If you used SPB Tours in St Petersburg... Which shore excursion and why?

[CintiPam]

We took the two-day deluxe tour with SPB-Tours in June and found another couple to share our tour. I had spent four days in St. Petersburg four years ago with my sister and had very firm ideas on what my husband, a huge history buff, would enjoy doing in our limited two days only, so basically I designed a very intense custom itinerary fitting three days of sightseeing into two when I booked in the previous November. Later, SPB redesigned their deluxe tour to include the canal boat ride I wanted during the day, so switching to their all-inclusive two-day tour got me all I originally had requested at a better price.

 

The itinerary was so intense I knew I did not want a night activity, particularly because I had been to the summer "tourist ballet" with my sister, and found it nowhere near the quality I preferred. (The major companies are off traveling in the summer.)

[suncityga]

We took the two-day deluxe tour with SPB-Tours in June and found another couple to share our tour. I had spent four days in St. Petersburg four years ago with my sister and had very firm ideas on what my husband, a huge history buff, would enjoy doing in our limited two days only, so basically I designed a very intense custom itinerary fitting three days of sightseeing into two when I booked in the previous November. Later, SPB redesigned their deluxe tour to include the canal boat ride I wanted during the day, so switching to their all-inclusive two-day tour got me all I originally had requested at a better price.

 

The itinerary was so intense I knew I did not want a night activity, particularly because I had been to the summer "tourist ballet" with my sister, and found it nowhere near the quality I preferred. (The major companies are off traveling in the summer.)

 

Hi CintiPam,

 

Did the SPB Deluxe 2 Day Tour match your 'intense custom itinerary'?

 

What were the 'must see' on your itinerary and how did it work out?

 

Thanks. :)

[CintiPam]

Hi CintiPam,

 

Did the SPB Deluxe 2 Day Tour match your 'intense custom itinerary'?

 

What were the 'must see' on your itinerary and how did it work out?

 

Thanks. :)

 

Yes, it did match what I wanted to do: Peter and Paul Fortress, including the cathedral with the Romanov tombs, Peterhof Gardens and Monplaisir, Peter's smaller palace on the Gulf, Catherine's Palace (which in four years had a great deal more furniture) and gardens, St. Isaac's Cathedral, Church of Our Saviour on the Spilled Blood, Winter Palace and Hermitage Museum (as an art docent, I wanted a minimum of 2-1/2 hours here), one-hour canal boat ride, subway ride, and Yusopov Palace, with its gem of a theater and amazing Rasputin connections. We opted for only one shopping stop (our lowest priority) at the end of our second day, and also had fast lunches, including one at the Stolle pie place near the Church of Our Saviour.

 

It worked out great, although very tiring. A hydrofoil to Peterhof saved a lot of time. Also we were there on a Saturday and Sunday, so traffic was much less. Our guide did a fabulous job wending her way through lines and flashing her passes so we never had to wait at all anywhere. It is my understanding that if you have 8 (or 6, I am not sure which) or less people, tour company groups can skip most lines, particularly those at Catherine's Palace, where other larger groups from our roll call had to wait.

 

Prompt email response from Anthony over several months and owner Viktoria meeting us when we arrived and then again right before we left to check how we enjoyed our visit were also very appreciated. We even had a written survey to complete on the van ride back to the ship, something we never had on any other private tour.

[suncityga]

Yes, it did match what I wanted to do: Peter and Paul Fortress, including the cathedral with the Romanov tombs, Peterhof Gardens and Monplaisir, Peter's smaller palace on the Gulf, Catherine's Palace (which in four years had a great deal more furniture) and gardens, St. Isaac's Cathedral, Church of Our Saviour on the Spilled Blood, Winter Palace and Hermitage Museum (as an art docent, I wanted a minimum of 2-1/2 hours here), one-hour canal boat ride, subway ride, and Yusopov Palace, with its gem of a theater and amazing Rasputin connections. We opted for only one shopping stop (our lowest priority) at the end of our second day, and also had fast lunches, including one at the Stolle pie place near the Church of Our Saviour.

 

Thank you CintiPam... we appreciate your feedback ! ! !

