St. Petersburg Tour Help

Let me start by saying that I am NOT looking for tour operator recommendations. I have contacted what I see as the big 4 tour operators and have received various levels of quotes from all of them.

We are sailing on the NCL Breakaway in June if that helps. I have also posted this same post on their board since I read a number of reviews from people who went on the same cruise this year.

None of the tour operators can accommodate everything that we am looking to see. I am looking to book a 4 person or 6 person private excursion.

If I have to cut something out, what should it be? We would really like to go to the Faberge museum, the Gold room in the Hermitage and see a ballet at night. We would also like to see most of the standard sites on the Deluxe tours (i.e. Hydrofoil ride, Peterhof, Catherine's Palace, St. Isaac's, Yusupov, subway station etc.). I am looking for recommendations as to what to cut out so that I can maximize what we really want to see.

I am looking for any recommendations as to which sites to cut out and why.

Thanks in advance for any input.

Have you asked the tour companies for their recommendation? I see that you do have a 2 day visit and those Deluxe Itineraries do fill the days. Keep in mind that it does take time to get out to Peterhof (that is the most distant site) and most of the tours limit that visit to the outdoor garden area (it is quite spectacular) Also keep in mind that the Heritage is huge (the Gold Room is only one room) and becomes a real tug of war between time and how much you want to see. We could easily spend several days in the Hermitage (have been there 3 times) but the tour companies really have to truncate the visits to fit the tour schedules.

Our big decision was whether we wanted to go to the Farberge Museum (there was an evening tour) or the Ballet. That decision became much easier (for us) when we found out that there was a full length production of Swan Lake (one of my favorite ballets and piece of music)...so that is what we did in our evening. This meant we did not have time to visit the Faberge (and we have also missed this on previous trips).

It is a fascinating city, certainly worthy of more then 2 days....but one has to work with the available time. Bottom line is that you just cannot do it all in 2 days (and 1 evening).

Regarding Peterhof, as I said, most of the tours are limited to the outside grounds and do not actually enter the palace. On one of our visits to St Petersburg, DW and I obtained our own visas and simply did our own thing for 2 days. We took the hydrofoil (the same one used by some of the tours) out to Peterhof and paid the entrance fee to go inside. We really enjoyed the interior (most of it was reconstructed after WWII) and find it interesting that most of the tours now DO NOT include the interior. I guess it is in the interest of time...but its a shame.

Hank

Also, keep in mind that some sites are closed on certain days of the week so that makes the planning more difficult. I am sure that they are going out of their way to accommodate you. You might try some of the smaller companies as well to see if they are more flexible or creative. We are using a smaller company and we have a tour planned for 4 but would like to add 2 additional people from our role call. Good luck.

Also, keep in mind that some sites are closed on certain days of the week so that makes the planning more difficult. I am sure that they are going out of their way to accommodate you. You might try some of the smaller companies as well to see if they are more flexible or creative. We are using a smaller company and we have a tour planned for 4 but would like to add 2 additional people from our role call. Good luck.

Jean: OK, I will bite. Would you give me the name of the company?

We are going to use White Night Travel- #5 on trip advisor. I did have really good responses from Best Guides. Julia at Dancing Bears is knowledgeable - she does not do the tours.

Jean: if Julia does not do the tours, who does? I thought that the company was just her and her husband. I now have had responses from 7 different companies and I thought that she had the best value so far.

Jean: if Julia does not do the tours, who does? I thought that the company was just her and her husband. I now have had responses from 7 different companies and I thought that she had the best value so far.

Hi, she has your guides that she works with. I did not choose her because I could not confirm a specific guide and because she wanted a deposit. Still, reviews are good.

Hi, she has your guides that she works with. I did not choose her because I could not confirm a specific guide and because she wanted a deposit. Still, reviews are good.

Thank you for the information. She is much cheaper than the others for similar tours. That was why I was curious. Maybe she doesn't have the overhead that the others do.

Do you need to get your own visas when you use these companies?

No, these companies are authorized tour companies and they provide an itinerary that allows entry without a true VISA.

We really enjoyed the interior (most of it was reconstructed after WWII) and find it interesting that most of the tours now DO NOT include the interior. I guess it is in the interest of time...but its a shame.

Hiltner,

Can you remember the name of the company that you used to go inside Peterhof.

I was hoping to compare the price with the ship’s tour( Celebrity do one)

Many thanks.

Hiltner,

Can you remember the name of the company that you used to go inside Peterhof.

I was hoping to compare the price with the ship’s tour( Celebrity do one)

Many thanks.

