Hermitage-focused tour/guide in St. Petersburg

Hello,

we are a couple visiting St. Petersburg for 2 days on NCL Getaway in July 2016.

We were hoping to get a touristic visa to explore the city on our own but as it turns out, visas are single entry only for cruise passengers so we would only be able to use it for the first day (it would be void once we come back to the cruise after day 1).

We are art lovers and would love to spend a full day at the Hermitage but it seems no reasonably priced visa-free tours offer this kind of option, all are offering only 2 max 3 hours visit to the Hermitage.

Does anyone know about a tour company or private guide (with visa free requirement) that offers a full day at Hermitage?

Thanks

Hello,

we are a couple visiting St. Petersburg for 2 days on NCL Getaway in July 2016.

We were hoping to get a touristic visa to explore the city on our own but as it turns out, visas are single entry only for cruise passengers so we would only be able to use it for the first day (it would be void once we come back to the cruise after day 1).

We are art lovers and would love to spend a full day at the Hermitage but it seems no reasonably priced visa-free tours offer this kind of option, all are offering only 2 max 3 hours visit to the Hermitage.

Does anyone know about a tour company or private guide (with visa free requirement) that offers a full day at Hermitage?

Thanks

Used TJ Travel for their regular two day tour which they customized for four of us with a separate tour guide for us at the Hermitage for extra time. You can probably arrange a custom tour with most of the private companies. A tour of only 2 and 4 people means not only more time, but a better quality tour of the Hermitage.

Hello,

we are a couple visiting St. Petersburg for 2 days on NCL Getaway in July 2016.

We were hoping to get a touristic visa to explore the city on our own but as it turns out, visas are single entry only for cruise passengers so we would only be able to use it for the first day (it would be void once we come back to the cruise after day 1).

We are art lovers and would love to spend a full day at the Hermitage but it seems no reasonably priced visa-free tours offer this kind of option, all are offering only 2 max 3 hours visit to the Hermitage.

Does anyone know about a tour company or private guide (with visa free requirement) that offers a full day at Hermitage?

Thanks

You will need to arrange for a private tour for you and your husband. There is no way anyone can say the phrase "reasonably priced" and "full day at the Hermitage" in the same sentence. However, once you commit to going the private route, you can do anything you like.

That can include spending one full day at the Hermitage and can include asking for the services an art specialist (most likely for an extra fee). When my husband and I visited both the Grand Chorale Synagogue and the Mariinsky Theater, we were accompanied by our general guide and a specialist in each location. I'm sure we paid extra for these specialists, but they made each of their stops quite memorable.

I can tell you for certain that the number of tour companies willing to offer a wholly customized tour is small and White Nights is one of them. (Currently #5 on Trip Advisor) Of particular interest is a story our guide, Asya, shared with us. She told us about guiding another couple who visited St Petersburg for one full week for an art-focused experience. I don't know if Asya's art expertise was sufficient for that trip and she did all the explaining. Perhaps, Asya hired a specialist in several of the museums the couple visited much like what happened to us. Perhaps the couple was allowed some freedom to do their own thing at 30 minute bursts within the museum. I don't know any specifics and these details matter to people who are passionate about particular topics. If you truly want to spend the whole day at the Hermitage, it can be done as long as you are prepared to spend money .

Incidentally, on my husband's and my first trip to st Petersburg we were on a river cruise which meant we were required to get a full Russian visa. As a group, we were brought to the Hermitage before the museum opened and a guide led us through the most popular galleries, stopping at the most popular paintings (e.g. the impressive collection of Rembrandts.) By the time we got to the Post Impressionist gallery, our guide offered people a choice. Anyone who had had enough could go elsewhere with her and the rest of us could stay at the Hermitage on our own. We chose the second option. (Of course, we had this flexibility because we had our own visas.) We stayed at the Hermitage a total of seven hours including lunch in the cafe. I can't say it was the most intelligent thing we've ever done. Our eyes and our brain were totally art saturated by the time we left!

Just decide what matters more to you: reasonable costs or the perfect experience. Unfortunately you can't have both give your intentions.

