Visa needed for st. Petersburg?

[ucapike03]

Sorry if I am duplicating posts here...we are traveling on the legend of the seas this summer with an overnight in st Pete...I know it's Russia, so do we need to apply for a visa? We are a group of dyi folks rather than tours with the ship. I know the ship usually has a special visa for their tours, but like I said, we will be on our own. If possible we'd like to stay in Russia overnight rather than on the boat. Just trying to experience the city.

 

Thoughts and advice is very much appreciated.

[dogs4fun]

Sorry if I am duplicating posts here...we are traveling on the legend of the seas this summer with an overnight in st Pete...I know it's Russia, so do we need to apply for a visa? We are a group of dyi folks rather than tours with the ship. I know the ship usually has a special visa for their tours, but like I said, we will be on our own. If possible we'd like to stay in Russia overnight rather than on the boat. Just trying to experience the city.

 

Thoughts and advice is very much appreciated.

 

If you intend on DIY in St. Petersburg and/or stay overnight in the city then, yes, you do need to obtain a Russian visa.

[nybumpkin]

Sorry if I am duplicating posts here...we are traveling on the legend of the seas this summer with an overnight in st Pete...I know it's Russia, so do we need to apply for a visa? We are a group of dyi folks rather than tours with the ship. I know the ship usually has a special visa for their tours, but like I said, we will be on our own. If possible we'd like to stay in Russia overnight rather than on the boat. Just trying to experience the city.

 

Thoughts and advice is very much appreciated.

If you're planning DIY, no ship tours, no independent tours with group visas - Yes, you need a Russian visa.

[Giantfan13]

Sorry if I am duplicating posts here...we are traveling on the legend of the seas this summer with an overnight in st Pete...I know it's Russia, so do we need to apply for a visa? We are a group of dyi folks rather than tours with the ship. I know the ship usually has a special visa for their tours, but like I said, we will be on our own. If possible we'd like to stay in Russia overnight rather than on the boat. Just trying to experience the city.

 

Thoughts and advice is very much appreciated.

 

Most of the posters here will advice you against DIY in St Petersburg. if you spend a few minutes reading many of the threads here, you will see the best way to see St Petersburg is with one of the several private tour companies that most of us have used. Forget any ship's excursions and join a private group. We all have no money to be made by recommending this companies, just trying to help those that are puzzled as to how to see this wonderful city.

yes there have been some that were adventurous and have tried to see St Petersburg on their own, but be aware, the ship doesn't dock in an area where many of the sites are, most people in St Petersburg do NOT speak any English, most signs and directions are in Russian and not English, so it will be hard to get around and see what you might like to see. Add to that, places like Pushkin and Catherine's Palace are outside the city, make seeing those places hard adventure to get to and to return. If you only have 2 days, or even 3 days there, you would be much wiser to contact several of the major tour operators mentioned on these boards and tell then what you want to see etc. They will supply a temporary visa for your stay as long as you are touring with them and they will customize a tour hopefully, to your liking. Basically for about the same price you will pay for your visas.

Visas are fairly expensive, harder to get, and many times, just not worth the effort when you are challenged by so many obstacles. Sure it can be done, but in a place where very little English is spoken, and time is a major factor, it really doesn't make a lot of sense.

 

Cheers

 

Len

[p_mori7]

Adding my $0.02 here...did St-P last July...with ALLA Tours...there is NO WAY IN HECK that I would recommend somebody try to do St-P on thier own...UNLESS you are FLUENT in Russian.

 

Getting a Russian VISA is a long process.

 

There is an AVIS office in the center of St-P...but they also advertise English speaking chauffeur services...

 

It is very possible to get around the city via subway & bus & streetcar...but there are no english signs....and you could probably forget about the outlying attractions like Peterhof & Catherines Palace without a rental car.

 

Pay for the complete tour...and ENJOY your visit !

 

:)

[SparkleBee]

yes you need a visa unless you book with a local tour group. I am a very do it yourself traveller but it made no sense for me to try and navigate this one on my own. I booked w SPB Tours.

