Tours in St Petersburg

We are sailing on the Brillance of the Seas to the Baltic in late May and since we aren't overly brave and adventurous when sailing to a new place we think we will do a ships tour rather than seeking a private tour. When reading about St Petersburg must sees we find that most say do a city tour, see the Hermitage and Catherine's Palace. RCL is offering an all day tour that offers a city tour plus time at the Hermitage but that tour doesn't include the Gold Room. To see the Gold Room you have to book the 1/2 day Hermitage tour. Has anyone done the Gold Room tour and is it a "must" as part of the Hermitage tour?

There is another all day tour which includes Catherine's Palace.....is that palace a must see in your opinion?

Any suggestions/tips would be appreciated.

We are sailing on the Brillance of the Seas to the Baltic in late May and since we aren't overly brave and adventurous when sailing to a new place we think we will do a ships tour rather than seeking a private tour. When reading about St Petersburg must sees we find that most say do a city tour, see the Hermitage and Catherine's Palace. RCL is offering an all day tour that offers a city tour plus time at the Hermitage but that tour doesn't include the Gold Room. To see the Gold Room you have to book the 1/2 day Hermitage tour. Has anyone done the Gold Room tour and is it a "must" as part of the Hermitage tour?

 

There is another all day tour which includes Catherine's Palace.....is that palace a must see in your opinion?

 

Any suggestions/tips would be appreciated.

If you click on Europe, which is located in the Ports of Call Forum, then once there click on Northern Europe and Baltics you will find a wealth of information in planning your excursion.

Having been to St. Petersburg 3 times and having done ship excursions as well as private tours I have to say I highly, highly, highly recommend a private tour over the ships tours, especially in St. Petersburg.

To me it made such a big difference to be in a small Group and being able to Bypass all lines and big Groups. Being able to customize the tour to my Needs and being able to stop at photo opps just as we wished.

Now to your question. I would definitely recommend visiting Catherine´s Palace. I´d say one can do without the Gold room at Hermitage. But having said this I´m not big into Museums and I certainly had some Hermitage overkill on my last trip:eek::o

Gardens at Peterhof are another must see IMO. You can skip the Palace itself if you go to Catherines and spend more time to see the fountains.

I would go with a private one however the hermitage is so large there's no guarantee any of them cover the individual rooms.

I would go with a private one however the hermitage is so large there's no guarantee any of them cover the individual rooms.

When we did the Baltic's back in 2005, we used Red October. The advantage to using a private tour company is that they avoid the long lines and get access much quicker in to exhibits. We had no problem seeing many of the rooms when we did the Hermitage.

My vote if you have only 1 day spend your time at the Hermitage, Church of Spilt Blood, Fortress, canal cruise, etc. I would just stay in town. There is so much to do and see!

If you have 2 days then Catherine's is worth it, but it is a 45-60 minute drive away so would hate your precious time spent travelling when there is so much to see.

Your call what you feel comfortable with. I would make it a high priority to get off the ship and sign up for the longest day you feel comfortable with as there are MANY high quality attractions. I would rest up on some of the other ports where the attractions are not quite so compelling : )

My 2 cents.

Jenn

We are sailing on the Brillance of the Seas to the Baltic in late May and since we aren't overly brave and adventurous when sailing to a new place we think we will do a ships tour rather than seeking a private tour. When reading about St Petersburg must sees we find that most say do a city tour, see the Hermitage and Catherine's Palace. RCL is offering an all day tour that offers a city tour plus time at the Hermitage but that tour doesn't include the Gold Room. To see the Gold Room you have to book the 1/2 day Hermitage tour. Has anyone done the Gold Room tour and is it a "must" as part of the Hermitage tour?

 

There is another all day tour which includes Catherine's Palace.....is that palace a must see in your opinion?

 

Any suggestions/tips would be appreciated.

What you are asking is very hard to answer as most of the people who post here have all done the so called 'private tours' in St Petersburg.

And for good reason. I understand your non adventurous side, as we have heard it many times from others, during the years I've been on this forum. Let me assure you,. as we have done many times with many others, all private tours are perfectly safe, you will NEVER miss the ship, you will get a much better return on the money you will spend and, guaranteed, have a much better time seeing this magnificent city. Do not do it thru your cruise line, where you will be shuttled on a cattle call bus with 60 other people and a slave to the slowest person on the bus.

All the 5-6 major players in St Petersburg have sparkling reputations and no one has even come close to missing their ship on a private tour.

Obviously, it is up to you, but for a place that is a once in a lifetime visit (for most anyway), do it right and be a bit adventurous, you will not regret it.

OH, and yes, Catherine's Palace is a must see, but the Gold Room, that is up to the individual. We opted not to visit it in favor of seeing other things.

Cheers

Len