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 !

Easier just to use one of the many ATMs for a few Roubles.

At present rate of Rub 75 to Usd trips should be cheaper if still operating.

If going by Sapsan try to book the four seat compartment at the very front of the train.

bit more expensive but worth the extra cost for the service and experience.

take the train from Domodevo airport to the centre of Moscow NOT a car. 30 minutes versus two hours ! 

In Siberia at minus 28 have eaten Ice cream warmer than outside temperature.

A little Vodka will help !

Russian tradition

Perhaps not appropriate for this question but “ No money, no honey “

Usd 1 liable to some unpleasantness !

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.

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.

Anyone cruised this River ??  Considering a cruise but looks very undeveloped and remote. A long way from St Petersburg.

On previous Summer visits to Siberia encountered many hungry mosquitoes, capable of biting through clothing !

Advice sought. 

Get the Visa you only live once !

After 10-00 Party time in most Hotels, I have observed.

Not sure what kind of tour will charge $1,000 per day and would not presume to guess !

Suggest you book one night at the Kempinski to get your Tourist Invitation Letter for the Tourist Visa.

You can arrange for them to send a Car to collect you from the Port and they can arrange a guided trip to the Hermitage a short walk away.

Later you can ask your driver to take you to the best Party area. ( A mater of personal choice ! ) and collect you later, suggest you get them to drive around the City and Bridges on your return to the Hotel, it looks even better at night.

Roof top Restaurant and Bar at Kempinski worth a visit.

Will not be cheap but at $1 to Rouble 62 not so expensive.

Try restaurant Nevskaya Zhemchuzina. Good Uzbek food, but you will be the only tourist there !  One of the very few restaurants beside the Neva. Even has small huts for Private Dining. About 10 minutes from Moscow Hotel. Dark Glasses optional !

15 hours ago, trosebery said:

Yes, the packed lunch is an ordinary packed lunch but there are also vendors selling snack foods at Peterhof. If there's some special snack food you'd like to try, let your guide know and they might be able to help you find it when you have free time. (Although you might need rubles for this.) We wanted to try some Georgian food on our last St. Petersburg visit, and I do recommend it -- very different and very tasty! (We were on a private tour with Red Sun Tours ourselves, so it wasn't a problem.)

15 hours ago, trosebery said:

Yes, the packed lunch is an ordinary packed lunch but there are also vendors selling snack foods at Peterhof. If there's some special snack food you'd like to try, let your guide know and they might be able to help you find it when you have free time. (Although you might need rubles for this.) We wanted to try some Georgian food on our last St. Petersburg visit, and I do recommend it -- very different and very tasty! (We were on a private tour with Red Sun Tours ourselves, so it wasn't a problem.) Next time I want to try some Uzbek foods.

 

22 hours ago, dogs4fun said:

Only the smaller ships can dock on the Neva at the English Embankment or the Lieutenant Schmidt Embankment and I have no experience docking on the Neva. I can't imagine that you would have a two hour wait because the smaller ships have such small passenger loads that one should experience very little to zero congestion in disembarkation and immigration.

Encountered no issues with Seaborne at English Embankment. A nicer experience than the Big Terminal too, which can be a bit wet and windy in high wind.

The Grand Hotel, not the cheapest but best located with Good Bar and Restaurant.

Best places for views Kempinski Roof restaurant. or Tessara , make sure to insist you get a table with a view, just keep walking ! If confident no one will stop you.

interesting is Grand Hotel outside bar adjacent to Nevski, smoking possible too in smoking area !

Nimb Hotel. Not cheap but excellent location and service. From our room we even had a great view of the Tivoli stage and concert.

On 9/8/2019 at 8:51 PM, dogs4fun said:

I don't have a clue whether or not RCL will group your seats together if you book your excursion through them - this would be something to ask RCL.

You choose your seat on the Sapsan - there are several categories ranging from Premium Class (most expensive) to Economy Class (least expensive). Just like the airlines, you get what you pay for. We find the economy seating on the Sapsan much more comfortable than economy airline seats - no food is included with economy seating (you can purchase snacks if you want).  You can read about the train here (photos included) and you can judge for yourself:

https://www.russiantrains.com/en/train/sapsan-high-speed-train

Best but most expensive seats on the Sapsan are in the compartment at the very front, just behind the driver !  Seats four / Six people. With excellent waitress service much less hassle than the plane and traffic from the airports.

On 12/23/2019 at 11:53 AM, DragonOfTheSeas said:

 

Yes, it is 2021. 

If visiting St Petersburg then a small vessel which can dock at the English Embamkment rather than the distant cruise terminal is preferable. Less distance to centre and quicker disembarkement .

hermitage normally way too crowded with Chinese rugby match / selfies !

Plenty of Five star Hotels with good ambience, Grand Hotel for Bar, and Kempinski for Roof top restaurant.

Recommend Rental Black Mercedes with driver to get in the vibe.

Best with private guide. Skip Peterehof palace. Boat trip and Faberge museum worthwhile also Rasputin tour and Telephone museum.

no real need for Roubles especially at usury rates from Cruise lines 20% mark up at best.

Best to get a full visa, then you can explore on your own.

Rent a Black Mercedes for added oligarch bling factor.

visit Grand Hotel Bar and Asia restaurant for a different experience.

Had a tour with Open Russia, probably not the cheapest but supplied a great guide and Mercedes S with driver.S  As a regular visitor to St Petersburg on business I would recommend the biggest car you can hire, due to the frequent collisisions I see on every visit.

Advantage with Seaborne, should be that you dock on a River Berth and not the huge cruise terminal, with extra travel time and delays.

If you appreciate a little Russian Bling visit the Grand Hotel bar, and also a little further away Nevskaya Zhemchuzina Restaurant on the Banks of the Neva, Obukhovskoi Oborony Ave. Many high end vehicles with blacked windows in parking area, but very safe. Take your own Sunglasses to blend in !

As Tring says Private Tours can be expensive, but better to pay than endure the huge queues at so many Destinations.

On arrival at LED this week felt I had arrived in China, no disrespect to Chinese tourists but they can overwhelm some locations.

I used Open Russia for my tours with guide and private Mercedes car for two people.

much easier to travel in the crowded city this time of year.

Would suggest visit to Grand Hotel if on Nevsky, and Kempinski top floor restaurant if near Hermitage.

In my opinion St Petersburg best enjoyed with a little Russian bling !

Try restaurant Nevskaya Zhemchuzina on Obukhovskoi Oborony Ave. Great setting on the Banks of the Neva, not too far from centre. Do not be put off by the number high end vehicles with blacked out windows in the Parking area. A more realistic flavour of St Peter.

Try not to purchase Roubles on board your ship. The rates I have seen imply a margin of at least 20% for the operator.

Even Airport currency dealers are much better.

For just one day I would recommend minimum travel time. Start with the Peter & Paul fortress, Church of the Spilled blood, Rasputin house ( not sure of correct name ! ) and finish with Faberge Museum. Along the way stop atthe Grand Hotel with an outside table, make sure to visit the main bar inside the Hotel.

Finally a meal in the Kempinski Hotel top floor restaurant for the terrific views.

Best done using a rented Black Mercedes, dark glasses optional.

Try the Telephone Museum, a collection of Telephones from the early days to the sixties. Recommend you get your guide to phone ahead and have the guided tour.Quite small but an interesting one hour in a fairly central location.