With a small enough group, you can customize your tour. We did go into the Peterhof Palace with Ulko tours (group of 6) However with only 2 days, I would not do both Catherine's palace and Peterhof. They are quite similar and it all tends to run together.

With a small enough group, you can customize your tour. We did go into the Peterhof Palace with Ulko tours (group of 6) However with only 2 days, I would not do both Catherine's palace and Peterhof. They are quite similar and it all tends to run together.

If you're going to do one palace only, consider doing Peterhof. It has the advantage of combining spectacular gardens with an ornate interior. It isn't quite as ornate as Catherine's Palace -- and it definitely doesn't contain the famous Amber Room -- but the combination of interior and grounds made it the winner in my opinion. The big disadvantage of Peterhof: the amount of time spent getting to/from the palace.

We are going to be the Regal Princess the same time you are on NCL and we are going to cut Peter and Paul Fortress so we can fit in St Isaacs and Yusopav Palaces. If you go onto trip advisor and see how all the different sites are numbered in likeability it might help you make your decision.

FWIW, we had a private tour with TJ that we customized with a trip to the Cat Museum (where our guide said she's never even been before) for my dd, blinis for lunch, and a dinner out at a great mom and pop type restaurant. There were 8 of us in a large, comfortable van. It was a great day. They were very helpful in not only offering suggestions but also making sure we hit the points we wanted to see.

There are plenty of good tour companies, but just because they do big tours doesn't mean they're not capable of good small ones as well.

There are plenty of good tour companies, but just because they do big tours doesn't mean they're not capable of good small ones as well.

The issue with the highest rated (Trip Advisor) companies is that they have no need to offer customized tours so they don't. Their excellent product allows them to fill all the seats on their existing tours without putting in extra administrative planning time. Couple this with the fact that the typical custom tour usually involves fewer participants and there's less profit to be made from creating custom itineraries.

As a general rule of thumb, cruisers looking for a truly custom tour should look at the Trip Advisor ratings and contact the companies rated #5 -- #10, perhaps skipping any company with fewer than 500 reviews. When we cruised a couple of years ago, we toured with the then-rated #10 company, White Nights Travel, because the folks at SPB recommended them. (SPB was gracious enough to make that recommendation when they wrote back to tell us they didn't offer custom tours.)

SPB was #1 at the time, and their recommendation made us confident to move forward with a tour company that was unknown on this board at the time. We were thrilled with our truly unique itinerary and the quality of the planning and guiding. (White Nights Travel is now #5.)

If you read this board long enough, you'll find posters who have enjoyed highly sucessful custom tours with the companies currently ranked #5, #6, #7, #8, and #10. If you're willing to put in the time to contact several companies, price is the only reason cruisers might need to compromise on their vision of the ideal visit to St. Petersburg.

A private, custom tour will, of course, cost more than a standard larger-group tour. The good news is that no larger-group tour from companies 1-10 will be as large as the groups touring via the ship's excursion desk!

Hi Jinteso, I have gathered a lot of info about the topic you are seeking. Will share with you the info this weekend since it is almost 2am now and have work tomorrow. I noticed you wanted to go to the same places that we wanted to go to including the Faberge Museum. Maybe we can join forces. I know your private group is smaller than mine. I would love to go smaller if we can afford your group's price.

Hi Jinteso, I have gathered a lot of info about the topic you are seeking. Will share with you the info this weekend since it is almost 2am now and have work tomorrow. I noticed you wanted to go to the same places that we wanted to go to including the Faberge Museum. Maybe we can join forces. I know your private group is smaller than mine. I would love to go smaller if we can afford your group's price.

Hi Jinteso, I saw that you already posted your private tour in the roll call. So I'll skip sending you the info I mentioned during the week. Looks like a great tour although out of our price range. Hope we can both find other cruisers to join our private tours coz I agree that private tours are the way to go!

Tell me if I should start another thread, but I'm trying to decide about which company to use for a private tour for two. We move a little more slowly and have specific interests. We've found that the top 5 companies say they will craft a custom tour but then their responses make me question it.

Are all guides tied to a specific time when they purchase tickets for say, the Church on Spilled Blood? Or, if we spontaneously decide we'd like to change the day we see the Church, etc., can that ticket be used another day or at another hour? Sorry if this isn't clear. We'd like to avoid regimentation.

Thanks in advance for your answers.

Tell me if I should start another thread, but I'm trying to decide about which company to use for a private tour for two. We move a little more slowly and have specific interests. We've found that the top 5 companies say they will craft a custom tour but then their responses make me question it.

