Wikivoyage:Tourist office/Archives/2015/April

Justice of the peace

Are you able to give me a phone number or address to a justice of the peace for marriage purposes?

Asked by: Maria

Travel in Europe

Hi Guys, I'm planning a trip to Europe this year with my partner. We plan on leaving around 15th August till the 23rd September. Start date may be slightly flexible, end date can't really be flexible as we are returning to Sydney for a wedding. We've spoken to a few travel agents who seem to think we needed to narrow down the countries we wanted to visit.. we since have, but are still having trouble putting something together. I don't mind doing a tour here or there.. i'd prefer not to be stuck on a bus for anymore than 2 weeks at a time.. infact, i'd probably prefer a tour company that uses a mix of trains, buses, ferries and planes.

The countries we would like to visit are: Malta Croatia (Split, Hvar, Dubrovnik) - possibly a mix of sailing/land Greek islands (Mykonos, Ios and Santorini) - possibly a mix of sailing/land Italy (Not sure what part of Italy to visit or whether i do an express tour) Austria (Innsbruck, Vienna) France (Paris) - Would like to see the Eiffel tower and possibly visit Disneyland England (London) - Would like to see an Arsenal game Germany (Munich, Berlin) - Finishing here for Octoberfest

We are thinking about starting in either Malta, Greek Islands or Croatia.. Not sure where the smartest place to start with would be. Would like to hit those Mediterranean places up in the hotter weather (August). From these Mediterranean places, not sure which country would next be on the hit list.

If anybody can help shed some light on which order we should do this, the best way to travel around these countries or between countries, tours to do, how long we should spend in each country, etc. that would be great.

We have not booked flights yet. I was sort of hoping to get the flights on sale, but it doesn't look likely with Emirates/Qantas. We also don't know whether we should organise the whole trip first, then book flights, as tours only depart on certain dates. We don't even know which country would be best to fly into to start the trip.. but we do know we need to fly out of Munich back to Sydney.

Also would love to know events i should maybe keep my eye out for. Thanks!

Please help! :-) Asked by: Krainer88 (talk) 10:25, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

Well you may want to have a look at rail travel in Europe as well as Low-cost airlines in Europe for your traveling around needs. I personally would advise you to further narrow down the list of countries you want to visit and things you want to do. There is an incredible amount of things to see and do in Europe even on a surprisingly small scale (Italy for example has more UNESCO world heritage sites than China). In terms of transport trains are extremely fast and comfortable in France and Germany and (to a somewhat lesser extent) Italy. They are usually reasonably on time and hardly ever more than an hour late (should this happen, you can get a 25% refund, just ask the conductor, one of them should speak English). That being said if you want to visit more rural destinations such as Rothenburg ob der Tauber you will have to change trains a lot and are probably faster taking a car. Another word on long distance trains: Much like air travel, the earlier you book the cheaper it gets. In Germany tickets as cheap as 29 € can be had for off peak routes as late as the day prior to departure, but if you want a more popular route or time, you have to book 90 days before you want to ride. I don't know about buses outside of Germany, but long distance bus travel in Germany exists and is reasonably comfortable, although quite new and thus many cities are not yet connected to the network. I am more or less knowledgeable for southern and eastern Germany as well as parts of the Adriatic coast of Italy (very popular with Europeans, especially Germans in Summer), so if you have concrete questions regarding that, just post on my talk page. As the article on low fares (or as I like to call them low service) airlines states, apart from the shenanigans they are known to engage in elsewhere, in Europe they also fly to weird out of the way airports such as "London"-Stansted or Hahn, that are a hundred or more kilometers away from the city they allegedly "serve", so a bit of caution (and a map) is in order when booking flights on them. Hope you have a safe and enjoyable trip. Hobbitschuster (talk) 16:04, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

Hi, User:Krainer88 here are some thoughts to start with. If I'd be you, I'd start planning from the biggest thing that defines the start and the end of your trip; the flight to and from Europe. As you want to fly out of Munich, and return tickets usually are cheaper than two separate one-way tickets, I would make Munich the very first place to touch down (and continue from there to the first place you're going to visit).