[rdnpdx1]

Yes, it did match what I wanted to do: Peter and Paul Fortress, including the cathedral with the Romanov tombs, Peterhof Gardens and Monplaisir, Peter's smaller palace on the Gulf, Catherine's Palace (which in four years had a great deal more furniture) and gardens, St. Isaac's Cathedral, Church of Our Saviour on the Spilled Blood, Winter Palace and Hermitage Museum (as an art docent, I wanted a minimum of 2-1/2 hours here), one-hour canal boat ride, subway ride, and Yusopov Palace, with its gem of a theater and amazing Rasputin connections. We opted for only one shopping stop (our lowest priority) at the end of our second day, and also had fast lunches, including one at the Stolle pie place near the Church of Our Saviour.

 

It worked out great, although very tiring. A hydrofoil to Peterhof saved a lot of time. Also we were there on a Saturday and Sunday, so traffic was much less. Our guide did a fabulous job wending her way through lines and flashing her passes so we never had to wait at all anywhere. It is my understanding that if you have 8 (or 6, I am not sure which) or less people, tour company groups can skip most lines, particularly those at Catherine's Palace, where other larger groups from our roll call had to wait.

 

Prompt email response from Anthony over several months and owner Viktoria meeting us when we arrived and then again right before we left to check how we enjoyed our visit were also very appreciated. We even had a written survey to complete on the van ride back to the ship, something we never had on any other private tour.

 

 

We had virtually the identical experience with our private deluxe tour for six in June 2011. SPB's guide was outstanding, Anthony and Viktoria were a dream to work with in customizing the tour, and the driver was fabulous in avoiding delays due to traffic and always having the vehicle ready to go so we could maximize our time in St.P.

[suncityga]

We had virtually the identical experience with our private deluxe tour for six in June 2011. SPB's guide was outstanding, Anthony and Viktoria were a dream to work with in customizing the tour, and the driver was fabulous in avoiding delays due to traffic and always having the vehicle ready to go so we could maximize our time in St.P.

 

Thank you for sharing your experiences. We have been communicating with Anthony/Viktoria and we have booked their 2 Day DeLuxe Tour in St. Petersburg. Do you remember if they used the same guide for both days... do you remember who was your guide and how would you rate him/her?

 

We have read that Tours may change yearly depending on demand, below is their current 2 Day Deluxe Tour offering... any suggestions for changes?

 

Thank you ! ! ! :)

_______

 

Saturday 7.30AM-7.30PM

07.30 am Meet at the ship as soon as the ship is cleared

07.30-09.30 am City sightseeing tour. Subway ride.

09.30-10.30 am Drive to the Tsars’ Village (summer residence)

10.30-12.15 pm A visit to the Catherine's palace with the

Amber room and a walk in the park

12.30-01.30 pm Lunch at a local restaurant

01.30-02.30 pm Drive to Peterhof

02.30-04.00 pm Walk in the Peterhof Lower fountain park

and the Upper gardens. A visit to one of the smaller palaces:

Monplaisire, the Catherine's Block or the Empress's Bath House

04.00-04.30 pm Hydrofoil ride back to St.Petersburg

05.00-05.30 pm Visit to Church of Our Saviour on the Blood

06.00-06.45 pm A visit to Peter and Paul's fortress and

cathedral, the burrial place of the Russian Emperors.

07.30 pm Return to the ship or optional evening activities, for

example ballet, folklore show or a canal boat ride

 

Sunday 8.00AM-5.00PM

08.00 am Meet at the ship

08.00-09.30 am City sightseeing tour

09.30-12.00 pm Special early entrance to theHermitage Museum

12.15-01.15 pm Lunch: traditional Russian meal at local piroggis place

02.00-03.15 pm A visit to the Yusupovs' Palace

03.45-04.15 pm A visit to St.Isaac's cathedral

05.00 pm Return to the ship

[rdnpdx1]

Thank you for sharing your experiences. We have been communicating with Anthony/Viktoria and we have booked their 2 Day DeLuxe Tour in St. Petersburg. Do you remember if they used the same guide for both days... do you remember who was your guide and how would you rate him/her?

