evening tours in st. petersburg

[kac911]

2 days in SPB, we don't want to spend the one night back on the ship but we are probably not interested in sitting through a show of any sort (I'm afraid that after a full day of touring I might fall asleep), but I am looking for something to do that isn't too strenuous or late (we do have a full day the next day too) but is still a bit lively.  I will be contacting our daytime tour company (Alla) to see what they suggest but wanted to see what ideas you all have done so I can make  more educated request.  Any suggestions?

 

Kelly

[Sirius 10]

 

For a not strenuous evening, suggest getting an outside table at the Grand Hotel on the corner of Nevsky Propect. Maybe a meal at the Azia restaurant again at the Hotel and finish off at the Bar with Piano player. Good for people watching and a well made Martini.

[John Bull]

Alla will customise an evening for you. If it’s simply one venue like Sirius suggestion they’ll take you there, settle you in and leave you for the evening, then come back for you  to take you back to the ship. That’s the most economical way to do it, and you’re left in pease.

 

tour companies tend not to offer an evening excursion unless you’re booked for the day tour, so Alla is your go-to operator for the evening.

 

BTW,  for the return to the ship ask to be driven past the illuminated bridges.

 

JB 😀

[Sirius 10]

Oliver,

             With no disrespect to your wife’s egg painting skills once you have seen the six genuine Faberge eggs the rest is best described as tat on the back on the Faberge name.

Not only Vodka to taste but also Armenia and Georgian wines, sadly Russian wines not yet good enough. Although Russian champagne worth one glass trial.

 

Balitica beer tour also available if that is more your thing. Happy Travels.

[flowslow]

A romantic river canal tour might interest you. If you are looking for something fun and interactive, a cooking class or a Matryoshka Painting Class might be a good idea. 

[LondonTowner]

We added the Faberge Museum Visit on to our daytime Alla Tour and it certainly wasn’t ‘tat’. We had to wait in a veryice bar/restaurant for the coach to pick us up after we had done the daytime tour. There was enough time to get a drink and a bite to eat.

[CrazyJess]

Boat tour would be good in case of good weather. Take a small private boat. Afterwards get an outside table in Gastronomika restaurant.  It’s my favorite restaurant in St. Petersburg. It’s not as expensive as restaurants in Grand Hotel Europe, but it’s really great: fantastic view, charming atmosphere and very!!! tasty 😄

Jess

[Slugsta]

On 2/16/2020 at 12:46 PM, John Bull said:

Alla will customise an evening for you. If it’s simply one venue like Sirius suggestion they’ll take you there, settle you in and leave you for the evening, then come back for you  to take you back to the ship. That’s the most economical way to do it, and you’re left in pease.

 

tour companies tend not to offer an evening excursion unless you’re booked for the day tour, so Alla is your go-to operator for the evening.

 

BTW,  for the return to the ship ask to be driven past the illuminated bridges.

 

JB 😀

 

Alla's website say that evening programs are available only to those who have booked daytime tours.

 

We have been to St Pete's before and my energy is limited these days, so I would like a less intensive program. It looks as if we might be limited to what the cruise line has to offer this time round.

[Poconolady]

2 days in SPB, we don't want to spend the one night back on the ship but we are probably not interested in sitting through a show of any sort (I'm afraid that after a full day of touring I might fall asleep), but I am looking for something to do that isn't too strenuous or late (we do have a full day the next day too) but is still a bit lively.  I will be contacting our daytime tour company (Alla) to see what they suggest but wanted to see what ideas you all have done so I can make  more educated request.  Any suggestions?
 
Kelly

We did a great evening tour thru SPB-Tours. A visit to an upscale food shop, a local backstreet wine bar, then an illuminated canal tour with unlimited vodka. Transportation from pier and back provided. This was definitely a highlight of our cruise! St Petersburg after dark is stunning!!l


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[Kate P.C]

We did the boat canal tour and enjoyed St.Petersburg at night. Very romantic and fairy tale like.

[Lagerta]

Actually there are tour companies providing wide range of evening tours such as relaxing boat tours or walks along Nevsky av. where you can hang out in any of numerous terraced cafes or - which was my favourite- dinner Neva cruise , really impressing - the views and sky colours!

[Sirius 10]

 

As an alternative to the Tourist Vodka museum I would reccoment the Roof Bar at the Kempinski restaurant about 300 yds down the street.

 

They provide a number of Vodkas to taste and a good Kamkatka Crab salad plus a great view of the Hermitage.

 

Make sure to get the correct lift to the Restaurant, possibly a little more expensive than the Museum but a genuine experience to remember. At Rub 80 : $ now now too expensive.

 

And even have Ice Cream !

 

 

[LondonTowner]

19 minutes ago, Nok977 said:

Oliver, 

Drinking vodka should be much more effective against COVID than our President's suggestions regarding disinfectans 😁

Ha, ha my partner agrees that drinking vodka keeps the virus at bay. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be very effective in Russia at the moment.

 

The less said about the orange devil, the better.

[Host Bonjour]

The very missed Anthony Bourdain did a few episodes of his show Parts Unknown at least in Ukraine (they went to Chernobyl) and probably Moscow, I'm blank at the moment...doesn't matter. What does is how vodka came into the show because of the cultural relevance and how it is used/tolerated/on and on. He tries to always find the balance between showing appreciation and respect for the host country and people while acknowledging that indeed, it can be a problem too.