You have about five weeks for your trip which certainly isn't too much if you wish to go to all of those places. BTW I'd be surprised if there'd be a tour company offering this whole itinerary as a convenient package — and if they would, it would certainly not be cheap. I would suggest getting an Eurail pass and get around by train — if you're looking for a bus experience, well, outside the former East block, bus travel isn't really the main mode for intercity travel (though, as HS just said, there do exist some intercity buses in Germany). I would also strongly suggest flying some of the longer and "slower" stretches.

So, for the itinerary. Week one: fly to Munich airport, overland or by plane to Vienna. Onwards by plane to Split. From there you can go by day trip by ferry to Hvar. Bus to Dubrovnik — it will pass through Bosnia and Herzegovina, but that country is visa free for Australians just like EU countries. Week two: Fly to Greece; Athens is probably a good bet and spend the week island hopping. Towards the end of the week, fly to Malta. Week three: from Malta by plane to Rome. Then take the train via Florence, Milan and why not Geneva to Paris. Week four: Paris and the train across the canal to London. Don't know for sure if there are any football matches in the middle of the week, though. From London to Harwich and ferry to the Netherlands (Hoek van Holland near Rotterdam). From there via Amsterdam to Berlin by train. Week five: to Munich by train. From here, you can probably go on a daytrip to Innsbruck. And spend some days on the Oktoberfest. And fly home.

That'd be a rough suggestion for a schedule. As you see, there isn't very much more you could fit into those five weeks, provided that you want to spend at least a whole day in all major cities you visit. You can have a look at the travel articles and see what there's to see and do in those places, and if some places seem completely uninteresting you can always skip them and therethrough have a few days more to spend in places that you do find interesting. Happy travels and you're welcome to ask further questions. :)

Ps. fun to reply to a question like this, to someone from Sydney, right now. Exactly two years ago, I was on a 2 week round the world trip (just three destinations but still I had quite busy program!). Was waking up in Sydney (at 9PM in my home time zone) for a day trip to the Blue Mountains with a pretty impressive jet lag and almost purple from sunburn as a result of walking around Sydney the whole of the day before. ϒpsilon (talk) 16:34, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

Day trip to Tallinn

I just received a voucher for a free trip to Tallinn, Estonia. It is valid from 17 May to 26 June on every day except Saturday. I have about three hours to spend in Tallinn, from 2:30 PM to 5:30 PM. Pretty much my every weekend during that interval is already booked, so trips on Friday or Sunday are out of the question. However, I could request a paid holiday for one day from work and go on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. Is there some special event happening in central Tallinn during that interval I could visit? I've been to Tallinn plenty enough times already to go there just to see the city. Asked by: JIP (talk) 19:28, 26 March 2015 (UTC)

Here is the event calendar by Tallinn's tourist office for that interval, you can browse through it and see if there's anything interesting. There are for instance the old town days in early June. ϒpsilon (talk) 19:46, 26 March 2015 (UTC)

The old town days look interesting. Is three hours enough time to both see some of the old town days (I don't expect to see nearly all of it) and eat at a famous restaurant in the old town, such as restaurant Peppersack? As the Tallinn harbour is not very far from the old town I'm considering travelling on foot for the entire time in Tallinn. JIP (talk) 20:46, 29 March 2015 (UTC)

The Tallinn official tourism event calendar is a great place to start off your search. http://www.tourism.tallinn.ee/eng/fpage/experience/events This website is a great kickoff spot to start your search, especially the event calendar. The time that you allotted there seems to be a few festivals going on that could be of some serious consideration. Another website, that you can search through for anything of interest to you since I do not know what is of particular interest to you is http://www.viator.com/Tallinn-tours/Cultural-and-Theme-Tours/d4147-g4. This website shows of some tours with activities that could be of interest to you if you can find one that fits the small window of 3 hours. Next, a place where you could look through the different attractions of the city would be a small website that provides some more information on the city and different things that it offers. http://www.inyourpocket.com/estonia/tallinn Overall, I would say that your best bet would be to look at the first link I provided which was the tourism Tallinn official page. This website has an event calendar search option that shows all the special events that are going on during the specific time frame that you are searching. --Tyates5 (talk) 01:02, 6 April 2015 (UTC)

Old airport terminal of Qatar

Will they in Qatar demolish their old airport terminal building after the completion of the new one? Asked by: 112.198.77.162 04:46, 30 March 2015 (UTC)

If you are asking about Doha International Airport that was replaced by Hamad International Airport? If so the airport has plans to be torn down, while a new urban area plans to be established.

