St Petersburg

[Millenia98]

Wow. Just incredible. ;)

[Cornishpastyman1]

For all that took these great tours, what was on your list of must-see/do in St. Petersburg?

These are must-sees :

 

The Yusupov Palace

 

The Fountains of Peterhof

 

The Catherine Palace at Pushkin

 

Peter and Paul Fortress/Cathedral

 

St Isaac's Cathedral

 

Church of Our Saviour on the Spilled Blood

 

The Winter Palace/Hermitage State Museum

 

Criminally I didn't go to the Yusupov Palace and had to ask a friend to take some footage to make that one. Don't make the same mistake as me :(:mad::eek:

[snoopygirl]

Just do it! Set up the private tour, and you won't be sorry! We are a family of four, with kids 17 & 22. I searched and contacted quite a few tours before I chose TJ Travel. I had heard horror stories of group tours, and for just a bit more than some, and less even than some other tours, we had a private driver and guide in the comfort of a Mercedes van for 2 days in st. Petersburg. In fact, it was far less expensive than the ship-sponsored tour.

 

Once we got through customs (allow 30 min. minimum), our guide, Nina, was waiting with a sign with our name on it. The van was right out front, and off we went. We visited all the sights the big tours did, but at our own pace and with ease. We had extra time for shopping, coffee, and a metro tour that we didn't even plan for because it was just the four of us.

 

Nina was a magnificent guide, and the driver always managed to work his way to the front! Nina knew exactly how to beat all the lines at all the sites, including the horrific lines at Katherine's Palace and the Hermitage. She was a wealth of knowledge on art, architecture, history, and more, and didn't hesitate to answer all our questions (my husband was a political science major and did quite a lot of studying on Russian history). Her English is impeccable, and she understood our sense of humor, too. She also took a few photos of the four of us, which is a rarity for me to be in our family vacation photos!

 

I could go on and on about every place we visited, but it is in all the other tour descriptions. I simply want to emphasize that, while out and about on our tour, we saw the other tours I had considered and were so thankful that we did not choose them!! Yes, they had good reviews, but the other guides we saw looked bothered and uninterested, and the groups looked like they were all bored and/or lost. Nina was a little firecracker and kept us engaged and enlightened. She chose a great lunch spot and even added on interesting things to do and see, since we had the extra time. It was also nice to be able to safely leave things in the van with the driver when we didn't want to have to carry jackets, umbrellas, and even my purse a couple of times! He was completely trustworthy. He even surprised us with a bunch of delicious candies at one of the stops.(Though my 22 year old daughter may have influenced that a bit - wink*.)

 

All I can say is that Nina and TJ Travel absolutely MADE our trip to St. Petersburg, and I know we would not have enjoyed it nearly as much with any other group. My tip: spend the extra and make it PRIVATE, with just your own travel group or family. You will be glad you did! If we ever get to go back to Russia, we will request Nina most definitely!

[roothy123]

Another vote here for Alla - guide Alexandra did a great job last month.

 

Just be prepared to get off the ship early. Just about everyone on our ship (Oceania's Marina, 1250 max pax) got off around 8 in the morning the first day, making for quite a line on the ship and also at immigration in the cruise terminal. Leave early if you're doing a company tour!

[K922]

I am in the very early planning of a trip I am planning in 2015. I was wondering if you want to book a private tour and there are only 2 people can they pair you up with more people to keep the cost down or do they max all their tours at 16? I was confuesd about that when reading. Because in one place they say 300 per person, then in another you get a break down of cost person based on how many there are. I hope this makes sense.

 

Karen

[dogs4fun]

I am in the very early planning of a trip I am planning in 2015. I was wondering if you want to book a private tour and there are only 2 people can they pair you up with more people to keep the cost down or do they max all their tours at 16? I was confuesd about that when reading. Because in one place they say 300 per person, then in another you get a break down of cost person based on how many there are. I hope this makes sense.

