Cost of excursions st petersburg, russia

[mimlypops]

Hello,

 

We are considering Princess Baltic cruise this summer. Please could anyone give me an indication of Princess excursion costs in St Petersburg or tell me where I can find them. The Princess website lists the excursions but not the prices.

 

Thank you

[Essiesmom]

Hello,

 

We are considering Princess Baltic cruise this summer. Please could anyone give me an indication of Princess excursion costs in St Petersburg or tell me where I can find them. The Princess website lists the excursions but not the prices.

 

Thank you

You can't see prices on the website unless you are booked. Then you can see it through your personalizer. Prices are not cheap. I suggest you go to the roll call section and look for a roll call for the cruise you are considering and see what folks already booked are planning. And go to the Ports of Call section for Northern Europe. EM

[49er]

We booked the two day all inclusive St. Petersburg tour through Princess for our Aug 31 2011 sailing on the Emerald. $400PP. Includes all the major sights and lunch both days. There are other tours available but this met our needs the best. Another thing to remember is if you book through Princess, you don't need to apply for a Russian Visa. It is included in the Price.

 

49er

[Roses2]

There are several very reputable private tour companies in St. Petersburg that provide superb services and you do NOT have to apply for a Russian Visa.

 

We used Alla for a private tour and were extraordinarily pleased. Others have reported very good service Denrus and Red October.

 

P&J

[houch]

In 2007 we booked 2 tours in St Petersburg, one for each day. They were ship tours, just under $200 for each and we felt worth every penny! They were awesome.

[Astro Flyer]

There are several very reputable private tour companies in St. Petersburg that provide superb services and you do NOT have to apply for a Russian Visa.

 

We used Alla for a private tour and were extraordinarily pleased. Others have reported very good service Denrus and Red October.

 

P&J

Independent tour companies do get your visa.

 

As I recall, the very similar 2 day independent tours were only $300 versus the $400 ship tour & have read a lot of positive comments about them.

 

We opted for the Princess 2 day tour & went to the Hermitage on Monday when it's closed. They told us they opened it for ship's tours only but they may have also allowed independent tour groups on that day when it's closed to the public.

 

Either way, I'd strongly recommend the 2 day tour...there's so much to see & in our opinion it was one of the best cities we've ever toured. It has canals like Holland (built with Dutch help) & so many amazing places to visit from their days as a monarchy built for the Czars...amazing! :D

[DTW Cruiser]

Our group of 10 passengers used Anatasia Tours (a private company) for our two-day tour of St. Peterburg in June, 2009. We e-mailed them 4 or 5 months ahead of time and customized our tours. They provided a comfortable mini-bus (that could have held 24) for our small group along with a wonderful, informative tour guide and a very competent driver. We all saved $100+ per person over the cost of the Princess two-day tour and we were able to see more because we were such a small group vs. Princess tour with 50 people on a bus (lots of wait time for restroom stops, waiting for stragglers, etc.). We were more than satisfied with our memorable experiences and felt they went 'over and above' to please us! Make sure you do your research about the places you'd like to visit! On the Boards, go to Ports of Call and then Europe. There's a huge amount of info there for each port which I'm sure you'll find very helpful!

[hbhakh]

We were in St. Petersburg last July and used TJ Travel for a group of four. Our cost for a two day tour, which included more sights, was less than the ship charged. We had a guide and driver to ourselves. Visa was handled by TJ Travel. We got off the ship before the tours and were through immigration in minutes.

 

We heard complaints from other passengers about the "herds" on the large busses used by the ship. St. Petersburg is always crowded in the summer but our guide managed to get us around the lines at all of the attractions. She was with us through all of the museums, palaces, etc. so we could ask questions and never had a problem hearing. We noticed many groups with headsets trying to hear the guide. No chance for any questions in that situation.

 

St. Petersburg is a great place. This is the stop where you should maximize your time.

 

Good luck

[katisdale]

We are doing the Baltic cruise this spring in May. I went to the cruise personalizer and found the following tours - A two day Hermitage, Peterhof, Canal Cruise and Cathedral for $399.00 per person. Another which includes the Gold Room and all of the above is listed at $599.00. A one day tour to the hermitage is $149.00. If you want only a drive through the city that is listed at $39.00 An evening folk show is listed at $79.00. I hope this helps.

[one spring chick]

We used Alla in 09. The cost was $300 PP for 2 days. She had a complete tour that took us to all the popular places. Our rollcall filled 2 busses with 10 per bus. We where there on the biggest Russian holiday and her drives had no problem getting us around the traffic. We where so pleased we would use her again any time. All we had to do was sign up for the tour and she put a group together. We did not have to pay until the tour started.

