St. Petersburg: Small private tour

[ksbear]

We will be in St. Petersburg for two days (NCL Sun). We have two kids, 8 and 11, and my dad can't walk very fast, so I am loathe to join a large tour as that will be too stressful for us. Has anyone done a small, private tour where you can go at your own pace and decide your itinerary, perhaps? We have seven people in our party.

[Bet & Peg]

Last year on our Baltic Cruise it was just my DH and I so we joined with 6 others (3 couples) for a St. Petersburg tour with SPB Tour Company. If you search this site you'll find many recommended tour companies for St. Petersburg.

 

We had a van & driver plus a guide who was wonderful! The van was able to park closer to places than a bus and the driver was always right there to help if needed. It was also ACed which helped last year since it was very warm/hot in Russia when we were there in July!!

 

SPB suggested an itinerary. We all did our own research on line and through tour books (library is great for that!) and then deciided exactly what we wanted to see. It was fabulous having a van and only 8 people - didn't have to wait for 30+ getting on and off a bus or using rest rooms. (Also our guide know the best places to stop for clean/free rest rooms.)

 

In the end, we paid less pp that then the ship's tour and we got to see more of St. Petersburg. We had a FULL day the 1st day - including going to a FokeLore Show in the evening that was terrific and we still got back aboard the ship about 9:15pm! The second day we toured until about 4/5pm - about an hour before we sailed. But all that was worked out with the company - you could make your own time plans - we just wanted every minute we could in St Pete!

 

Check with the companies - I'm sure they might even let Dad stay in the van if he couldn't manage certain places - our driver stayed with the van so we could leave our jackets, extra shoes, gifts, etc. behind which was a great convenience!

 

Have a great trip!!

[TLCOhio]

We will be in St. Petersburg for two days (NCL Sun). We have two kids, 8 and 11, and my dad can't walk very fast, so I am loathe to join a large tour as that will be too stressful for us. Has anyone done a small, private tour where you can go at your own pace and decide your itinerary, perhaps? We have seven people in our party.

 

YES, as FotoPeg has summarized, it would be very smart to do a private tour. That allows things to move at your pace and fit your needs/interests on where to go, what to see.

 

Below are some of my visual previews for a few of the "greats" that you can see in St. Petersburg.

 

Price is important, but you will find when you really compare closely, apples to apples, that the cost differences are not that huge among the major, most experienced firms in St. Petersburg. It's about quality and responsiveness! First, outline, in detail, what you need, like and want in what you will send as a request to each potential tour firm. Ask questions, etc. Make it personal and custom to your interests and needs! Don't grab the first firm you write to and assume "that's it" after reading a couple of positive reviews for only one firm. We contacted the top five firms, seeing what they said, how flexible they were, etc. Our firm would e-mail back a detailed spreadsheet that outlined and showed the various detailed costs and options. Some folks will "low-ball" you a basic, lower cost and then hit you later with added fees and extras that you assume were included. If you have a group of four, those total costs over two days are going to be better or about the same as doing a tour through the cruise ship. The key advantage with a private tour is having a tour focused on YOUR personal needs, going at a pace that works best for your interests. The better firms are great in making adjustments like an early admission to the Hermitage, dealing with two people who like to take lots of pictures, adjusting for one person with a healing hip and finding the right shop to buy a Russian-style military hat, etc. Details make an important difference! You get what you ask for and seek!

 

Here are a couple of other suggestions to help you and other future travelers. FIRST, scroll back through all of the earlier postings. You will see many different items on ports you would visit and/or at the board for each separate cruise line in planning for your upcoming cruise. SECOND, do a search on these boards by each city and you will see lots of postings on various subjects connected with each port stop. Then, after taking the time to get that background, see other experiences, etc., you can post with specific questions in each port city. Be sure to have a title that is narrow to your question so that other can know what you are seeking. There are lots and lots of great people and information here on these boards. Don't be shy in asking follow-up questions. Folks are happy to share more when they know what you are seeking and background on your timing, cruise ship, travel party, personal interests and travel style, etc.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For lots of interesting details, great visuals, etc., from our July 1-16 Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. Don’t be shy and feel free to ask any questions of interest. This posting is now over 38,090 views. Appreciate those who have “tuned in”.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

 

 

Private, personal tours can be worth it, especially in St. Petersburg. Here our group of four, with our guide, Jane or Zhenya, we are viewing one of the two da Vinci masterpieces at the Hermitage after an early admission. There are only 17 such painting by this artist existing in the world. We did an early admission at the Hermitage, adding to the enjoyment in this spectacular place AND museum. It is both!:

 

 

 

At St. Petersburg’s Hermitage, just one of many, many great galleries:

 

 

 

Here is a wider shot of the Spilled Blood Church interior in St. Petersburg. Its exterior design is more traditionally "Russian" or Orthodox than St. Isaac.:

 

 

 

Fountains and water from the spectacular Peterhof outside of St. Petersburg:

 

 

 

As we entered Catherine's Palace, here was the welcoming band.:

 

 

 

An overall view of the size and scale of St. Isaac's interior:

 

[Got2Cruise]

The tour companies that are recommended by others here on cruise critic, are very experienced in dealing with all sorts of people. You might want to look for "relaxed" tours, offered by several of the companies. Have you joined your roll call? On our particular roll call we have a children and teens traveling. You can join together and make an intinerary, plus save money, because most of the companies have sliding scale fees based on the number in your tour.

We will be in St. Petersburg for two days (NCL Sun). We have two kids, 8 and 11, and my dad can't walk very fast, so I am loathe to join a large tour as that will be too stressful for us. Has anyone done a small, private tour where you can go at your own pace and decide your itinerary, perhaps? We have seven people in our party.

[Ashland]

Agree with all the above posts..A private tour will be the best situation for you, and will be one that your family will thank you for booking.. We used TJ Travel for our 2 days in St Petersburg last Aug. and it was the tour of a lifetime..Enjoy this wonderful city as only a private tour can provide..:)

[cruiselen]

My wife and I arranged tours with Palladium Travel last year. We had contacted several major tour companies and Palladium seemed to be very flexible. There were only four of us in the group, which was very convenient - we could stop anywhere we wanted and took our time at the most interesting places!

[ksbear]

THANKS for all the replies! I am reading with interest and trying to price out different tour companies, but I'm sure I'll have some more questions :)

[Joyandross]

If you haven't decided on a tour already try Denrus. They offer a great variety and can taylor something to your specific needs. Email Olga at opobol@denrus-us.com