St. Petersburg 2-day tours...stair info, please

We are booked for a 2-day ALLA private tour next July, but I've noted on the Holland America description of their tours of the Hermitage and some of the palaces that they mention many, many stairs to negotiate with no elevators.

Could someone provide me with a bit of info as to how you did, please?

I can easily walk up and down 2-3 flights without slowing people down too much, but beyond that I might not be able to do it. I have 10-year-old bilateral knee replacements and am 72. I don't want to limit our tour group. Are there places I could wait as an alternative, though I've heard the crowds are massive.

Thanks so much!

We used Alla in SP in August and I'm nearly positive there was an elevator in the Hermitage, we had a gentleman in our group that had some mobility issues and I remember the guide taking him to/from an elevator. As to many flights of stairs, I don't recall any time where we had more than a few flights to climb so you may do fine.

Also, there are seats or benches in several places in the Hermitage. The 2 day tour is very busy, lots of stops and places to visit but you'll be on a small van and won't have to worry about navigating getting on and off a large bus. Good luck, enjoy your trip. Alla does a very good tour in SP.

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Could you contact the tour operators to price out a private tour for just your family? I know it is more expensive, but it would honestly maximize your energy and give you the ability to prioritize your tour to just see what's most important to you. We did this since we visited SPB with our 3.5 year old son in tow, and we were thankfully able to see everything we wanted because the guide could bring us really close to the entrances, minimize walking, and we researched what we wanted to see ahead of time (Renaissance paintings and Impressionists in the Hermitage). We could stop to rest whenever we needed to (although my son was so entranced by the city he didn't want to leave, even after 10 hours of touring!) SPB is a once in a lifetime experience, so being able to maximize your limited time in this gorgeous city is important.

The Hermitage has at least one elevator, plus at least one internet cafe if you need to rest while someone else in your tour group continues to tour. You should email the private tour guides to ask specifically about stairs. There are many people your age on this cruise, so they will be very familiar with your needs and will be best able to help you get a sense of which sites will be easier to navigate.

Since we don't need elevators we tend not to notice, but as best I can recall...........

KitKat & Suspaul are doubtless right about an elevator, but on our Alla tour I think we went up only one floor in the Hermitage (wide grand staircase, you won't slow others) & you certainly won't be faced with going up more than one floor at a time.

Entry with Alla (& the other local operators) is ahead of public opening time, and with that head-start you tend to stay ahead of the herd - we only noticed crowds as we were leaving. Alla guides use wireless headphones, so you can take a seat at the other end of a room & still listen to the guide

IIRC, Catherine Palace involved going up one floor - certainly not more. Yes, it's very popular, but well-regulated & we didn't feel crowded.

Pretty certain it's an escalator for the subway ride.

A bit of an uphill slog from hydrofoil pier to palace at Peterhof but, like others, our group took a winding path round the side of the fountains rather than the multiple steps in the middle.

Elsewhere I don't recall more than a few steps.

But why don't you e-mail & ask Alla?

They're very responsive & helpful.

JB :)

John Bull's description is spot on. We did the 2-day Alla tour last summer and we never had to climb more than 1 set of stairs. Based on your description of your limitations, you will have no problem with this tour.

Thank you all for your observations. ALLA Tours sent me an outstanding overview of what their tour entails (we are a private group of 8), but it's nice to hear of others' experiences. Thank you all.

We did the 2 day Comfort Tour with Alla and the guide and driver were extremely helpful. I can walk short distances, but took a manual wheelchair.

Yes, there is a lift in the Hermitage. At St Catherine's Palace we bypassed the queue and were taken in via a separate entrance which had a lift.

We were very pleased with Alla and would book with them again.

just to confirm what others have said

We used one of the Hermitages wheelchairs-our tour guide set it up and we used the small elevator to get between floors

the subway ride was a long moving escalator down but did involve a few steps up and the other end

the most steps were down to the water for the canal ride-no handrail so a walking stick/cane recommended for stability

:D:eek: I did the 2 day tour last year ( with SPB ). Stairs are not so much the issue as is distance. By the way, I did it with a badly torn meniscus ( happened first day on the Silhouette out of Amsterdam). Every step was agony, and I did eventually skip a few sites as well as frequently had to sit while our tour moved on ( drove our guide nuts ).

Yes there are stairs :not so many floors , but the Czars sure loved their Grand Staircases - often 40-50 steps.

Yes the hike from the Hydrofoil dock to Peterhof is long, but many benches to rest on.

The biggest problem was getting caught up in crowds and being unable to move forward or exit a room, therefore having to stand in one place for 30-45 minutes : The Catherine Palace took first place for this.

One of our friends had a distance calculator via GPS on his phone. The results :

Day 1 - we walked 9.8 miles

Day 2 - we walked 6.7 miles in St. Petersburg.

Upon my return, I required extensive knee surgery.

Yet, in some twisted way, it was worth it. So go , have fun, and rest when necessary, but don't worry about stairs.

K