--Zcats21 (talk) 19:55, 7 April 2015 (UTC)

Getting from Stockholm to Berlin by train

It's already early April now and I have to make my plans for my InterRail trip in early July ready. So far I have been using http://www.bahn.de to find train connections. It still appears that for some mysterious reason, the only way to get from Stockholm to Berlin without staying overnight at a city is to take a bus. I don't want to sleep on a bus. I want to sleep on a train. What is happening here? I have been travelling by InterRail for almost half a decade, and this is the first time such a thing has happened.

I'm not planning on staying in Berlin. I want to go to Ljubljana. But Berlin is an important connection along the way. If I can get there, I can get to pretty much anywhere in central Europe from there.

There do seem to be train connections from Stockholm to Berlin, but they leave so early that I can't even get to Stockholm at that time. I would have to stay overnight in Stockholm and depart the next morning. Or alternatively I could go from Stockholm to Copenhagen and stay overnight there, and take an early morning train to Berlin.

Is this really the only way I can reach continental Europe from Stockholm entirely by train? Asked by: JIP (talk) 19:22, 8 April 2015 (UTC)

Have you tried Öffi? http://oeffi.schildbach.de/index_de.html They usually give you (almost) any connection on public transport. Maybe for some mysterious reason there is in fact no alternative to the bus, which would surprise me. Hobbitschuster (talk) 19:48, 8 April 2015 (UTC)

After a quick search, I found out that Öffi does indeed find the connection with and without bus. I don't know of course if the non-bus alternative is attractive to you and fits in your plans. Have a good trip!Hobbitschuster (talk) 19:55, 8 April 2015 (UTC)

I looked at the Öffi website but at a quick glance, couldn't find out where to exactly input my desired information (where I'm going from, where I'm going to, when I'm going, and how I want to go). In fact I couldn't find a place to enter anything at all. The website seems to be in German but that shouldn't be a problem. I speak German almost as well as I speak English, although neither is my native language. Could someone give me help on how to use Öffi? JIP (talk) 20:03, 8 April 2015 (UTC)

Well, good evening! For your travel to Ljubljana, I would start with taking the train from Helsinki to good old Turku, and the ferry from there to Stockholm. If you look at Viking Line, for example, the ferry is in Stockholm already at half past six in the morning (it's almost lunch time before the Helsinki ferry is in Stockholm! and a train+Turku ferry combination is likely cheaper too). Get to the Stockholm railway station by subway from Slussen, bus or whatever and try to catch either the 08:13 train or 09:10 train (that one's got a transfer in Malmö) to Copenhagen (Sweden's State Railways). You are going to be there 13:22 or 14:48 depending on which train you took.

Then, http://www.bahn.de reveals there are trains leaving Copenhagen (Koebenhavn H is what the Germans call the station) to Hamburg at 13:43 (18:16 in Hamburg) — aim for this if you've managed to get on that first train from Stockholm!, 15:43 (20:16 in Hamburg) or 17:43 (22:16 in Hamburg).

From Hamburg you can take an evening train to Berlin if you want to go to Berlin (about hourly departures, travel time just under two hours)

Or otherwise go on an overnight train somewhere south, for that Munich will probably be your best bet. There seems to be a direct sleeper, leaving Hamburg at 21:26 and arriving at 07:05 in Munich. Alternatively you can leave 20:01 and have a quick transfer in Frankfurt at midnight, or if you want to have a tiring night 20:52 and spend the time between 3AM and 5AM on Nuremberg central station (seriously, how do they suggest such things :P)?

From Munich then, as you can see, bahn.de gives you different alternatives for going the rest of the way to Ljubljana.

