Tours in St Petersburg, Russia

[beachbumer55]

I will be cruising on the Emerald Princess from Ft Lauderdale in April 2011 to Copenhagen and then on to St Petersburg. I am looking for information regarding taking an independent tour of St Pete and not the tour offered by Princess. My concern is the Visa requirement. I am aware that if you book your tour with Princess, they obtain a "group Visa" and no individual Visa is required. Are there any tours available from independent tour operators that do not require obtaining the "expensive" Visa from the Russian government? If so, can anyone recommend such a tour and how can I contact the tour operator.

[rdsqrl]

Private tour guides in Russia will also handle the visa for you. The operators most often mentioned on these boards are Red October, DenRus, Alla, and SBP. If you go to the Ports of Call board, you should find lots of posts/reviews about people's experiences with each.

[rdsqrl]

Just saw this was your first post. Welcome to Cruise Critic!

Here's a link to the relevant ports-of-call board:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=192

[cruzisme]

CC is super for giving advice to all cruisers

To do St. Petersburg, we booked with SPB Active Tour and it was great! Had 13 people in our group for 2 days; highly recommend this company but am sure the others mentioned offer comparable tours.

[JeanRoll]

We have been to the Baltic twice and used DenRus each time including the ballet during the evening. Needless to say that we were very please with their prices and service.

[skellis]

Please join your roll call. Last year we did the DenRus tour with 10 other roll call members. It was great. We were off the ship before everyone else, and they were waiting. With 12 people we were able to see the sights before the hordes got there, and loading and unloading 12 people was much easier and faster than waiting for 40 people to get on or off (and the people who always came late because they were shopping). They took care of the visas, arranged for tickets, camera tags (Hermitage) and guided us to restaurants for the two lunches. They worked out the details in advance and everything went smoothly. They had radios and earphone sets so we could hear everything. It also saved us about $200.

 

We also set up a tour to Stutthof Concentration Camp in Poland which was moving. The countryside was also beautiful, we went on an antique ferry over the Vistula River, along with Gnydia, Sopot, and Gdansk which were the only places Princess tours visit.

 

Enjoy. It was a fantastic trip, the best we have ever done.

[BLS]

I will be cruising on the Emerald Princess from Ft Lauderdale in April 2011 to Copenhagen and then on to St Petersburg. I am looking for information regarding taking an independent tour of St Pete and not the tour offered by Princess. My concern is the Visa requirement. I am aware that if you book your tour with Princess, they obtain a "group Visa" and no individual Visa is required. Are there any tours available from independent tour operators that do not require obtaining the "expensive" Visa from the Russian government? If so, can anyone recommend such a tour and how can I contact the tour operator.

 

We've used Red Oct and loved them.

One little hint might want to remove the thumbs down from your posting--I'm sure you thought it was a question mark (it was not)

[Pam in CA]

We did a tour with Viktoria of SPB Tours a couple of years ago. She was awesome. Small company and very personalized service. They will also customize on the fly, depending on traffic, crowds, etc. She checks on all of her tours throughout the day to make sure everything is going well. One of the best independent tours I've ever taken. We were taken to out-of-the-way and very inexpensive Russian restaurants that were excellent. One was a hole-in-the-wall place around the corner from the Catherine Palace. http://www.spb-tours.com/st-petersburg/en

 

Once you book, Viktoria will ask for the passport #, name on the passport, issuing country/city, etc. and will issue a "Tour Ticket" for each person on the tour. This serves as your visa. When you disembark the ship and go through Russian immigration, you present your passport and the Tour Ticket. You are then issued a temporary permit card to be returned when you reboard the ship.

 

In spite of anything Princess tells you or other people report, we just walked off the ship and went through the shortest line at Russian immigration.

[granny49]

We were in the baltics Aug 2008 on the Crown. We used Alla it was a great tour she also worked with you to customize. We had no problem just walked off the ship

Enjoy your cruise.

[Twaincruisers]

We were on the Emerald Princess last Sept. for the Baltic cruise. It was one of our best cruises, but security did try to force everyone to go to the waiting areas so Princess excursions could get off first in St Petersburg...even though they left after most independent tours! Apparently after directing a couple to go to the meeting room, security thought we were a Princess group and let us through with no problem!

