St. Petersburgh 1 day tour recommendation

[amazed_2008]

Can Anyone recommend a for a one day tour in St. Petersburgh? The two day tours look exhausting....I wouldn't mind relaxing on the ship for the second day. Or is there any one day canal tours?

[flowslow]

I believe you can book a 1-day tour of St. Petersburg with any local tour company. We used Anastasia Travel when we visited last May and I believe they offer different tour programs which you can customize. If you want to do a canal tour only, I think they can arrange that for you since you are free to customize the tour. Good luck! 

[dogs4fun]

7 hours ago, amazed_2008 said:

Can Anyone recommend a for a one day tour in St. Petersburgh? The two day tours look exhausting....I wouldn't mind relaxing on the ship for the second day. Or is there any one day canal tours?

My guess is that you will be looking for a private one day tour. Most of the local operators offer their flat-rate group tours for the number of days your ship is in port (in your case, 2 days). However, any local company can customize a one day private tour for you. Also, your ship will most likely offer tours that cover just one day. Good luck!

Edited September 24, 2019 by dogs4fun

[Lagerta]

As an option, you may also consider taking 2 half-day tours where on the first day you are taking a car (bus) city tour followed by a canal cruise which is very relaxing. As for the second day, you may catch the hydrofoil to the Peterhof Fountain Park where you can enjoy its gardens, beautiful palaces and fountains. Hope it helps and you have a wonderful journey!

[John Bull]

1 hour ago, dogs4fun said:

My guess is that you will be looking for a private one day tour. Most of the local operators offer their flat-rate group tours for the number of days your ship is in port (in your case, 2 days). However, any local company can customize a one day private tour for you. Also, your ship will most likely offer tours that cover just one day. Good luck!

 

I think dogs4 is right - for ships in port two days, certainly the majority of local operators' small-group (max 16) tours are two-day tours. I'm sure you'll find local operators who will customise a one-day private tour for you, but unless there are 8 or more in your group it'll be expensive. You could post on your cruise RollCall to find out if there are like-minded folk to share with.

 

I don't often recommend ships' tours, but most ships offer one-day and half-day tours in St Petersburg. These are mainly (all?) in large buses, with the disadvantages that come with large groups. But, like independently organised tours, ships' tours in St Petersburg are well-received - as they should be because they're operated by the same local tour operators.

 

JB 

[trosebery]

A two-day tour does not have to be exhausting. Many of the tour operators offer Comfort or Relaxed or etc. tours that have a more comfortable and relaxed pace. But even the regular tours are not as strenuous as they might sound as you spent the time between sights in a comfortable private van -- and the drivers of those vans are great at getting parking really close! (Much closer than the big tour buses.)

 

Or if you book a private tour, you can set your own pace. For example, when we were in St. Petersburg this last time, we'd booked a private tour (through Red Sun Tours) that on our first day included a relaxing lunch at a Georgian restaurant to try some Georgian cuisine.

 

Check out some of the recommendations on this thread that I started:

and maybe contact a few tour operators to see what they might recommend.

 

You can almost certainly find one day tours through the ship. But St. Petersburg is usually the highlight of a Baltic cruise. I would recommend making the most of it that you're able.

[Kate P.C]

Check out with Anastasia Travel. They do offer a variety of tours and you are free to customize it.

 

But, St.Petersburg is amazing, why just spend one day there when not even a week is enough to explore and get to know the city.

 

You can chill on the ship some other day, when you are at sea for instance.

 

Try to make the most of your Baltic cruise, because when you go home, you may regret not exploring as much as you could've.

