Polina Ivanova

Cruise sponsored - no way : from ship to bus - from bus to museum-from museum to toilet-from toilet back to bus-from bus back to ship.

Private guide - you can have some free time in the city (it is possible with conditions though), but after guide needs to take you back to the terminal.

On 1/9/2019 at 4:29 PM, cansas.piligrim said:

I’m sure you will be allowed to leave your group in the Hermitage and skip the museum. Only one question - what will you do if you miss your ship or lose your passport/wallet?

Its not a problem to separate from the group, but you just need to be attentive to time and place for meeting - each day a lot of people get lost there, no surprise - one room - five doors)

What you shouldn't do is to loose your passport in Russia!

💣 for example American embassy is in Moscow, and to make new one will cost you a fortune! 

💣red tape is more than alive, and you will turn grey before they will let you go. For example, you fill the card in port, (it is important to keep it safe!), and without it they can stop you from leaving from the airport with new passport🔫, so you will have to beg and probably bribe. 

9 hours ago, Stella1250 said:

Has anyone done a private tour in St. Petersburg? Was it worth the cost, and how did you like it? We are thinking of doing it because we are there on the QV in July, and the city may be quite crowded. We think that perhaps we can get through more things if there are only three of us. Thanks.

Starting from May St Petersburg is one big crowd

And QV is coming for Monday-Tuesday, if you are about museums - there'll be hell, on Monday everybody will go to Pushkin (look at pic below)), on Tuesday to Hermitage.

💎The good idea is to go to Hermitage before crowds)

💎And to Pushkin to go in small group, so guide will manage to get you in ahead the lines.

💎The small tour groups(up to 4) have better mobility, as according to the rules of museums they can sneak😂

💎And best idea is to enjoy park of Peterhof, the streets and local life of the city)

💎Night tour also can be very cool (in both sense) with bridges and lights