wish to add flights to your booking please contact us, or feel free to book your own. If your chosen flights do not coincide with the tour dates and you need to spend an extra night or two before or after the tour please call or email us and we can arrange this for you.
PRE/POST TOUR EXTRA NIGHTS
If required we can book additional nights at the start or end of your tour, or arrange an add-on pre/post tour to any of our other destinations.
Please note this tour is run by our local partners ViaHansa and is a guaranteed tour if two or more persons are booked on. The max group size for this tour is 16 people.
More Reviews
TRAVEL COMPANIES LIKE YOURS ARE A REAL FIND.
Hi Phil and Jurga, We want to thank-you and all the guides, drivers etc. for organising such an amazing and unforgettable trip for us. We had a brilliant time and came home with a completely different and very positive perspective of the Baltic States and Finland. We found every city we visited absolutely fascinating and simply could not pick a favourite. It is hard to pick a highlight, but one of them would have to be the local guides and the drivers who took us for our day outings and did the transfers. Without exception, they were first class. Their passion for their country and willingness to talk about their lives and experiences and, as an example, the impact the Soviet occupation had on them and their families, really brought each country to life and helped us understand a little of what it must have been like then. We were also so impressed with all the paperwork and vouchers we received and know a lot of organisation went on behind the scenes. It all went like clockwork and we were nothing but impressed by your efficiency. Thanks again for a super holiday. We would like to visit St Petersburg and Russia at some point in the future and would have no hesitation in using you again to organise the trip.
BESPOKE PRIVATE BALTIC TOUR, MRS VARLEY, SEPTEMBER 2019
THANK YOU FOR PUTTING TOGETHER SUCH AN INTERESTING AND VARIED PROGRAMME.
We enjoyed a really wonderful trip. The itinerary was great, and the hotels very well positioned in the towns, and very comfortable. Thank you for putting together such an interesting and varied programme. We had the pleasure of being shown the sights by some marvellous guides. All very passionate about their interests, and very interesting. Their English was extremely fluent, and their knowledge, second to none. We would certainly use your company in the future and recommend your service to our friends.
BALTIC CAPITALS & HELSINKI PRIVATE TOUR, MR & MRS JAMES, OCTOBER 2018
THE STAFF AT BALTIC HOLIDAYS ARE PROFESSIONAL, KNOWLEDGEABLE AND EXCEEDINGLY FLEXIBLE
My husband and I worked with the exceptional staff at Baltic Holidays to plan two remarkable tailor-made vacations: One to Russia, Finland and Estonia, the other to Eastern Europe visiting Bucharest, Budapest and Prague. The accommodations were perfect and located in convenient places in the cities we visited. The guides we had for day trips both in and out of the cities were knowledgeable, smart and each and everyone went out of their way to make our visit wonderful. We were warmly greeted at the airport and bus stations with staff that took us to our hotels and delivered us back on time and in comfort. Baltic Holidays went the extra mile to help us get tickets to concerts, operas and even the Moscow Circus. But best of all the staff at Baltic Holidays are professional, knowledgeable and exceedingly flexible. We spend lots of time communicating on e-mail about different trip options until we got our plans just right. We feel like the staff are friends now and look forward to working with them again on our next adventure.
TAILOR-MADE TOURS OF EUROPE, TERI DOWLING & MAL LITWILLER
WE HAVE LEARNT SO MUCH ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE FIVE COUNTRIES
Dear Jurga, We arrived home safe and sound on Saturday afternoon and, now, our minds are full of wonderful memories of a very enjoyable trip. Thank you very much for organising such a comprehensive holiday for us. Everything went like clockwork: guides were excellent, erudite and solicitous and good travelling companions, excellent selection of hotels -a faultless holiday. We have learnt so much about the history of the five countries and have met many friendly and welcoming people. Once again thank you for all your work.
MR CYSTER, GRAND BALTIC PRIVATE TOUR (VILNIUS, RIGA, TALLINN, HELSINKI, ST PETERSBURG, MOSCOW), SEPTEMBER 2017
YOU DID A VERY GOOD JOB OF SETTING THIS UP, DIRECTING US TO INTERESTING AND VARIED PLACES
Our trip went very well. Everything was a highlight but I think the best part were the guides. They were so knowledgeable, friendly, willing to answer all our questions. Marina would be my best friend if I lived in Finland. Ivo, Erlens, and, Linas were great too. The bike tour guides were fantastic also. All of them were passionate about their country and very knowledgeable about what we were seeing. Through them we felt we got to know the country, the history, the people and them too. Everyone was precisely on time. I think you did a very good job of setting this up, directing us to interesting and varied places: a hike through the bog, castles and palaces, cute towns, etc. The hotels were great. Friendly staff and so very well located. Again, thank you for making this trip so wonderful. I'd easily go on another trip with you.
