St. Pete

[willow surfside]

OK...I need some very honest opinions. We are tossing around a cruise with St. Petersburg as a stop. I have heard good things but want to make sure we are making the right decision..We have done other regions, Med and Greek, etc. so it's sort of a last option as far as a Europe cruise. We have also thought about just flying over and renting a car to travel in Denmark/Ireland, etc. Thanks for the help.:confused:

[desertminky]

St. Petersburg was one of the highlights of my travels. We chose Azamara because they had 3 days in St. Petersburg and we were able to see everything we wanted with a private tour guide (Viktoria from SBP tours). Also, smaller ships dock closer to the city center. I would highly suggest a trip through the Baltics, it was wonderful.

[TLCOhio]

OK...I need some very honest opinions. We are tossing around a cruise with St. Petersburg as a stop. I have heard good things but want to make sure we are making the right decision..We have done other regions, Med and Greek, etc. so it's sort of a last option as far as a Europe cruise. We have also thought about just flying over and renting a car to travel in Denmark/Ireland, etc. Thanks for the help.

 

Don't be confused!! St. Petersburg is a world-class "jaw dropper". Really great and spectacular. Some details were noted by desertminky. I'll show you more below as to why I believe it to be so super true. Given the complications with Russian visas and the high costs and travel logistical challenges in the Baltics, a cruise is your best option.

 

The bigger question is whether to do a cruise that has either two or three days in St. Petersburg. With three days there, you can better do a quick day-trip and back to Moscow as a part of your overall "adventure". That's what we did and it was super wonderful. So much unique history, architecture, etc.

 

Tell us more about your personal interests, past Europe travels, needs, budget, etc.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 83,082 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 71,038 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

 

 

Lots of beautiful church towers and buildings are located all over in historic St. Petersburg. Some “riding around time” allows an opportunity to see the variety of buildings in this historic capital.:

 

 

 

Here is a wider shot of the Spilled Blood Church interior in St. Petersburg. Its exterior design is more traditionally "Russian" or Orthodox than St. Isaac. Spilled Blood or the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ was built on the site along a canal where Tsar Alexander II was assassinated in 1881 and its building was dedicated to his memory. Construction began in 1883 and was completed in 1907. This city's architecture is predominantly Baroque and Neoclassical, but this church harkens back to medieval Russian architecture in the spirit of St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow. The Church contains over 7500 square metres of mosaics, among the most for any church in the world. It suffered much damage during the Russian Revolution and World War II, but was reopened in 1997, after 27 years of restoration. The results are beautiful!!:

 

 

 

Private, personal tours can be worth it, especially in St. Petersburg. Here our group of four, with our guide, Jane or Zhenya from Anastasia, we are viewing one of the two da Vinci masterpieces (Madonna Litta or Madonna and Child) at the Hermitage after an early admission. There are only 14 such painting by this artist existing in the world. We did an early admission at the Hermitage, adding to the enjoyment in this spectacular place AND museum. It is both!:

 

 

 

Here are some of the fountains and water at the spectacular Peterhof outside of St. Petersburg. The greatest technological achievement of Peterhof is that all of the fountains operate without the use of pumps. Water is supplied from natural springs and collects in reservoirs in the Upper Gardens. This elevation difference creates the pressure driving most of the fountains for the Lower Gardens, including the Grand Cascade.: : [/b]

 

 

 

Inside Catherine's Palace in St. Petersburg with our personal guide, we view this spectacular reception room, painted ceiling, gold, etc., at our pace and timing schedule.:

 

 

 

Here is an overall view of the size and scale of St. Isaac's interior in St. Petersburg. It is the largest Russian Orthodox cathedral in this historic city and was dedicated to Saint Isaac of Dalmatia, a patron saint of Peter the Great. The cathedral took 40 years to construct, 1818 to 1858, under direction of a French architect. During Soviet rule, it was nearly destroyed and was made into a Museum of Scientific Atheism. It has been restored to its religious beauty/role. The cathedral's main dome tops out at 333 feet and is plated with pure gold.:

 

[John Bull]

OK...I need some very honest opinions. We are tossing around a cruise with St. Petersburg as a stop. I have heard good things but want to make sure we are making the right decision..We have done other regions, Med and Greek, etc. so it's sort of a last option as far as a Europe cruise. We have also thought about just flying over and renting a car to travel in Denmark/Ireland, etc. Thanks for the help.:confused:

 

St Pete's is undoubtedly the jewel on a Baltic cruise, hence it's usually a two-day stop-over.

Other stops are excellent, and they are just about manageable on a day visit. The weather in the Baltic is much less reliable & there are fewer warm months. Because of distances by road (nothing like a bee-line) & ferry crossings I don't think there's a sensible alternative to a cruise. I have stacks of friends who've taken a Baltic cruise, there are very very few coach tours to Scandinavia, and I don't know of anyone who's done it by car.

