Advice on booking tours in St. Petersburg

[djwen]

We also have just returned and used SPB in St. Petersburg. Our guide, Luba, not only had a near encyclopedic knowledge of the sites we visited, but also shared her insights from being raised in Siberia. Our driver Sergie was great and we felt very safe leaving our stuff in the van since he was always close by on guard.

I would highly recommend SPB tours in St. Petersburg.

It is not too early to make contact now for next year. They are very responsive to emails, especially in the 'off' season when plans are being made. One the season starts it takes a little longer to get email replies.

I was the designated person in our group to arrange the St. Petersburg tour and I emailed several companies. I decided on SPB because they were so responsive to our requests.

I can't say enough good things about our tour. We even made an unscheduled stop at "The Idiot" a coffee shop for midday lattes.

We had a great time and the price was very reasonable (especially compared to the cruise tours). I would very much recommend.

[shieldslass]

This information is really helpful, as I was worried about how to get out & about in St Petersburg. How do you get the paperwork for the private tour operators? do you have to book before the cruise starts.

[sbhdmh]

The first thing you need to do is contact several companies. The most popular on CC are Denrus, Red October, Alla, Anastasia and SPB. We booked directly with a private guide, Masha, http://www.guide-spb-ru.com/index.html. Others have also been mentioned. No one has reported a negative experience with any of these private guides or tours since I have been reading these posts. You can do some research on line or in books to get an idea of what you would like to see. Many of the larger companies have prepackaged tours and you can sign up with them if you see something that you like. You can also put together a personal tour to see just what you want. You can then go to the Roll Call section of CC and find others on your cruise to form a group if you want to join with other people.

 

Once you have selected a company or guide they will email you a tour ticket. You will have to provide them information from your passport. They will then provide the Russian authorities with your information indicating that you will be covered by their blanket visa. When you get to St Petersburg you will provide the Russian immigration officials with this tour ticket, your passport and a copy of the information page from your passport, along with the immigration form you will receive on board. Some people have reported that the new terminal is automated and you will not need the copy of your information page or tour ticket. We were at the new terminal last month and did need these things. Better safe than sorry - be sure to bring them unless your tour operator specifically tells you that you will not need them. Yes, you will need to arrange for a private tour in advance of the cruise.

 

Please post again if you need more information.

[Giantfan13]

Most of their info you have received should be adequate in booking a tour. YOU have to decide what is best for you and your family. Most of the companies cover the exact same ground, and you will see all there is to see with all the companies. It could be personal preference or money. As was said, I would go to the roll call for your cruise and see if others have already booked a tour with a particular company. USUALLY, the more people on a tour, the cheaper the price becomes, so it could benefit you to join other with a particular company. If no one has suggested one, then jump right out there and ask if others want to join you on whichever one you decide to use.

 

Ourselves, I emailed all the major tour companies and got responses from all. But we went with SPB because Viktoria ALWAYS responded immediately and always with a likable personality, if you can get that thru emails, that I instantly knew I wanted to use her group. When we were looking, others mentioned that certain groups usually responded with basically 'form' answers and not really personalizing what they wanted to know. Viktoria was different, and I help organize our group. We ended up having over 30 people and we split our group into two smaller groups.

Look at the itineraries, ask some questions and decide which one you feel is the best, but as most have already said, there is NO bad group, they are all good, and you will have a great time whichever you decide.

[cruzmaven]

I've been looking at some of the sites suggested, and notice that many, if not all, of the excursions are two days or longer. Our stop in St Petersburg next year while on the Vision of the Seas is just one full day, 7:00am - 10:00pm. Since it's so far out, I don't really want to email any of them yet, but does anyone know, off the top of your head or from experience, whether any of these companies do single-day excursions?

 

Having just taken a Baltic cruise in July, I've got to say that one day in St. Petersburg is not enough to do the city justice. The Hermatage alone is going to take 1/2 a day and at that you won't see 1% of what's available.

 

Since your cruise is so far out I strongly recommend you look into other itineraries or other cruiselines sailing that time of year. There are many options available. We had 3 days in St Petersburg and could have done more.

[traveler525]

We also used SPB Tours. We had a totally fabulous time and cannot recommend them highly enough. Our guide was also Elena, and she was very knowledgeable. Inside the Hermitage, for example, she asked us what we wanted to see. She did not know in advance what we would ask to see yet was able to show us and explain everything we asked. Totally amazing!