TAILOR-MADE BALTIC CAPITALS TOUR, THE BELLS, AUGUST 2019
HOW IMPRESSED WE WERE WITH THE ORGANISATION OF OUR TRIP
We had a fantastic holiday and everything went very smoothly. We were also lucky enough, albeit through a vehicle fault, to meet up with Jurga. Her husband was our guide on the day out in Riga but unfortunately the car developed a problem. Jurga came out with another vehicle. It was great to meet her having had so many e-mail conversations. It was good to be able to say how impressed we were with the organisation of our trip. It was really well put together and all of the guides were very good and knowledgeable. Bearing in mind the length of time we spent with them we had no hitches. We learnt a lot from the trip and enjoyed hearing the guides' stories.
ST PETERSBURG & BALTIC CAPITALS PRIVATE TOUR, THE LANGANS, AUGUST 2019
EVERY ONE OF OUR DRIVERS AND GUIDES EXCEEDED OUR EXPECTATIONS.
We appreciated all your good advice on the itinerary. It was a great idea that we go to St. Petersburg via Helsinki (a very cool city!)...the ferry and high-speed train were efficient and quite comfortable. The choice of hotels suited us perfectly...thanks for placing us so centrally in each city. The hotel in Tallinn was the most luxurious, but even at the more modest places in Vilnius and Riga, the location and the warm and helpful hotel staff made our stays delightful. And the manor house was remarkable. Every one of our drivers and guides exceeded our expectations. The walking tours were informative, meaningful, and great fun.
BESPOKE BALTIC CAPITALS PLUS HELSINKI & ST PETERSBURG, MS EMORY, SEPTEMBER 2019
EXCELLENT, WELL BALANCED ITINERARY
In summary, we would like to add that we described our Scandinavian package as EXCELLENT, well BALANCED itinerary and especially the variety of hotels, means of transportation, guides, transfer which were all FLAWLESSLY arranged. After 35 days on the road, we had no desire to terminate the holiday.
SCANDINAVIAN CAPITALS PRIVATE TOUR, MR & MRS WHITE, SEPTEMBER 2019
TALLINN & HELSINKI - VARIED & INTERESTING
We would like to thank you and your team for organising a very successful holiday, everything worked exactly as the itinerary, varied and interesting, even the weather was good through the whole week, so thank you very much.
OCKWELL & FRIENDS, TALLINN & HELSINKI PRIVATE TOUR, AUGUST 2018
GREAT TO KNOW WE COULD CONTACT JURGA AT ANY TIME
Thanks we had a great trip, the hotels you picked for us were lovely, good locations and interesting buildings. The guide in Helsinki was really nice and took us to some places that we would not have thought of, including the university library building. Most of all it was great to know we could contact Jurga at any time so I would like to especially thank her for her help.
THE FEIGHAN FAMILY, HELSINKI & ESTONIA PRIVATE TOUR, JULY 2017
VERY HAPPY WITH THE WAY YOU HAD ORGANISED OUR HOLIDAY
Dear Sarah, We really enjoyed ourselves. Helsinki and Tallinn are both great places to visit in very different ways. We loved the laid back atmosphere in Helsinki and walking by the sea right by the city centre. Tallinn is stunningly beautiful. Every corner you go round brings another amazing view. We were very happy with the way you had organised our holiday. The hotels were both excellent and all the pick ups were right on time. All in all we had a great time and enjoyed it from start to finish.
MR & MRS RHEAD, TAILOR-MADE TALLINN & HELSINKI TOUR, JULY 2017
EXCELLENT, WELL BALANCED ITINERARY
In summary, we would like to add that we described our Scandinavian package as EXCELLENT, well BALANCED itinerary and especially the variety of hotels, means of transportation, guides, transfer which were all FLAWLESSLY arranged. After 35 days on the road, we had no desire to terminate the holiday.
SCANDINAVIAN CAPITALS PRIVATE TOUR, MR & MRS WHITE, SEPTEMBER 2019
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