Has anyone been on this tour? If so, what were your impressions?

Thanks,
Curt

The Trafalgar Europe & Britain 2004 catalogue just arrived today and we, too, are looking at the Helsinki, St. Petersburg & Moscow tour for this summer.

We have been to Europe four times now, . .. .. . twice on our own and once with Trafalgar on the Best of Italy & Greece tour. Although arranging your own itinerary allows you to see more of the sites you're interested in (and see them more in depth than being hustled through in a group), I have to admit that you can probably get to a lot more sites with the organized tour.

There were a lot of frustrations with the Trafalgar Tour, but we're thinking that when traveling in a country like Russia, it might be wise to be accompanied by a guide who speaks the language and a driver who can read Russian maps.

I know the wording in these tour descriptions can be deceiving. For example 'One evenng, reserved seats await us for a thrilling night at the Moscow Circus'. . Is this an optional tour?. .. .. ..or an included on?

Are the hotels in each of the three cities centrally located, or is public transportation easily accessible from each of them so that we can go sightseeng on our own? Do any of them have free shuttles to the city as some European hotels have?

How do you apply for a visa?

We, too, would love to hear from anyone who knows anything about this tour.

When are you planning on going, Curt?

I am curious if anyone has gone on this tour and what you receive on the train. This seems like a lot of $$ for such few days and meals.We are leaving May 20th.
Kay