St. Petersburg Tours

Viking Star- July 15, 2017 -

Stockholm to Bergen.

I have been doing some investigation regarding a 2 day tour of St. Petersburg.

SPB, Alla, and TJ Travel are all coming up with high marks. While I have read the positive posts about Alla, any first hand info about SPB and/or TJ Travel?

Thank you.

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TJ Travel came through with flying colors with their 6 Baltic Capital tours during our Baltic cruise aboard the Celebrity Silhouette. The guides were terrific, the standouts were Sinn Louise in Copenhagen, Maria Luisa in Helsinki, Helen in St. Petersburg and Maria in Tallinn. The groups were relatively small between 11 to 17 people. The guides imparted information about the particularly cities effectively and made their presentation very interesting that really caught our interest. We came out of those tours knowing more facts, figures and anecdotes about these places. TJ Travel really put it all together perfectly for us. We will definitely seek the services of TJ Travel again in the part of the world they offer travel and tour services.

Viking Star- July 15, 2017 -

Stockholm to Bergen.

I have been doing some investigation regarding a 2 day tour of St. Petersburg.

 

SPB, Alla, and TJ Travel are all coming up with high marks. While I have read the positive posts about Alla, any first hand info about SPB and/or TJ Travel?

 

Thank you.

 

 

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All three, and many others, are highly regarded. If you wade through the threads on this forum you will find plenty of very positive comments about all. :)

JB :)

I think you will find mostly good reviews on all three. We used SPB and were very happy with the guide and the service.

We just used TJ for five cities on the recent Baltic cruise the past two weeks on Holland America cruise. The guides were all great, very knowledgeable and very good English. we saved a lot of money compared to the ships tours. It seemed like SPB maybe added their clients to our group in a few of the cities as I thought I heard a couple people say they booked with SPB. Our group in St. Petersburg was only 12 people compared to our table mates who used the ship tour and had 40 and had to wear stickers 1-40 and line up in order to make sure people were there when leaving sites. We arrived at many of the places before the crowds arrived, this was really appreciated at the Hermitage, Catherine's palace and in Stockholm at the Vasa museum.

We just used TJ Travel in St Petersburg for our Princess cruise in the Baltics. I can't recommend them highly enough. Their communication before arriving was great and the tour itself was perfect. The guide was very knowledgable, the group half the size of the cruise ship tours and the itinerary perfect. We did the two day intense tour of St Petersburg and the highlights were bypassing the long queue at Catherine's palace to view that magnificent building and also getting access to the Hermitage when it was closed to the public so we could enjoy that marvellous museum with a lot less crowds. I would definitely use TJ Travel again and have already recommended them to family! Great value for money and met my high expectations for my dream destination St Petersburg.

I think you will find mostly good reviews on all three. We used SPB and were very happy with the guide and the service.

Also had SPB Tours before. Very professional in responding to queries prior to tour. A lot cheaper than ship's excursion yet covering the same places.

Also had SPB Tours before. Very professional in responding to queries prior to tour. A lot cheaper than ship's excursion yet covering the same places.

Actually, maybe a little more. We had friends who went on the ships tour and did not visit the subway, take the hydrofoil to Peterhof or get a canal boat trip as part of their two day package.

What is the story about the Russian visa? Does the tour operator organise it or do we have to do our own.

We used TJ for a private tour for the 8 of us. They were great - prompt communication, easy pick up, very good tour and guide.

Once you decide on a company, they will send you a secure link to fill in your passport info. They will then email you a "ticket" which is, in effect, your visa. Print it out and present it to passport control with your passport on the pier in SPB. Easy peasy.

What is the story about the Russian visa? Does the tour operator organise it or do we have to do our own.

There are three ways to visit St. Petersburg, two of which do not require an independently obtained Russian visa.

Any licensed Russian tour company arranges for its clients to visit St Petersburg visa free. It doesn't matter if you are on a tour bought from the ship or from the many wonderful companies we talk about daily on this board. There are no legal differences between the ship's tour and the licensed Russian book-your-own tours. In both of those cases, you will 1) arrive/depart by ocean-going ship, 2) sleep on the ship, 3) depart within 72 hours, and 4) stay with your tour guide except for special circumstances like attending a ballet/eating dinner out/a few minutes of shopping within a limited space.