I actually browsed for random dates in the middle of June, but I guess the schedules aren't very much off. Hope that helps! ϒpsilon (talk) 20:13, 8 April 2015 (UTC)

Sorry. Should have mentioned Öffi is an app for your mobile device (e.g. an android smartphone) it is free and made by one German guy for the heck of it. Hobbitschuster (talk) 20:21, 8 April 2015 (UTC)

Only one day after I asked this question, www.bahn.de has started showing a connection with all trains, no buses. It leaves Stockholm around 3 PM and arrives in Ljubljana at 6 PM the next day. I have to spend almost 3 hours in late evening at Copenhagen airport, but that shouldn't be a problem. The train from Copenhagen airport leaves at 11 PM. I can go straight to sleep on the train. And this way I can skip going to Turku. In Stockholm, I can walk from Masthamnen to the railway station at my leisure and still have time to eat in Norrmalm. Looks like this connection in Copenhagen airport saved my entire trip. My only question is that I will be carrying a large backpack weighing almost 10 kg. Are there safe deposit boxes at Copenhagen airport where I could put it in storage? I know there are such things at Stockholm central railway station.

The trip from Ljubljana to Pörtschach (for that is my next destination) is trivial, as the cities are so near each other. Finally there's the trip back from Pörtschach to Stockholm and from there to Helsinki. I've already seen that Pörtschach and Stockholm are too far apart for me to reach Stockholm early enough to catch the ship back to Helsinki on the same day. So I'm planning on staying overnight in Stockholm, leaving to Turku in the morning, and getting on a train from Turku to Helsinki the same evening. I'll skip staying overnight in Turku. I wake up very early in the morning in Stockholm, and the next time I go to sleep, I'm back home in Helsinki. JIP (talk) 18:46, 9 April 2015 (UTC)

Paris

Is Paris worth going to? Put it on a scale of one to a hundred and describe why. Asked by: 76.95.236.84 23:25, 8 April 2015 (UTC)

This is secondhand information from a friend of mine, so take it for what it's worth. I'm told that one thing you have to keep in mind about Paris is that it is a large city. It's got charming sidewalk cafés and majestic cathedrals like you see on TV and in the movies, but it's also got smog, traffic jams, and crowds of gawking tourists. If you come prepared for that, you can have a good time. -- AndreCarrotflower (talk) 23:35, 8 April 2015 (UTC)

Disclaimer: I have only ever been to the airport and never to the city. There is even a syndrome of Japanese tourists coming to Paris and being depressed by it not living up to their exaggerated expectations. Or so I've been told. That being said, it is not for nothing, that millions upon millions of tourists visit the city every year. It really depends on what you want to do, you attitude and how much time and money you are willing and able to invest... Hobbitschuster (talk) 23:42, 8 April 2015 (UTC)

Of course Paris is worth going to if you like the things Paris has to offer. Try reading the article and see if anything there interests you. I've been many times and loved it every time. It is a bit pointless to put it on a scale because you haven't specified what you want to measure your experience by. ( 1/100 for skiing, 95/100 for architecture, 90/100 for dining etc) --Andrewssi2 (talk) 00:23, 9 April 2015 (UTC)

Yes it is worth visiting, whether you like it or not depends on what you are looking for and your expectations. As stated above it is worth it for the architecture and the food (although move a little away from the main tourist spots). The art galleries are also a must see. However expect crowds of tourists and long lines and only drive in the centre if you are used to crazy chaotic driving. Get up and out early to miss the crowds and make sure you check opening times of museums. Don't expect the service you would get in the US and be aware of street theft (pick pockets and snatch and grab) and annoying street sellers. I personally would put many destinations above Paris but would always recommend everyone to visit the city at least once in their life. --Traveler100 (talk) 05:44, 9 April 2015 (UTC)

If you're interested in world-class sights and good food and shopping, then absolutely yes. I think the city has a nice atmosphere and while it's probably the most "touristy" major city in the world it didn't disturb me very much. As already mentioned, have a look at our Paris travel guide! ϒpsilon (talk) 19:08, 9 April 2015 (UTC)

Return from Stockholm straight to Helsinki or via Turku?