 

Mainland europe (Med, Denmark, Greece etc) by car shouldn't be a problem, but you will find that including Scandinavia or Ireland, & even the UK, with the same car will involve a great deal of ferry-crossing expense, & possibly car-hire restrictions. Check out distances too, I suspect they're greater than you think.

Oh - and fuel prices. Through most of europe, the equivalent of $8 to $10 per US gallon.:eek:

(BTW, what's the current gas price in the US?)

 

And definately exclude Russia from that car tour - its highly unlikely that a western european car-hire company will permit it, you will need an expensive visa (not neccessary for most cruise visitors to St Pete's, see other threads), few speak english, and the written word (Cryllic alphabet) is incompehensible/unpronounceable.

 

Just MHO

 

JB :)

[willow surfside]

Thank you soooo much. This has definitely made our minds up. I appreciate your time in answering.

[TLCOhio]

Thank you soooo much. This has definitely made our minds up. I appreciate your time in answering.

 

A key consideration will be on which port from where you depart and finish at. On our cruise, we departed from Dover/UK, allowing nice, added time in southern England. Then, we finished our cruise in Stockholm and added an extra day there. Some of the Baltic cruises depart from Copenhagen, a great city to see more of. Others might start in Stockholm and finish in Copenhagen. Some go from and return to England and/or Amsterdam. Lots of good options.

 

Below is a small sampling for more of my photos on what else you do and love in other key Baltics ports, plus a couple more for the glory of St. Petersburg. Keep your good questions coming, plus your research!! Do these visuals get you excited about these many options?

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

 

At Stockholm’s Royal Palace, the changing of the guard is one of the key highlights and is handy, close to the next-door historic old town area. :

 

 

 

Helsinki’s Church of Rock, or Temppeliaukion Kirkko, is carved out of solid stone with a unique contemporary design.:

 

 

 

Dancers marching in Tallinn’s festival parade near the stone towers of the famous Viru Gate:

 

 

 

Copenhagen’s Nyhavn or “new” Harbor is actually old and charming. This waterfront entertainment district is lined by brightly colored 17th and early 18th century townhouses and bars, cafes and restaurants. Serving as a "heritage harbor", the canal also has many historical wooden ships. Lots of people and fun activity!!:

 

 

 

At St. Petersburg’s Hermitage, here is just one of the many, many great galleries with so many great architecture details, soaring ceilings, dramatic floors, etc., in areas where the Czars entertained and impressed other Royals and nobility.:

 

 

 

One of the many fountains on the grounds of the Peterhof is the Orangery Fountain, depicting Triton fighting a sea monster. There is a cafe there with outdoor seating and super views where we ate outside and had our lunch.:

 

[shorefolks]

I would definitely recommend a cruise as the way to get initial views of the Scandinavian countries plus Russia and Estonia and, maybe, Germany. We actually prefer fly-and-drive trips for exploration and have used that method for most of Europe. However, some areas are much better suited to cruising, and this is one. The Baltic offers a very convenient opportunity to visit the capital cities of the relevant countries and have some very scenic cruising, as well. (As mentioned, driving this whole area is rather impractical.) As a bonus, there are the major-league city of St. Petersburg and the pleasantly-surprising, small gem of Tallinn, Estonia.

 

Let such a cruise give you an introductory survey of the area and then, if any of the countries engender more interest for you, plan subsequent follow-up trips for more detailed examination. We just got off of a Baltic cruise and are already planning a Norwegian fjord cruise for next year.

[kentquilter]

I am booked to go on a second baltic cruise with two first timers. I think the ports of call cannot be beaten. Most are compact so you can easily do your own thing exceot for St P which is amazing.

 

Go for it - you won't regret it.

[kazu]

We are returning to the Baltics - and looking forward to it. St. Petersburg is breath taking - you can't take everything in the first time. We're happy to return. Highly recommend:):):)

[Fredr]

Hello,

 

My girlfriend and I will be on Celebrity's Constellation in August. I would greatly appreciate knowing the names of several Saint Petersburg tour companies used by CCers, both positive and negative. An alternative is to use the cruise line's shore programs but I like to cover the waterfront in terms of options...no pun intended or maybe if it does make you smile.

 

Any other suggestions are welcome.

 

Thanks,

[John Bull]

Hello,

 

My girlfriend and I will be on Celebrity's Constellation in August. I would greatly appreciate knowing the names of several Saint Petersburg tour companies used by CCers, both positive and negative. An alternative is to use the cruise line's shore programs but I like to cover the waterfront in terms of options...no pun intended or maybe if it does make you smile.

 

Any other suggestions are welcome.

 

Thanks,

 

Alla Tours, SPB, TJ Tours, Anastasia Tours all use 16-seater vans, not so sure about Red October or DenRus. Doubtless you'll get other suggestions.

Google them.

All get plenty of positive comments on CC & elsewhere.

Find a genuine negative review about any of them & I'll send you a cigar ;)

 

Ships' tours suffer the usual ship's tour problems of large numbers/vehicles. That apart, they seem to be well-received, too.

Probably because they use the same companies.

 

JB :)