Yes, the major tour companies (SPB, Alla, TJ, etc.) should be able to arrange a visa-free customized private tour for you . . . but with only two people, the per person cost won't be especially reasonable. Are you traveling with any art-loving friends or are there any on your roll call?

Also, do consider that many of the sites in St. Petersburg are art in themselves. With only 2 days, you'll have to cut some from your list to afford more time in the Hermitage. What are you willing to give up?

If you are going in July 2016, you have missed your tour.

A private tour will do just about anything you want, particularly if you arrange it in advance.

A private tour will do just about anything you want, particularly if you arrange it in advance.

They will do anything but the responses to our request from different companies were different. We picked TJ Travel because they modified their normal two day tour and provided a special guide and the additional time at the Hermitage for a reasonable additional charge. Other companies treated it as two separate tours at a much higher price. SPB in this instance was the least flexible. We queried several of the companies.

Last summer I setup a private 2 day tour with Dancing Bear Tours and was able to customize it how I wanted. It was only 3 of us and price was very reasonable, about half what SPB wanted for a 3 person private tour. We wanted to do the usual 2 day stuff but added more time at the Hermitage and climb the dome of St. Issacs which is worth it for the views over the city. We did remove a couple things. Julia the owner was very flexible in letting us add and remove to create the perfect itinerary.

After touring the Hermitage main building with the crowds we walked across the square to where the impressionists are located. They are no longer located in the main building. We were maybe a dozen people in that vast building and the only tour. NONE of the main tours visit here and if your an art lover you'll want to go.

Hello. I am also on NCL in July, and would like to spend a whole day at the Hermitage if possible. I am still trying to coordinate with the rest of my group who is not interested in this option. But the Hermitage is only open one of the days I'll be in port. Thinking of one day of general sightseeing and one day at the Hermitage. Don't know what I'll do yet but open to suggestions or to connect with others who may want the same experience.

The Russian Museum in St. Petersburg has some wonderful art by Russian artists of all periods. I especially like the 19th Century artists. It is rarely included in standard tours and therefore it is much less crowded. It is very centrally located (across Mikhailovsky Square from the Belmond Grand Europe.

It is worth noting that the "big four" companies are not your only option when it comes to private tours - you might want to consider hiring an accredited private guide (not associated with the big names). Any accredited guide will have sufficient knowledge to offer you a day-long tour of the Hermitage (and I dare say most of them will be happy to go beyond the couple dozen "must see" rooms from ten thousand or so rooms the Hermitage has to offer). In addition, based on what I found so far, a "private" tour for 4 people from a private guide will likely cost about the same as a "small group" tour from the leading companies, and incomparably cheaper than their private tours.

Now, the obvious question is whether a private guide can take you off the ship visa-free. My understanding (and I will happily stand corrected if someone more knowledgeable chimes in) is that most of them will use paperwork from a third-party company that has the necessary accreditations.

It is worth noting that the "big four" companies are not your only option when it comes to private tours - you might want to consider hiring an accredited private guide (not associated with the big names). Any accredited guide will have sufficient knowledge to offer you a day-long tour of the Hermitage (and I dare say most of them will be happy to go beyond the couple dozen "must see" rooms from ten thousand or so rooms the Hermitage has to offer). In addition, based on what I found so far, a "private" tour for 4 people from a private guide will likely cost about the same as a "small group" tour from the leading companies, and incomparably cheaper than their private tours.

 

Now, the obvious question is whether a private guide can take you off the ship visa-free. My understanding (and I will happily stand corrected if someone more knowledgeable chimes in) is that most of them will use paperwork from a third-party company that has the necessary accreditations.

Your post depicts a Hobson's Choice. In the choice you've described between a unique, customized tour with the big four and touring with a private guide, one of those options does not exist in reality. As many posters to this board have learned, the big four companies are not interested in offering unique tours to small groups/private individuals. Those companies have their fill of clients by offering excellent tours to first-time visitors making no special demands.