 

Karen

 

Hi Karen,

I cannot speak to tour companies other than Alla Tours as I have not used them. I have used only Alla and loved our tour.

Alla will attempt to pair you with more people from the cruise ship. However, if for example you book the 2 day Grand Tour, the price is $300 per person regardless of the number of persons on the minibus (up to a max of 16). So, if just the 2 of you sign-up for that tour with Alla and she does not fill the minibus, the cost is still just $300 per person. You can contact her ... she will answer any questions that you may have. :)

jill

[TLCOhio]

I am in the very early planning of a trip I am planning in 2015. I was wondering if you want to book a private tour and there are only 2 people can they pair you up with more people to keep the cost down or do they max all their tours at 16? I was confuesd about that when reading. Because in one place they say 300 per person, then in another you get a break down of cost person based on how many there are. I hope this makes sense.

Karen

 

Hi, Karen! You've got lots of time between now and 2015. Right now, focus on what you do and do not want/need to see. Lots of great options in St. Petersburg. About six months ahead of your visit there, then write to several of the top firms. Tell them what you really want and like. See how they well they respond. It's possible by early 2015 that more of the firms will have ways to "match up" a couple with others who have similar interests and travel style/speed. You can also post to your cruise roll call and see what's possible with another couple on your cruise to do such sharing. Ideally four or six people is any ideal size for such private tours in St. Petersburg.

 

Keep these good questions rolling along!! Lots of great ideas and people are here on these boards and they are happy to help. Don't be shy!! The only "dumb" question is the one you don't ask. Keep researching and planning. It will be very helpful for when you do your actual trip and that experience.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 102,065 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

[K922]

Hi Karen,

I cannot speak to tour companies other than Alla Tours as I have not used them. I have used only Alla and loved our tour.

Alla will attempt to pair you with more people from the cruise ship. However, if for example you book the 2 day Grand Tour, the price is $300 per person regardless of the number of persons on the minibus (up to a max of 16). So, if just the 2 of you sign-up for that tour with Alla and she does not fill the minibus, the cost is still just $300 per person. You can contact her ... she will answer any questions that you may have. :)

jill

 

Thanks for reply

[K922]

Hi, Karen! You've got lots of time between now and 2015. Right now, focus on what you do and do not want/need to see. Lots of great options in St. Petersburg. About six months ahead of your visit there, then write to several of the top firms. Tell them what you really want and like. See how they well they respond. It's possible by early 2015 that more of the firms will have ways to "match up" a couple with others who have similar interests and travel style/speed. You can also post to your cruise roll call and see what's possible with another couple on your cruise to do such sharing. Ideally four or six people is any ideal size for such private tours in St. Petersburg.

 

Keep these good questions rolling along!! Lots of great ideas and people are here on these boards and they are happy to help. Don't be shy!! The only "dumb" question is the one you don't ask. Keep researching and planning. It will be very helpful for when you do your actual trip and that experience.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 102,065 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

Thanks for your reply. I am sure I will have a lot more questions as it get's closer. I was just doing some research and was wondering about private tours vs. boat tours. I like the idea of less people on the tours.

 

Karen

[Onessa]

Check out JstDucky's review of her 8/18 Brilliance OTS cruise out of Copenhagen on the RCCI thread. She's just getting to St. Petersburg in her review -- and her review has been just wonderful :) -- lots of pictures.

 

We connected with JstDucky and her group on our cruise's Meet and Mingle. She organized a small group tour with SPB that was tailored to our group. Turned out to be $190 pp + tip for the day (we were only in port for one day).

 

Pick up at the cruise dock, everything but lunch included. Great guide and driver.

[TLCOhio]

Thanks for your reply. I am sure I will have a lot more questions as it get's closer. I was just doing some research and was wondering about private tours vs. boat tours. I like the idea of less people on the tours. Karen

 

Great, Karen! Keep up the work, research and planning. 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.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 102,065 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474