 

Are all guides tied to a specific time when they purchase tickets for say, the Church on Spilled Blood? Or, if we spontaneously decide we'd like to change the day we see the Church, etc., can that ticket be used another day or at another hour? Sorry if this isn't clear. We'd like to avoid regimentation.

 

Thanks in advance for your answers.

If your tickets to the various sites are not purchased beforehand, you will waste precious time in queues. Tickets can be used only for the date and time marked on the ticket and I believe that the various tour outfits are allotted specific times and dates to visit the state museums. If you wish to avoid regimentation and don't mind queuing, ask you guide(s) not to pre-purchase any tickets and you can decide what you want to do on each day. You will not see as much as you otherwise would but you will be able to do it your way.

I will add that it may be impossible to visit the Catherine Palace without pre-purchasing your ticket (unless you go in the late fall). In some cases, tickets may be sold-out at various sites.

I have been to Saint Petersburg multiple times and I can vouch for the fact that the city's tourist "hot spots" are extremely crowded from June through August (particularly the Hermitage, Peterhof Grand Palace/fountains & Catherine Palace). If you are arriving early spring (April to mid May) or autumn (late September - October), you will find the venues not nearly as busy as during the height of the season.

IMHO, St. Petersburg is the crown jewel in the Baltics and I would not want to waste prectious time in queues.

Thank you for your helpful reply. That makes sense.

Just an example:

I was there in August and wanted to visit the Hermitage again. I DIY in St. Petersburg so I was not with a tour guide. I arrived at opening time hoping to beat the hoards - the queue formed was already about an hour long!

There are a multitude of sights that you can easily enter on the day of with little or no queues but they are not the major sights that most first time visitors wish to see. I don't know where your particular interests lay but if they include visiting any of the following, these venues will be crowded and may indicate significant queues:

Hermitage, Catherine Palace, Peterhof Park (Grand Palace, Fountain park), Faberge Museum (must be a timed entrance which you can purchase yourself or through your guide - it is highly unlikely that you will be able to visit if you just show up on the day), General Staff Building (for the Impressionist Collection - bonus is that this newly renovated building is one of the few air conditioned venues), Church of Our Savior on the Spilled Blood.

Also, some of the more esoteric sites require pre-booking and can only be visited by guided tour. For example, Staraya Derevnya (tours conducted by museum guides only - love visiting this place!), Smolny Institute (first revolutionary headquarters & contains Lenin's office and living quarters).

Needless to say, the more esoteric sights are never crowded. :D You might consider visiting some of the less well known sights (this may afford you the greatest amount of flexibility).

Have you considered going later in the year - say October or, better yet, November? I will be returning again in November of this year - although the weather conditions are not ideal, I much prefer visiting when the tourist hoards are diminished.

For maximum flexibility and virtually no regimentation, I would suggest securing a Russian visa & flying into the city in the early spring or fall.

Dogs4Fun

Your advice us great. I followed up with some of your suggestions and like them very much. You mentioned examining some of the less visited sites which might not require timed visits. Can you suggest more?

Unfortunately, we are on a cruise for this visit. However, if it's as has happened in the past with cruise ports, we'll probably enjoy St Petersburg enough to visit independently another time. Lucky you, being able to spend more time there.

Dogs4Fun

 

Your advice us great. I followed up with some of your suggestions and like them very much. You mentioned examining some of the less visited sites which might not require timed visits. Can you suggest more?

 

Unfortunately, we are on a cruise for this visit. However, if it's as has happened in the past with cruise ports, we'll probably enjoy St Petersburg enough to visit independently another time. Lucky you, being able to spend more time there.

Will you have a Russian visa? I ask only because Staraya Derevnya & Smolny Institute definitely are timed entrances and may not be what you are able to accomplish on a short cruise port visit.

Tell me a little about your specific interests and I will be happy to make some suggestions.

Tell me if I should start another thread, but I'm trying to decide about which company to use for a private tour for two. We move a little more slowly and have specific interests. We've found that the top 5 companies say they will craft a custom tour but then their responses make me question it.

 

Are all guides tied to a specific time when they purchase tickets for say, the Church on Spilled Blood? Or, if we spontaneously decide we'd like to change the day we see the Church, etc., can that ticket be used another day or at another hour? Sorry if this isn't clear. We'd like to avoid regimentation.

 

Thanks in advance for your answers.

I am going with a company called I LOVE Travel. They get back to me immediately. We custom tailored the tour to our likes. She has already provided us with our Visas to get off the ship. If you google them you will see more about them.