St.Petersburg-seeking your opinions on the sights!

[QuattroRomeo]

In researching the tour companies in SPB recommended by CC cruisers, I find that the tour itineraries do not vary too much and most sights are pretty standard. We would like to arrange a tour that allows more time in the Hermitage, add the Russian museum, and maybe 1 or 2 other sights that aren't typically on the agenda. That of course will mean that some standard sights will have to be excluded, for a 2 day port stop.

 

If you have done one of these tours, which sights impressed you the most? Which were just okay, or, not really worth the time? In Rick Steves book about northern cruise ports, for example, he suggests dropping either Peterhof or Catherine's palace, due to palace 'overkill', and travel time. While I don't always agree with Rick Steves, it is an interesting point.

 

Of these sights usually included on tours, which were your most and least favourite?

 

Peterhof

Catherine's palace and Amber room

Hermitage

Peter and Paul fortress

Church on Spilled Blood

Nevsky Prospekt

St. Isaac's cathedral

Canal boat tour

Subway ride

Yusopov palace

 

Or if you think there is something not on the list that should be included as a favourite?

Appreciate all opinions!

[Giantfan13]

All of the private tour companies will design a tour to whatever you wish to see. You want to spend 6 hours in the Hermitage, fine, you want to bypass certain others things, also fine. They are there to serve you and whatever you want to do is OK with them. The only problem with that is you might be the only ones on the tour, so it will be a lot more expensive. Most of the tours, as you said, go to the main attractions and it is easy to get a small group together to lower the cost. When you want to specialize the tours, unless you find others who wish to share what you want, or you are traveling with a group, then be prepared to pay for a sort of private tour.

 

As for venues that you might want to skip, I guess it all depends on what interests you the most and what doesn't. Catherine's Palace and Peterhoff are out of the city, and both offer completely different things. Catherine's Palace is inside beauty, while Peterhoff is outside fountains and grounds. Most tours do not go into Peterhoff. Several people though, liken Catherine's Palace to say Yusupov's Palace, or even the Hermitage as far as rooms and stuff. Several tours these days are skipping Yusupov's Palace, but I personally, loved it. Being from NYC area we ride subways all the time, so that was nice, but if I didn't go, it wouldn't have been a big deal. St Isaac's is another place that can be skipped.

We loved the Canal Boat ride. We spent 3 hours in the Hermitage, and for us, that was fine. You would have to discuss your likes and desires with a tour company and see what they can come up with for you.

 

Cheers

 

Len

[LHT28]

Peterhof

Catherine's palace and Amber room **

Peter and Paul fortress

Church on Spilled Blood

St. Isaac's cathedral **

Canal boat tour -skip if you are short on time

Yusopov palace**

 

** favourites of ours

 

You can ask for a custom tour from most guides to see what YOU are most interested in

[QuattroRomeo]

Thanks to you both. It is interesting that you both liked Yusopov. I thought it looked worthwhile when researching, and yet Rick called it a pointless stop on an excursion! So thanks for your opinions.

I have indeed been communicating with tour operators about custom tours, just thought I'd get some opinions on sights to keep and which could be omitted, to create something that hopefully a few others on the roll call might enjoy.

[LHT28]

We found Yusupov interesting ...look for the Trompe l'oeil & paper mache lights so different than Catherine's Palace

Of course it was not rebuilt like Catherine's Palace

We liked St Isaacs as well

 

Enjoy whatever you choose

[4774Papa]

We did STP on a Vantage River cruise and had more than two days in the city.

 

I strongly disagree about skipping Peterhof or Catherine's Palace. They are amazing. The amber room in Catherine's Palace alone is worth going to see.

We did see the inside of Peterhof, not sure why only a garden tour would be offered. Both were amazing.

 

The Hermitage is a bit more than a half day, but you see so much wonderful art. Don't miss that.

 

The Church of Spilled Blood is special, don't miss it. It doesn't take long to see it.

 

Nevsky Prospekt is near Catherine's Palace and takes little time to see.