 

They took us in hand and made sure we saw and did a full two days worth of adventures. Yet they made it very easy and comfortable. There were only 4 of us on our tour, and I believe it made it much more enjoyable.

 

I wish we had had more than 2 days even, but if you just have one, you are doing it up right with preplanning as it is a beautiful city. Hope you have wonderful adventures as well!

[Couchiching]

We also used Viktoria at SPB Tours and would highly recommend her company. We had a three day tour just for the two of us with Elena as our guide/driver. She was great and had a fantastic knowledge of St P. We also met Viktoria on the second day. I think she likes to met all her groups since she has built up a relationship with them in the months prior to cruising.

We also used SPB tours on our Baltic trip back in June. Elana was our guide and was everything you could hope for in a tour guide. We put together a small group of 9 people through CC and managed to cover all of the important sites and then some! We had NO problems getting off the ship and getting through customs and we were in the tour bus by 7 am and on our way. Viktoria is very easy to work with and is very prompt with any nquiries you might have.

Enjoy St P

Joan

[misskef]

This information is really helpful, as I was worried about how to get out & about in St Petersburg. How do you get the paperwork for the private tour operators? do you have to book before the cruise starts.

 

Yes, you need to book before the cruise starts. The tour company will take your passport information and file it with Russian immigration on your behalf. They'll send you a "ticket" or letter that you include with your passport when you go through passport control. This alerts the agent that your visa has been secured by a tour company. While in their "custody" you do not need a visa in your passport.

 

Your tour company picks you up outside passport control and drop you back there.

 

When booking with Denrus, I did the whole thing online (again a group tour) and everything came in PDF form to email that I printed out. Custom tours are likely a little harder and may require some phone calls.

 

Really, this couldn't have been easier.

[bardstowntraveller]

If you are travelling in 2010, you probably won't be able to finalize your booking until after the first of the year. All of the tour operators I have contacted have indicated that they will not have 2010 pricing until December. In the meantime, however, you should be contacting the companies you are interested in to determine which one seems the best fit for you. Most will provide a proposal and a preliminary estimate.

[baileyfirestone]

We used TJ Travel for our tour of St. Petersburg and were very happy with both the guide and the process of booking the tour. Tatyana helped us find another couple from our ship to lower the cost and also customized their standard tour to include some "everyday life" experiences like a visit to a supermarket and a subway ride. Our guide, Marina, was very knowledgeable as well as welcoming. It was the highlight of our trip and we would use them again.

[bobkingdc]

We just returned from our Baltic cruise on the Costa Mediterrania. We set up a 2 day tour through a local tour guide that operates with Anastasia. We were able to see so much more than just using the ship's excursions and we had comlpete control over our itinerary.

 

We had no problems disembarking with Costa. They did not discourage any independant or private tour passengers at all. There were no letters sent out nor was it ever announced that ship excursion passengers would be let off first. As soon as the gangway was opened up, they let anyone off that had all of their information ready for Russian immigration. We were off the ship and through immigration in 5 to 10 minutes.

[Hotbroker]

My wife and I just returned from SS Cloud to the Baltics. I want everyone to know what a wonderful experience we had with Red Ocotber Tours. They provided us with a two day tour package for four people with a nice Mercedes Benz mini van and a very competent english speaking guide. Not only was her english excellent, her knowledge of the palaces and museums we went to was amazing. She, Elena, took us through the Hermitage with wonderful expertise,again when we got to PeterHof and Catherines Palace she wisked us past all kinds of lines.

Once you have had a private guide you will never want to get on the bus with all of those who need to see every bathroom on the trip as well as waiting for someone who had to see what was in the gift shop.

I cannot say enough good things, and on top of all that we paid 1/3 of what people on the ship paid!

[JIMDSB2]

As everyone else has recomended, please take a private tour. We toured with Anastasia (Irina) in July. I put together a group of 12 people and we had a 17 seat minibus, so we were not crowded. I used the 'Meet and Mingle' site here for our Jewel of the Seas cruise and had no peroblem finding enough people. Just remember, everyone waits until the last couple of months to sign up.

