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Recommended tour companies in St. Petersburg


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We went with DenRus. Lana was wonderful. Not all tour companies go to the Faberge museum which was one of the highlights for us. I think Alla includes Faberge too, if I'm not mistaken. We also went to the ballet. DenRus delivered us to the ship after the day tour and then came back and picked us up and took us to the ballet. A very long day but worth every cent and every minute.

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I was on a private excursion with TJ Travel.

 

The 2 day excursion was good value for money. We were picked up at 8am on the first morning, and arrived back at the ship at around 6pm. The second day was 9am - 4pm. We packed in a lot of sightseeing on both days. The guide was pleasant and informative.

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We used TJ Travel for our two days in St Petersburg and they did a great job. Our guide did a great job explaining what we were seeing and took great care of us. We felt we had a great tour for a great price.

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I would like some recommendations about which tour company to

book for my 2 day stay in St. Petersburg.

Thanks

 

First of all, welcome to cruise critic and the Baltics Boards in particular.

 

You have asked a very interesting question. Overall, there are about 5-6 major private tour companies and several others on the outskirts. For each of these tour companies, whomever used them, came back with glowing reviews of them. Most of them bend over backwards to make your time in St Petersburg as enjoyable as possible. BUT you simply cannot take one person's advice as which one you should use. They are all excellent. We happened to use SPB Tours and found them to be so special. I have recommended them to many people and all have enjoyed their tours with them. But same can be said from each of the other tour companies in St Petersburg.

 

YOU have to do some homework. YOU need to contact several of the companies thru email or telephone and see which one you feel most comfortable with. Each company basically does the same tours with each having their own little wrinkles. Some eat at a Russian restaurant, while others eat box lunches, some do Subways and canal cruises while other may not. Get a chart and compare one to the other and see who you feel most comfortable with for what you desire. Believe me, each of us chose the company we used on that fact. Just do not choose one just because XYZ said they were good.

 

Cheers

 

Len

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We just got home yesterday from our Baltic Cruise and also used SPB Tours in St Petersburg. Julia, our guide, was terrific - we thoroughly enjoyed our time with her as well as the lunches we had in the local restaurants. We would highly recommend SPB Tours and Julia.

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We used Alla tours in both St. Petersburg and in Stockholm and had a wonderful time.

 

I met some fellow passengers who used SBP tours and enjoyed that tour.

 

I would suggest going on to the websites of several companies and see which are going to the places you wish to go to and at what cost.

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I would like some recommendations about which tour company to

book for my 2 day stay in St. Petersburg.

Thanks

 

In another thread about a custom tour -- our second visit to SPB, the first one was a three-day stay -- I mentioned that some of the bigger companies were uninterested in working with us for a totally unique itinerary. I said we booked with White Nights Travel and that I'd post my experience.

 

Super fabulous day. Everything worked smoothly. The schedule we had worked out allowed a reasonable amount of time at each destination. The day included a stop at an excellent Russian restaurant and an afternoon coffee break, necessary since we had to kill some time until we could be admitted to the Faberge museum after 6:00 when English language audio guides are available instead of Russian language guided tours. And our guide Asya! The best! The clearest English I heard eavesdropping on the many guides whose paths we crossed throughout the the day. Outstanding ability to explain the places we visited.

 

The only thing new is the formation of White Nights; the people involved in the company have lots of experience so they know how to respond quickly and on point to emails, organize a day to flow smoothly, and get you back the ship on time.

 

We put in a twelve-hour day with Asya today. While we're bone tired, we wouldn't have skipped a thing and we're looking forward to another great day tomorrow.

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We just returned from a Baltic Sea cruise on Oceania and used TJ Travel in 5 Baltic Sea ports. The tour guides were exceptional and very well educated and intelligent. We chose TJ because they offer tours in all of the major ports we stopped at. We did not want to deal with several tour companies so chose just TJ for 5 of our stops. We had tours with their guides in Berlin, Helsinki, Tallin, 3 days in St. Petersburg and Stockholm. They even arranged for a private driver to the ballet at the Markinsky Theatre during the "White Nights" in St. Petersburg which was the highlight of our trip. We highly recommend TJ Travel for your Baltic tours.

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We made use of T J travel and were very happy. Our guide Victoria was excellent and very informative. She especially was good at jumping the long queues and finding prime viewing sites. The firm also adapted the tour according to the crowds. The meals which are included in the cost were hearty meals. It is definitely better in St Petersburg to tour with a small tour group.

