St. Petersburg is an amazing city and you definitely want to use Best Guides Tour Group to see the amazing sites the city has to offer. We were there for 3 days in August of 2019 on an Azamara Cruise. Our ship, the Azamara Journey, was berthed in downtown St. Petersburg. I am not one for big bus tours (too much time wasted on body movement) so I found Best Guides Tour Group from recommendations on Cruise Critic. From the moment I inquired with them I knew I had made the right choice. They offered us a 3 day tour package to see the popular sites but there I wanted to make some adjustments and they were very cooperative and made those adjustments for us. They also take care of your visa so you don't have to go through the long and expensive process. I shared the excursion opportunity on Cruise Critic and 4 other couples joined us for a group of ten. We received discounts for early booking and for having a group of 10. On the first morning we were promptly met by Irina, our wonderful guide and Alexander (van driver). The van was a very new/clean Mercedes passenger van with Wifi! One of our group was still working and the Wifi was a great asset for her work. Irina was extremely knowledgeable and efficient. Now efficiency is very important in St. Petersburg as there are an overwhelming number of tourists/buses at this time of year so a guide has to know the best time/place to enter a museum/church/palace to avoid the crowds. Irina was the best! At the Hermitage we entered early in the back and were able to get through many of the rooms before the crowds began to build. Every site we visited she provided educational background information and then while at the site she provided a running dialogue of the key site aspects. We used headsets that made hearing the dialogue very easy. Irina answered all questions. Each day we were picked up at our ship, toured, provided lunch and then returned to our ship at the expected time. Lunches were at very nice restaurants and the food was great. The best part of this review is the significant savings we were able to get as compared to booking the VERY SAME 3 day tour package with the cruise line. We never worried about getting back to the ship in time and always felt safe. At the end of the 3 days we felt like we had made new friends in Irina and Alexander and it was difficult to say goodbye. I highly recommend Best Guides and recommend that you inquire with them and you won't be disappointed. I would be glad to answer any questions that you may have so that you are comfortable with your choice. Safe travels, Ann.bedford2@gmail.com.
Best Guides Group
in Northern Europe & Baltic Sea
Posted
St. Petersburg is an amazing city and you definitely want to use Best Guides Tour Group to see the amazing sites the city has to offer. We were there for 3 days in August of 2019 on an Azamara Cruise. Our ship, the Azamara Journey, was berthed in downtown St. Petersburg. I am not one for big bus tours (too much time wasted on body movement) so I found Best Guides Tour Group from recommendations on Cruise Critic. From the moment I inquired with them I knew I had made the right choice. They offered us a 3 day tour package to see the popular sites but there I wanted to make some adjustments and they were very cooperative and made those adjustments for us. They also take care of your visa so you don't have to go through the long and expensive process. I shared the excursion opportunity on Cruise Critic and 4 other couples joined us for a group of ten. We received discounts for early booking and for having a group of 10. On the first morning we were promptly met by Irina, our wonderful guide and Alexander (van driver). The van was a very new/clean Mercedes passenger van with Wifi! One of our group was still working and the Wifi was a great asset for her work. Irina was extremely knowledgeable and efficient. Now efficiency is very important in St. Petersburg as there are an overwhelming number of tourists/buses at this time of year so a guide has to know the best time/place to enter a museum/church/palace to avoid the crowds. Irina was the best! At the Hermitage we entered early in the back and were able to get through many of the rooms before the crowds began to build. Every site we visited she provided educational background information and then while at the site she provided a running dialogue of the key site aspects. We used headsets that made hearing the dialogue very easy. Irina answered all questions. Each day we were picked up at our ship, toured, provided lunch and then returned to our ship at the expected time. Lunches were at very nice restaurants and the food was great. The best part of this review is the significant savings we were able to get as compared to booking the VERY SAME 3 day tour package with the cruise line. We never worried about getting back to the ship in time and always felt safe. At the end of the 3 days we felt like we had made new friends in Irina and Alexander and it was difficult to say goodbye. I highly recommend Best Guides and recommend that you inquire with them and you won't be disappointed. I would be glad to answer any questions that you may have so that you are comfortable with your choice. Safe travels, Ann.bedford2@gmail.com.