Look up their "anastasiaworld.com" website for their standard 2 day tour. That is your starting point. You can make any changes to their itinerary you want. They are most accommodating, and their cost was lower than their competition. With our changes and the fact that we were all healthy, our day 1 ran from 7:30AM to 8:00PM and the Second Day from 9:00AM to 5:00PM(?) to get back to the ship in time. We were ahead of schedule on the second day, so our guide added a couple of extra surprise stops - Cruiser Aurura, real working Russian Orthodox (there was a baptism going on), a stop overlooking some of the canals, etc..

[TSC]

We did the Baltic in June and had read some horror stories about how the ship makes the private tour travelers wait and disembark last - but nothing could be farther from the truth for Celebrity.

Celebrity did ask everyone with a private tour to let them know (the day before we got to Russia) what time they were scheduled to meet their tour. Then Celebrity asked us (private tour travelers) to meet in the lounge until we were called. In the lounge they had orange juice, coffee and breakfast rolls. At 7:15, Celebrity called the group scheduled to meet their group at 7:30. It was as easy as it could be and helped keep the lines down at immigration.

 

We had a shipboard friend - who wanted to be extra safe and so went to the gangway to disembark first. He was allowed off with no questions asked and then he waited with the tour group guide (about 30 of us CCs went with ALLA - and all were very pleased) until the first 12 arrived and his minibus filled. Many of us did the ALLA complete tour and one group was 10 and another 12. Others in our group of 30 did private tours with ALLA.

 

And as an FYI - those that traveled with Denrus were also quite happy.

 

Enjoy - we had a truly memorable time - an amazing place to visit.

[TSC]

We did the Baltic in June and had read some horror stories about how the ship makes the private tour travelers wait and disembark last - but nothing could be farther from the truth for Celebrity.

Celebrity did ask everyone with a private tour to let them know (the day before we got to Russia) what time they were scheduled to meet their tour. Then Celebrity asked us (private tour travelers) to meet in the lounge until we were called. In the lounge they had orange juice, coffee and breakfast rolls. At 7:15, Celebrity called the group scheduled to meet their group at 7:30. It was as easy as it could be and helped keep the lines down at immigration.

 

We had a shipboard friend - who wanted to be extra safe and so went to the gangway to disembark first. He was allowed off with no questions asked and then he waited with the tour group guide (about 30 of us CCs went with ALLA - and all were very pleased) until the first 12 arrived and his minibus filled. Many of us did the ALLA complete tour and one group was 10 and another 12. Others in our group of 30 did private tours with ALLA.

 

And as an FYI - those that traveled with Denrus were also quite happy.

 

Enjoy - we had a truly memorable time - an amazing place to visit.

 

 

Oops - we went in May. :o

[DMG46]

My wife and did the Baltic cruise on the Jewel of the Seas August, 2009. We booked the 2 day shore excursion with Denrus and had an excellent experience. Booking over the internet was smooth and we received the confirmation and additional information promptly.

 

We had absolutely no problem getting off of the ship on time. There were 21 people in our group and this was a real advantage over the ship's excursions that used larger busses and had about twice as many participants. This was especially important at the very busy venues. We got in and out quickly.

 

Our guide had extensive knowledge of history and a real interest in art which made our visit to the Hermitage all the more interesting. More importantly, as we were with her for 2 days we had a chance to develop a rapport with her. She got to know us and was able to tailor her tour to our interests and needs.

 

Even the obligatory stops at souvenir shops were less crowded, more relaxed and the values were good. The 2 meals provided as part of the package were good and an interesting change from the ship's fare.

 

Compared to ship based excursions, we paid less, were able to see much more and had an overall more enjoyable experience visiting this fascinating city.

[bellagirl]

With Denrus tours,who is responsible for putting the group together? Do I simply sign my hubby and I up and leave the rest to them?

Thanks for your help. Shelly:)

[gene48]

We really enjoyed our Baltic cruise in August 2009. One of the highlights was our St. Petersburg tour with 12 people. We chose SPB-tours because Viktoria was the most responsive. Touring with 12 people is much better than with 40+ people because it is much easier to hear the guide, much quicker getting in to places, etc. I would suggest E-mailing several of the tour companies and see which one you are most comfortable with. SPB-tours E-mailed a "tour ticket" which acted as our visa and we had no problems getting off or on the ship.