I have my coming InterRail trip almost settled now, but there's one thing that remains. Should I return from Stockholm directly to Helsinki by Viking Gabriella or Mariella like I've always done, or go by Viking Grace to Turku and from there by train to Helsinki?

Reasons to go directly to Helsinki:

• I will be arriving in Stockholm well before noon. The ships to Helsinki only leave in early afternoon. This gives me plenty of time to walk all the way from Norrmalm to Masthamnen at my leisure. Viking Grace, on the other hand, will have already left hours before I reach the railway station.
• I will be arriving in Helsinki sooner. The ship arrives in Katajanokka harbour in late morning, it only takes me a couple of hours to walk all the way to my own apartment. I'll be there by early afternoon.
• I save money by not booking a hotel room in Stockholm. The possible savings on a cheaper cabin on Viking Grace can't possibly outweigh this.

Reasons to go via Turku:

• I have never been on Viking Grace. I have heard it's a very luxurious ship compared to the short voyage it operates on. Other than Viking Cinderella, which I don't understand why the company put its largest and most luxurious ship on its shortest route, it's the only modern Viking Line ship I've never been on.
• So far Stockholm has only been a transit point between Helsinki and central Europe. I like the city, far more than I like Tallinn. As Stockholm is about four or five times as far from Helsinki as Tallinn is, I only get an opportunity to go there once per year. I go to Tallinn three or four times per year. This would give me a nice opportunity to explore Stockholm.
• I would skip staying overnight on the ship. I have heard Finns go to nightclubs on ships to pick up possible dates. I am not familiar with this kind of dating culture and find the whole situation awkward. But if I don't go, I will be missing out on an opportunity to practice my social skills. If I spend the night on a ship, I'll be out drinking anyway. Not spending the night on the ship would save me the dilemma of whether or not to go practice talking to women and risk embarrassing myself.

The actual InterRail train trips don't depend on this. I will book them in a few days anyway. Can anyone offer me any ideas on which option I should choose? Asked by: JIP (talk) 19:29, 10 April 2015 (UTC)

Stockholm is a nice city, I'd advise you to take the option that gives you more time in Stockholm. Cheap hostels (not more than 20€ a night for a dorm bed) can be found there as well. Best wishes Hobbitschuster (talk) 19:50, 10 April 2015 (UTC)

walking maps - e.g. 1:25000 or so for Bavaria

Hi all,

Does anyone have any recommendations for walking maps like the Ordnance Survey or IGN for Bavaria? My search-fu is missing and I can't seem to find anything. Typically I'd be looking for footpaths etc so streetmaps aren't that useful. Asked by: 90.198.20.146 14:51, 12 April 2015 (UTC)

Something like this [1] or [2]. --Traveler100 (talk) 15:16, 12 April 2015 (UTC)

Organised tour for visiting Loch Ness out of Glasgow ( train or Bus)in mid May

Tour or excursion by Train or Bus for visiting LOch Ness , departing from Glagow/Edimbourg.Thanks Asked by: David Haccoun 132.207.33.34 21:35, 14 April 2015 (UTC)

No sleeping places on overnight EuroCity trains?

I bought my InterRail trips for this summer on this Saturday. What I found strange was that I was told there are no sleeping places available at all on the overnight EuroCity trains between Copenhagen and Hamburg. So far I've been able to sleep on an overnight train, it has been a shared private cabin with at most one or two other, entirely unknown, people. I have had no problems whatsoever. But now I think I'm supposed to sleep sitting down on a chair, with no private cabin. This causes two important questions: Will I even be able to get any sleep? And will this make me a target for theft? I will be bringing a large backpack weighing almost 10 kg, but I'll also be bringing a DSLR camera and all my travel documents in separate bags. I will try to search for trains with private sleeping cabins, but if I don't find any by middle June, this is what I have to go with. Are there any risks involved here? Asked by: JIP (talk) 21:17, 11 April 2015 (UTC)

EuroCity is a day train service. This web site is a petition to stop the railways from shutting down night train services and it says on this page that the Copenhagen-Hamburg night trains (a City Night Line service) were to be shut down in December of last year. —The preceding comment was added by 65.94.49.82 (talk • contribs)

