travel in St Petersberf WITH a visa from Russia

We'll have 3 days in SP on an upcoming Baltic cruise and would love to hear from cruisers who have done this kind of trip AND obtained visas for themselves from the Russian government, instead of doing the allowed visa-free travel with official guides.

We think we will arrange this for the two of us, so we can explore freely in the Hermitage, go to a show at night without having to arrange guide coverage, etc. But hearing the experience of those who have done it would be very helpful (in addition to reading about this option in Rick Steves' book!).

We’ve done it both ways- honestly it was easier visa free with a private guide. In addition the private guide provides a car and driver which is massively helpful. There is a genuine language barrier (vs other places in Eastern Europe we’ve travelled where it’s easier to find an English speaker) so keep that in mind.

In addition a private guide will act as a fixer and have tickets prearranged and let you skip lines at museums which saves a ton of time.

We obtained visas the first time we went and hardly got anything done. It literally was our reason for going back again and hiring a private guide. That being said we are not tour people and would never do a bus tour. We had a group of 4 the second time and got a private Mercedes minivan with driver and guide. We were practically friends with her by the end and got to see and do everything we wanted to both day and night.

We'll have 3 days in SP on an upcoming Baltic cruise and would love to hear from cruisers who have done this kind of trip AND obtained visas for themselves from the Russian government, instead of doing the allowed visa-free travel with official guides.

 

We think we will arrange this for the two of us, so we can explore freely in the Hermitage, go to a show at night without having to arrange guide coverage, etc. But hearing the experience of those who have done it would be very helpful (in addition to reading about this option in Rick Steves' book!).

I visit Russia at least once a year (St. Petersburg included). I am a US citizen and have a Russian visa but I usually do not visit via cruise ship (I fly in for extended stays). If you are seriously interested in DIY in St. Petersburg, feel free to shoot me an email (included in my signature) and I will be happy to share any info that I have.

Thanks dogs4fun, I have emailed you privately.

I have been 2x with a visa but not on a cruise ship.

If I only had 3 days, I would not bother and just hire a private guide for the 2 of you. The sites in St. Petersburg are far away from each other and unless you understand some Russian (I took some in college but no means can speak or fluent but can read some) - it would be better to have someone in the know with you. Plus, with a guide, you will often get into some sites quicker. The lines are long in St. Petersburg to popular sites.

I have been 2x with a visa but not on a cruise ship.

 

If I only had 3 days, I would not bother and just hire a private guide for the 2 of you. The sites in St. Petersburg are far away from each other and unless you understand some Russian (I took some in college but no means can speak or fluent but can read some) - it would be better to have someone in the know with you. Plus, with a guide, you will often get into some sites quicker. The lines are long in St. Petersburg to popular sites.

Absolutely agree.

Jess

We'll be doing this as well. My biggest question is just ease of transport to/from cruise and city? From what I've read there are two separate ports, one which is much easier than other? I've also heard that at night the bridges come up and can cause issues trying to get back?

We'll be doing this as well. My biggest question is just ease of transport to/from cruise and city? From what I've read there are two separate ports, one which is much easier than other? I've also heard that at night the bridges come up and can cause issues trying to get back?

Depends on your ship. The large ocean ships dock at the Marine Facade - transport into town is a must. Smaller ships/river cruise ships dock in town.

Yes, while the bridges are up there is no way to get back to port if one must cross a bridge to return to port.

My friends who travelled independently to St. Petersburg spent their whole vacation lost, and unable to find English speakers to help them. We had a wonderful time on our two day private tour, and were able to see everything even with our three year old in tow.

Depends on your ship. The large ocean ships dock at the Marine Facade - transport into town is a must. Smaller ships/river cruise ships dock in town.

Yes, while the bridges are up there is no way to get back to port if one must cross a bridge to return to port.

River boats do not dock in town. There are 2 piers quite a bit away from the center of the city where the river boats dock.

River boats do not dock in town. There are 2 piers quite a bit away from the center of the city where the river boats dock.

Small luxury boats like Seabourn, Silversea, etc use a floating pier on the English Embankment a few blocks away from the Hermitage Museum.

We felt docking there (vs way out at the port with the large ships) made all the difference. We were just able to go out both nights after coming back to change with very little time lost spent in transit.

River boats do not dock in town. There are 2 piers quite a bit away from the center of the city where the river boats dock.

Is the port on Vasilyevsky Island the docking area for the larger ships? If so, that doesn't seem to far from city center (<9km). Are there cabs/bus right from the port or would we need to get to a station somewhere. Also heard Uber is an option, anyone use them while visiting?

(I'm new to this forum, so please let me know if I need to create a new thread with this discussion as it is moving away from original question).

Is the port on Vasilyevsky Island the docking area for the larger ships? If so, that doesn't seem to far from city center (<9km). Are there cabs/bus right from the port or would we need to get to a station somewhere. Also heard Uber is an option, anyone use them while visiting?

 

(I'm new to this forum, so please let me know if I need to create a new thread with this discussion as it is moving away from original question).

Yes, the ocean going cruise ships dock at the Marine Facade on Vasilyevsky Island. It is not close to the center of town (ex: Hermitage). You can take a taxi from port or you can take a bus to metro & then utilize the metro to get around. If you opt for the bus (#158), it departs the terminals on 30 minute intervals & will take you to the nearest metro station (Primorskaya). You will need rub for the bus (approx. 30 RUB - fare may have increased for 2018) and to purchase tokens for the metro (approx. 45 RUB).

Have no clue regarding Uber.

To clarify my earlier post:

Large cruise ships (i.e., Princess, NCL, HAL, RCL, etc) utilize the Marine Facade

Small ships utilize the English Embankment or Lieutenant Schmidt Embankment (close to center of town).

River Cruises utilize piers on the outskirts of the city (it's easier to access metro from here than from the Marine Facade although I wouldn't recommend it as the industrial area is rather dirty). For example, Salt Pier #31 (industrial, cargo-port area - far south-east of St. Pete on Obukhovskoy Oborony Prospect. It's about a 10 minute walk from the cruise terminal to the Proletarskaya Metro but you have to walk across a bridge with no sidewalks).

OP here.....thanks to CC, the importance of the docking location for SP became clear to me early on in our planning process, so I made sure to book a cruise on a small ship (around 700 passengers, with Oceania) that would use one of the spots close to the Hermitage.

For others considering a Baltic cruise, there is a similar size issue in Stockholm. It seems the small ships have all the advantages for these port intensive cruises! Except the prices tend to be higher, but we decided a little bit of extra cost would be worth it in reduced aggravation and more flexibility. And while the smaller ships might not have the gee-whiz stuff of the big behomoths, climbing walls and all that, we can cope with that!

OP here.....thanks to CC, the importance of the docking location for SP became clear to me early on in our planning process, so I made sure to book a cruise on a small ship (around 700 passengers, with Oceania) that would use one of the spots close to the Hermitage.

 

For others considering a Baltic cruise, there is a similar size issue in Stockholm. It seems the small ships have all the advantages for these port intensive cruises! Except the prices tend to be higher, but we decided a little bit of extra cost would be worth it in reduced aggravation and more flexibility. And while the smaller ships might not have the gee-whiz stuff of the big behomoths, climbing walls and all that, we can cope with that!

So I must have been typing while another poster relied so missed it, but we are on Silversea which appears to dock at English Embankment. Should solve a lot of the transportation issues.