I speak from experience when I say this about the big four, but other posters have had the same experience. Admittedly, my experience differs from the OP's in one significant way. My husband and I were planning a two-day, unique itinerary that involved calculating the logistics of moving from place to place and spending the "right" amount of time in each destination. The OP wants to show up at the Hermitage in the morning and leave seven hours later. Clearly the administrative planning time for a Hermitage-only day will be minimal, and one of the big four might be willing to take on the job.

Most of us developing a unique, custom category turn to the tour companies ranked somewhat lower in Trip Advisor. I was thrilled with our experience with White Nights Travel (#5). I've read many happy posts about Insider Tours (#6) and Best Guides (#10). This thread also includes a happy report about DenRus.

My point is that the collective posters on this board have identified well-regarded companies with lots of reviews that will do atypical tours. Going this route, a client gets access to known visa services. Finally, I'd be reluctant to choose a private guide based on the general introductions guides post on the internet. I'd much rather rely on the judgement of a director of a smaller tour company who has a history of working with many free-lance guides.

Your post depicts a Hobson's Choice. In the choice you've described between a unique, customized tour with the big four and touring with a private guide, one of those options does not exist in reality. As many posters to this board have learned, the big four companies are not interested in offering unique tours to small groups/private individuals. Those companies have their fill of clients by offering excellent tours to first-time visitors making no special demands.

 

Well my experience was that we did the first day with TJ Travel, doing the usual general tour for first timers and the second day we had our own driver and a separate tour guide for the Hermitage for four of us that wanted to spend most of the day there. They were interested in accommodating us. We did pay extra for that but it was reasonable. Another company which many use was like you say not interested but I was very happy with what TJ Travel did for us. The reason we booked with them and not the other was that they were willing to vary their two day tour for our subset of the tour.

Well my experience was that we did the first day with TJ Travel, doing the usual general tour for first timers and the second day we had our own driver and a separate tour guide for the Hermitage for four of us that wanted to spend most of the day there. They were interested in accommodating us. We did pay extra for that but it was reasonable. Another company which many use was like you say not interested but I was very happy with what TJ Travel did for us. The reason we booked with them and not the other was that they were willing to vary their two day tour for our subset of the tour.

Thanks. This post is another important piece of information for the atypical cruise visitor. Interesting to note that your post confirms what I suspected: some tour companies might be willing to customize when cruisers want to spend the entire day in the Hermitage yet not be willing to customize a tour that requires planning for a day/days of several unusual destinations.

Your post depicts a Hobson's Choice... - one of those options does not exist in reality

But it does - all bigger companies offer the "private tour" option. Those private tours are exorbitantly priced, but it seems to be a legitimate choice nonetheless.

I'd be reluctant to choose a private guide (...) I'd much rather rely on a smaller tour company (...) and known visa services.

Well, I see it as a matter of personal preference. Personally, I would carefully pick a guide I'm comfortable with (based both on internet reviews and my personal communication with prospective guides), and then let him or her choose whatever "technical company" they have worked with to obtain paperwork for visa-free travel.

As a side-note, that is exactly where I find the vast majority of glowing reviews here on Cruisecritic to be of limited value - all these "wonderful" and "excellent" Svetlanas, Tatianas, and Olegs seem to have no last name - a rather important feature if you are to find someone in a city that seems to be populated almost exclusively by Svetlanas, Tatianas, and Olegs.

Overall, the cruise travel community seems to be lagging somewhat behind the developments of SPb tourism market. And I totally respect and appreciate that - after all, the cost of potential error for each individual cruise-goer is relatively high, and people tend to have little appetite for risk when it comes to their hard-earned vacation.

This brings me full circle to the OP's inquiry - given the circumstances, the cost of error in his particular case is remarkably low. Any freelance tour guide worth their salt (and accredited with the Hermitage) would easily give you a day-long or a week-long tour of the museum. With the tour done on day 1, there is no need to be concerned about missing the ship - hence, the guide's organizational skills are of secondary importance.

But it does - all bigger companies offer the "private tour" option. Those private tours are exorbitantly priced, but it seems to be a legitimate choice nonetheless.

We have to be very precise about the phrase "private tour." A couple/family/group of couples will have no problem booking a private tour if those visitors want to follow the standard tours described on the company's web sites. The tour will be exclusive, but it will not be unique.