To the one above me: Please sign your contributions! And to the topic: Who killed the night train? How can getting to your destination while sleeping not be "profitable enough" or any other excuse reason given to shut them down? Anyway, I hope you enjoy your trip even with these obstacles... Hobbitschuster (talk) 08:23, 12 April 2015 (UTC)

It's sad to see decline in sleeper trains as a general trend not only in Europe, but also in Japan recently. JIP, I would not be worried about security, I always felt safe when traveling in EC trains anywhere in western and northern Europe. But I think you might not get any decent sleep without a bed... Danapit (talk) 11:19, 12 April 2015 (UTC)

Shutting down the sleeper trains between Scandinavia and Germany is alarming news to me. Pretty much the entire trip depends on them. I have found that there are plenty of sleeper trains within Central Europe, but I'd have to reach Central Europe first. Stockholm is too far away for me to reach Central Europe during the same evening, especially since I can only leave Stockholm about noon or a bit earlier. I might possibly have to stay overnight in Copenhagen and leave in very early morning. The trouble is, I'll also have to do this on the way back. I will have to keep searching for options. Luckily the trip is still two and a half months away. JIP (talk) 18:43, 12 April 2015 (UTC)

Precisely for that reason I advised you above to take the ferry from Turku to Stockholm instead — as you're 3.5 hours earlier in Stockholm (compared to the ferry from Helsinki) you can commence your train trip already in the morning instead of at midday, be in Copenhagen already in the afternoon, in Germany in the evening, and be able to take a night train across Germany where they apparently still run.

I would also advise for your trip back to start from Austria sometime at midday, be in Munich in the evening and take a night train across Germany, and start the section from northern Germany through Denmark and Sweden in the morning and be in Stockholm late in the evening. ϒpsilon (talk) 18:57, 12 April 2015 (UTC)

I'll keep that in mind. I have already bought the main InterRail ticket and place reservations for every train except the EC trains between Denmark and Germany. I don't think they're refundable, but if I miss the trains, it's only a loss of about 5 - 10 € per train. The bulk of the train trip costs goes to the InterRail ticket itself, which I have to use anyway. I haven't bought the ship tickets yet. I'll try to search for connections between Stockholm and Central Europe with Viking Grace instead of Viking Mariella or Gabriella. I'll also have to reserve train tickets to Turku and back in that case, but that is fairly trivial. It will add a cost of about 70 €, but that is less than one single night at a hotel room in Sweden or Denmark. JIP (talk) 19:09, 12 April 2015 (UTC)

I already found an option that avoids sleeping sitting up on an EC train. I have to leave from Turku instead of Helsinki, so I can get to Stockholm railway station before 10 AM. There's a train connection that reaches Germany in the same evening, and there's a CNL connection further south. The last leg to Ljubljana is by bus, but as it's in daytime, I think I can manage it. On the way back, I can only leave Pörtschach at about 5 PM. As I have to check out from the hotel about 5 hours before that I have to simply wander about the (rather small) city or just sit down for hours. The connection reaches Stockholm at about 9:30 PM the next day. There are no ships to anywhere in Finland that late, so I have to spend the night in Stockholm anyway. Luckily I have already reserved a hotel room there, near Masthamnen. Then it's simply a matter of whether to go directly to Helsinki or via Turku. Going by Turku is faster but then I have to spend additional money on the train trip to Helsinki. If I go directly to Helsinki I have to spend the night at sea, going via Turku I arrive in Helsinki already at midnight. JIP (talk) 19:24, 12 April 2015 (UTC)

I have the impression it is much easier to get cheap tickets for the Turku ships than for the Helsinki ones. The day ship to Turku should be much cheaper than the overnight ship to Helsinki also with standard prices. The difference could pay the train. --LPfi (talk) 22:04, 12 April 2015 (UTC)

