Visa required for St Petersburg??

[chrob]

I have heard that if you want to do St Petersburg on your own i.e not with a ship's tour, that you need to apply for a visa.

 

Does anyone have any info on this?

 

Has anyone visited St Petersburg on their own without being part of a tour?

 

We would like to go to the opera or ballet on the night we are docked in port.

 

Has anyone done this? Is it easy to travel from the port to the centre?

 

We will be on the Constellation in May 2006.

[Andee]

You have three options in St. Petersburg:

 

Take a ship's shore excursion; you'll be part of a group visa.

Take a private tour with a company such as Red October or Denrus; you'll be part of a group visa..

Get your own visa and tour independently or with a company like Palladium.

[sunprincess]

Here is some info shared with me on obtaining a Russian Visa:

 

" Getting a visa is not as intimidating as many people assume.

First get an Voucher, that is a kind of tourist invitation from a hotel, hostel or tour company in Russia. It can be faxed or emailed to you. Include that two part document in your application to your nearest Russian Consulate(NYC, Washington DC, Seatle and San Francisco)with Consular fee in m.o. or bank check for $100 if you allow their longest processing time but the price goes up with faster processing, a completed visa application form(this form is now longer than for other nationalities because the US requires a long and intrusive form from Russian citizens now, a passport type photo(available from your TA or any Wallgreene's or Rite-Aid for about $6 for 2), your passport with 6months more remaining with two ajacent pages open(the visa is a full page sticker)and a self addressed stamped envelope large enough for your passport.

You will need an individual visa for independent travel in Russia or getting out of the dock area without an authorized tour company acting as your sponsor. Cruise ship passengers are allowed a 72 hour visa waiver if they are in the company of one of the few tour companies authorized to host visa-less visitors, and the last requirement is not staying overnight in a local accomodation, either an apartment or hotel...but staying up all night and partying is ok;>."

 

I did not end up getting the Visa. I was travelling alone, meeting friends working on the ship. Booked the 2 day Princess Grand Tour & loved it. Princess offered night tours for the ballet/opera, and I would think you will have this option as well.

 

This is an awesome cruise.

[chrob]

How much did it cost and how difficult was it?

[SaylorGirl]

Chrob - we are recently back from St. Petersburg and we did it completly on our own. The Visa was not that hard to get you just follow the instructions, it really isn't any harder than applying for your passport.

 

It would be very easy to get tickets for the Ballet and transportation is very easy to come by. We used the local buses and the subway but I know several have used the taxis. I can't imagine going to St. Petersburg and not having the independence of being able to enjoy this beautiful city. It was the highlight of our cruise.

 

I know there is a post of someone from the UK that got a Visa this summer just scroll back through the posts and looks for those of us who have gone independent.

 

If you have any specific questions on obtaining your Visa I will be happy to help.

[JodiBB]

As others have said, getting the visa itself is not a terribly difficult process.

 

However, if you do not take a cruise tour or a tour with an organized group approved by the Russian government, you are required to get an independent visa. Getting around St. Petersburg independently is not easy, especially if you don't speak/read Russian. Cabs/taxis/shuttles are not permitted to pick passengers up at the dock, so you would have to walk to the border of the port, which is a couple of miles, before you'd be able to get a taxi.

 

As for the opera or ballet, both the ship and the private organizations (such as Denrus or Red October) can make arrangements to provide such experiences.

[SaylorGirl]

However, if you do not take a cruise tour or a tour with an organized group approved by the Russian government, you are required to get an independent visa. Getting around St. Petersburg independently is not easy, especially if you don't speak/read Russian. Cabs/taxis/shuttles are not permitted to pick passengers up at the dock, so you would have to walk to the border of the port, which is a couple of miles, before you'd be able to get a taxi.

 

.

 

That is not true, you can get a taxi as soon as you get off of the ship and you can also take the free port bus to the end of the port, which is what we did. We had several offers of a taxi within minutes of getting off the ship.

[chrob]

Thanks to everyone for their replys. Has anyone from the UK obtained a visa recently?

 

How much did it cost and how long did it take?