A private tour with a unique itinerary is simply not a possibility from SPB regardless of price, and I speak from experience. A couple of years ago, SPB declined to create a two-day unique tour for my husband and me. I've been posting this story since our cruise and others have shared similar experiences specifically with SPB, the highest rated company on TripAdvisor.

The SPB correspondent recommended White Nights Travel, a, then, newer company begun by a former SPB guide who formed her own company during maternity leave. This company -- then #10 on TripAdvisor ranking -- was willing to put in the extra administrative effort to plan a unique itinerary and to hire guides with the specialized knowledge and access to behind-the-scenes at the Mariinsky and the Grande Chorale Synagogue.

I would carefully pick a guide I'm comfortable with (based both on internet reviews and my personal communication with prospective guides), and then let him or her choose whatever "technical company" they have worked with to obtain paperwork for visa-free travel.

I believe hiring a free lance guide and letting that individual make the necessary visa-free arrangements with a company licensed to issue visa-free tour tickets is a relatively recent development. I don't believe it was discussed on this board as few as three years ago when we were planning our second trip to Russia.

Any freelance tour guide worth their salt (and accredited with the Hermitage) would easily give you a day-long or a week-long tour of the museum.

Not quite the situation you've describe, but an interesting incident worth mentioning. I've already described the fact that White Nights Travel hired a specialist for the Grande Chorale Synagogue. Our regular guide's lack of familiarity with Judaism impacted our visit to the Russian State Museum, as well. Although our guide was fully accredited for this museum, her training reflected the official Russian explanation, and that was often inaccurate. Our guide kept explaining any painting featuring people or events from the Hebrew Bible in Christian terms. Considering Russian history, I'm not surprised that official Russian understanding of Judaism is flawed, but I wonder if the training for most religious works of art is also flawed.

Our guide kept explaining any painting featuring people or events from the Hebrew Bible in Christian terms. ... I wonder if the training for most religious works of art is also flawed.

I see your point; just two brief comments to this argument:

First, when on a tour in a foreign country, I think it is for the benefit of everyone involved to take for granted any kind of national/religious/regional bias and treat it as a welcome "flavor" of the tour.

I'm still on the fence on the more political aspects of it, but, having witnessed some awkward moments involving well-meaning tourists going out of their way to convince their tour guide that his perception of his country's history and politics is OH SO WRONG, I think I'm more inclined to keep my views to myself until the tour is over.

Second - and this is bordering on off-topic - one could argue that the bulk of Western visual art canon dealing with Hebrew Bible subject matter, from this

To this

To this

represents essentially a Christian interpretation of Old Testament themes, while Hebrew interest in (and contribution to) visual arts has, until very recently, been rather limited for obvious reasons.

I am going to re-post my review of our tour in St Pete with Best Guides last June. It was truly a "customized" tour. The two highly rated companies that did not "reply back" were Alla and SPB. We toured with both companies, Alla in 2010 and SPB in 2013 so we thought we would use one of them again. Neither wanted our business. You will see from the review that a customized tour can be done. The cost was $800 total for both days, only a bit more then the going rate last year for a two day tour for two people. Considering the drive to Novgorod and back we thought it was a bargain.

This was our third Baltic cruise so we decided to do something different since we had done the “standard tour” twice using a different one of the big well known companies each time.. I am interested in religious art especially icons and Novgorod, south of St Petersburg, is the birth place of Russian icon painting. Could we go there? Internet research turned up several new to me tour companies offering tours to Novgorod. I contacted them plus the well known companies often seen on this board. The new companies were VERY expensive for what they offered. Two of the better known companies (used before) replied but said they would get back to me. I'm still waiting. I received a quick response from Best Guides. They already offer a tour to Novgorod. I began working with Natalie and came up with the following: we would go to Novgorod on the first day and have a walking tour around the center of St Petersburg on the second day. We told them some places we would like to visit and a place and time schedule was worked out for the walking tour. We expected to pay more as it would only be the two of us but their price was only a bit more then what a standard tour for two would have cost. Here's a link to their Novgorod tour: http://www.bestguides-spb.com/tour-novgorod.html Natalie was quick to reply and easy to work with even when we made several changes over time to both parts of the tour.