[Pam in CA]

We did the Baltics a couple of years ago and used Viktoria Rather of SPB-Tours for both St. Petersburg and Berlin. http://spb-tours.com/ You'll see her ad at the top of the boards every now and then. We were a family group of 8 and had our own bus; it was a small bus that held 16 people that was very easy to get into and out of, and very comfortable. Our tour guide was one of the best I've ever had on any tour anywhere. She was terrific and adjusted the tour to crowds and our interests, and took us to out-of-the way, hole-in-the-wall restaurants where we got lunch for probably the equivalent of $3 each, including a soda. It was great and I can't say enough about Viktoria. They even included a river cruise and gave us bottles of champagne and chocolates to eat while we went through the canals.

 

Two and a half years ago, her pricing was 245E/pp for 5 people; 230E for 6 people and 215E/pp for 8 people. As I mentioned, we also used her services for a day in Berlin so I only had to contact one person to arrange both tours. The cost for the all-day tour to Berlin (there were 23 of us that she put together in a bus for 44 people) was $198/pp.

 

Here's a summary of what our tour in St. Petersburg included. We modified it a bit and did some things out of order.

 

DAY 1 7.30AM-7.30PM

07.30am As soon as the Ship is cleared you will depart the ship, Passing thru the Passport control area. You need to have the following documents with You: Passport, Copy of Your Passport ( Before you leave home please make a couple of copies of your Passport to bring with you on the cruise), Tour ticket ( will be your blanket visa). Your personal guide from SPB Tours and driver will meet You right next to the passport control with the sign: SPB Tours

 

07.30-8.30am City orientation drive with visiting an operating Russian Orthodox cathedral of St.Nicholas (1740-s)

 

09.00-10.00am Drive to Tsarskoye Selo ( Tzars Village); w/a Subway Ride /Metro trip. Stalin said, that Russian tzars used to built Palaces for themselves, while Communists build palaces for people. St. Petersburg metro stations resemble more palace interiors, than regular subway tunnels. The interiors are decorated with mosaics, marble, crystals and outstanding chandaliers. ( Photos aren't allowed inside the metro)

 

10.00-12.00pm Excursion in Catherines Palace -Tsarskoye Selo (Town of Pushkin). This is one of the Tzars' Residences, situated in the suburbs of St.Petersburg. During the tour You'll be able to see the magnificent interior of Catherines Palace, including the fascinating AMBER Room, known as the 8th miracle in the world. You'll have the opportunity to enjoy walking around Catherine's Park, exploring the French style lay-out and facades of the park pavillions

 

12.30-1.30pm Lunch at the restaurant the "Russian House" in Pushkin town a few feet away from the Catherine's palace and park (optional)

 

2.00 - 3.00 pm Drive to Peterhoff (nap on the way :). This is a City of outstanding parks, marvelous cascades and enumerous fountains. Former Summer Residence of Russian Emperors & Peter the Great. It is laid out on the southern shore of the Finnish Gulf (Baltic Sea).

 

3.00-4.30pm Walk in the Peterhof fountain park with 150 fountains; there are several trick/joke fountains which are fun to play with. Excursion in Catherine's block - a wonderful small but elegant palace in the Russian Empire style

 

5.00-5.30pm Return to the city by hydrofoil

6.00-7.00pm Visiting Peter and Paul's fortress. The Fortress is the birth place of St. Petersburg, It was built to protect the city from possible Swedish attacks, however, it was never used for military purposes and was converted into a political prison. Right now it is a Museum of History of St.Petersburg. You'll visit the St. Peter and Paul Cathedral, that is the burial place of the Royal family.

 

7.30pm Return to the ship or optional evening activities, like ballet or folklore show*

 

*Optional Forklore Show aditional $45 pp incl. transfer ( the group has to be at least 5 people) thru SBP Tours in order to be priced at this figure.

 

DAY 2 8.00AM-5.00PM

8.00am Meet at the Ship. Your personal guide and driver will meet you right next to passport control with the sign SBP Tours

 

8:00 -10:30 am City Sightseeing tour with visit to the local food market. As you are going to be driving a lot of the time in the Imperial part of the City, you will have the opportunity to learn more about the city and to take pictures at the most picturesque areas of St.Petersburg: The Palace Square, the Square of Arts, Decembrists Square, St. Isaacs Cathedral, etc. and to do some souvenire shopping.

10:30 am -12:30 pm Hermitage museum. This tour includes visiting several buildings of the Hermitage ensemble: ie. the Winter Palace, the Small Hermitage, the Old Hermitage the New Hermitage, etc. as time permits. You will be impressed with these palaces not only with the valuable artistic collection, but also with the beauty of the interiors.

