Is a Visa Needed For the Viking Homelands Cruise?

We just booked the Viking Homelands Cruise for April 2019. The Viking agent said we need a passport that expires at least 6 months after our sailing which isn't a problem for us since our passports expires long after our cruise. She didn't say anything about needing a Visa but will we need a Visa since we will be in St. Petersburg, Russia?

From the Viking website FAQ:

Guests traveling to Russia on Viking Cruises organized shore excursions do not require a Russian Visa provided their stay does not exceed 72 hours in Russian ports, and private tours are available that do not require a separate visa. If you intend to step off the ship alone or to explore independently, you MUST obtain a visa before your cruise commences; please consult your respective embassy or consulate. You must carry your passport with you at all times when ashore in Russia. To assist us in meeting Russian immigration requirements, please bring (in addition to your passport) a photocopy of your passport photo page to provide to our staff at check-in.

We just booked the new itinerary Russia and the Baltic Sea for April 2019. Can't wait! At least we have the Trade Routes of the Middle Ages to look forward to this year.

St Petersburg - I know of three options:

Take Viking group excursions and you will be covered by Viking’s blanket Visa

Research tour companies you can hire for small groups, they will gather the information from you prior to travel that they need for you to be under their blanket Visa (we did that and loved our experience. There are threads here that discuss this option in good detail....

Or if you want to go out on your own, you need to apply for and get a visa prior to your trip. I personally wouldn’t recommend this.

We went with a group of Cruise critic members with Alla tours in St Petersburg - they sorted out the visas for us - it was completely seamless. We had an excellent time - as well as most of the places Viking took their tours too we went to the Faberge Museum which was amazing - it cost us about the same as the two day Biking tour - but we were a smaller group so moved quicker and had the extra visit.

Thanks everyone. This is exactly the info I needed. We will either take the Viking tours or go with a tour company (or both). As long as we stay with Viking and/or a small tour group, it sounds like I won't have to get Visas on my own for my husband and me. I'm not adventurous enough to tour on my own :)

We loved our Alla 2 day tour. We're adventuresome, but touring on our own in Russia was NOT going to happen for us!

Vineyard View's info is spot on. Kudos to Viking for giving good info, too. Many of the other cruise lines make you think a visa is necessary unless you go on one of the ship's excursions.

Go with Alla or some other recommended tour company - much cheaper and better than what's offered via ship. I would not recommend touring on your own - St. Pete has some unsafe features like experienced pick pockets, scammers, etc. which your Russian Tour Guide will point out at various sites - actually amusing to see when you are not the target (once pointed out they move on rather quickly)

We went with a group of Cruise critic members with Alla tours in St Petersburg - they sorted out the visas for us - it was completely seamless. We had an excellent time - as well as most of the places Viking took their tours too we went to the Faberge Museum which was amazing - it cost us about the same as the two day Biking tour - but we were a smaller group so moved quicker and had the extra visit.

However, take note, when your visa is supplied by a tour company (either a private company, such as Alla, or Viking), you must stay with the guide; you may not wonder off on your own.

We loved our Alla 2 day tour. We're adventuresome, but touring on our own in Russia was NOT going to happen for us!

 

Vineyard View's info is spot on. Kudos to Viking for giving good info, too. Many of the other cruise lines make you think a visa is necessary unless you go on one of the ship's excursions.

We did two days with Alla about 10 years ago. I wish I could remember the name of our guide because she was wonderful. Touring in a small group is a much better way to see St. Petersburg. We had twelve in our group but I decided after the experience that we would have done even better with just half as many--especially since we were 6 couples who had never met before. The fewer people you have to deal with, the more you can see because you don't spend as much time on the logistics--like loading 30+ people on to the bus or dealing with stragglers or longer bathroom breaks.

The private tours are great. They get you in earlier. Tours with a smaller group allowing for longer stops since you aren't waiting on a bus load getting on and off, handing off their tickets, bathroom stops are shorter and no waiting for stragglers. If I remember correctly it was cheaper than Viking. There are a few good companies. We toured with Alla tours which was perfect. We had six people in our group. Amazing.