 

We have read that Tours may change yearly depending on demand, below is their current 2 Day Deluxe Tour offering... any suggestions for changes?

 

Thank you ! ! ! :)

_______

 

Saturday 7.30AM-7.30PM

07.30 am Meet at the ship as soon as the ship is cleared

07.30-09.30 am City sightseeing tour. Subway ride.

09.30-10.30 am Drive to the Tsars’ Village (summer residence)

10.30-12.15 pm A visit to the Catherine's palace with the

Amber room and a walk in the park

12.30-01.30 pm Lunch at a local restaurant

01.30-02.30 pm Drive to Peterhof

02.30-04.00 pm Walk in the Peterhof Lower fountain park

and the Upper gardens. A visit to one of the smaller palaces:

Monplaisire, the Catherine's Block or the Empress's Bath House

04.00-04.30 pm Hydrofoil ride back to St.Petersburg

05.00-05.30 pm Visit to Church of Our Saviour on the Blood

06.00-06.45 pm A visit to Peter and Paul's fortress and

cathedral, the burrial place of the Russian Emperors.

07.30 pm Return to the ship or optional evening activities, for

example ballet, folklore show or a canal boat ride

 

Sunday 8.00AM-5.00PM

08.00 am Meet at the ship

08.00-09.30 am City sightseeing tour

09.30-12.00 pm Special early entrance to theHermitage Museum

12.15-01.15 pm Lunch: traditional Russian meal at local piroggis place

02.00-03.15 pm A visit to the Yusupovs' Palace

03.45-04.15 pm A visit to St.Isaac's cathedral

05.00 pm Return to the ship

 

We added the Grand Choral Synagogue which I would recommend.

 

Elena was our guide and Slava the driver. Both were excellent. Slava did not speak much English but he was friendly and a very good driver. Elena was very professional and well-versed in eferything we saw. Her English was impeccable.

 

As I have mentioned before, there were eight SPB tours on our ship. I heard nothing but rave reviews about any of the tours and guides. I would not worry about trying to pick the best guide. The guides working with SPB are very well educated and professional, and personable as well. I do not think you can go wrong.

[suncityga]

We added the Grand Choral Synagogue which I would recommend.

 

Elena was our guide and Slava the driver. Both were excellent. Slava did not speak much English but he was friendly and a very good driver. Elena was very professional and well-versed in eferything we saw. Her English was impeccable.

 

As I have mentioned before, there were eight SPB tours on our ship. I heard nothing but rave reviews about any of the tours and guides. I would not worry about trying to pick the best guide. The guides working with SPB are very well educated and professional, and personable as well. I do not think you can go wrong.

 

Thank you for the suggestion and the info on the SPB Tour Guides.

[Giantfan13]

We added the Grand Choral Synagogue which I would recommend.

 

Elena was our guide and Slava the driver. Both were excellent. Slava did not speak much English but he was friendly and a very good driver. Elena was very professional and well-versed in everything we saw. Her English was impeccable.

 

As I have mentioned before, there were eight SPB tours on our ship. I heard nothing but rave reviews about any of the tours and guides. I would not worry about trying to pick the best guide. The guides working with SPB are very well educated and professional, and personable as well. I do not think you can go wrong.

 

I most definitely agree with Bob about SPB tours. We used them for our time in St Petersberg and have recommended them ever since. And, like Bob, we also added the Grand Choral Synagogue to our tour. We are of the Jewish faith and this place was magnificent to see and tour.

 

All the tour guides are well schooled and know what they are doing. The business of the company depends on these guides as they are who you will spend your time with. Everyone comes home saying that their guides were the best, so they are all good. And yes, you should have the same guide for both days.

Just remember, you will see and do everything on your itinerary, but sometimes it is moved around a bit to accommodate certain things like the weather, traffic and any other unforeseen events that may make getting to a particular destination a real hassle. When we toured, we had such a magnificent day on day one that our schedule was rearranged so we could do and see more of the outdoor places to take advantage of the glorious weather. Leave it all up to them, they know their business, but you will see and do everything you are supposed to.