[Astro Flyer]

I will be cruising on the Emerald Princess from Ft Lauderdale in April 2011 to Copenhagen and then on to St Petersburg. I am looking for information regarding taking an independent tour of St Pete and not the tour offered by Princess. My concern is the Visa requirement. I am aware that if you book your tour with Princess, they obtain a "group Visa" and no individual Visa is required. Are there any tours available from independent tour operators that do not require obtaining the "expensive" Visa from the Russian government? If so, can anyone recommend such a tour and how can I contact the tour operator.

We recently went to St. Petersburg on the ship's 2 day tour which was great. They scheduled stops to maximize our experiences. I've read positive opinions on independent tours also & they're $100/pp cheaper.

 

I don't know about independent tours but the Hermitage was only open for cruise ship tours on Monday which made for a much less crowded experience but don't know if it's the same with an independent tour.

 

There was so much to see & it was a great experience!

[kloegel]

We been on the Emerald last year. I would book a private tours. They are much better value for money. We been on the Princess 2 day tour. They are to expensive what you are getting. All 3000 passengers on Princess tours are droped of at the same shop and fed at the same restaurant. NO GOOD.

[Astro Flyer]

We been on the Emerald last year. I would book a private tours. They are much better value for money. We been on the Princess 2 day tour. They are to expensive what you are getting. All 3000 passengers on Princess tours are droped of at the same shop and fed at the same restaurant. NO GOOD.

Talk about an overstating something...we recently returned from the Princess 2 day tour & only had a bus or two at lunch...so we never had crowds anywhere.

 

The tours are very similar & an independent one was $300 vs. $400 which was a consideration. But your statement is not true based on our recent experience. They got us to Peterhof much sooner than any other tours & the Hermitage was only for cruise ship tours.

 

I'm not saying which one to take but you need to be fair...there's pros & cons for each & up to them to decide based on unbiased input.

 

I'm sure either way it will be great...it was amazing for us!

[caribill]

The tours are very similar & an independent one was $300 vs. $400 which was a consideration. But your statement is not true based on our recent experience. They got us to Peterhof much sooner than any other tours & the Hermitage was only for cruise ship tours.

 

 

 

Since these are two-day tours, I would assume the independent tours went to the Hermitage on the day it was open.

[jagsfan]

We sailed last Sept on Emerald and did a Denrus tour with others on our roll call. Denrus

arranged for us to get into Peterhof early so we could tour and be outside again to see

the fountains turned on. That was spectacular! We took a hydrofoil back to the

Hermitage which saved a lot of time. Everything you could have asked for, we got,

and saved money, too. Two full days of unbelievable beauty and history.

[2ndsailing]

We were on a Baltic cruise July 2010 and had a wonderful very full 2 days with SPB tours. They were at the ship to meet us in a comfortable mini bus. We had 8 in our group from our roll call. We even went out the first evening for a canal and vodka drinking (also with SPB) tour. They took care of all the visas and even took us to some great shops.

[Talisker92]

We took the ship tour rather than messing with visa, etc. That was our choice. Many people have had no problem getting a separate Visa.

Our trip story of the Baltic cruise is on our website http://www.stevekathytours.com

[MTemple212]

We took the ship tour rather than messing with visa, etc. That was our choice. Many people have had no problem getting a separate Visa.

Our trip story of the Baltic cruise is on our website http://www.stevekathytours.com

 

If you are using a tour company in St. pete, you don't need to get a visa. They take care of all of that stuff. We did Red October in July of 2006 on Star Princess and just loved the tour. Even though it was 98 degrees when we were there!!

[beachbumer55]

Thanks for the tip, but how do I remove the thumbs down? I did think it was a question mark. I'm new at this!

[sammiedawg]

We had 8 people on a tour with SPB this past July, it was first class. They took care of the visas, it was the simplest process. We sent them names, passport numbers, nothing else to do. We did the active tour, 2 days, we paid for our lunches, we did not purchase photo permits. We had a driver, air conditioned minu bus and licensed tour guide who spoke perfect English. His name was Eugene..

 

We got email quotes from SPB, Alla, Red October, Denrus. You should do the same thing, compare and contrast what they offer, what interests you. They are all good reliable companies. We spent a lot of time reading, we chose SPB after narrowing it down to a couple. We were pleased with our choice.