 

Gene

[Alona]

Hi, Many thanks to everyone that has replied. We are now in the process of planning a tour with SPB tours. Once again thanks.

[tidley]

Hi, Many thanks to everyone that has replied. We are now in the process of planning a tour with SPB tours. Once again thanks.

 

We just had a tour with SPB on 9/13 &14--excellent! Tim was our guide, he is a history prof and doing thesis on Russian Orthodox Church--very knowledgeable! he was very accommodating to our requests, our group of 12 couldn't have been happier.

[Cavewomanflygirl]

Just back today from Baltic Capitals on Norwegian Jewel. The tour of St Petersburg with SPB tours was awesome.:D

 

In spite of all the misinformation from NCL, all our tour group of 17 were off the ship and through immigration, had met up with our driver and guide and had set off in our minibus BEFORE anyone on the official tours had even started leaving the ship - on both days.

 

I've posted a diary of our cruise at www.derekparker.co.cc

It's a work in progress so not all the links or photos are up yet, but it's a start.

 

Derek, glad you managed to get off Jewel ahead of everybody else. Wish I could say the same for me and my group. I actually posted a video of our situation on youtube...see youtube.com/guailoflygirl...the video is called disembarkation chaos. Someone suggested to me that if a person were to report to the roster point for the ncl tour and just basically walk off the boat with that crowd, you could get off the boat that way? Seems possible? Good luck!

 

I recommend SPB Tours. We saw tons and they were fabulous!

Happy Cruising,

Elizabeth

[cincicouple]

I am very interested in fact that someone mentioned they had obtained tickets for Swan Lake and a folkloric show. Did you need visa to get into St. petersburg in the evening without your tour group? also both sound awesome, but we will only be there 1 night so have to choose. Can you provide a little more info on the folkloric show? Does anyone else have any recommendations for evening activities?

[sbhdmh]

We considered both these options as well as another I have rarely seen mentioned - dinner in a home with a Russian family. When you arrange your tour just ask your guide or company about these evening options. They will give you a price and can provide visa-free arrangements just as they do for the day tour. In the end we decided to skip the evening activity as our first day was scheduled to be 11 hours of non-stop touring. As we were reboarding in the evening a group was leaving for the ballet and I did indeed feel very strong pangs of jealousy. As I collapsed into my bed and fell asleep at about 9:30, though, I knew we had made the right decision. Enjoy your cruise and whatever you choose to do with your evening in St Petersburg. It is a truly amazing place!

[lalique]

I am very interested in fact that someone mentioned they had obtained tickets for Swan Lake and a folkloric show. Did you need visa to get into St. petersburg in the evening without your tour group? also both sound awesome, but we will only be there 1 night so have to choose. Can you provide a little more info on the folkloric show? Does anyone else have any recommendations for evening activities?

I had previously posted that we attended the Folkloric Show and the Swan Lake Ballet this past summer in St. Petersburg. We did a 3 day tour with Alla. Alla purchased our tickets for us and we paid for them when we paid Alla for our tour (second day of tour). Our driver and guide took us to both shows but they did not have to go in with us. The driver then picked us up when shows were over and took us back to the ship. If you do not want to do it this way and want to go at night on your own, then you must get your own visa. Doing it the way we did, Alla's visa covered us for the evening also. It was great - we did some walking and had dinner in a nice restaurant on Nevsky Prospekt one night and it was fun to mingle with the locals. Our guide did go to dinner with us and then went with us to get us into the shows, but they do not have to go in the shows with you. Hope this helps. It's a fabulous trip!!

[celyvabeach]

If you are travelling in 2010, you probably won't be able to finalize your booking until after the first of the year. All of the tour operators I have contacted have indicated that they will not have 2010 pricing until December. In the meantime, however, you should be contacting the companies you are interested in to determine which one seems the best fit for you. Most will provide a proposal and a preliminary estimate.

 

 

Hi, I'm new on these boards but I have been reading and getting a lot of information. Thank you all. We are booked on the Star Princess out of CPH Aug 20,2010. Actually I have secured a Strenuous 2-day Tour with Alla couple of days ago, 2009 prices. I was told that they are working on 2010 prices but I can book before Dec 1st at current price. Hope this helps.