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We booked with Anastasia Travel last May and the tour was also quoted in USD but paid in Rubles when we used our credit card. I think this is the Russian banks' policy especially when paying online and with credit card. If you prefer to pay in cash on the day of the tour, I think there won't be any problem with paying in USD.  I suggest you contact your tour operator to clarify things. 

I think you'll save yourself from the hassle of going through the whole process of getting your own visa if you just get a local tour operator who can give you visa-free entry to St. Petersburg for 3 days. I also think it's more convenient and cheaper to book a tour with them instead of applying for a visa. We used a local tour operator last May and they created a customized tour for us. We also did not want a super jam-packed itinerary like those offered by the cruise ship so we were very glad to have a tour customized based on our preferences and needs. We also did the tour at our own pace so we did not have to rush or anything. It was very comfortable and fun.  You might want to consider this option. 

Thank you for the recommendation! When we visited St. Petersburg we booked with Anastasia Travel, and we also had a wonderful tour with them. Glad to know these local tour operators are offering high quality service and exceptional tour experience to us tourists. I always go for independent operators for shore excursions as I find that of the ship's tour very expensive. 

I would always go for tours from independent tour operators as ship tours are too expensive and you do not have much flexibility while on tour. When we went to St. Petersburg we used Anastasia Travel and we had a wonderful experience. We were just a small group so we got to tour around in our own pace and we were able to customize the tour with to include only the places we were interested to visit. They deliver the same exceptional service like that of the ship's tour at a more convenient price.   

You may just use your credit card as most establishments accept them. When you really need some local currency to use for, let's say, buying something from the street side souvenir shop, you may just withdraw from the ATM. The guides are okay with receiving USD or EUR for tips too.  

We were in St. Petersburg last May and we had a great time with our tour with Anastasia Travel. I highly recommend their services. They were very professional and responsive to all our queries. We really enjoyed the tour because we were able to visit all the places we wished to see and our guide, Venus, was the best! She was very knowledgeable of the sights and she made the tour very interesting and fun with all the valuable information she shared with us. 

Enjoy your cruise! Hope you have a great time in St. Petersburg! 

We saw Swan Lake at the Mariinsky Theater a couple of months ago. We booked the ballet show together with the day tour we booked with Anastasia Travel. They gave us an option to choose between 2 theaters ( Mariinsky and Mikhailovsky) with 2 different Ballet shows . We opted for the Mariinsky since we really wanted to see Swan Lake. It was an incredible experience and we enjoyed the show very much. I suggest you contact a local tour operator to help you with booking a Ballet show and getting to and from the theater at a cheaper price. 

You really do not need to have Rubles with you since most establishments accept credit cards. But I think it would be nice to have a few Rubles especially if you like buying stuff sold on the street or buying from small souvenir vendors. There are ATMs at the port and that's where we got a few Rubles we brought with us during our shore excursion. 

Hey everyone! We just got back from our cruise last week and we had the best time in St. Petersburg! I took note of every suggestion you guys gave in this message thread and we were able to customize our itinerary with Anastasia Travel to include all the places and activities you guys shared. Thank you so much for all your help, we really had a great time! I would also like to commend Anastasia Travel because right from the start they were really helpful and considerate for allowing us to book a tour with them even if it was the last minute. They accommodated us and even helped us create and customize our tour based on our preferences. The tour was well-organized and everything went really well. We saved a lot of time since we didn’t have to line up for tickets and we were able to spend more time to see the sights. Our guide was the best and she shared so much information and insider stories that made us appreciate and understand the places we were visiting. She made the tour very interesting and fun. Overall, the tour exceeded our expectations and I can say St. Petersburg is definitely one of my favorite cities in the world!

Once again, I would like to thank everyone who shared tips and suggestions for our St. Petersburg tour. Everyone has been so helpful. After our research and based on your insights, we decided to book a tour with Anastasia! They were very kind and considerate to offer us last minute booking for a customized tour that includes all the places we wanted to visit. I really liked the fact that they made an itinerary that is specially catered to our preferences. Read so much about their exceptional customer service and I can say that they were really professional and always replied promptly to all our inquiries. I am looking forward to an incredible tour with them and learning a lot from our guide. We can't wait! 

On 4/23/2019 at 10:31 PM, Lagerta said:

 

 

How many kids are there in your family? How old are they? There are some fun museums in St Petersburg, and kids usually love them. For instance, there is the Grand Maket Russia, which is basically a huge interactive model of the whole country. The kids can press buttons and see firefighters working, musicians playing etc. A similar activity is Petrovskaya Akvatoriya, which is a model of 18th century St Petersburg. I heard there are different creative classes for kids as well, but that will depend on the age and the interests of children.

We have 3 kids ages 7, 9 and 10. The Grand Maket Russia sounds fun, I think the kids will like it there. I am especially interested in some creative classes, I think the kids will really enjoy participating in it. Do you know any classes the kids can join in? Also, are the classes strictly for kids only? I prefer activities the adults can do together with the kids as well. Thank you. 
 

