Why is it this way?

[isutru]

Sheer curiosity prompts me to post this question. Why is it that a one day tour to Berlin is relatively more expensive than a two day tour in St Petersburg? We are a family of four, and are looking at roughly $1000 to $1200 for one day with a particular company to Berlin and roughly $1700 to $1800 for two days in St Petersburg. I ask this also because in Berlin the day is mostly outside viewing with minimal cost of admissions, while in St Petersburg many of the sites are interior with the concomitant admission fees. I realize that the transportation to Berlin adds cost, but it is generally on a larger bus. Any ideas or thought?

[Giantfan13]

Sheer curiosity prompts me to post this question. Why is it that a one day tour to Berlin is relatively more expensive than a two day tour in St Petersburg? We are a family of four, and are looking at roughly $1000 to $1200 for one day with a particular company to Berlin and roughly $1700 to $1800 for two days in St Petersburg. I ask this also because in Berlin the day is mostly outside viewing with minimal cost of admissions, while in St Petersburg many of the sites are interior with the concomitant admission fees. I realize that the transportation to Berlin adds cost, but it is generally on a larger bus. Any ideas or thought?

 

I don't know which companies you have been looking at.

In St Peterburg, the AVERAGE tour should be no more than $300 PP, so, for a family of four, no more than $1200, and with a group, probably cheaper. Have you looked into several of the tour companies in St Petersburg? They all do a fantastic job, and from what I read on here,a nd from other posters, that figure $300PP is the going price.

 

We used a company called SPB tours, as have many, many people on this forum. They do a fantastic job of showing you Berlin, St Petersburg and some of the other cities you will be stopping in. I know that they do not charge for any child under 6, maybe that will help you. http://www.spb-tours.com/germany/en

 

If you are looking to tour on your own, you would have to expect that the rate would be a bit higher than with a group. Get into a group of about 10-15 people and the rate should be about #150PP to Berlin and if you book a package with them it would be even cheaper. I'm sure all the tour groups offer similar savings, but we used SPB Tours and know they do a fantastic job.

 

Hope this helps

 

Cheers

 

Len

[dsrdsrdsr]

Exchange rates. When converted into dollars, the cost of living in Germany is much higher than the cost of living in Russia.

[isutru]

You are correct GiantFan in your numbers. I should have specified that we are doing a private tour rather than a group, just our preference. And SPB Tours is the company we are using in both ports. Berlin will be large bus transportation to Berlin then private guide for the four of us after arrival in Berlin. Private tour guide for the four of us in St Petersburg, too. I'm not so much concerned that it is expensive, just that it seems to be a higher cost in Berlin despite mostly outdoor public stuff like the Brandenburg Gate, etc that do not require reservations, admission cost, and the like.

[dogs4fun]

You are correct GiantFan in your numbers. I should have specified that we are doing a private tour rather than a group, just our preference. And SPB Tours is the company we are using in both ports. Berlin will be large bus transportation to Berlin then private guide for the four of us after arrival in Berlin. Private tour guide for the four of us in St Petersburg, too. I'm not so much concerned that it is expensive, just that it seems to be a higher cost in Berlin despite mostly outdoor public stuff like the Brandenburg Gate, etc that do not require reservations, admission cost, and the like.

 

My guess for the price differential between tours in SPB and Berlin, and it is only a guess, is the cost of transportation from Warnemunde to Berlin. Still, the price does seem rather steep when one considers that there are no inside visits in Berlin. One would think that the cost savings in admission fees (Berlin) would offset the transportation costs.

jill

[cruisemom42]

The cost of tours is higher in Europe, in general, than in Russia. It probably relates to the cost of living and the average hourly wage for guides/drivers more so than the cost of admissions. There are widely varying standards in different countries.

[isutru]

Thanks dsrdsrdsr for the thought on exchange rates. Germany's economy is I guess a bit better than Russia's. And dogs4fun, the transportation is a great consideration. Certainly the difference is these two factors plus others.