 

Peter and Paul fortress is historical and the cathdral there has many of the more recent Czars tombs there.

 

We did the subway ride in Moscow, can't say about STP. That might be a skip.

 

The Canal Boat tour was enjoyable. Keep it on your tour if you have time, but it is not a major priority.

 

St. Isaac's cathedral is impressive, but I think I would go with Peter and Paul Fortress first.

 

Didn't see Yusopov palace, that will be for our next time in STP.

[Illyria]

Nevsky Prospekt is near Catherine's Palace and takes little time to see.

Nevsky Prospekt (Parkway) is the main street in St. Petersburg, that starts near the Hermitage and Admiralty, not Catherine's Palace.

[scubacruiserx2]

We have covered many of these and more in our thread filled with pictures. When you have a chance , you may want to take a look. It may provide some help in making your choices.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1775172

 

 

Can you share some your specific interests ? Both of the museums mentioned are very close together , with the Russian Museum being next to Spilled Blood. We have been to St. Petersburg 4 times and plan on returning again next year. In each case , we have been self guided or used several different private guides for custom tours. While I haven't read Rick Steves , but I tend to agree about palace overload. IMHO with only 2 days in St. Petersburg I would suggest skipping Catherine's Palace and spend the 4 hours saved in the "downtown area" seeing a lot of different things and places. The same architect , Rastrelli , that built Catherine's Palace , designed the Winter Palace (Hermitage) and there are many similarities throughout. The (reconstructed) Amber room (NO photos allowed) is the biggest draw there.

[RJ2002]

Thanks to you both. It is interesting that you both liked Yusopov. I thought it looked worthwhile when researching, and yet Rick called it a pointless stop on an excursion!

 

We were in St Petersburg last year, and Yusupov Palace was one of the stops. Although I wouldn't necessarily call it "pointless", it was my least favorite of all the venues we visited over the 2 days we were there (we toured with SPB Tours). In addition, it can get a little cramped in there... pretty tight quarters in some areas, and lots of people.

[4774Papa]

Nevsky Prospekt (Parkway) is the main street in St. Petersburg, that starts near the Hermitage and Admiralty, not Catherine's Palace.

Absolutely right, that was my error.

[LHT28]

we were there years ago & were allowed photos back then

 

 

Edited August 16, 2014 by LHT28

[LondonTowner]

I loved the Catherine Palace and everything else on our 2 day Alla tour. Would have loved to have spent the whole day in the Hermitage. I found the Church of Spilled Blood fascinating. I wouldn't have missed any of it. To ask other people what they want to see on a tour is a bit pointless as everybody has their likes and dislikes.

 

I had never heard of Rick Steves until I started using CC. As he is mentioned so often I have looked up a couple of his articles. I looked up what he had to say about London, my home town and although most of his comments are OK, he doesn't quite get it right. Therefore, I would do my own research and try to devise an itinerary which is in keeping to what I like and would like to see. This can be done in conjunction with the tour company.

 

If this Rick Steves bloke said to skip Catherine Palace and the Peterhof, he either has not actually been there, has no taste or doesn't know what he is talking about.

[Reggiefan]

My favorite sites in SPB in order are Peterhof, Hermitage, and Spilled Blood. Catherine's Palace is amazing, but after Peterhof, it was not necessary.

 

I enjoyed the canal boat ride and the subway visit. In fact, even though we spent some time on Nevsky Prospekt, I wish we had spent more time seeing parts of the city that tourists don't see to get a better feel for how Russians live. Indeed, Peterhof has not only the palace and the incredibly beautiful park, but the park is popular with Russians. On my list, Peterhof and the Hermitage are the two must-see sites.

[QuattroRomeo]

Thank you everyone for your comments and photos so far, it is interesting to hear opinions and see some photos! I realize that everyone has different interests, and for us we like to see art galleries, everyday life sights, try some local foods, and depending on where we are- countryside scenes. So when I looked at the standard tour itineraries, I knew something would have to go in order to add some sights.