You'll need to apply for a visa only if you want to arrive in St. Petersburg, walk off the ship to travel on your own to all your destinations, and wander the city on your own. Some cruisers actually want to do that, but most of us are thrilled to get the benefit of a guide's information, ability to get us smoothly from one place to another, and get us into popular destinations without waiting in line. This last feature is where the small group book-you-own tour really shines compared to a ship's excursion. Privately booked tour groups can range from 2-16 people; ship's tours fill those 40+ passenger buses.

Here's the web site I've relied on for my information:

http://www.saint-petersburg.com/russian-visa/for-cruise-ship-passengers/

What is the story about the Russian visa? Does the tour operator organise it or do we have to do our own.

We used TJ Travel for St. Petersburg. Tour guide Michael was top notch, and the 2 day All Highlights tour was soooo much more interesting than the ship's tour we had done on a previous trip. They can do more with a smaller group.

The visa is your ticket for the tour with TJ Travel. Basically, they are taking responsibility for you, and you cannot leave the group while ashore. There is no need to get your own visa unless you want to spend additional time ashore on your own. If you add the ballet to the tour we took, you will have every hour that the ship is docked covered by a tour guide. We were too tired from the full, full day to see the ballet.

Could not agree more. TJ Tours was beyond excellent. Wife got first class seats & escort service to the ballet and back onto the ship.

Our TJ guide Michael, a PhD finalist at the Hermitage knew the stories behind the stories.

We toured with TJ Travel last month and were very pleased! Top notch from beginning to end. Every detail was attended to and it was so well done. We toured in Stockholm, Helsinki Tallinn and St. Petersburg. Great guides and wonderful tours.

Viking Star- July 15, 2017 -

Stockholm to Bergen.

I have been doing some investigation regarding a 2 day tour of St. Petersburg.

 

SPB, Alla, and TJ Travel are all coming up with high marks. While I have read the positive posts about Alla, any first hand info about SPB and/or TJ Travel?

 

Thank you.

 

 

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Hi I have just come back from 24 day cruise on Holland America Zuiderdam and went on 2 day tour with TJ Travel in St. Petersburg. I agree with others here....top notch.....top marks 10/10. Absolutely excellent. Dina was our guide and was quite awesome. Her knowledge was amazing with touches of humour and never boring. We had a group of 11 and Dina was on the ball the whole time. They were waiting at the ship for us both days and there were no hitches at all. Highly recommend :)

Viking Star- July 15, 2017 -

Stockholm to Bergen.

I have been doing some investigation regarding a 2 day tour of St. Petersburg.

 

SPB, Alla, and TJ Travel are all coming up with high marks. While I have read the positive posts about Alla, any first hand info about SPB and/or TJ Travel?

 

Thank you.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

We used T J travel this June for a 2 day tour and they were brilliant. We were split into several small buses with 14 or so to a bus. The guide paced herself to my husbands slow walking pace and kept the group together. She was really informative. T J Travel charged us $199 each and took this in roubles on our credit card on the second day.

Hi I have just come back from 24 day cruise on Holland America Zuiderdam and went on 2 day tour with TJ Travel in St. Petersburg. I agree with others here....top notch.....top marks 10/10. Absolutely excellent. Dina was our guide and was quite awesome. Her knowledge was amazing with touches of humour and never boring. We had a group of 11 and Dina was on the ball the whole time. They were waiting at the ship for us both days and there were no hitches at all. Highly recommend :)

It sounds as you are recommending a guide, not a company) I can imagine how Dina was perfect!

It sounds as you are recommending a guide, not a company) I can imagine how Dina was perfect!

It seems that the guides are all really quite good. I know ours was. They were good enough that we remember his name and his occupation when he is not guiding. We saw where his office is at the Hermitage, and he led us to the best rooms and the best pieces of art. I have been to the Hermitage before, so I can make comparisons.

Since I had been to St. Petersburg before, but it was my husband's first visit, I wanted a tour that would cover the best of what I had seen for his enjoyment plus different sights so that I could increase my knowledge. The TJTravel All Highlights 2-day tour covered very interesting sights in an unusual way. Because we were a small group, we could take the hydrofoil to Peterhoff. (saved a lot of time stuck in traffic) We approached from the water, an obsession of Peter's that his guests arrive by boat. We saw the fascinating gardens instead of the inside. When you have seen 3 or 4 Russian palaces, they kind of run together since the decor is very similar. Michael positioned us on the first bridge at 10 min before the fountains began for the day. It was a perfect view! We were able to see and hear everything. I could go on with these little differences that made the visit extra-special compared to others if you like.