[spbstan]

There are many 1 day visa free tours for cruise passengers to choose from on CC's sister company Viator.
https://viator.com and just type in the destination city of St Petersburg and then select Shore Excursion.  There are many other tours but most are for land tours and not offered by tour operators who can conduct visa free tours for cruise passengers. 
As others replied, you will be kicking yourself when you return home for missing the main reason Baltic cruises even exist since St Petersburg is the gem of the region that has more to see and do than all the other ports of call combined.  
If you select a private tour, only where only your party are included, you usually can modify it for being as active or as relaxing as you wish.   I live in St Petersburg and the Trip Advisor Destination Expert so see how visitors interact with the city intimately and anything can be accommodated regardless of your interests.  This year, mostly from May  to late September we had 9 million visitors and next year because of a new electronic visa system for 54 countries will go into effect Oct 1 so we have been told by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to expect 12 Million next summer. On busy port days plus the thousands of Chinese nationals who arrive daily, some of the  must -sees are getting over crowded, since the majority want to see the same 8 destinations out of the hundreds of equally great destinations. If 18.000 arrive by ship on a day, and 40,000 Chinese arrive on the same day and all want to see the Hermitage and Catherine Palace, they can be much too crowded so check how many ships will being more your day of arrival. If you are flexible and visit the Hermitage late in the afternoon, after 6-7pm the crowds will be gone. There are no lines after 6:30 and it is a much more relaxed and enjoyable experience. Coming in the fall is another way of having a more relaxed experience, everything slows down, as the normal pace of the city returns until late spring. 
If you have any hobbies or special interests, there is likely some museum or activity related to it. Have a great visit!

[dogs4fun]

3 hours ago, spbstan said:

This year, mostly from May  to late September we had 9 million visitors and next year because of a new electronic visa system for 54 countries will go into effect Oct 1 so we have been told by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to expect 12 Million next summer. On busy port days plus the thousands of Chinese nationals who arrive daily, some of the  must -sees are getting over crowded, since the majority want to see the same 8 destinations out of the hundreds of equally great destinations. If 18.000 arrive by ship on a day, and 40,000 Chinese arrive on the same day and all want to see the Hermitage and Catherine Palace, they can be much too crowded so check how many ships will being more your day of arrival. If you are flexible and visit the Hermitage late in the afternoon, after 6-7pm the crowds will be gone. There are no lines after 6:30 and it is a much more relaxed and enjoyable experience. Coming in the fall is another way of having a more relaxed experience, everything slows down, as the normal pace of the city returns until late spring. 

I thought that the new e-visa will go into effect in 2021 - that is what I have been reading online.

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2019/07/22/russia-offers-simplified-e-visas-to-visitors-of-st-petersburg-a66512

No matter - if the tourist load increases by another 25%, visiting St. Petersburg via cruise during the height of the tourist season will become an absolute zoo. This year was especially crowded at both the Hermitage and Catherine Palace. I can't imagine either of these two venues if the tourist load increases by another 25%. Most tourists from the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand will visit Russia only once and, naturally, the majority of these people want to visit the Hermitage and Catherine Palace. Are there any plans in place to minimize crowding at these sites?

I totally agree that there are many other venues to visit other than the "must see" sights that most want to visit on their 1st trip to Saint Petersburg. I am an advocate of securing a visa and visiting Russia on your own - this allows one to actually experience this wonderful city rather than the mere "taste" one gets via a cruise stop. We prefer to travel during the shoulder season when crowds are less intense - this especially applies to the big hitters like Rome, Florence, Vienna, Budapest, Prague, St. Petersburg etc.

BTW - there are wonderful places to visit in Russia other than just St. Petersburg (although St. Pete still remains our favorite).

Edited September 28, 2019 by dogs4fun

[angie7911922]

On 9/24/2019 at 9:51 AM, amazed_2008 said:

Can Anyone recommend a for a one day tour in St. Petersburgh? The two day tours look exhausting....I wouldn't mind relaxing on the ship for the second day. Or is there any one day canal tours?

