bus tour Imatra + Savonlinna for 2 days
Greetings to those who are interested in bus trips from St. Petersburg to neighboring Finland.
From 4 to 5 November 2012 we traveled with Euro-Tours Express for 2 days on a trip to Imatra + Savonlinna. Departure was at 09:30 in the morning, which was very pleasing, because. all my trips to the Baltic States or Finland were with a departure at night or very early in the morning.
The bus was not the newest, but not “wrecked” either (it was the “wrecked” that was “kindly” provided for a two-day trip to the Baltic states by the Galaktika travel company and I will definitely publish a review of this trip separately).
About the bus: in the bus, the seats recline, but the individual light did not work and the airflow worked quite noisily. it was warm, the distance between the seats was sufficient. The upper shelves were not dusty, the trunks were also clean. BUT: there were interruptions in tea and coffee (according to the guide, this service is provided by a transport company), the TVs that were in the cabin did not work, there was a quarrel between the drivers and a couple of tourists on the way back and right on the Russian border, because of which the employees the customs service began to examine the luggage of passengers more carefully. However, in this situation, the fault could be both the drivers and the tourists themselves. Because these same tourists were very loudly commenting on their dissatisfaction inside the terminal, next to the passport control desk. It is possible that they made the same noise on the street, which drew attention to our bus and group.
I would like the organizers of trips over long distances to pay attention to the serviceability of audio and video equipment in the passenger compartment. This could brighten up our trips, waiting at customs. It would be possible during the guide's story to additionally include videos on the topic or Finnish music, include good films that would relax our fellow citizens.
Guide: we had a wonderful guide Elena, a very energetic and positive woman. Elena told us in detail about crossing the border, visiting shops, etc. On the way, she told us about the places that we passed, about Imatra and Savonlinna. it happens that the guide tries to intimidate the group so that it seems you are not on vacation, but going to war. With Elena, everything was different: there was no pressure. But her methods did not prevent her from organizing a group (we were about 55-57 people). In addition, Elena read us very sweet and kind poems about love. From the same company, as far as I know, the guide Nadezhda travels. With her, everything is exactly the opposite.
One minus in the organization on the part of our guide: we made stops for the toilet exclusively at customs. For me it is important that the road was part of my vacation. I want to enjoy the journey as much as possible, even on the bus, and not concentrate on the fact that I have to endure another hour, etc.
The tour program stated that the entrance would be through Svetogorsk. However, we were brought through Brusnichnoe, the reason was not explained. Brought to the store Lapland and fish, which is a check-in for trips to Lappeenranta. For me, it would be better if they brought more to the supermarket, because. Lapland has a very meager range of products. In the fish market, we had time to make purchases and eat delicious fish soup, because. It was already lunch time, around 2:00 pm. Then we went to Imatra. Here it was proposed to visit the Kulpyul bath or take a walk around Imatra, and we had about 2.5 hours for this. We had a wonderful time at this small water park. Especially liked the small outdoor pool .
Next to this bathing center in the square there was a ski track made of artificial snow for cross-country skiing. I am writing about this because it amazed me. Finns love their citizens so much! Here you can ski for free if you have skis!
After free time in Imatra, we went to accommodate. The main proposal was that we would live in the Gasthaus Joutseno hotel. However, at the very beginning of the trip, the guide warned that eight guests would need to be accommodated separately from the group, because. We can't all fit in one hotel. Another hotel is the Anna Kern Hotel, which is located on the outskirts of Imatra. We wanted to get (and so it turned out as a result) to Gasthaus Joutseno, because. On the site of this hotel, the rooms looked comfortable. On the site of "Anna Kern" (we already began to study on the bus to make a choice), the rooms did not seem so attractive to me.
Gasthaus Joutseno is located between Imatra and Lappeenranta, in the small village of Joutseno. This is a modest small hotel with some rustic flair. The manager named Sirka speaks good Russian and is very kind and professional. One negative point: our large group upon arrival at the hotel turned into a crowd. Because The lobby is very small, not everyone can fit in there. Because the company cooperates with this hotel quite closely, it would not hurt them to think over the moment of settling together. The company's offer states that the sauna is included in the price. Later, the guide told us that the sauna can accommodate no more than 8 people and works according to the schedule: there is an hour for men, an hour for women and a mix hour, when both can visit the sauna, but only in bathing suits. The sauna is located opposite the main building of the hotel. And in fact, I can’t imagine 8 people there. There were four of us and the maximum is five. The sauna consists of a small dressing room and the sauna itself. There is a shower in the sauna, but there was NO WATER.
