ESCORTED TOURS
COLORS OF THE BALTIC SEA - 2008 - 9 days/8 nights - Print Tour

Treat yourself to an array of historic capitals in the Baltic Sea and absorb the medieval atmosphere these great cities have to offer. Be enchanted by the unique character of the 13th Century Old Town of Stockholm, "Gamla Stan", and the ancient city walls of Tallinn. Experience the magnificent city of St Petersburg, known as "the Venice of the North", with its splendid palaces, stylish monuments and beautiful bridges and be swept away in its history. The tour ends in Helsinki, also known as "The Daughter of the Baltic Sea", where one of the highlights is Temppeliauko, the "Rock Church".
TOUR INCLUSIONS:
* 8 overnights at hotels / Tallink ferry, in standard double rooms with private facilities
* 8 breakfasts, buffet style
* 1 dinner & 2 lunches as mentioned in the program
* Multilingual tour escort from Day 2 to Day 9 inclusive
* All tours by private coach, including all the tours mentioned in the program
* Visits, excursions and entrances as mentioned in the program
* Guided tours in the cities of Stockholm, Tallinn, St. Petersburg & Helsinki
* Porter service at hotels
Tour Code Dates
BDMCB01 June 17th - June 25th
BDMCB02 July 15th - July 23rd
BDMCB03 July 29th - August 6th
BDMCB04 August 12th - August 20th
BDMCB05 August 19th - August 27th
BDMCB06 August 26th - September 3rd
BDMCB07 September 4th - September 10th
Price pp in double room $2,778 - Supplement sor single room $1,028
 
Tuesday- Day 1: Arrival in Stockholm
Arrival to Stockholm, own transfer arrangements to your hotel.
Overnight: Grand Hotel Stockholm *****

Wednesday - Day 2: Stockholm
Breakfast at our hotel. Please be in the hotel's reception area between 08:30 - 09:00, to meet your tour escort and receive information on the upcoming program. At 09:00, meet our local English-speaking guide and depart by private coach for a 3-hour city sightseeing. The city of Stockholm, built on 14 islands, connected by 57 bridges, embraces the unique character of the 13th century Old Town and modern high-tech architecture. Stockholm's islands are bordered by Lake Mälaren in the west and the Baltic Sea in the east where the archipelago with it's 30.000 islands awaits exploration. Renowned for its beauty, Stockholm is also the hub of the Baltic area with easy access to the Nordic capitals and the Baltic countries. The capital is a big city with a small town personality. Its handy size and short walking distances makes it easy to cover a lot in a short time. Stockholm is proudly called Beauty on Water and a sightseeing tour including a walk in the Old Town and inside visits to the City Hall, where the Nobel festivities take place, and the Cathedral makes a memorable morning tour. Discover a city of contrasts. Go back 750 years in time and feel the medieval atmosphere of the Old Town "Gamla Stan" as you wander through the narrow streets. The seven hundred year old cathedral of Stockholm, Seat of the archbishop, will be visited during your stroll in the Old Town, where you will also get a chance to see Stortorget; where the Stockholm Blood Bath took place. An inside visit is paid to the best known of the city's symbols, the City Hall, where the Nobel Banquet takes place in the Blue and Golden Halls. The tour ends at the hotel. The afternoon is at leisure.
Overnight: Grand Hotel Stockholm *****
Meals: Breakfast

Thursday- Day 3: Stockholm - Tallinn (overnight ferry)
After breakfast at our hotel, your morning is at leisure. Afternoon transfer to the pier by private coach and departure on the Tallink overnight ferry, sailing along the Baltic Sea, bound for Tallinn. Buffet dinner will be served on board.
Overnight: Outside cabin on board the Tallink ferry
Meals: Breakfast & Dinner

Friday - Day 4: Tallinn
Breakfast buffet on board before arrival to Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. Meet with our local guide for transfer to your hotel. Following this is a 3-hour city sightseeing tour starting with a short tour on the coach, through the city centre and around the ancient city walls, ending up at Toompea Hill for a walking tour. The walking tour of the Tallinn Old Town includes the Toompea Hill with the Toompea Castle, Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and the Dome Church. We will make a stop at the Viewer Square (panorama platform), onwards along Lühike Street to the Lower Town. We will walk further through this historic part of Tallinn to the Old Town Hall Square, with views of the Old Town Hall, the Old Town Pharmacy house and the Church of Holy Ghost. We continue our walk along Pühavaimu Street to the Latin quarter of Tallinn Old Town where you will find open markets, studios and shops of artisans who daily practice their craft. Then it's a short walk back to your hotel where the tour ends. The rest of the afternoon is at leisure.
Overnight: Hotel Tallink City ****
Meals: Breakfast