 

This of course doesn't mean that the standard sights aren't appealing-they obviously are or they wouldn't be on the itinerary of so many companies! But sometimes we find that famous sites can be over-hyped, and on a first time visit it is hard to guess which we would appreciate the most.

 

Reggiefan and Scubacruiser I appreciate your specific comments to help with the paring-down process, and everyone who took the time to respond!

[DipBrat]

I think it is a good plan to see the Russian Museum. In some ways I would say it is more interesting than the Hermitage(especially if you have been to a lot of top European museums and have already seen lots of Italian Renaissance art, Egyptian artifacts etc.

 

I would skip Peter and Paul fortress and St. Isaac's cathedral. Both involve a bit of travel time and are not as uniquely Russian compared to the other sights.

 

As others said it will of course depend on your interests. An interest in military history makes the fortress a must see. (in this case you might want to add Kronstadt as well)

[buggins0402]

In researching the tour companies in SPB recommended by CC cruisers, I find that the tour itineraries do not vary too much and most sights are pretty standard. We would like to arrange a tour that allows more time in the Hermitage, add the Russian museum, and maybe 1 or 2 other sights that aren't typically on the agenda. That of course will mean that some standard sights will have to be excluded, for a 2 day port stop.

 

If you have done one of these tours, which sights impressed you the most? Which were just okay, or, not really worth the time? In Rick Steves book about northern cruise ports, for example, he suggests dropping either Peterhof or Catherine's palace, due to palace 'overkill', and travel time. While I don't always agree with Rick Steves, it is an interesting point.

 

Of these sights usually included on tours, which were your most and least favourite?

 

Peterhof

Catherine's palace and Amber room

Hermitage

Peter and Paul fortress

Church on Spilled Blood

Nevsky Prospekt

St. Isaac's cathedral

Canal boat tour

Subway ride

Yusopov palace

 

Or if you think there is something not on the list that should be included as a favourite?

Appreciate all opinions!

 

Wish you were on our cruise....I would have wanted to skip some things to add more time getting a feel for the city itself (walking Nevsky Prospect, going to the Russian museum and spending a bit more time in the Hermitage). Subway ride was a miss for us. It was from a newer station to another newer station. Nice art but, nothing like the stations on the old central ring line in Moscow (we were there a few years ago DIY).

 

Canal cruise was another thing we could have dropped....the way we had looped through the city to go to different sites, by the second day the cruise seemed redundant.

 

We did end up spending 3 hours in the Hermitage, our small group decided to skip a restaurant lunch and just grab quick sandwiches at a Hermitage kiosk cafe. I was satisfied with what we saw, but if we had more time I could have spent an entire day there.

 

We are more "social scientist" type travelers - we love walking streets, poking in shops and stopping in cafés. Impossible to do on the tours in St. Petersburgh. We also prefer museums to palaces. I guess in the end, we felt we saw a bunch of sites, but didn't get to know the city. But, that's coming from someone that got up and personal with Moscow and had something to measure against.

[Reggiefan]

I agree with the above comments by Buggins--though we spent by far the most time in SPB, we had little interaction with the people of SPB, except for the absurdly cold passport control employees we dealt with each day. However, given the limited interaction, I was struck by how vibrant life in every other port on our cruise was compared to what we did see in SPB.

 

Another suggestion is that we much preferred the quick lunch at a cafe rather than an extensive sit-down lunch at a restaurant.

 

I do have to add that we did see in central SPB a farmer's market-type food area, and we were dismayed by the quality of the seafood and the meat on display.

[Giantfan13]

I agree with the above comments by Buggins--though we spent by far the most time in SPB, we had little interaction with the people of SPB, except for the absurdly cold passport control employees we dealt with each day. However, given the limited interaction, I was struck by how vibrant life in every other port on our cruise was compared to what we did see in SPB.

 

Another suggestion is that we much preferred the quick lunch at a cafe rather than an extensive sit-down lunch at a restaurant.

 

I do have to add that we did see in central SPB a farmer's market-type food area, and we were dismayed by the quality of the seafood and the meat on display.