We saw more in one day with TJ than I had seen in two days with the Celebrity shore excursion. The sights were also more varied than the palace, museum, palace, statues tours I had done before.

We had an outstanding 2-day tour in St. Petersburg with TJ in June. Daria was phenomenal. We had a little problem on the second day trying to visit St. Isaac's Cathedral because of a FIFA event and the impending arrival of Putin in that area. The police were shutting down access roads with no warning. Nadia was persistent and had our driver Anton try multiple strategies to get around the blockades. Happily we made it! There were only 12 people on our tour and we saw an incredible number of places. Lunch was also surprisingly good. Nadia was knowledgeable and both she and Anton spoke excellent English.

We chose TJ Travel on our trip June 2017. We were beyond impressed with their services especially in St. Petersburg. (2 day highlights tour). Our guide Victoria was amazing, she got us into all the venues with a minimum of waiting. TJ had arranged for their clients to tour the Hermitage on Monday when it is closed to the public. Great day for sure. We had a small group of 12 which made it easier to move through the various churches, palaces and other places. The boat ride was nice. Lunch was included both days and it was very good. We were the only two of our group to select the Folk Show evening excursion. We were handed off to a private car with driver, met with a guide and escorted to get some dinner (at our request) and then to the show. Met after the show and driven to the ship. First class all the way. The only other tour we took was in Berlin, also with TJ and it was just as smooth. The price was much less than ship tours and having a small group is much better.

I am doing the Baltic this summer, September 1st on the Norwegian Getaway, with my husband. I did the same cruise here 3 years ago with a friend. We toured St Petersburg with TJ and can't say enough about them. We had no problems entering Russia with our tour tickets which provided a blanket visa. The fly in the ointment is that Norwegian has informed me, by phone, that we must have a Visa, not tickets, to board the ship in Copenhagen. I have asked them to put that in writing however, after a week, have no response from them. TJ tells me this is the first time they have heard of this twist. Has anyone else encountered this problem?

I am doing the Baltic this summer, September 1st on the Norwegian Getaway, with my husband. I did the same cruise here 3 years ago with a friend. We toured St Petersburg with TJ and can't say enough about them. We had no problems entering Russia with our tour tickets which provided a blanket visa. The fly in the ointment is that Norwegian has informed me, by phone, that we must have a Visa, not tickets, to board the ship in Copenhagen. I have asked them to put that in writing however, after a week, have no response from them. TJ tells me this is the first time they have heard of this twist. Has anyone else encountered this problem?

I hate to sound cynical, but this may be a new hard-ball tactic from a cruise line to drive people to buy ship-sponsored excursions. If TJ -- which depends on knowing the most current law has never heard of this requirement -- then it must be a made-up regulation by the cruise line itself. After all, who would benefit from this non-existent regulation?

Have you posted this situation on the NCL board? As you learn more, you may want to come back and start a new thread with a more specific title to draw other cruisers to this issue.

Thanks for your suggestions. To date I have been a reader not a poster on this site.

I sincerely hope that cruise lines do not go short sighted over immediate profit and adopt the visa needed tactic to discourage private tours. On our June visit to St Petersburg aboard Viking Sea there were 14 of us on the private 2 day TJ Tour. While the hundreds of Viking tour folks assembled in the theater as per usual procedure we assembled at the atrium adjacent to the departure gate. Our cruise director asked us why we weren't waiting in the auditorium with the others. When we explained we were with a private tour, he said, "We'll have you exit first so you don't get caught behind the crowds in customs and delay your tour." He did the same for us next day. I appreciate customer first policies. Clearing Russian customs was a breeze; even faster day 2 with the stamped passport.

Shekon, that doesn't make sense at all. What if you are staying on the ship while it is in Russia? What if you want to purchase a NCL shore excursion to St. Petersburg? These are both reasons why you might begin your cruise without a visa or tickets for a tour. Did they, perhaps, mean that you can't get on the ship without a passport? If you get on the ship in Denmark and then get off in Russia for an excursion, it is up to the Russian agents, not the cruise line, whether or not you may enter their country. We had no trouble with TJ tickets.