 

hi,  yes those 2-day tours are exhausting. But SO worth it. If you are ok with just visiting a few sights I would recommend doing this by private tour. This way you can go at your own pace and when you don't want anymore, you stop. Maybe as suggested before, 2 half day tours? We booked our tours with Anastasia travel. They were extremely helpful and very knowledgeable regarding the possibilities in St.Petersburg and surrounding areas. Maybe they can help you?

 

[CrazyJess]

I guess a private tour could be too expensive unless you have a party of 8 or more.  Get in touch with one of the local tour operators and ask about a possibility to join their 2 day tour just for one day. I would suggest you to get in touch with Best Guides. They have group tours for the majority of the ships  and at the same time they are very good in developing tailor made private tours. I mean they are very good at customizing their itineraries and   I’m sure they will include you in some group for just one day. Before signing for the tour ask them to mail you the exact itinerary adjusted to your weekdays and choose a day you want.

Jess

[John Bull]

On 10/30/2019 at 12:44 PM, CrazyJess said:

Get in touch with one of the local tour operators and ask about a possibility to join their 2 day tour just for one day.

 

Jess

 

I'm not sure that any tour operator will go for that, Jess. 

They'd be getting half the income from those seats because they'd be empty on the other day.

 

Unless the OP's health / mobility issues are extreme, I'll join the chorus of those who say they'll probably regret not going ashore on both days.

As troseberry's post, most of the well-known operators offer two levels.

And they don't have to even get out of the van at any sights that don't appeal

 

JB 

[schmerl]

3 hours ago, John Bull said:

 

I'm not sure that any tour operator will go for that, Jess. 

They'd be getting half the income from those seats because they'd be empty on the other day.

 

Unless the OP's health / mobility issues are extreme, I'll join the chorus of those who say they'll probably regret not going ashore on both days.

As troseberry's post, most of the well-known operators offer two levels.

And they don't have to even get out of the van at any sights that don't appeal

 

JB 

 

Even if they do have health/mobility issues two day tours can accommodate. We just booked a two day tour with TJ Travel. They are providing wheelchairs and assistants for us with NO extra charge. 

[dogs4fun]

3 hours ago, John Bull said:

I'm not sure that any tour operator will go for that, Jess. 

They'd be getting half the income from those seats because they'd be empty on the other day.

Even assuming that one would be allowed participate in just one day of a two day tour (and, I agree with JB that this is unlikely), the tour itineraries are often changed due to weather, traffic conditions and the like. Thus, you assume that you will be visiting the Hermitage on the day you choose of the 2 day tour and find that it has been changed to the alternate day.

Edited November 3, 2019 by dogs4fun

[BritinSoCal]

On 9/28/2019 at 6:51 AM, spbstan said:

There are many 1 day visa free tours for cruise passengers to choose from on CC's sister company Viator.
https://viator.com and just type in the destination city of St Petersburg and then select Shore Excursion. 

 

OP, whatever you decide to do, DON'T book through Viator. Viator does't offer any tours, they're just a 3rd party re-seller of existing tours from existing companies. I would recommend heading over to Trip Advisor, taking a look at the reviews of the top-rated tour companies and contacting them if any of their itineraries takes your fancy.

 

Personally, having had an overnight in SP, I'm glad I took full advantage of the two days there - its an absolutely amazing city and even with 2 weeks (never mind 2 days) you'll only scratch the surface...

[CrazyJess]

I agree with all of you and also vote for a two day tour. Moreover, two days won’t be enough for such a city as St. Petersburg and you will want to return.  It’s one of my favorite cities: Venice, Paris & St. Petersburg and I don’t know which of these cities I love more.

 The last time I visited St. Petersburg by a cruise ship was in 2015. We signed for Best of the Best tour with Best Guides. I can't remember how many people there were in our group ( about 6 or 8), but I’m sure that on the first day there were more people than on the second, as there was a couple which had signed just for one day. They had a private special interest tour on the second day.

So I suggest just send a mail and ask them directly. Anyway, questions are free of charge 😊 tours are not 😊😊😊

Jess