Private tour in St Petersburg, how about other Baltic ports?

[WhansaMi]

that is not a lot of money for a person private tour. So much better than anything 'ship' related.

 

Tallin is very easy to do by yourself, and there was/is a great walking tour brochure that has been on this site for quite a while that explains everything and tells you exactly where to go and how to get there.

 

Here is the thread

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=965056&highlight=tallin+walking+tours

 

Oh yes.... we rarely take ship tours. We end up feeling like cattle!

 

The good thing about this tour was that Andrew was quite willing to tailor it to our interests and energy level. So, we got to see what we wanted to see, and got to take a break when we wanted, as well.

[tabatha1]

We used Alla last June and found them wonderful. The booking process through their website was very efficient and the guide Katya and driver Slava excellent. Alla met up with us a few times over the 2 days to check everything was OK. I would suggest a tour which takes in Yusupov Palace as this is a real highlight. We were lucky enough to be given a private tour for 2 because of the way things worked out on the day and as result will now book private tours budget permitting. It saves a lot of time, can be tailored to your requirements and you learn so much more. They looked after us very well and the lunches provided were fine.We didn't need to pay until the 2nd day and were given a discount for cash.This was the highlight of our trip to The Baltics and we will use Alla again when we return to St Petersburg.

[TLCOhio]

I would suggest a tour which takes in Yusupov Palace as this is a real highlight. We were lucky enough to be given a private tour for 2 because of the way things worked out on the day and as result will now book private tours budget permitting.

 

Great point on Yusupov Palace! It does not get the attention as being among the "TOP FIVE" with the Hermitage, Peterhof, Catherine's Palace and the two main Cathedrals. This place, however, offers something a little different and very interesting. It is on a more "human scale" for a palace and you kind of image being there as certain of the special events happens and the power that flowed with this long-standing family in Russian history. It was just the four of us on our tour with Jane, our guide through Anastasia. This made it a very "personal" visit seeing all of the rooms, not rushed or hurried. That "other half" lived very well in St. Petersburg!

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

 

Getting ready to enter this Yusupov Palace overlooking the Moyka Canal:

 

 

 

In the Blue Room, just like one of your bedrooms at home:

 

 

 

This is the lower-level room where they were preparing to kill Rasputin:

 

 

 

One of many elegant rooms used for entertaining Royals and the powerful:

 

 

 

This Palace had its own Opera Hall. Don't most homes have this feature?:

 

 

 

Another room for receptions and having evening events:

 

[Quilting_Cruiser]

We did all the ports on our own (except

 

St Pete, of course), and we love to stop in little shops, sit down and have a yummy local treat, just find a bench and sit and watch the world go by. There are so many reasons why you should do things on your own. Like I said, unless you physically cannot do it, then save some money and tour on your own.

 

 

I hope you're subscribed to the thread and see this post! :D It sounds like you tour the same way we do and I'm wondering if you wrote a review of your Baltics cruise? We're doing a 12-day next summer and I'd love to hear about what you did in each of the ports.

 

Thanks!

[Giantfan13]

I never wrote a full review but I have been posting on this forum just about daily for the past few years and have told about our cruise many times.

 

We are seniors and we have traveled all over. We learned one thing, you don't have to be the first one off the ship, or the first in line, to see what there is to see. As long as you see what you wanted to see and have fun doing it, that's the entire ball game.

We have been to Alaska twice and Hawaii once. On reading Cruise Critic before we took those cruises, we were amazed at what people tried to squeeze into one day. I'll bet when they got home they didn't remember where they did what. We always make a point of stopping some time during the day to just sit and be amazed at where we are, to smell the roses as they say. We ARE probably very alike in our way of doing things. So if we miss something, it may just give us an excuse to come back someday.

We just love going at our own pace. My DW loves to shop, to find these small shops and find the unusual things. It doesn't bother me at all, as I love to meet new people and we found that most shopkeepers are the way to discover the city you are in, thru a locals eyes.

 

glad I could be of any help.

If you want to chat about anything in particular, email me at Giantfanlen@msn.com

 

Cheers

 

Len

[Quilting_Cruiser]

I never wrote a full review but I have been posting on this forum just about daily for the past few years and have told about our cruise many times.

 

We are seniors and we have traveled all over. We learned one thing, you don't have to be the first one off the ship, or the first in line, to see what there is to see. As long as you see what you wanted to see and have fun doing it, that's the entire ball game.

We have been to Alaska twice and Hawaii once. On reading Cruise Critic before we took those cruises, we were amazed at what people tried to squeeze into one day. I'll bet when they got home they didn't remember where they did what. We always make a point of stopping some time during the day to just sit and be amazed at where we are, to smell the roses as they say. We ARE probably very alike in our way of doing things. So if we miss something, it may just give us an excuse to come back someday.

We just love going at our own pace. My DW loves to shop, to find these small shops and find the unusual things. It doesn't bother me at all, as I love to meet new people and we found that most shopkeepers are the way to discover the city you are in, thru a locals eyes.

 

glad I could be of any help.

If you want to chat about anything in particular, email me at Giantfanlen@msn.com

 

Cheers

 

Len

 

Len, thanks so much!

 

It definitely sounds like we tour much the same. DD and I were talking just last night about what we want from this vacation (we'll be spending three weeks post-cruise primarily in Germany) and one of the things we both said was to sit at sidewalk cafes and watch the world go by. :D We were in Ireland in March and one of the highlights was chatting with a man at the Aran Sweater Market in Killarney--he helped us trace our ancestry (actually had a book of Irish names and loved helping people learn about their ancestry) so we'd know where in Ireland our predecessors hailed from. It was such fun!

 

I completely agree about not needing to be the first off the ship and I also don't like to rush from activity to activity. I may email you with some questions since you so kindly included your email address. I appreciate how much you help those of us who are preparing to follow in your footsteps!

 

Regards,

Jayne

[Giantfan13]

anytime Jayne. It will be my pleasure.

 

Some of our best memories are not from all the great things we have seen, but from some obscure thing we may have done along the way. While we were in Copenhagen, we were doing a walking tour of the main things to see in this wonderful city. We happen to be there on a Sunday, mid August,and on our way back to the ship, we stopped in a park to sit and enjoy some ice cream. The park was crowded with families enjoying the nice weather. We stopped to chat with a couple of these families and spent almost an hour there just enjoying each others company. We did nothing special, but those memories will always be with us and help make our time in Copenhagen that much better.

 

If you haven't gotten a chance to look at my complete pix from our trip, the link is at the bottom of any page I post on.

 

Cheers

 

Len

[Quilting_Cruiser]

anytime Jayne. It will be my pleasure.

 

Some of our best memories are not from all the great things we have seen, but from some obscure thing we may have done along the way. While we were in Copenhagen, we were doing a walking tour of the main things to see in this wonderful city. We happen to be there on a Sunday, mid August,and on our way back to the ship, we stopped in a park to sit and enjoy some ice cream. The park was crowded with families enjoying the nice weather. We stopped to chat with a couple of these families and spent almost an hour there just enjoying each others company. We did nothing special, but those memories will always be with us and help make our time in Copenhagen that much better.

 

If you haven't gotten a chance to look at my complete pix from our trip, the link is at the bottom of any page I post on.

 

Cheers

 

Len

 

Thanks, Len. I'll definitely take the time to look at your pics. :D:D