Wheelchair-Accessible St. Petersburg excursions?

Has anyone been on a wheelchair-accessible tour in St. Petersburg, Russia? I use a manual wheelchair, and I can walk some, in pain always, and with help from my husband, I can do a few stairs.

We did a 2 day tour with Alla Tours. My wife uses an electric wheelchair and it was totally accessible. Would recomend a scooter though as I walked miles!!!!

We are going on a Baltic cruise in July so this question was very timely for me! Any other tips would be appreciated.

Hi MyCatMischief. If you are able to climb a few steps you will be able to book the ships own trips and put your manual chair in the coaches hold. The cruise lines also do trips for full time wheelchair users. Both of the organised trips can be quite expensive. I have also read on various forums that some wheelchair users have used a company called T J Travel which gives a more competitive price and may be worth a try. There are also other companies who do private tours that are shown on Tripadviser.

In all my European cruises, I've never been on a cruise line that did wheelchair tours---not a mass market line or a luxury line. I've always have had to book my own tours in Europe, and especially places like Russia and Estonia. In St Petersburg, I used Red October tours and the provided me with a car and driver, plus they took care of the visa for my stay there. We visited all the places I wanted to see such as the Hermitage, Church of the Spilled Blood, Catherine's Palace and a few other stops. Since I wasn't with a group, I could take my time and do what I wanted, when I wanted.

My friends have used Alla tours and they reported a good experience with them. Your only barrier will be steps into many places. Russia hasn't quite caught up with other countries in terms of accessibility. But if you can negotiate a few steps, you'll be able to see a whole lot.

Hi Kitty, most of the European cruises I have been on have always had some excursions that would be suitable for full time wheel chair users they include Princess,P&O, Cunard and most recently I made enquiries with Celebity and P&O about St Petersburg this was the same.The only thing I would say is that they are expensive and less are available than the able bodied excursions they organise .

On the point about St Petersburg being accessable alot of the most popular places are w/chair accessable as im sure Alla and TJ touirs will comfirm.

We did a Baltic cruise in September 2013 and I took a manual wheelchair. I can do some steps and walk short distances. In SBB we did the 2 day Comfort Tour which was excellent. I asked Alla before booking how feasible it would be. I was supplied with a very detailed itinerary with distances and how many steps.

Whenever possible the driver stopped where it was easy access for me. The wheelchair was easily stored in the boot under the mini bus.

In each of the palaces and Hermitage the guide ensured we went into separate entrances where it was easy for me and there were lifts.

The only part of the tour I didn't do was the subway ride. I went with the driver where he was picking up the other passengers.

Both guide and driver were very helpful and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them.

The only ship excursion we did on the cruise was from Gdynia to Gdansk due to time constrictions. Would love to do another Baltic cruise but with different ports of call.

I did the two day St Petersburg tour in a powerchair with Denrus. The were so helpful. It was a little cheaper than using the ships tour, and we had so much more freedom. My Brother in Law is a Russian authors buff, so we did a tour round where Dostoevsky and Pushkin lived.

When we got to the Hermitage their lift had broken down, so they rounded up four strong looking Russians, and they carried me, powerchair and all, up the steps.

The pavement are often cobbled, and getting around can be hard work. I don't know if it would be doable in a manual chair, I felt shaken to pieces, espescially at the Peter and Paul fortress.

There is a terrible lack of accessible toilets, but if you can walk a few steps you'll probably be able to manage. pretty much the only public disabled loo is at the souvenir shop 'Art Gallery', and even then you can't take you chair in with you or the door won't shut. There is a proper accessible loo in the Hermitage and the modern hotels seem to have them.

St Petersburg was the highlight of the Baltic cruise, and exceeded my expectations. Everywhere you could hear people saying 'Wow!', 'Amazing!', 'Wonderful!'. I really envy the people going this year, have a wonderful time.

These are really helpful tips. I will write to Alla And to Denrus. I'm beginning to get excited about our trip now.

Kate

Zellalamb

Have you watched the 3 part documentary by the lovely Lucy Worsley on BBC4, Empire of the Tsars: Romanov Russia. It is still on iPlayer. Last episode was aired last night.

We used TJ Travel in May. We found most of the major attractions in St. Petersburg were accessible....the most notable exception was the subway station tour.

We used Alla Tours in July and they had a lift van for us. Unfortunately, the weather was so bad that we were not able to get into port on the first day so we only got one days tour in. It worked very well and there were ramps outside of most places. One really irritating issue was the Hermitage. Although they do indeed have a metal ramp that they can put out, the guard refused to do so. The tour company had requested it ahead of time. It was right there but the guard pointed at my crutches on the back of the wheelchair and said that I could walk up the five, uneven, stone steps with no railing in the pouring rain. My husband carried me up (no small feat) and then carried the chair up. As this was a place that was always on my bucket list, I was willing to endure this but it left a terrible taste in my mouth for the museum, and the country.

Our guide from TJ was great in knowing all the assessable entrances. It sometimes meant going in thru exits. She got me into the elevator in the Hermitage too.

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