I think I have to go with Viking Grace via Turku on both directions. Departing by Viking Grace is absolutely vital. If I were to go by Viking Gabriella or Mariella from Helsinki I would have about five minutes to get from the ship to the railway station. This is impossible. However, with Viking Grace, I have about two or three hours time to get from the ship to the railway station. I can do this at my leisure. Previous experience has shown it takes me a little over an hour to walk all the way, with a heavy backpack on my back. There is a bus and taxi station right at front of the terminal, but even that couldn't get me to the railway station in five minutes. On the way back, I have to spend the night in Stockholm anyway, so it's going to be a choice whether to go by Viking Gabriella or Mariella directly to Helsinki or by Viking Grace via Turku. So far Viking Grace seems the better option. My hotel is already less than a kilometre away from Masthamnen. I won't have the time to spend a full day in Stockholm, and won't have a place to leave my backpack to. So I'd better get to Finland as soon as possible. I'll be arriving in Helsinki at midnight on the same day as I leave Stockholm. JIP (talk) 20:48, 14 April 2015 (UTC)

The ship from Turku to Stockholm and back cost me 120 € all together. I had to book a cabin in both directions. On the way to Stockholm, I had no option other than book a cabin, as I have to spend the night at sea. On the way back to Turku, I decided to also book a cabin, as the trip is going to take about half a day and I need a place to put my large backpack to. On the way to Stockholm, I have an event in central Turku the previous day, so going by Viking Grace is a natural option. On the way back, it's simply a matter of which is faster. I will only visit Turku to get on the train to Helsinki. But arriving in Helsinki at midnight instead of late in the next morning seems a better idea. There's the risk that if I miss the train, I will have to stay overnight in Turku, and I have no place there. But I am thinking the ship and train routes are so well connected that risk is infitesimal. JIP (talk) 21:44, 19 April 2015 (UTC)

Ljubljana bus station

I just made different arrangements on my upcoming InterRail trip from Stockholm to Ljubljana and back. On the last leg of my journey to Ljubljana, I have to take a bus from Munich Hackerbrücke to Ljubljana bus station. I think I can find Munich Hackerbrücke fairly easily as there are internal connections between it and the central railway station. But I don't have any idea where Ljubljana bus station is. I have never been to Ljubljana at all. My hotel is only a few hundred meters from the central railway station, but is the bus station anywhere nearby? If it's only about one or two kilometres away, I think I can walk all the way. But if it's something like ten or twenty kilometres away, I have to use Ljubljana public transport, and currently I have no idea how to do that. Asked by: JIP (talk) 21:17, 19 April 2015 (UTC)

I have been to Ljubljana on the last summer, but I saw the bus station only while I was on my car. Said that, as it's written on Ljubljana article, "Ljubljana bus station (avtobusna postaja) is right next to the train station" so I think that you'll find it easily. For more information you can visit the website of the Ljubljana Bus Station. --Lkcl it _(Talk) 18:02, 20 April 2015 (UTC)

The website of the Ljubljana Bus Station was the first place I looked at. I don't understand Slovene, but it's available in English too. Sadly, I could find no information whatsoever about where it is located, only about where I can take a bus to and at what time. I had better luck with Google Maps. But if it's right next to the train station, I can walk all the way to my hotel at my leisure. JIP (talk) 18:49, 20 April 2015 (UTC)

Storage lockers at Turku harbour

I've decided to depart on my annual InterRail trip from Turku, not from Helsinki, for the first time. This decision was influenced by two things:

1. The ships from Helsinki arrive far too late for me to reach Germany the same day. And for some mysterious reason, Europe has decided to close down the night trains with sleeping cabins between Denmark and Germany.
2. I have another event in Turku just the same weekend. It doesn't make much sense to go back to Helsinki just to come back to Turku a few hours later.

Now I will be carrying a large backpack on the InterRail trip. I have to take it already to my event in Turku. There are about eight hours between when I have to check out from my hotel and when I have to leave to Stockholm. That's quite a long time to carry a backpack weighing almost 10 kg.