 

Definitely made for some great television and not feeling so great morning afters, for which it seems the only thing to do was start up again the next day. I'd have thrown myself into the river but then vodka was never my jam and perhaps projectile vomiting is more offensive to hosts? Tough call. 🤔

 

My wonderful friend who'd lived/studied in SP (originally from former Soviet Kyrgyzstan) made our friendship easy because she didn't drink vodka, helped me learn basic Russian along with her child, made great food, and made me understand how important a dacha was. She had the most deadpan sense of humor I ever encountered. Former soviet citizens have seen some stuff in life. 💪

 

But it definitely is a national thing!! 😉 

[dogs4fun]

20 hours ago, Host Bonjour said:

My wonderful friend who'd lived/studied in SP (originally from former Soviet Kyrgyzstan) made our friendship easy because she didn't drink vodka, helped me learn basic Russian along with her child, made great food, and made me understand how important a dacha was. She had the most deadpan sense of humor I ever encountered. Former soviet citizens have seen some stuff in life. 💪

 

But it definitely is a national thing!! 😉 

My Russian friends are also not vodka drinkers - most of my Russian friends are far more fond of wine and none of them drinks to excess. I believe that the red-faced Russian, drunk on vodka, is a cliched dinosaur.

Moscow and Saint Petersburg are now full of minimalist cocktail bars and hipsters are continuously inventing new flavors of craft beer.  It appears that times are changing - many Russians of a certain age chose to drink vodka because it is cheap and effective but Russians are not drinking as much vodka as in the past as, according to the WHO, alcohol consumption has decreased by 43% from 2003 to 2016.

http://www.euro.who.int/en/health-topics/disease-prevention/alcohol-use/news/news/2019/10/alcohol-related-deaths-drop-in-russian-federation-due-to-strict-alcohol-control-measures,-new-report-says

Edited May 10, 2020 by dogs4fun

[LaPochCka]

On 5/10/2020 at 3:01 AM, Host Bonjour said:

The very missed Anthony Bourdain did a few episodes of his show Parts Unknown at least in Ukraine (they went to Chernobyl) and probably Moscow, I'm blank at the moment...doesn't matter. What does is how vodka came into the show because of the cultural relevance and how it is used/tolerated/on and on. He tries to always find the balance between showing appreciation and respect for the host country and people while acknowledging that indeed, it can be a problem too.

 

Definitely made for some great television and not feeling so great morning afters, for which it seems the only thing to do was start up again the next day. I'd have thrown myself into the river but then vodka was never my jam and perhaps projectile vomiting is more offensive to hosts? Tough call. 🤔

 

My wonderful friend who'd lived/studied in SP (originally from former Soviet Kyrgyzstan) made our friendship easy because she didn't drink vodka, helped me learn basic Russian along with her child, made great food, and made me understand how important a dacha was. She had the most deadpan sense of humor I ever encountered. Former soviet citizens have seen some stuff in life. 💪

 

But it definitely is a national thing!! 😉 

My ex-colleague sent this one to me - must be from a Russian forum on covid. So funny! This is good that the Russians can make jokes of themselves 😆😆😆

[dogs4fun]

For those that don't read Russian:

"please keep distance of 1.5m which approximates the size of a small bear"

I saw an online Aussie sign that measured the distance by one adult kangaroo 😏

 

Edited May 13, 2020 by dogs4fun

[Host Bonjour]

On 5/13/2020 at 4:22 PM, dogs4fun said:

For those that don't read Russian:

"please keep distance of 1.5m which approximates the size of a small bear"

I saw an online Aussie sign that measured the distance by one adult kangaroo 😏

 

 

Um, I get the when in Rome aspect of the sign (Russia) actually, I love it, but for those of us whose neighborhood critters run a bit smaller, non-bear variety...(which type, how small is a small bear for that type, is any bear small? I think NO...)...that if a bear had got lost and came into the non-bear neighborhood, NO ONE would be out wondering what size bear it was. 

 

So I am back to square one. I kind of got the 1,5 Metpa thing though, just lucky on that 😉

 

And yet, I can do the Adult Kangaroo signage but ONLY because I saw two of them (large!) brawling in the Blue Mountains and uttering noises that woke up the forest, and by forest I mean me (!!) because the other roos and birds were going about their forest business.  

 

If we will need signage for a while, and it appears we will, I think geographical/ecological/iconic references would make for helpful coping in terms of fatigue with ongoing use of terms and phrases. In Naples, stay 3 large pizzas away from someone, in Tuscany, keep 3 wine barrels distance from another person, In Moscow, basically one old Trabbie would be almost enough to distance oneself from someone.

Folks are starting to appear in creative, personalized masks which if we will continue to be wearing them, try to put bit of flair so we can still express a bit of flair/flavor while we protect ourselves and each other. I'm sporting a red mask w/white polka dots. Searching for another one now. A Bear mask? 🤣

 

Stay safe, keep well,  Peace.

 

 

[Anubi]

On 5/13/2020 at 4:22 PM, dogs4fun said:

For those that don't read Russian:

"please keep distance of 1.5m which approximates the size of a small bear"

I saw an online Aussie sign that measured the distance by one adult kangaroo 😏

 

Must be a cultural thing, in Canada its the length of a hockey stick!!  😄