 

Which Russian tour operator did you go through to get your invitation for the visa?

[SaylorGirl]

Thanks to everyone for their replys. Has anyone from the UK obtained a visa recently?

 

How much did it cost and how long did it take?

 

Which Russian tour operator did you go through to get your invitation for the visa?

 

I'm going to try and link this thread, he is from the UK.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=186310

 

I used Denrus to get my invitation letter.

[dwtr]

That is not true, you can get a taxi as soon as you get off of the ship and you can also take the free port bus to the end of the port, which is what we did. We had several offers of a taxi within minutes of getting off the ship.

I think there is a lot of fear about this sort of travel which is the cause and source of the myths about exploring Russia. It is an exciting and different place but a lot easier to get around and see as much as possible than L.A. or NYC, and safer also.

 

I went to school in an exchange program there in St Petersburg and even had a part time job with a tour company. The pay was lousy but I learned a lot and had a blast. My only advice is to listen to SaylorGirl. It is easy to get the visa and you can explore on your own if you are motivated. It will take some study and ignoring the people warning you about dangers they have never seen.

 

Getting one might not be a good idea however depending on how much you want to learn about the city. Someone is going to learn more and see more with a guide but a lot of people just like exploring on their own and that is how I like to visit new countries.

 

My wife and I are thinking about taking a European cruise next summer for the ship experience mostly and because it seems to be really a bargain compared to hotels. We have both traveled a lot before we got married and between us have visited most of the ports on the Baltic cruises so we are less interested in the ports and excursions than the actual cruise.

 

I do however wish to show her the "inside" St Petersburg based on my time and study there either with a good private tour or with a visa and rolling own own. Just considering it for now, depending on the finances.

 

If you go there on your own, learn the alphabet, which is an investment of 1 hour or so. That maybe a good way to kill time on flight layovers. It will save you getting lost or figuring out what store sells what or telling which sex restroom you are walking into.

 

I read that EU citizens might be visa free next year so that could be interesting for them. I had a student visa renewable every 6 months but I've also gotten a tourist and a 3 month business visa.

[mike35]

We visited St. Petersburg in August of this year - two nights and three full days (Crystal Symphony). Based on several glowing recommendations, we, along with another couple we met on this board, booked a private tour with Alla Ushakova (http://www.alla-tour.com). She obtained our visas and e-mailed them to us well in advance of our trip. I can't say enough good things about Alla. She anticipated our every wish, took us to a whole gamut of excellent Russian restaurants, arranged great seats for us at the Mariinsky (Kirov) ballet, and became a lifelong friend of ours. The three days we spent in St. Petersburg were the highlight of a totally outstanding itinerary, and it wouldn't have been nearly as superb without Alla's guidance and friendship.

 

Mike

[Pugdog007]

We visited St. Petersburg in August of this year - two nights and three full days (Crystal Symphony). Based on several glowing recommendations, we, along with another couple we met on this board, booked a private tour with Alla Ushakova (www.alla-tour.com). She obtained our visas and e-mailed them to us well in advance of our trip. I can't say enough good things about Alla. She anticipated our every wish, took us to a whole gamut of excellent Russian restaurants, arranged great seats for us at the Mariinsky (Kirov) ballet, and became a lifelong friend of ours. The three days we spent in St. Petersburg were the highlight of a totally outstanding itinerary, and it wouldn't have been nearly as superb without Alla's guidance and friendship.

 

Mike

 

The part I'm having a hard time with the tour guide is... are they with you every moment? Do you even have to eat with them or do they drop you off and come back or wait or what?

[mike35]

In our case, we opted to be with Alla for all three days, since there were so many things that we considered "must see" and such a restricted time to do so. Plus our visa required that we be with her.

 

Mike

[keep on cruising]

The part I'm having a hard time with the tour guide is... are they with you every moment? Do you even have to eat with them or do they drop you off and come back or wait or what?

 

Our RO guide was with us all the time. However, at lunch, her and the driver ate at a different table with another team of driver and guide.

 

It was there time to socialize with their coworkers and gave us time to discuss the day. But they were close enough to make sure everything was going ok and help if we had any language issues.