[John Bull]

There are a very few cruisers who've organised their own visas, hotel, tickets, transport etc, and it certainly can be done - hopefully one of them might respond to this thread.

 

But I'll put my own weight behind the comments of the others on this thread, most of whom I know are inveterate DIYers, like ourselves.

There are too many hurdles for most folk to DIY in St Petersburg - visas & the written & spoken word are just a couple of them, and a pre-booked private or shared tour is best for virtually everyone.

Most private operators use 16 seat vans, & since you are a large group (8 or more?) you can customise a tour to your own needs at no extra cost other than any extra out-of-pocket expenses.

All the accredited private operators (scroll though this forum & you'll find a dozen or more mentioned) are highly recommended by those who've used them.

You will not need to pre-pay, but because the tour ticket is your visa-waiver through immigration you do need to pre-book.

.

Careful phraseology by cruise lines give the impression that you need a visa unless you are on a ship's tour, some cruise line employees as well as cruisers are taken in and also state that as fact, some cruise lines don't even bother with misleading statements & simply untruthfully say that you need a visa or a ship's tour. :mad:

 

If you overnite on the ship or choose to go ashore unaccompanied, as others have posted you will need a pre-arranged visa.

И это очень и очень сложный ;)

 

JB :)

[prish]

Careful phraseology by cruise lines give the impression that you need a visa unless you are on a ship's tour, some cruise line employees as well as cruisers are taken in and also state that as fact, some cruise lines don't even bother with misleading statements & simply untruthfully say that you need a visa or a ship's tour. :mad:

 

JB :)

 

This is what happened to us in 2007, it was our second cruise and I hadn't even heard of CC! We were given to understand we'd need visas and decided to take the cruise line's shorex. We're planning to cruise the Baltics again next year and will absolutely tour with one of the private operators.

[buggins0402]

Sorry if I am duplicating posts here...we are traveling on the legend of the seas this summer with an overnight in st Pete...I know it's Russia, so do we need to apply for a visa? We are a group of dyi folks rather than tours with the ship. I know the ship usually has a special visa for their tours, but like I said, we will be on our own. If possible we'd like to stay in Russia overnight rather than on the boat. Just trying to experience the city.

 

Thoughts and advice is very much appreciated.

 

Because we are DIYers, I looked at the cost a few months ago of obtaining a visa. It's just not cost effective for someone who has to use a Visa processing service. Cost of the visa through a processing service will run more than $250 - once you add in express mail. You can join a tour from your roll call for about the same, and those will include transportation and entry fees to sites.

 

Note - we have traveled to Moscow on a visa - so I know that visitiing Russia is not as hard as it looks and we still made the decision to join the tour. For two days it just doesn't make economic sense, but might at least reach break-even for a three day stop for someone who would rather DIY.

 

If you decide to join a tour from your roll-call, find a company that will arrange a night on the town for you after your day tour. I am paying dearly for 3 hours on a loose leash for our evening there - but it's worth it.

[msmoger]

Thought you might find these to links helpful.

 

Scroll down a little in the article for Russia.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/budget-travel/do-not-enter-5-countries_b_4922002.html

 

 

http://www.visatorussia.com/russianvisa.nsf/consulate_form.html

 

It certainly does not seem like they want to make it easy. :rolleyes:

[buggins0402]

Thought you might find these to links helpful.

 

Scroll down a little in the article for Russia.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/budget-travel/do-not-enter-5-countries_b_4922002.html

 

 

http://www.visatorussia.com/russianvisa.nsf/consulate_form.html

 

It certainly does not seem like they want to make it easy. :rolleyes:

 

Yes, I forgot to mention that going through the visa process is as enjoyable as going through a colonoscopy.

[DipBrat]

Yes, I forgot to mention that going through the visa process is as enjoyable as going through a colonoscopy.

 

The process is expensive, but if you are an agency it is not overly complicated and wont take you any longer than applying for a passport by mail.

[ucapike03]

Thank you all for your valued insight....I think we will heed your warnings and work through tour companies. Thank you again!