A 5-minute walk from the hotel is a cemetery, and behind it a beautiful Lutheran church. Because we were the day after the holiday, when the Finns visit the cemetery at night and, according to tradition, light candles there, we had the opportunity to see an unusual picture. We arrived at the hotel at about 20:30 (Moscow time) and it was already dark. The cemetery was all on fire! Indeed, a beautiful sight! The church was also beautifully lit and the courtyard was open so you could walk around it. After swimming we were hungry. During the walk, we came across a 24-hour kiosk where they made delicious hot dogs for us. Then we saw an open pizzeria and a kebab, but they didn’t go inside, because. We were going to catch the sauna at the hotel that evening. Small shops were open at that time, where you could buy water, beer, snacks.
In the hotel next to the reception there is a cafe where breakfasts are served in the morning, and in the evening you can sit there with your food and drinks. There are also microwaves on the floor, el. kettles, fridge. We put our purchases in the refrigerator (general), and in the morning we found them there. tea and coffee in the evening could be ordered at the hotel, but for an additional fee. Our room was small, but warm and clean. The bathroom is also small, but in the room.
Taking into account the walk in Jotseno and the rest in the water park "Magic Forest" (as Kulpyulya is called in Russian), the day turned out to be successful, we really had a rest. It is only worth noting that the "Magic Forest" is a very small complex, the slide in it is one and small, so it's more of a SPA than a water park.
In the morning we had breakfast (Sirka cooked hot oatmeal, hot sausages. There were kiwi and bananas on the table, pickled cucumbers, fresh tomatoes, fresh paprika, salami-type sausage, cheese, butter, bread, Finnish pie, herring, there was milk, water , apple and orange juice, coffee and tea) is quite satisfying and tasty.
At 10 am (Moscow time) we left for Savonlinna. The journey takes approximately 2 hours. On the way, the guide told us about this city. In addition, Elena made 2 interesting stops along the way, which were not mentioned in the program. Stop at Patsaspuisto Sculpture Park (20 min) with over 400 sculptures. Entrance to the park is free. A very unusual place. We really enjoyed! And the second stop was in Kiremyaki (10 min), where the largest wooden church is located. The church itself was closed, but we enjoyed walking around it. Thanks to Elena for such an improvisation!
In Savonlinna we had the opportunity to spend 3 hours. It was possible to devote all this time to a walk around the city (a small town) or visit a medieval fortress, and take a walk the rest of the time. You can’t walk in the fortress yourself, but every hour an excursion begins, i. e. You can enter strictly at the beginning of the hour. We made it! But they ran from the bus. The tour at that hour was in Russian (because the group was only Russian and the bus that arrived before us booked a guide with a Russian, which cost them 70 euros per group. It didn’t cost us anything. We paid entrance tickets only, for group bookings 6 euros/person (individually 9.5 euros. ). However, the tour was conducted for a group of about 50 (! ) people. Because of the narrow passages of the fortress, it was very inconvenient. However, overall we really enjoyed it and it was really interesting. Because Before that, I had only visited fortresses that were mostly destroyed, and on this tour for the first time I visited the room where the inhabitants of the fortress slept in the Middle Ages . Due to the fact that the group on the tour was too large, its duration was 1.5 hours, and not an hour, as we were promised.
Thus, we had 1.5 hours left for a walk around the city and for lunch (!!! ). It is clear that during this time we only managed to have lunch and did not see the city, did not take a walk. Not to mention some shopping. For this day, the company organizer and guide minus! Relaxation did not work, and ahead of 320 km home! I didn’t have enough organized lunch (the guide recommended us to eat at the large City Market supermarket, all those who were with us in the fortress went there. The bus could drop us right there, which would save 15 minutes spent on the road there. It's ridiculous, of course, to count minutes in this way. I wish the organizers would just give us an extra hour in Savonlinna and provide a place for lunch. Oh, and don't forget that there should be stops for toilets. On the way back, already at night, there was a very ugly situation. There were no stops after the border. Mom and daughter came up to ask for a stop. After that, we drove through several gas stations and stopped at the forest under the lamps, where we could relieve ourselves in the rain, in the mud and in front of the whole bus.