Saturday - Day 5: Tallinn - St. Petersburg
Breakfast at our hotel. Early departure by private coach to Narva where we will enjoy an early lunch at a local restaurant, and also make a stop by the famous Narva Fortress. The Narva Fortress is located on the border to Russia which we will cross after lunch, passing by rural villages, before arriving in St. Petersburg, a city founded in 1703 by Tzar Peter the Great and one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. Also known to the world as the "Northern Capital of Russia" and the "the Venice of the North", St Petersburg was virtually unharmed by the 1930-50s Stalinist reconstruction, and downtown dazzles the eye of a visitor with splendid palaces, stylish monuments, straight avenues, beautiful bridges and other attractions. St. Petersburg is filled with history and mystery. Where else would you find a city which is only 300 years old, yet full of myths and legends! Early evening arrival at your hotel.
Overnight: Novotel St Petersburg Centre ****
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Sunday - Day 6: St. Petersburg
Breakfast at our hotel. Meet the local guide for a full day excursion which will include Peterhof, the palace of the Sea God. Here the fountains are not mere accessories: they are the essence of the place. They are the symbolic expression of the sea's dominion, the mist that rises from the waves as they surge against its shores. The world-famous palace, fountain and park ensemble of Peterhof, is an outstanding landmark of Russian artistic culture from the 18-19th Centuries. Founded in the very beginning of the eighteenth Century by Emperor Peter the Great, not far from his new northern capital St Petersburg, Peterhof was intended to become the most splendid official royal summer residence. Credit for its creation should go to a great number of eminent architects, artists, and anonymous folk craftsmen. Its wonderful parks, 176 fountains of various forms and styles and four cascades, majestic palaces, numerous gilded statues of ancient gods and heroes, remarkable collections of sculpture, painting and works of the minor arts, make Peterhof a veritable gem of art, often called "Capital of Fountains", unique in the world. After 1917 the Peterhof ensemble was taken into state custody and turned into architecture and art museum. Nowadays, due to the unforgettable beauty of its fountains, parks and palaces, Peterhof has become the most attractive, for numerous Russian and foreign visitors, suburban royal park and palace ensemble of the northern Russia's capital.

At noon we will have lunch and after that we will visit The State Hermitage museum, which occupies six magnificent buildings situated along the embankment of the River Neva, right in the heart of St. Petersburg. The leading role in this unique architectural ensemble is played by the Winter Palace, the residence of the Russian Tsars that was built to the design of Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli in 1754-62. This ensemble, formed in the 18th and 19th Centuries, is extended by the eastern wing of the General Staff building, the Menshikov Palace and the recently constructed Repository. Put together throughout two centuries and a half, the Hermitage collections of works of art (over 3,000,000 items) present the development of the world culture and art from the Stone Age to the 20th Century. Today the Museum is creating its digital selfportrait to be displayed around the world. Computer technologies enable the State Hermitage Museum to provide people from all over the world with wider access to information about the Museum and its treasures.

The days touring will also cover other highlights of the city, we will drive along the Nevsky Prospect - the heart of the city, and make picture stops at the Spit of Vasilievsky Island, the Senates Square, the Peter and Paul's Fortress and the St. Isaac's Cathedral, the Art's Square and the Russian Museum as well as at the two magnificent churches, the "Spilled Blood" and the Nikolsky Cathedral. The excursion ends at your hotel.
Overnight: Novotel St Petersburg Centre ****
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Monday - Day 7: St. Petersburg - Helsinki
Breakfast at our hotel. Departure by private coach bound for Finland, passing the historical medieval city of Viborg, and then a short stop is made in Porvoo, the old wooden town, which is Finland's second oldest. We continue through Finland, the country of the lakes, before our arrival in Helsinki, a cosmopolitan city due to its fascinating mixture of Swedish, Russian and international cultures. Late afternoon arrival at the Radisson SAS Plaza Hotel.
Overnight: Radisson SAS Plaza Hotel ****
Meals: Breakfast

Tuesday - Day 8: Helsinki
Breakfast at our hotel. Meet tour local guide for a 3-hour city sightseeing of the capital of Finland, also known as "The Daughter of the Baltic Sea". Our tour includes the Senate Square, the University and Lutheran Cathedral - all displaying neo-classical architecture of the 1840's, the colourful Market Square by the sea in the South Harbour, Kaivopuisto Park and diplomatic residences, the imposing statue of Marshall Mannerheim, the Parliament Building, Finlandia Hall, the Orthodox Russian Church Uspenski and the Sibelius Monument. Visit is made to Temppeliaukio Church - called the "Rock Church" as it is carved into solid rock. The tour ends at the hotel. The afternoon is at leisure.
Overnight: Radisson SAS Plaza Hotel ****
Meals: Breakfast

Wednesday - Day 9: Helsinki - Departure
Tour concludes after breakfast at the hotel. Individual transfer.
Meals: Breakfast
 
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