Thank you, everyone, for all your comments and suggestions! I will take note of everything you shared and definitely use these tips when we visit St. Petersburg.

I have another question though,  can you also suggest places that are kid-friendly? I’m afraid the kids will get bored with the usual museums, churches, and palaces. We’d like something interactive so they can enjoy and learn at the same time. Thank you!
 

On 4/19/2019 at 7:57 PM, Sancho_proudfoot said:

As above, Saviour of the Spilled Blood is amazing - l posted some photos above

Yes, thank you! The photos look amazing and I can't wait to see it in person! 🙂

On 4/19/2019 at 6:07 PM, Lagerta said:

 

 

Oh, it’s hard to choose just one or two, as there is so much to see! Definitely go to the Hermitage, they have all kinds of different exhibits and you will surely find something of your interest. The buildings are very impressive too, because the main one, the Winter Palace, used to be the home for Russian Tzars. I would also recommend visiting Savior on Spilled Blood church - it is very bright and colorful, with lots of sparkling mosaics. Its story is also fascinating.

IMO, you could make an exception for St Petersburg even if you are not a big fan of museums. There are just too many wonderful places. St Isaac’s Cathedral is also impressive, and the eggs in Faberge museum are fantastic. I probably wouldn’t want to miss them. Anyway, it is always up to you!

Wow, thank you so much for all the suggestions! I’ve read about the Faberge Museum and I was wondering if there is anything special to see there? Do you think museums are the best places to buy souvenirs? Or can we buy them anywhere in the city? We’d like to bring home some souvenirs for the rest of our relatives. Thank you.
 

4 hours ago, Lagerta said:

 

 

If you are looking for some real life experience, you can take a ride on St Petersburg metro. Most locals use it to go around the city, so you will see a lot of real people there, not just tourists in museums. Regarding the food, if you end up taking a tour, ask your tour manager or your guide to take you to a local restaurant for lunch. They usually know good places. Just don’t forget to tell them if you have any diet restrictions or specific preferences.

Wow, thanks! I’ll take note of the metro. I think we'd like to see and experience some of the local life too. By the way, we’d like to limit the museum visit to maybe just one or two museums. Which would you highly recommend from all the museums in St. Petersburg?

On 4/16/2019 at 6:10 PM, John Bull said:

There are plenty of hydrofoils in use in the western world, though they're a lot more pleasant on the eye than these Soviet-designed ones.

This isn't the one, but very very similar.

Beautifully ugly 

 

It's a public ferry service. Departs from the River Neva,  close to the Hermitage, and sails down the river & across a corner of the Gulf of Finland direct to a pier in the gardens of Peterhof.

It was the quickest way to Peterhof, but since a new road was constructed word is that journey time is now about the same by hydrofoil or van.

 

Because of its limited capacity the hydrofoil isn't an option for those on the big bus tours arranged by cruise ships, tours arranged by local tour operators usually use the hydrofoil one way and van (minibus) the other way. 

 

 

 

JB 

Wow, never experienced Hydrofoil before and I am looking forward to trying it out. That you for the info, gives us more reasons to definitely choose a private tour so we can surely try the Hydrofoil to Peterhof 🙂

On 4/16/2019 at 4:52 PM, Lagerta said:

 

 

Hydrofoil is a speed boat going from the center of St Petersburg to Peterhoff. It’s quite convenient, and the ride takes about 30 minutes. It’s a fun experience too, the boat is very fast, and you get a nice view of Peterhoff when you approach.

That seems like a very interesting mode of transport. Are there other modes of transport worth trying other than that? We’d like to get a feel of St Petersburg and experience the city like a local too. Can you suggest any local food we need to try? We’d really like to eat at an authentic Russian restaurant, we haven’t tried that so I am looking forward to the experience . Any suggestions would be very much appreciated. Thank you! 
 

Wow, thank you all so much for your replies! You all have been very helpful and offered a lot of suggestions. It really means a lot.

My family and I are very much into the outdoors and we would definitely love to see the beautiful gardens in Peterhoff. Anyway, I saw the option of going there via hydrofoil. Do you have any idea what that is? It sounds interesting but I’m not sure that is the best way to go there and if it is worth the try. We’d like a faster route to the Peterhoff.

On 4/12/2019 at 2:56 PM, Lagerta said:

 

 

Definitely NOT the big group tour arranged by the cruise line! Local tour operators usually offer either private tours or small group tours (up to 16 people). Small group tours are slightly cheaper, but private tours give you more flexibility. You can have the itinerary designed specifically for you and it will cover everything you want to see and do. The local tour companies have a lot of expertise in that, so they customize the tour for you. I think it is well worth the money. Just do a little of homework and decide what you would like to see.
You really have very little time left before your cruise, so ask the operators you will be contacting about the last minute bookings. I know some of them do that (some of our former cruisemates managed to book a private tour even being on the ship already!), so check with them.

Good luck!

