December, 1-2 days in Helsinki, St Petersburg, or Moscow?

Flying Us- > Asia early December. At my age I can't take those
superlong nonstops and would like to break the journey in some city I
have not been to, which takes out London, Paris, Frankfurt etc.

Some possibilities are Helsinki, St Petersburg, and Moscow. Which one
would make the most enjoyable 1-2 day stop?

Thanks.

: For Moscow and St. Pete's you will need a Russian visa, which for a 2 day
: visit is simply not worth the hassle.

How much does it cost, just in case you happen to know?

AlexZ schrieb:
> Flying Us- > Asia early December. At my age I can't take those
> superlong nonstops and would like to break the journey in some city I
> have not been to, which takes out London, Paris, Frankfurt etc.
>
> Some possibilities are Helsinki, St Petersburg, and Moscow. Which one
> would make the most enjoyable 1-2 day stop?
>
> Thanks.
Umm, enjoyable in winter? Bear in mind that St Petersburg and Helsinki
only get a few hours of gloom in winter. Moscow is definitely
interesting -but enjoyable depends on your masochistic tendencies.
You'll need to get a visa, but if you contact a major hotel in advance
and get a booking, they should be able to provide you with the paper
work. However, it's not cheap.

T.

secret squeal <michaelnewportm> wrote:

: seems like the worst of both worlds, you wont have any time to
: appreciate the stopover, and it will be more tiring than staying on
: the plane.

This could easily depend on one's age, health and temperament, but the
worst for me is to keep traveling for 30 hours in one go (which is what
those "16 hour" flights amount to). A stop on the way with proper one
night's sleep cuts that into two 12 hour segments - much easier.

I don't expect to be like a real tourist, but just to be in interesting
surroundings which I could sample in small doses.

Gerald Oliver Swift <goswift@m> wrote:

: Another option, with hassle-free flight connections from
: the States and then onwards to Asia, is Amsterdam.
: Entertaining at any time of year.

Yes I agree whole-heartedly. One of my favorite cities and one I have
visited many times. I am just trying to branch out and see new places.