Tour Guides in St. Petersburg

[jresn02]

I have seen several posts on the topic, but none that answered the following Question:

 

Is there a tour guide operator (maybe someone not with a big company) that will allow you to walk around escorted to shop, people Watch, have dinner, etc.

 

Also, what is the average going price per person for a day tour in St. Petersburg. I have been seeing prices around 300 per person per day which seemed high.

 

THANK YOU!

[scubacruiserx2]

We have used Gennadiy on two different stays in St. Petersburg. We have not used him from a cruise. At $25/hr. as a guide ,driver and interpreter , he is quite a bargain.

 

http://www.guide-petersburg.com/design/

[CruiserBruce]

What you do with a private tour isentirely up to you. You aren't forced to go anywhere, or see anything. You simply arrange with the tour company to do or see what you wish.

 

Compared to private tours elsewhere in Europe, $300 for a day is quite reasonable. Remember many other European ports, the same private tour is easily over $500.

[LHT28]

The tour guides I have seen with the day tours are usually $300 pp for a 2 day tour

You can usually ask any of the Licensed tour guides for a custom tour

 

I have read somewhere that 2 people do not a group make for the Blanket VISA so you will still need to obtain your own VISA prior to arrival

 

I would carefully check all the details before deciding

Maybe you can find like minded people to share a walking tour but if you have not been to SPB before I would do a tour...it is a facinating city

Even if you have been before there are so many places to go ..just make a custom tour with a guide to see the places missed

 

Lyn

[Nitemare]

The tour guides I have seen with the day tours are usually $300 pp for a 2 day tour

You can usually ask any of the Licensed tour guides for a custom tour

 

I have read somewhere that 2 people do not a group make for the Blanket VISA so you will still need to obtain your own VISA prior to arrival

 

I would carefully check all the details before deciding

Maybe you can find like minded people to share a walking tour but if you have not been to SPB before I would do a tour...it is a facinating city

Even if you have been before there are so many places to go ..just make a custom tour with a guide to see the places missed

 

Lyn

 

All the majors (TJ, Alla, SPB, etc) do private tours for one or two people, and they cover the visa, so it might not require you to get your own visa if you go through one of them. If you book directly with a local private tour guide, then that might be needed.

[goldie888]

All the majors (TJ, Alla, SPB, etc) do private tours for one or two people, and they cover the visa, so it might not require you to get your own visa if you go through one of them. If you book directly with a local private tour guide, then that might be needed.

 

We are also looking for other options for touring St. Petersburg and willing to go through the trouble of getting our own visa. At more than $1000 for a private tour by (TJ, Alla, SPB etc), this is not reasonable. When one of our CC friends mentioned SPB Tour had over 300 people from one ship alone, I am sure other cruisers who may want to spend one full day at the Hermitage Museum. As of now, I have not been able to find a company with such option.

 

With our own visa, all we need is to book a 2 day pass to the Hermitage, and still have time to walk to other sites near by.

[LHT28]

With our own visa, all we need is to book a 2 day pass to the Hermitage, and still have time to walk to other sites near by.

 

Getting your own VISA is a good idea for what you are wanting to do

 

I think with so many cruise ships now going to SPB the demand for private tours is so great

It is very hard to do a small group for a reasonable price anymore

[goldie888]

Getting your own VISA is a good idea for what you are wanting to do

 

I think with so many cruise ships now going to SPB the demand for private tours is so great

It is very hard to do a small group for a reasonable price anymore

 

Our second cruise, on August 26 and 27, there will be 5 ships just on one day. With thousands of passengers, that alone will create traffic problem.

[Nitemare]

We are also looking for other options for touring St. Petersburg and willing to go through the trouble of getting our own visa. At more than $1000 for a private tour by (TJ, Alla, SPB etc), this is not reasonable. When one of our CC friends mentioned SPB Tour had over 300 people from one ship alone, I am sure other cruisers who may want to spend one full day at the Hermitage Museum. As of now, I have not been able to find a company with such option.

 

With our own visa, all we need is to book a 2 day pass to the Hermitage, and still have time to walk to other sites near by.

 

300 people from one ship with SPB could mean as many as 25 or 50 separate SPB tour guides. YOU chose if you want a big bus, small bus, small group, or private tour. You are NOT touring with 300 people!

 

We considered getting our own visas, as my wife speaks passable Russian, but realized we still couldn't get to all the sites we wanted to see on our own, as some are pretty far flung from where the ship docks, and really wanted to learn as much as possible about the city, which we couldn't do without an expert leading us. You are going to see the Hermitage and "sites near by", but you won't see Catherine's Palace (SO worth it) or anything else further away.

 

 

We did a private tour (with TJ, but they all looked good to us) and did pay the $1000 and considered it worth every penny. I doubt we'll be getting back to St. Petersburg anytime soon, and we know we saw everything we wanted to see.

[jresn02]

thanks for the tips. I sent and email to a few places and see what they say. I only paid 599 for my room per person on the ship LOL.

[infoprof56]

thanks for the tips. I sent and email to a few places and see what they say. I only paid 599 for my room per person on the ship LOL.

 

For that price do they make you do your own dishes and bunk with the crew?

[LHT28]

thanks for the tips. I sent and email to a few places and see what they say. I only paid 599 for my room per person on the ship LOL.

Well then you have more money for tours :D

[goldie888]

'300 people from one ship with SPB could mean as many as 25 or 50 separate SPB tour guides. YOU chose if you want a big bus, small bus, small group, or private tour. You are NOT touring with 300 people!

 

I have cruised lot and understand how touring work. All SPB tours are 16 persons or less. When I mentioned 300 people from one ship, I am referring to there should be others who would want to spend one day at the Hermitage Museum.

[lawblond7]

We are doing a 2 day full private tour - 6 of us in the group (Myself, my partner, my 3 boys -16,16,20, and my mom) and the cost is $375/person for the adults wiht a discount for the boys for the 2 days not PER day. It is much cheaper than the ship tour plus there are taking us to specific places we want to see that are not on any of the scheduled tours.

 

Sharon

[Giantfan13]

sorry wrong answer on wrong topic

 

Cheers

 

Len