 

And we felt the exact opposite. We loved the sit down lunch at a real Russian Restaurant. When we went, about 3 or so years ago, we loved the food, and the chance to intermingle with some real Russian workers.

 

And we absolutely loved the canal boat ride. After a long day of touring, this was a great way to end the day, sipping champagne and eating some wonder chocolates, and seeing St Petersburg from a different prospective.

 

Cheers

 

Len

[Giantfan13]

To give you some perspective, here a re a few of my photo's.

 

At Catherine's Palace, you are greeting by a wonderful Russian Band

http://vid834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europemaster834.mp4

 

Inside is wonderful, and the gardens equally gorgeous

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe714.jpg

 

At Peterhoff, a view from the palace looking out towards the Sea Of Finland

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe721.jpg

 

The Fountains are just magical

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europemaster734.jpg

 

At Peter and Paul Fortress you will be able to view the graves of several of the Romanoff's and well as Peter the great

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe878.jpg

 

At Yusupov's Palace, there is a special theater for past Tsars which you can view

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe897.jpg

 

I wouldn't have wanted to miss any of this

 

Cheers

 

Len

[Cornishpastyman1]

I like Rick Steves but strongly disagree with him about the Yusupov. The Rasputin tale makes it much more than just another wondrous St Petersburg building.

[YOUTUBE]x6AgPa4OYDQ[/YOUTUBE]

[scubacruiserx2]

Subway ride was a miss for us. It was from a newer station to another newer station. Nice art but, nothing like the stations on the old central ring line in Moscow (we were there a few years ago DIY).

 

But, that's coming from someone that got up and personal with Moscow and had something to measure against.

 

Unless you plan on visiting Moscow , we would recommend that you ride the Red line on the Metro while in St. Petersburg. It is the oldest and retains some of the grandeur and Soviet Realism style employed in Moscow . It is also the deepest in the world .

 

 

http://www.pulpolocal.com/transportation-saint-petersburg-underground/

 

 

Avtovo

 

 

 

This mosaic says World peace

 

 

 

 

Marble columns

 

 

 

 

At the Narva station , statues of soldiers returning from the war are given flowers by a girl.

 

 

 

 

 

On the ground , above the station is a building with a painting depicting the Revolution

 

 

 

 

And when you turn around you will see this arch proclaiming a Russian victory over Napoleon and the French Grand Army.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And of course the deepest Metro requires a LONG escalator ride as seen in this video clip.

 

 

[QuattroRomeo]

Thanks for that subway info scubacruiser, I think we'd like to see some of that line.

The theatre in Yusopov that some of you mentioned would be interesting too. It gets harder and harder to eliminate things! But all of your input is much appreciated!

[Scriv]

My husband and I did a small group 2 day tour taking in usual highlights - Hermitage, St Catherine's Palace, Peterhof, Church of the Spilled Blood and the tombs combined with a visit to a real indoor food market and a ride on a hydrofil and a riverboat - and we travelled the Metro.

 

We wouldn't like to cut out any of it although it was a very busy two days - but my husband's favourite experience of all was the Metro and changing lines on a busy Friday evening rush hour time!

Edited August 19, 2014 by Scriv

[CrazyJess]

I had never heard of Rick Steves until I started using CC.

If this Rick Steves bloke said to skip Catherine Palace and the Peterhof, he either has not actually been there, has no taste or doesn't know what he is talking about.

I also had never heard of Rick Steves before. Any way don’t believe him! Peterhof gardens with all the fountains are fantastic! Marvelous! It was my favorite sight in St. Petesburg. The Catherin’s palace was also fantastic. It has so much gold! It’s just unbelievable! St. Isaac’s might be a skip…

Jess :):):)

[calteacher]

My TA recently advised me that the VISA to visit if $350 per person and therefore recommended using only the cruise tours as we would be covered by a "blanket" VISA for all their passengers. Can anyone verify this?

 

Also, any recommendations on personal tours. There will only be three of us.

 

Thanks.