How did all this work out.....well, you always have doubts and fears. Will they be there to meet you at the dock, will ride to Novgorod be safe (it's about a three hour trip each way) etc. On June 11 we arrived in St Petersburg and quickly got off the ship and through boarder control. There was a representative from Best Guides along with our driver, Anatoly, waiting to meet us. Anatoly took us to his van and we were off. He was an excellent, careful driver and the drive to Novgorod was pleasant with lots to see, old wooden houses, small towns etc. Our guide, Galena, was there to meet us and we began by walking into the “Kremlin” area of Novgorod. I won't go into detail but will be happy to answer questions. It was a truly wonderful day except for the rain. Even with that we saw everything as promised and Galena was excellent with lots of information about the meaning of religious paintings and icons. The ride back to St Petersburg was uneventful and Anatoly (who, by the way, did not speak English but that was never a problem) indicated he would be our driver tomorrow.

He was there to meet us on Sunday with our guide for the day, Elena Isakova. Again, rather then going into detail, our day worked out wonderfully. Elena was a excellent, knowledgeable guide. From the first stop at an Orthodox church to see and hear some of the service, to the Central Naval Museum, not usually on a tour but a place DH wanted to see, and finally the Peter and Paul Fortress we saw everything we wanted to see and more. We had a long walk along the Nevsky Prospect that made us feel like everyday Russians out for a stroll. Stopped in at the office and paid with a credit card, no problem.

All in all we could not have been happier with service and guides from Best Guides. We would use them again in a heart beat. They were easy to work with and quickly responded to our emails. Being able to pay with a credit card on the second day was a plus because we did not have to bring a lot of cash with us. Apparently, the big two companies (I will name them if asked) were not interested providing anything but the “standard tour”. Best Guides stepped up gave us exactly what we wanted. They certainly earned their name as they were the “Best Guides.

<<<Karen>>>

... one could argue that the bulk of Western visual art canon dealing with Hebrew Bible subject matter, from this

[picture of Michelangelo's statue of David]

 

To this [picture of Caravaggio's painting of Judith Beheading Holofernes]

 

To this [picture of Marc Chagall's painting of The Sacrifice of Isaac]

 

represents essentially a Christian interpretation of Old Testament themes, while Hebrew interest in (and contribution to) visual arts has, until very recently, been rather limited for obvious reasons.

To make an important correction, I'm going to have to take this post a bit further off topic, but I promise to bring it back by the end of the message.

Chagall should not be included in your list of Christian painters. He's a Jewish painter who, since the early 1900's, has incorporated Jewish images in his art. I mention the date because these Jewish images represent brave behavior by Chagall; this was a time in Russia when publicly focusing on Judaism was risky both professionally and personally.

It's understandable why you might have assumed the painting, The Sacrifice of Isaac, fits the category Christian interpretation of a Jewish theme. However, Chagall's paintings are tricky. He's interested in figurative/narrative and allegorical art depicted in a colorful, dreamlike manner. Chagall was fascinated by the history and sacrifice of Jews, but, paradoxically, he often includes Christian imagery where there are parallel themes. He's not making a theological statement about the relationship between Judaism and Christianity -- only that he is aware parallel allegories exist in both faiths. That's a subtle but crucial difference.

I want to bring this post back to an earlier issue in the thread: how to choose a quality guide when a traveler is going someplace particularly meaningful or when the traveler already knows a lot. I'm a docent emeritus at a national contemporary art museum. My knowledge of older art history is that of any reasonably well-traveled person, but my knowledge of contemporary art is quite advanced. When I travel, there are only so many inaccuracies I can take when listening to a licensed tour guide who has only general knowledge of contemporary art. As a result, I try to locate a tour offered by museum docents, or hire a specialist guide. Museums are my best source for learning about these specialists. Admittedly, not a modern art example, but in Naples, Italy, I learned that each division within the Capodimonte Museum, must generate enough money to fund its responsibilities. Many division directors solve this problem by paying pathetically low wages and allowing their employees to moonlight as guide specialists. (You won't be surprised to learn the easily qualify for their license!)