I am thinking of leaving the backpack at a storage locker in Turku harbour, but is that possible? I've heard there are storage lockers there, but are they big enough? For further information, the backpack is a heavy-duty backpack for scouts and wilderness travellers. It's not one of those small backpacks you see women between 40 and 60 years carry their purse and other everyday belongings in on their normal workdays. I haven't measured it yet, but I think it's about a metre tall. It fits easily into the largest storage lockers available at Stockholm central railway station, but not the smallest ones, if that's of any help. Does anyone know if it's possible to store it in Turku harbour? Asked by: JIP (talk) 19:29, 21 April 2015 (UTC)

I guess User:LPfi would know best. ϒpsilon (talk) 19:38, 21 April 2015 (UTC)

LPfi said he/she doesn't know, he/she only uses Turku harbour for travelling, not for storage. LPfi advised me to contact Viking Line and ask. There is a storage room at my hotel, but it's unlocked and unguarded, so I'm worried about risk of theft. I'm kind of paranoid about this kind of thing. I've had both my phone and my wallet stolen in Helsinki (on different occasions) and my camera stolen in Stockholm. JIP (talk) 20:23, 23 April 2015 (UTC)

According to this, Viking Line seems to have some sort of lockers in the terminal. ϒpsilon (talk) 08:36, 24 April 2015 (UTC)

Money in Siberia

Asked by: 203.198.185.6 06:26, 22 April 2015 (UTC) Please may I know what kind of money they use in Seberia.thanks it is in Russia.

As it is in Russia, I would figure they use the Russian rouble. JIP (talk) 07:35, 22 April 2015 (UTC)

Where to go in Lapland?

My father's and my annual trip to Lapland is coming up in early August. We just don't know where to go yet. My father likes fishing, he's done it since his teenage years. I'm not particularly interested in fishing. I don't even know anything about it. My father said it doesn't have to concentrate on fishing. Finnish Lapland is a preferred option, but we might as well go to Swedish or Norwegian Lapland.

Places we've already been to include Rovaniemi, Kolari, Salla, Savukoski, Utsjoki and Kilpisjärvi in Finland, Kiruna and Tärnaby in Sweden, and Tromsø, Alta, Nordkapp, Lofoten, Mo i Rana and Kirkenes in Norway. We've even been to Iceland once. My father has a lifelong dream of visiting Svalbard, but so far it has been unreasonable because it's a cold, desolate place and so far away that flights for two people from Helsinki to there and back cost well over 1000 €.

I might like to see the far north of Norwegian Lapland again, especially Tromsø. I've been there twice but I don't have any pictures of there yet. Swedish or Norwegian Lapland is more exotic and therefore more attractive, but Finnish Lapland is easier and cheaper to get to, and easier to come along with, as both I and my father speak Finnish natively. I speak Swedish fluently, my father speaks very little Swedish. Neither of us speak Norwegian or Icelandic. But I'd prefer to go to a place we've never been to before. Asked by: JIP (talk) 18:45, 26 April 2015 (UTC)

Have you considered visiting Russian Lapland? -- AndreCarrotflower (talk) 19:23, 26 April 2015 (UTC)

Not so far. We've been near the border numerous times, but have never actually gone there. The reason is that the border to Russia is the only one of Finland's three borders not to be freely crossable, it requires a visa. I have been to Russia three times in my life. Once when it was still a part of the Soviet Union and two times when it was independent. All of these were to to Leningrad/St. Petersburg area. I've never been to anywhere in Russia beyond that. But actually as of now I don't even have any interest in visiting Russian Lapland. Are there any places there you could recommend? And it has to be taken into account this is not solely up to me. I have to discuss it with my father first. Also, neither of speak any Russian. Of the languages spoken in Lapland, Russian is the one we understand the least. Neither of us can manage anything beyond a few basic greetings or "yes/no". Even Sámi is a better understandable language for us. JIP (talk) 19:52, 26 April 2015 (UTC)

I asked my father about Russian Lapland, i.e. mainly Murmansk Oblast, and he was intrigued by the idea, as neither of us have ever been there. The only problems he could see were that the locals tend not to let tourists to the best fishing rivers, it could be unsafe for a solitary tourist to venture very far out there (although there will be two of us, both fully mature men, but neither of us understand any Russian), and that Murmansk is a poor city by western Russian standards, so there might not be very much to see there. Another option is to see the far north of Norwegian Lapland again. It's been a decade since I've last been there. JIP (talk) 19:08, 27 April 2015 (UTC)