Good barebones tour operators in St. Petersburg?

[ConradMZ]

While I realize there are a lot of threads asking for recommendations of different tour operators in St. Petersburg, different people have different standards of what it is they are looking for.

 

Personally, what I would like is the least amount of hassle with visas, getting through customs, etc, reliable and convenient transport into the city and back, and maybe having tickets and admissions for the museums and palaces be arranged. Aside from that, I would prefer to spend as much time as possible on foot (not in a bus or van), walking around on my own, stopping in cafes or browsing shops or whatever without a guide hovering around or fellow tourists waiting until everyone is done somewhere. Maybe an hour or two of a guided tour with explanations about history and culture would be ok, or three if the guide is really good.

 

I am a tour guide myself for river cruise passengers in Mainz on the Rhine, so it is not that I don't appreciate what guides do, but I also like to be in charge myself and do my own research--more a leader than a follower (on a Caribbean tour recently, we met some fellow passengers by chance at a more remote part of the island of St. Martin and on our return journey to the ship, I started pointing out the sights we had seen on the way out to them, quoting Lonely Planet, and adding some of my own observations). I can also read the Cyrillic alphabet (though don't speak the language, but for names on signs, I can get by), and feel confident about not getting lost and being back at appointed meeting points at the appointed time for transport back to the ship.

 

Does anyone else out there with similar preferences have any experiences they would like to share?

[aquilegia]

 

Personally, what I would like is the least amount of hassle with visas, getting through customs, etc, reliable and convenient transport into the city and back, and maybe having tickets and admissions for the museums and palaces be arranged. Aside from that, I would prefer to spend as much time as possible on foot (not in a bus or van), walking around on my own, stopping in cafes or browsing shops or whatever without a guide hovering around or fellow tourists waiting until everyone is done somewhere. Maybe an hour or two of a guided tour with explanations about history and culture would be ok, or three if the guide is really good.

 

It's my understanding that if you are going to use an accredited tour operator (and thus save the hassle of getting a visa) you have to remain with your guide, not just have an hour or two of guided tour and then go off on your off for most of the time. I believe that to do what you want to do, you will have to arrange your own visa.

[Ashland]

You don't say what your arrival time frame is but I think you should just start the process of obtaining your own visa..Sounds like you don't really need or want the services of a guide..Good luck and enjoy your visit !!!

[ConradMZ]

The problem with the visa is that this cruise was booked rather last minute, and I will be leaving in two weeks (in St. P. on 1-2 August). One of the Holland America tours offered a few hours to go shopping on one's own, according to what I read--I was hoping maybe I could up that some more, but if the visa regulations are designed to prevent that, I guess I might be out of luck. I thought the days of being shadowed by Intourist were over.

[nfowife]

I would contact a company such as SPB and detail what you want. I will say that we had some time on our own to shop, look around at different sites. We were a group of 10 and for example at the Spilled Blood church the guide said we could follow her and listen to her info or wander off if we wanted and just meet at the van and xyz time. Worked well. You might be able to join a tour already in progress and just speak with the guide about meeting back at the van if you don't want the spiel.

[bardstowntraveller]

We were not allowed to wander around on our own without a guide. In fact our guide was very nervous about us staying together, especially on the metro. The only time we wandered on our own was in an enclosed shopping area where we had a set time to meet back. With that said, we did walk ahead or linger behind as we toured various sites. As long as we were within sight, our guide was ok with it.

[AkhmatovaFan]

I recommend Tour de Force (tourdeforce.travel/). You can pretty much create a custom tour with them and hit only the sites you want. They are a friendly, knowledgeable bunch and they're used to helping people get around St. Petersburg. They got us tickets to the ballet and a folk show and were always when they picked us up at the hotel. I think they would do as much or as little as you were looking for. Has anyone else tried them?

[cruisealex]

My understanding is the same as aquilegia - that the guide is responsible for you all the time you are on tour with the group visa. However - Alla and others offer customised tours if you know what you want to do. When we used them last year the guide would give us time on our own after showing us around - and would wait for us in an agreed spot. When taken shopping the same thing happened - within the shop. As a result it felt more like looking after us - and not like having an Intourist shadow.

With a frank exchange of expectations before you arrange a tour you may well be able to get some of the freedom you want.