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in may we took a northern europe-baltic cruise.for st petersberg we joined a 2 day tour with TJ TRAVEL.the first day we had a comprehensive tour with an expert guide.when the minibus dropped us off at the port we discovered our passports were missing.we could not board the ship.a call to the TJ OFFICE brought a representative from TJ to the port.we were taken to the TJ TRAVEL OFFICE.TATYANA,one of the owners of the agency,already prepared a plan of action.our consulate was closed for the weekend, TATANYA drove us to a police station to file a report, then registered us and paid for a hotel room and provided us with cash to pay for dinner and breakfast .monday morning TJ representatives drove us to our consulate to apply for new passports,then drove us to have passport photos made.TJ provided a substantial cash payment for the passports.just before receiving the new passports a museum called the consulate;informing them that our passports were recovered.TJ drove us to the museum to pick up the passports and then to the ship.

 

thank you TATYANA AND YOUR WONDERFUL STAFF. .

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in may we took a northern europe-baltic cruise.for st petersberg we joined a 2 day tour with TJ TRAVEL.the first day we had a comprehensive tour with an expert guide.when the minibus dropped us off at the port we discovered our passports were missing.we could not board the ship.a call to the TJ OFFICE brought a representative from TJ to the port.we were taken to the TJ TRAVEL OFFICE.TATYANA,one of the owners of the agency,already prepared a plan of action.our consulate was closed for the weekend, TATANYA drove us to a police station to file a report, then registered us and paid for a hotel room and provided us with cash to pay for dinner and breakfast .monday morning TJ representatives drove us to our consulate to apply for new passports,then drove us to have passport photos made.TJ provided a substantial cash payment for the passports.just before receiving the new passports a museum called the consulate;informing them that our passports were recovered.TJ drove us to the museum to pick up the passports and then to the ship.

 

thank you TATYANA AND YOUR WONDERFUL STAFF. .

 

Wow...how unnerving and stressful that must have been.

 

Kudos to the tour company for going way above and beyond.

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TJ travel - cheaper than the others, yet tours well-packed with great sights to see, without rushing from one place to another; reserving was easy with quick, clear response; pay on 2nd day of tour; 8 people in our comfortable van; guide was exceptional: witty, great English, full of knowledge, well-traveled so has wealth of experience to share, works at Hermitage so has inside knowledge of this great museum.Quoted $220/person, but if you post here or other cruise board your booking with TJ travel, you get 10% off.

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I would like some recommendations about which tour company to

book for my 2 day stay in St. Petersburg.

Thanks

 

We booked with TJ Travel Tour Company in St.Petersburgand had a great 2 days tour! We highly recommend this company, the guide was extremely knowlegable! When she described the siege during the WW2 she got very emotional and spoke with tears in her eyes. We had 4 friends in our group who barely understood any English,she didn't want to spoil their experience in this beautiful city so she called the office and they immediayely sent a car with a Russian speaking guide. They had a private tour without any extra charge. This is what I call service!

Book with TJ Tours, you won't regret!

Have a great cruise!:)

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TJ travel - cheaper than the others, yet tours well-packed with great sights to see, without rushing from one place to another; reserving was easy with quick, clear response; pay on 2nd day of tour; 8 people in our comfortable van; guide was exceptional: witty, great English, full of knowledge, well-traveled so has wealth of experience to share, works at Hermitage so has inside knowledge of this great museum.Quoted $220/person, but if you post here or other cruise board your booking with TJ travel, you get 10% off.

 

Everything mentioned above is absolutely true! It's a shame that some doubt it! We returned from a Baltic cruise a month ago, the tour with TJ was unforgettable and the best experience!

Good luck to all who is looking for a reliable Shore excursion company! :)

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I'm with many of the above who used TJ Travel and had nothing but an amazing VIP private tour and visit of a lifetime.

 

I could have easily booked with any other company but went my "gut feeling" and couldn't have been more pleased.

 

Anyone considering a private booking in St Petersburg should go with what they feel is best for them.

 

Enjoy this amazing city and all it has to offer.....Thanks TJ Travel !!!

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We just left St Pete yesterday after doing the two day deluxe tour with SPB with 12 other people from our ship. Our guide, our driver, and our lunches were ALL excellent! They knew all the ins and outs so that we were able to make excellent use of our two days there.

You can't see everything in two days but I really felt like we hit the highlights...money well spent,

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