St Petersburg Tours?

[seanquirke]

Hi all

 

I need some help with Tours of St Petersburg. I will be visiting on Oriana at the end of th Month.

I would like a 3-4 hour tour on both days plus a visit to the opera. My problem is that the tours I've seen are very very expensive. It seems a waist to visit such a place and stay on board ship but looking at the cost, I think I will have little choice. I normaly do my own thing choosing where an when to visit the places I prefer.

I understand this is not possible in St Petersburg But £300 plus for tours per person seems a little on the expensive side to say the least.

 

thanks for any advice

[John Bull]

Ship's half-day tours are an expensive & time-wasting way of doing things.

Consider a full two-day tour with one of the local operators, they cost about £100 per person per day, including admission charges & lunch. They have the same visa-free status as ship's tours, you do have to pre-book (the booking confirmation e-mailed to you gets you through immigration without a visa) but you don't pay anything until you're there, you don't even quote a credit card number with your booking.

Tours are in small groups in 15-seat minibuses, each with their own guide & flexible itinerary. We used Alla, but they're all very good.

Google Alla Tours, SPB Tours, TJ Travel, Best Guides, DenRus, & Red Oktober, There are also smaller operators, all very good too.

Google for independent reviews too, & you'll see what I mean.

 

And check out the many threads on the Baltic forum.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=-1&f=192

 

But you've left it very late.

I suggest you research & e-mail your interest to 3 or 4 of them soonest. They're quick to respond, go with one which has space.

 

St Pete's is the jewel in any Baltic cruise - don't miss out.

 

Other ports are cheap & easy to DIY, so don't worry about blowing a high proportion of your shore-spending budget on St Pete's

 

JB :)

Edited August 16, 2014 by John Bull

[seanquirke]

Hey Thanks JB. Lots of good advice in your responce. I have infact done lots of research and agree with the operators you have suggested.

Jjust one more question. We have found a P&O tour which is over 7 hours on day 2 called St Petersburg Explorer it costs £42 would you say this is a good idea or to rushed?

 

Thanks again for all your advice

Edited August 16, 2014 by seanquirke

[John Bull]

I can see that tour on the web, but not the prices since I don't currently have a P&O cruise booked.

 

No, it won't be rushed - but it doesn't achieve much.

No Peterhof - & its garden fountains.

No Catherine Palace - & its Gold Room.

No Peter & Paul fortress - & mausoleum of the Czars.

No Hermitage - your free time is close to the Hermitage but pointless to go in, the queue will be long (tour groups by-pass the queue, & the local operators' tours have pre-public admission)

That's four of perhaps the top five sights.

And no guide at the fifth, the Church on Spilt Blood.

No Aurora, no hydrofoil, no canal tour, no metro ride.

 

It does have one thing which many crave - three hours free time on Nevsky Prospekt. The city's main shopping street, no important must-see's but an opportunity to mingle in the street. One reason why elsewhere we prefer to DIY. :)

But also 90 minutes free time nearby in the Field of Mars. I guess from there you could walk the 20 minutes over the bridge (River Neva) to Peter & Paul, or along the embankment to see the outside of the Hermitage, though you need to research ahead so that you know what you're looking at.

 

I've made a mental note of this excursion - great for a return visit. :cool:

But I see it as a waste for a first, and possibly only, visit to St Pete's.

I doubt you'll be able to find another tour for your other day to fill all the gaps. I guess you'd have time with a tailor-made tour majoring on, say, Peterhof & Catherine Palace or Hermitage & Peterhof.

 

I've copied that itinerary below, hopefully others can give their views.

St Petersburg Explorer

 

Join this unique tour which will open your eyes to a different view of the city of St Petersburg.

 

Sit back and enjoy your first glimpses of the beautiful city of St Petersburg as you transfer by coach to St Isaac’s Square. While onboard the coach you will be given a map to help you plan your sightseeing for the day and once at St Isaac’s Square you’ll have free time to take photos of the local sights including St Isaac’s Cathedral (exterior view), The Bronze Horseman - an icon of St Petersburg or the beautiful panorama of the Neva River.

 

Rejoin your guide to continue towards the Field of Mars where you’ll have around 1½ hours of free time. Once a parade ground for the Imperial Guards, this public park is now dotted with lilac trees and pretty, manicured gardens. A short walk from the Field of Mars will bring you to the Summer Garden, located on a man-made island it is the site of the earliest park in the city dating back to 1704. Also within walking distance you can visit the site of one of the city’s most striking monuments – The Church Over Spilled Blood.

 

Your final stop will be in the heart of the city, Nevsky Prospect. Your guide will help you decide the best way to spend 3 hours exploring the many sights of this central area. Visit the famous Yeliseev’s Food Hall where the delights on offer look more like works of art than edible treats, head down to the Neva River and take an independent boat cruise or simply take a walk along the Prospect experiencing the daily life of any St Petersburg resident by visiting the local shops and cafés.

 

This excursion will operate by coach and on foot. There is approximately 6 hours of walking at your own leisure on this excursion. This excursion is exclusive of entrance fees, meals or refreshments. Your guide will be present throughout the day for any queries, questions or advice.

 

Worth copying it onto a question on the Baltic forum, likely to bring more responses. Heres a link.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=-1&f=192

 

JB :)

Edited August 16, 2014 by John Bull

[seanquirke]

Once again thank you so much for your Valued advice and obvious expertise

 

I am now looking into a 2 day tour. Perhaps I will have to miss out on the ballet.

 

These tour do seem quite intense though. Makes me wonder why not just visit half the places and reduce the cost to half for those who are on a limited budget and who dont really want to spend 9-11 hours per day on guided tours

 

As I've mentioned on a previous thread, my ideal tour would be a 4 hour tour on both days taking in Peterhof Fountain Park and Gardens, Catherine Palace at Pushkin, a visit to the church of spilled blood and Lunch at the summer palace :) We would also like to have a ride on the hydrofoil and metro. Finaly an evening visit to the Ballet.

 

I think this could be done for around $250 a head? I have emailed this request to a couple of the T/O but my guess is unless i was to get 10 or more people to join me it wont be possible.

 

Sean

[John Bull]

 

I think this could be done for around $250 a head? I have emailed this request to a couple of the T/O but my guess is unless i was to get 10 or more people to join me it wont be possible.

 

Sean

 

Hi Sean,

Broadly you'll need about 8 to get a price per person that equates to their advertised tours, but I've little doubt they'll be happy to quote for any number.

Alla quoted us the advertised price for 8+ and near-as-dammit the advertised price for 6, but understandably the price pp for two or four was heavy.

We ended up with 20, spit between two tours. :)

 

I don't see you being able to find sharers at this late stage, and you'll not find anyone on-board because by then everyone will have made their arrangements due to the visa situation .

And bear in mind that all the local operators' vehicles may already be booked for tours on your dates.

Hence my suggestion that you find one which still has spaces on their tours.

 

The demand for half-day tours is met by the ship's excursions, and of course the same coach, driver & guide can do both the morning & afternoon tours, which makes them cheaper.

But local operators don't offer shared half-day tours. So to get a half-day price from them you'd need to get together two groups of 8 or more, one for am & the other pm.

If you take one of their tours you'll realise why they build them the way they do. ;)

 

We went to the evening folklore show - very touristy but great fun.

Some folk who did full tour both days plus the evening were whacked-out, others weren't. Different folks, different energy levels.

And unfortunately on most Baltic cruises the days immediately before & after St Pete's aren't sea days.

 

JB :)