Thank you all for your comments and information!

After a month of contacting the major tour companies, private guides, etc. we decided to get a visa and stay the night in SPB.

Turns out that all companies more or less could do the private customized tour that we wanted, but it also turns out that the prices were outrageous: 500-600 usd per person is really too much for us.

We found a decent hotel near the Hermitage for 100 usd and we decided to go that way, visa process doesn't seem as difficult or expensive either so we decided to give it a try, plus what we like most about a new city is to read about it before visiting and discovering it at our own pace, which is what we'll do.

We are thinking about getting a 2-day ticket for the Hermitage so we can divide our visit in 2 days.

Thanks again!

Thank you all for your comments and information!

After a month of contacting the major tour companies, private guides, etc. we decided to get a visa and stay the night in SPB.

Turns out that all companies more or less could do the private customized tour that we wanted, but it also turns out that the prices were outrageous: 500-600 usd per person is really too much for us.

We found a decent hotel near the Hermitage for 100 usd and we decided to go that way, visa process doesn't seem as difficult or expensive either so we decided to give it a try, plus what we like most about a new city is to read about it before visiting and discovering it at our own pace, which is what we'll do.

We are thinking about getting a 2-day ticket for the Hermitage so we can divide our visit in 2 days.

Thanks again!

Good for you - I hope that you have a wonderful time! You can rent an audio guide in the Hermitage and the Impressionist collection is located across palace square in the General Staff building (if you are interested),

Thank you all for your comments and information!

After a month of contacting the major tour companies, private guides, etc. we decided to get a visa and stay the night in SPB.

Turns out that all companies more or less could do the private customized tour that we wanted, but it also turns out that the prices were outrageous: 500-600 usd per person is really too much for us.

We found a decent hotel near the Hermitage for 100 usd and we decided to go that way, visa process doesn't seem as difficult or expensive either so we decided to give it a try, plus what we like most about a new city is to read about it before visiting and discovering it at our own pace, which is what we'll do.

We are thinking about getting a 2-day ticket for the Hermitage so we can divide our visit in 2 days.

Thanks again!

I'd love to be updated with how this works out for you. I am also interested in spending as much time as possible at the Hermitage and am exploring some options. Thank you!

We had an in-depth private tour of the Hermitage with Elena from Best Guides. It was excellent. We were more interested in the Winter palace where the Romanov tzars lived. Elena’s knowledge of the Tzarist history was beyond compare. We particularly enjoyed the Nicholas and Alexandra part of the tour. Elena showed us their dining rooms and offices, beautiful library and lounge rooms, and told a lot about what their everyday life in the Winter palace was like. It was a superb experience.

Thank you for sharing this. We've booked a private tour with Best Guides. Since we, and our friend, have all been to St. Petersburg before, we asked that our time at the Hermitage/Winter Palace focus on the architecture and history of the building. Very glad to see that they took care of your interests.

Thank you all for your comments and information!

After a month of contacting the major tour companies, private guides, etc. we decided to get a visa and stay the night in SPB.

Turns out that all companies more or less could do the private customized tour that we wanted, but it also turns out that the prices were outrageous: 500-600 usd per person is really too much for us.

We found a decent hotel near the Hermitage for 100 usd and we decided to go that way, visa process doesn't seem as difficult or expensive either so we decided to give it a try, plus what we like most about a new city is to read about it before visiting and discovering it at our own pace, which is what we'll do.

We are thinking about getting a 2-day ticket for the Hermitage so we can divide our visit in 2 days.

Thanks again!

Thetfoodie, So how did this work out for you? We have 2 port days in St Petersburg August 2018, and are looking to tour the Impressionist art that has been moved from the Hermitage to the General Staff Building, along with spending more time viewing art in the Hermitage itself. I am just starting to do my research, but it appears that expensive private tours are the only way to see the General Staff Building.

Please report back and tell us if you ended up with a small or private tour, or doing it independently, so you could see more of the great art offerings.

--- Rene