They all have web sites. Google each company, send away for quotes.

 

http://spb-tours.com/st-petersburg/en/

 

You will love this trip.

[Lvtocruize2]

We just returned from the Baltic cruise on the Voyager. I made arrangements for a 2 day private tour with TJ Travel for just my husband and I. They were fantastic!!!! Our guide was so knowledgeable about the history and culture and made our trip really fun. We became instant friends and are now emailing each other. TJ Travel is very competitive in their pricing. We put our tour together and all we needed to do was finalize everything. Our daily visas were included in the price. We hated to leave them (guide and driver) when we they left us at the pier! I highly recommend this agency. Their email is traveltospb@gmail.com and they will get back to you very promply and efficiently. Please consider this agency!

[caribill]

We took the ship tour rather than messing with visa, etc. That was our choice. Many people have had no problem getting a separate Visa.

 

Very few people get an actual Russian visa in advance of the cruise as it is a paperwork nightmare. Plus, the ship does not usually dock in a touristy area, and there will be no cabs there to get you anywhere.

 

So, if you do not book an independent tour such as with Denrus or the other companies mentioned, you will need to take the ship's tour in order to be able to leave the ship.

 

Again, no messing with getting a visa if you book with an authorized touring company.

[Harry Cane]

I just got off a Princess cruise throught the Baltics. Like most of the othe posters I did a private tour. Mine was with Anastasia. I would highly recommend them. Our group was 10 people. Even though we were from all over, the grouped clicked early on and we're already in touch by email, sharing pictures. Although they will customize something for you, I was really interested in hitting the usual highlights, since this was my first trip there. The reason I chose them was because of how prompt they were, they guaranteed the rate regardless of how many people ended up signing up and I didn't have to pay upfront.

 

From 6 months worth of reading this board, I did not find a single negative comment about any of the private tour providers. I will note, however, that we met some folks on the ship that did the 2-day Princess tour and they were so overwhelmed with the number of people, they skipped the second day even though they had already paid for it.

[Giantfan13]

Welcome to our little corner of the CC.

If you haven't looked around, there are posters from many of the ports you will dock at, so it you have specific questions about any of these cities, several poster will always be of help to you.

also, if you scan these boards, you will find literally hundreds of threads about which tour group to use in St Petersburg. To be honest, just about everyone who used any of the several good independent tour groups, all come back saying that they are great. You have to understand that most of the independent tour groups need the recommendation of past travelers on sites like this, to get their business's pumping, so they all, go out of their way, to try and make your visit to St Petersburg special.

That said, no one can recommend a particular tour company to you. When we went last year, we used SPB tours mainly because of Viktoria and the way she responded to my emails, the way she spoke to me and just the way she made me feel very comfortable with any and all questions I threw at her. We each have something that may make us lean towards one, over the other. there are about 5-6 reputable tour companies. I suggest you email them, tell them what you are looking for and get a price. For the most part, the prices are all about the same. Some throw in lunches while others you have to pay for them. SPB gave us a free canal boat ride, and free lunches which was something that we WANTED to do, so that also made us lean towards them./

Make a chart, and see which one offer you some of the things that you value more. No one here can tell you which one to use, you have to do some homework on your own.

And yes, pay a visit to your roll call and see what some of the others on your crusie are doing. it might benefit you to join a group, or maybe start your won.

 

Since this is your first time in St Petersburg, here are a few of my pix of this magnificent city, just to get you started

 

The just magnificent fountains at Peterhof

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europemaster734.jpg

 

Church of the Spilled Blood

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe647.jpg

 

The Gardens and Catherine's Palace

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe714.jpg

 

Inside the Church of Peter and Paul, where the Romanoffs are buried

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe878.jpg

 

Inside the Hermitage, one of the many Grand rooms there

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe927.jpg

 

As you ride around St Petersburg, there are stunning buildings and churches to view

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe855.jpg

 

One thing I can guarantee, you will have a ball there

 

Cheers

 

Len

[hawklady]

We had a fabulous two-day tour of St. Petersburg with Anastasia Tours. Absolutely no problem with the "blanket visa" issued by the tour company, wonderful guide -- altogether a great experience for our group of 12. No waiting in lines, either -- our guide had made arrangements and we always got right in, even at the Hermitage. I highly recommend Anastasia.