 

12:30-1:00 pm Lunch at a local restaurant (optional)

 

1.00-1.30 Excursion in the Church on the Spilled Blood

2:30 -4:00 pm Excursion in the Yusupov's palace

4.30-5.00pm Return to the ship

[MGnut]

We were in St. Petersburg last July and used TJ Travel for a group of four. Our cost for a two day tour, which included more sights, was less than the ship charged. We had a guide and driver to ourselves. Visa was handled by TJ Travel. We got off the ship before the tours and were through immigration in minutes.

 

We heard complaints from other passengers about the "herds" on the large busses used by the ship. St. Petersburg is always crowded in the summer but our guide managed to get us around the lines at all of the attractions. She was with us through all of the museums, palaces, etc. so we could ask questions and never had a problem hearing. We noticed many groups with headsets trying to hear the guide. No chance for any questions in that situation.

 

St. Petersburg is a great place. This is the stop where you should maximize your time.

 

Good luck

 

I can second TJ Travel as a good tour company. We had a great tour with them.

[mimlypops]

Thank you so much for the input. I can't access the cruise personalizer until we confirm the booking but needed a feel of excursion costs to get a realistic total figure for the cruise. We had already decided to do independent tours in all of the Scandinavian countries & Estonia but I was a little nervous as to what to do in St P as we have two children with us and I am a self-confessed worrier ! I guess I like the added (perceived) security of being on a ship sponsoured tour. I do appreciate the many downsides of doing this. I will look into the independent suggestions you have each made before making a final decision.

 

Many thanks again

[PrincessNancy]

I can highly recommend Viktoria at SPB. We had a great tour with 14 people. Much easier to navigate the larger venues in a smaller mini-bus and an experienced tour guide. We were in the front of the lines to get into many of the venues.

No worries about using a private tour! Off the ship, through customs and out to the bus---easy. The hardest part is getting off the ship because everyone is going on tours at the same time, so there are lines of people trying to exit. Everything went smoothly.

 

Get on your Roll Call and join a tour! The tour can be customized to your group's interests. We also did the Berlin tour through SPB.

[paul929207]

We were in SPB for 4 days in September. It was not nearly enough. SPB is a wonderful city. The Romanov palaces are breathtaking.

[DrivesLikeMario]

What great information! Thanks to everyone for posting their experiences! It was fun to go along with Pam's 2-day tour. I saved some of the info. Looking forward to getting there as soon as the kids get out of college! Thanks again! ;)

[JJean]

We were in St. Petersburg in August 2009 and used Alla Tours. It was a wonderful full 2 days and we saw all the sites. We did not even have to pay until the 2nd day. It was about $300 p.p. and well worth the money. They also do get the visas. I would not hesitate to use them again.

[Embracedbylife]

We did a 2 day private tour with Anastasia Tours in 2009 and it cost $285 us dollars per person for 4 people. This was a lot less money than the princess tour and it was private! Our guide got us in without waiting in any lines, took us into the private Gold room at the Hermitage etc. Here is what we did:

 

Day 1:

Peterhoff tour (or Petrodvorets). This city of outstanding parks, marvelous cascades and enumerous ountains is a former summer Residence of Russian emperors. These fascinating ensemble is laid out right on the southern shore of the Finnish Gulf (Baltic Sea).

Hydrofoil trip - took a boat from Perhoff back to downtown St. Petersburg. The driver met us there by driving back himself and picking us up there.

Savior on the Spilt Blood. This cathedral is a combination of Old Russian style (14th - 16th century) with the artistic achievements of the 20th century. It is. The mosaics, which cover a vast area of the outer and inner walls (approximately 7000 square meters in total) make the church monument of the international significance.

St.Isaac's Cathedral visit. This is the third largest domed cathedral in the world. While entering You'll be amazed with the grandeur of this Cathedral. During the interior tour You'll enjoy the variety of paintings, mosaics, marble and semi-precious stones, used for the decoration.

City Tour. UNESCO recognized Saint-Petersburg as one of the 10 most beautiful cities in the world. You’ll be able to enjoy the combination of magnificent architecture with strict planning of its broad streets, squares, parks, gardens, canals and museums of great rarity. It could be rightly called an open-air museum. In order to save time and avoid traffic jams Your city tour will be split into several parts and will last during all Your stay in St.Petersburg: You’ll visit the St.Nickolas Cathedral, take photos next to the Bronze Horseman (Monument to Peter the Great), enjoy the Panoramic view of the Neva river, the Admiralty, (If You have any special requests about must sees. Please, let Your guide know before the tour. Thank You in advance.). - We also stopped for lunch and to buy some souvineers and us the bathroom a few times!