Hi, Lagerta! You seem like you know St. Petersburg a lot and I’d like to ask more about the places to visit there. Do you think it’s okay to visit both the Peterhof Grand Palace and Catherine’s Palace, while visiting other places in the city as well, with just two days in St. Petersburg? I’ve read that they are located outside the city and the trip going there can take a lot of time. I’m afraid we won’t have enough time to visit other places as well.

21 hours ago, John Bull said:

As per my first post and Lagerta's reminder, the local tour operators use 16-seat minibuses whereas cruise-lines' tours are usually in big 50-seater coaches.

Alla Tours, SPB Tours, TJ Travel, Best Guides, Anastasia, DenRus as per my first post, and any others that you come across - check their websites & e-mail them.

Do it today, time is short.

Certainly some will be booked-out, but it really doesn't make much difference which one you use, they all offer much the same tours at much the same prices and they all have excellent reputations.

 

You're probably too late to book a private (ie not shared) tour, but that'll be expensive anyway. Unless you have an aversion to sharing with up to 14 others, one of the local operators' minibus tours is the way to go.

 

Have you checked your RollCall for fellow-cruisers seeking sharers, as suggested?

 

Make sure that you book a two-day tour, and print-off & take their confirmation - you need it to pass thro Russian immigration without a visa. 

You can only go thro' immigration visa-free on the day & approx time of your tour, so if you only book a one-day tour you'll not be allowed off the ship on the other day without a pre-purchased tourist visa. And it's now probably too late to buy a visa.

 

You got responses on this thread on tuesday, and today's friday.

You need to sort something today or your only option is likely to be over-priced and over-crowded ship's tours.

 

JB 

Thank you so much for all the insights and information, John! I really appreciate it. I have contacted the tour companies I mentioned and most of them are nice enough to offer us last minute booking of a private tour. They also assured us of taking care of our visa-free disembarkation. My family and I are now in the process of discussing and deciding on which tour to take from the offers of different tour operators. 

Wow, thank you, everyone, for your comments and suggestions! These are all helpful and gave me so much information especially regarding the visa-free regulations.

I guess it really is more convenient and will save us a lot of time if we book a tour. But which one do you think is better, a private tour or a group tour? A private tour might be too pricey but then I wouldn’t want my family and me to be going on a group tour with so many people. I’ve read good reviews about Anastasia Travel, SPB, Best Guides and TJ Travel. Yes, we might really be pressed for time but do you think these local tour operators offer last minute booking? 

Thank you so much again for your suggestions and comments.

1 hour ago, Sancho_proudfoot said:

 

I would echo all of the above; l found  the Yusupov Palace fascinating, and Catherine's Palace well worth the  visit . The picture is the Saviour of the Spilled Blood 

3

Can I ask what makes the Yusupov Palace and Catherine's Palace stand out? Is there anything special to see there? By the way, thank you so much for this picture. This is such a lovely shot. Looks like it was under renovation when this picture was taken. Is it still under renovation now and probably by May? If you have other photos and if it's not too much to ask, is it possible to share some more here? 

Thank you so much in advance! 

2 hours ago, Lagerta said:

 

 

Hi there! You are going on a great cruise, and I am sure you will be fascinated by that part of the world.

For St Petersburg, the best thing you can do is arrange a private tour. Russia is not very easy to access due to visa regulations, so doing this on your own will be quite complicated. Also, St Petersburg is a big city with a peculiar system of public transport, which makes it difficult to navigate if you don’t really know where to go. As you are on the cruise, you would want to make the most of your time without spending it in attempts to figure out your way. On the tour the guide will take you straight to the most interesting things and share all the stories behind the objects.

With a little research you can decide what you would like to see and do in St Petersburg. My personal highlights are:

Peterhoff

Hermitage

Faberge museum

Savior on Spilled Blood

St Isaac’s Cathedral

Canal boat trip

There are some more popular sites, like Catherine’s Palace, Peter and Paul’s Fortress, Yusupoff palace etc. Lots of things to see and do!

Enjoy planning your tour!

Thank you so much for the information. I have additional questions though if that’s okay. So you strongly suggest that we book tours beforehand instead of doing a DIY trip once we arrive in St. Petersburg? You mentioned the visa regulations, should we arrange the visa before we arrive in Russia or can the tour company arrange that for us as well?

I apologize for asking so many questions. I hope I am not being too annoying.

Thank you for in advance!

Hey everyone! My family and I are going on a 14-Day Baltic Heritage Cruise aboard Sapphire Princess from May 4 - 18, 2019. We are especially excited for the St. Petersburg segment because we get 2 days to explore the city. We arrive at St. Petersburg May 11, 2019 at 6:30 am and depart the next day May 12, 2019 6pm.

Any suggestions on what we should do in St. Petersburg? Any excursions or shore tours we can do to make the most out of our 2 days there? This is our first time doing a cruise and we are so excited we want to visit as many places as we can. Any advice will be very much appreciated.

Thank you so much in advance!