St. Petersburg

[kmezz]

Can anyone tell me how far from the cruise port in Russia St. Petersburg is?  We are going on the APEX in August and was wondering how far we will be traveling from the ship.  Thanks!

[DaKahuna]

The port is within the city limits so not really sure what you are asking. 

 

 Be aware that unless you are on a recognized tour you must have a Visa in order to pass through Russian customs and go anywhere. 

 

Google is your friend. 

 

[TeeRick]

The vast majority of cruise passengers that go to St. Petersburg do not bother with getting their own VISA (and the expense) and do not go off on their own.  There are several excellent tour companies that pick you up at the port once you get through the Russian immigration line and they give you a limited tourist VISA.  Most of the tours are two days and everything is covered.  If you do a search here on CC you will easily find the details on these companies.  I will not mention the one we used because it will start a very long debate on which is better.  Bottom line is that they are all excellent.  

[dani negreanu]

Plenty of info in the Baltic ports of call --

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/116-northern-europe-amp-baltic-sea/

 

[Torfamm]

Unlike many other cities like Bangkok, Rome or Berlin that are on cruise itineraries but can be hours from cruise ports, St Petersburg’s port is in the city and most St. Petersburg sites are nearby. Pushkin, where the Catherine Palace is located, is about 45 minutes away if I remember correctly. 

[dabear]

We were on the Eclipse in 2018 and may have docked within the city limits but we were not near anything. I recall it was at least a 20-30 minute bus ride to the city sites & almost an hour for sites outside the city. There are very good multi-day tours available that include visitor visas, but they do not allow you to roam on your own. The tours did save time in avoiding long lines at museums and palaces.

There is a dock on the river that was very close to sites but it was only for smaller ships.

[upwarduk]

10 minutes ago, dabear said:

There is a dock on the river that was very close to sites but it was only for smaller ships.

We docked there, but were on a smaller ship, but it was in 2001. It was close to the English Bridge. I believe the Azamara ships dock there now a days.

Unfortunately, we were denied entry into St Petersburg in 2018 as the entrance to the new port is very narrow, and the Captain of Silhouette refused to try to turn the ship, due to the wind.

The  World Cup was being played in St Petersburg at the time.

 

[Lastdance]

if you are really interested in Russia, use a private guide for just you and travel partners.  My DH and I did this for two days and had eveerything tailored to us.  We had a driver and a guide.

[Arizona Wildcat]

The ships dock about a 20 minute bus ride from the downtown dock where the Hermitage Museum is located.  A Russian Visa is about $200pp including an administrative fee.  $160 is you do it on your own - it took my wife and I 4 attempts to get everything accepted.  Lots easier to go on a ship tour.

That said - St Petersburg is very tourist friendly with lots of places to visit.  Well worth a week.  There are inexpensive B&Bs close to the Hermitage with most tours and museums leaving nearby.

[81Zoomie]

18 minutes ago, Lastdance said:

if you are really interested in Russia, use a private guide for just you and travel partners.  My DH and I did this for two days and had eveerything tailored to us.  We had a driver and a guide.

We second this recommendation.  We had a private driver, guide, and Mercedes.  We were in the Hermitage before the masses and skipped the lines.  We dined at “local” restaurants.  We had dinner in a restaurant that was frequented by local families.  It was a wonderful experience. Skip the bus rides and use a private tour.  We did not require a visa for this.

Edited January 14, 2022 by 81Zoomie

[jwlane]

40 minutes ago, upwarduk said:

we were denied entry into St Petersburg in 2018

 

 

If it was the June 23 sailing, we were there, too!

Edited January 14, 2022 by jwlane

[late2cruisin]

3 hours ago, jwlane said:

If it was the June 23 sailing, we were there, too!

We were on the very next cruise (July 7-21) and we heard all about what happened to you. We felt SO bad about it. Can't imagine how disappointed you must all have been. After all, that port is the reason most people take a Baltic cruise!

We booked one of the well-known 2-day tours and were very satisfied with it. Not worth it to get your own visa for just 2 or 3 days (and we did consider it, since we had been there before and my DH speaks Russian). Let's hope the political situation doesn't get so bad that they end up cancelling those Russia sailings!

[TeeRick]

One other point.  St Petersburg and it's tourist sites and outlying attractions are very busy in the summer season.  Large number of people and long lines in places like the Hermitage and Peterhof.  The guide we used was able to either get us in quickly with no lines or in one case prior to the public opening time.  Big advantage really.  Well worth it.

[DaKahuna]

We had the same experience on our Baltic Cruise.   We were escorted past long lines of people waiting to enter a number of the venue's.  

 

The guides spoke very good English and were quite knowledgeable.  

 

The tours we took focused on the history around the Romanov era with some interesting information thrown in where it was appropriate about the German occupation during WWII.  

 

We did ask some questions about changes that have occurred since Communist rule has shifted.  They were very forthcoming with their answers. 

[TeeRick]

19 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

We had the same experience on our Baltic Cruise.   We were escorted past long lines of people waiting to enter a number of the venue's.  

 

The guides spoke very good English and were quite knowledgeable.  

 

The tours we took focused on the history around the Romanov era with some interesting information thrown in where it was appropriate about the German occupation during WWII.  

 

We did ask some questions about changes that have occurred since Communist rule has shifted.  They were very forthcoming with their answers. 

Agree- these were some of the best, most informative and well run tours we have ever experienced.

[jwlane]

13 hours ago, late2cruisin said:

We were on the very next cruise (July 7-21)

We're trying again in May on a very similar itinerary.  I'm sure we'll make it this time!

[GB08]

Can’t say enough good about the Tour Company we booked from the Celebrity Reflection.  They got us through the lines and into every major attraction.   I can honestly say this is one of my top 3 of cruises.     Sincerely hope St.Petersburg is open to tourists this season.   Don’t miss it.

[emmas gran]

Our first Baltic cruise on Regal Princess in 1995, we docked in the old dockyards lots of old rusty ships. We were on a Princess excursion and kept waiting for over an hour to depart. The Russian Mafia would not let the tour buses in to pick quests up and the Purser/Guest relations manager had to take a briefcase of money to pay them and allow the buses entry, the amount paid to the Mafia was not disclosed.