 

Cheers

 

Len

[CintiPam]

I will chime in with the suggestion that on your second day you add a one-hour canal boat ride, which will show you the city from a different and beautiful perspective, a way often seen and used in its glory days. It looks to me you have a lot of extra time on the second day because of a noon departure from the Hermitage and a 2 PM visit to Yusopov's Palace, pluse 30 minutes from there to St. Isaac's that you should not need on a Sunday. Stolle lunch can be done in 30 minutes, so somewhere on day 2 you easily could fit this in.

 

Enjoy!

[suncityga]

I will chime in with the suggestion that on your second day you add a one-hour canal boat ride, which will show you the city from a different and beautiful perspective, a way often seen and used in its glory days. It looks to me you have a lot of extra time on the second day because of a noon departure from the Hermitage and a 2 PM visit to Yusopov's Palace, pluse 30 minutes from there to St. Isaac's that you should not need on a Sunday. Stolle lunch can be done in 30 minutes, so somewhere on day 2 you easily could fit this in.

 

Enjoy!

 

Giantfan13 and CintiPam... thank you very much for the information.

 

Adding the one hour canal boat ride sounds like a great idea on Sunday... we appreciate it ! ! !

[bazzaw]

You can pay by credit card with SPB - or could do so this year. There was a 3% fee for doing so - an amount equal to the fee they pay the cc company, I think. You could also pay in $$ or euro, your choice.

 

When do you actually pay for these tours - I am not especially keen on using a CC in Russia so would prefer to pay cash.

 

Thanks

 

Barry

[rdnpdx1]

When do you actually pay for these tours - I am not especially keen on using a CC in Russia so would prefer to pay cash.

 

Thanks

 

Barry

 

You usually pay the morning of the second day, or at some point during your two days there. Using the cc was not an issue with SPB at all. That may not be so in some shops, but there is not a problem using with the tour operator.

[traveling gypsy]

I keep reading how great SPB . I have been communicating with TJ Tours and **** Tours - They have the same itinerary as SPB and guarantee you will pay no more than $300 even if there is only two people signed up. So you don't have to run around trying to get 16 people. Does SPB offer that? Also what are the cancellation penalties.

[azgrandmax3]

Do consider the Deluxe tour, it is great. Yes we were tired after the second day but no regrets. What we most appreciated was not going to a lot of shops. We stopped at one the first day for 1/2 hour and that was it. Another great opportunity not offered on the ship tour was the subway. Beautiful. Artwork and chandeliers everywhere. Once in a life time experience. We were told the only one more impressive was in Moscow. We were given a choice of ether just viewing the subway or traveling on it. Our group of 16 all wanted to get on. So we went just to the next stop and got back into the van. Lunch the first day was sort of Pub like and very quick. The second day was sit down and served. Took about 40 minutes. A good rest before the afternoon travels.

[suncityga]

Do consider the Deluxe tour, it is great. Yes we were tired after the second day but no regrets. What we most appreciated was not going to a lot of shops. We stopped at one the first day for 1/2 hour and that was it. Another great opportunity not offered on the ship tour was the subway. Beautiful. Artwork and chandeliers everywhere. Once in a life time experience. We were told the only one more impressive was in Moscow. We were given a choice of ether just viewing the subway or traveling on it. Our group of 16 all wanted to get on. So we went just to the next stop and got back into the van. Lunch the first day was sort of Pub like and very quick. The second day was sit down and served. Took about 40 minutes. A good rest before the afternoon travels.

 

Thank you ! ! !

 

We will definitely do the 2 Day Deluxe Tour with SPB Tours... and we will add the subway ride.

[Got2Cruise]

But $300 is high if there are 16 people in your group. There really is no "running around" if you post on the roll call here on CC. All you need is to post your tour and most likely you will get the additional eight people you need to get a group of ten.

I keep reading how great SPB . I have been communicating with TJ Tours and **** Tours - They have the same itinerary as SPB and guarantee you will pay no more than $300 even if there is only two people signed up. So you don't have to run around trying to get 16 people. Does SPB offer that? Also what are the cancellation penalties.

[caribbeansun]

I'm looking at adjusting our itinerary slightly to add both the Siege of Leningrad exhibition and the KGB Museum.

 

Would be interested to hear if others have done this as well and if it is worthwhile.