Day 2:

The Hermitage visit.This tour includes visit of 4 buildingdgs of the Hermitage ensemble:the Winter Palace, the Small Hermitage, the Old Hermitage the New Hermitage. Exploring these palaces you will be impressed not only with the valuable artistic collection, but also with the beauty of the interiors. Plafonds, parquets, stucco-works, gilded woodcarvings are unbelievably outstanding. Optional visit of the Gold Room - the collection of the Royal Jewelry and other Artifacts.

[Embracedbylife]

I should mention we went back to the ship after Day 1 and they picked us up again on Day 2. I liked going back to the ship. Visas were provided by the tour company - we had to send them our info before hand so they could get the visas for us which they did!

[capriccio]

We were in St. Petersburg in August 2009 and used Alla Tours. It was a wonderful full 2 days and we saw all the sites. We did not even have to pay until the 2nd day. It was about $300 p.p. and well worth the money. They also do get the visas. I would not hesitate to use them again.

 

 

And - at least in June 2009 - they gave a discount for cash! I too recommend Alla.

[Atriumgirl]

We were in St Petersburg last summer with Celebrity & did a 2 day tour with Alla Tours. It was $300 pp and covered everything we wanted to see, all the main sights, and our guide got us into the Hermitage before the official opening time. We paid at the end of the second day. Terrific value for money. BTW Alla arrange all the visas - as do Denrus, Anastasia, Red Oktober etc etc.

[nabby]

In 2008 we did a 2-day tour with DenRus. As I recall it was about $300

It was a terrific tour and I would highly recommend them. We worked off their basic 2-day package but put together our own itinerary.

 

Day 1

Driving tour of the city

Catherine Palace (we got there before the crowds hit)

Lunch with a Russian Family (this was our special request and it was the highlight of our St. Petersburg tour. We ate a home-cooked lunch (dinner really) at the home of a Russian couple. We had about 90 minutes with them and it was wonderful being able to discuss everyday life in Russia.

St. Isaacs

Hermitage (boy, was this one a power walk! Our pedometers said we walked 3 miles here, and we still didn't get to see everything.)

Some shopping

 

Day 2

Peterhoff (another highlight, probably because it was a beautiful day). We spent the morning here, enjoying the palace and grounds.

Lunch (can't remember the name, good and reasonable)

Metro Ride (our driver went ahead and met us a few stops down)

Peter & Paul Fortress

Church On Spilled Blood

We had some extra time, so we went to another palace that had a very nice gift shop.

 

Our guide (Maria) was terrific. She knew everything, and was very open in talking to us about whatever we wanted. She was a little older and it was amazing to hear her stories about living through the communist rule and the government upheavals in the 80's-90's. We left very early (as soon as the ship was cleared, I think it was about 6:30 the first day!) and we beat all the ship's tour busses coming in. We packed a lot in and so it was tiring but well worth it.

[derekjp47]

Hello,

 

We are considering Princess Baltic cruise this summer. Please could anyone give me an indication of Princess excursion costs in St Petersburg or tell me where I can find them. The Princess website lists the excursions but not the prices.

 

Thank you

 

Try using a tour group named Red October, they are fabulous and at a much loer cost than the ship. You won'y have a better time. You can find them on the web.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

Try using a tour group named Red October, they are fabulous and at a much loer cost than the ship. You won'y have a better time. You can find them on the web.

 

If you go to the Ports of Call section on Cruise Critic, they now have a section where tour operators can advertise, and Red October is there in the Baltic section.

 

We used them and found them to be excellent. They seemed to be able to get into the venues very quickly, whilst others on our cruise who took the ships tours complained of waits up to 1 1/2 hours.

[SRQfireman]

We were in St Petersburg last summer with Celebrity & did a 2 day tour with Alla Tours. It was $300 pp and covered everything we wanted to see, all the main sights, and our guide got us into the Hermitage before the official opening time. We paid at the end of the second day. Terrific value for money. BTW Alla arrange all the visas - as do Denrus, Anastasia, Red Oktober etc etc.

I vote for ALLA also. I want to save we saved over $100 pp and only had like 16-17 people in our bus. There's alot to be said about only touring with that many people compared to 40-45 on a Princess tour. ALOT more private. Got in the "back door" of places I'm guessing "normal folks" don't get to do. Our tour guide spoke great english in was incredibly knowledgable in all the places we went. We also had the option of paying with cash and saving alittle money. I would use them again in a heartbeat. Pre-tour correspondence was excellent also.

One other thing I may have seen mentioned. Princess will tell you that if you don't book with them, you can't get off until all the Princess tours leave-----> that's BS ! Both days we got off as early as we wanted without a hitch

Enjoy your tour there.....it's one of those.....Not To Be Missed things to do.