St Petersburg tour company recommendations

[bee-ess]

I have been researching St Petersburg tour options for a while now and have decided to book the 3 day Grand Tour in St Petersburg and the 12 Hr Tour in Berlin with ALLA tours for our party of 4. I decided on ALLA because they have been extremely quick and helpful answering all my questions and their website in very easy to use. I feel pretty confident I have made a good choice

[Mayo21]

We feel the same way about Alla..... very professional and respond quickly to all communications....enjoy!!

[TravelingAPor]

I noticed quite a few of you have chosen Alla Tours. When I chose them last year, they were not #1, however they are now #1 on Tripadvisor.

I had no problems with them and now follow them on FB. We received two lunches and water each day from Alla Tours.

I did not bring water on my Stockholm tour, assuming I would get free water. We were not supplied with water and the tour guide, very kindly gave me her own bottle of water.

[slug33ukuk]

So far for a 2 day tour , my research has brought up these companies-

SPB

Alla

Ulko

Tailored Tours

TJ Tours

Viator

Best Guides

 

Any suggestions?

We had a private guide last year and she has now started her own company..I can HIGHLY recommend her, if you need her PERSONAL email I can give it to you , her company is http://www.redsun-tours her name is ELENA please message me if you need it. I have already given it to quite a number of people on "another" place. and they have booked personally with her and are extremely happy with the cost.

[5CTcruisers]

Our family of 5 used TJ Tours and we LOVED it! It was a small group, about 18 total. We had one couple on our bus that was slightly walking impaired, and our guide made sure it didn't slow the rest of us down by having them wait in certain places or meet up with later. I did notice at the end of the tour when we were paying that the couple got a discount because they were not able to do everything that the rest of us did! I thought that was very nice. Our tour guide "Michael" was amazing! Be sure to get off the ship as soon as possible in St. Petersburg. It takes forever to get through the customs lines!!!!

[upwarduk]

Be sure to get off the ship as soon as possible in St. Petersburg. It takes forever to get through the customs lines!!!!

 

 

I read that only cruise ship tours could get off early and the likes of Alla & SPB are not allowed into the area until the large buses are away from the parking area.

Not sure if this is every day or just at busy periods. As we are there in a run up to a World Cup match, I have taken the decision to do a cruise ship tour, especially as they seem to be the only ones to do one which we didn’t do when we were there in 2015.

[princeton12321]

I read that only cruise ship tours could get off early and the likes of Alla & SPB are not allowed into the area until the large buses are away from the parking area.

 

Not sure if this is every day or just at busy periods. As we are there in a run up to a World Cup match, I have taken the decision to do a cruise ship tour, especially as they seem to be the only ones to do one which we didn’t do when we were there in 2015.

 

 

 

The cruise lines will make you believe anything to take their tours that they get a kick back on. The cruise line tours in St Petersburg tend to be of lower quality and value than what you can arrange on your own.

[fabnfortysomething]

The cruise lines will make you believe anything to take their tours that they get a kick back on. The cruise line tours in St Petersburg tend to be of lower quality and value than what you can arrange on your own.

 

unfortunately from this year private tour operators wont be allowed in till an hour after ships tours-new arrangement with port-as you say money has changed hands!

 

However we are still going with a private tour company for better value and better experience

 

There seems to be some urgency to be off ship as soon as possible but most ships are there for 2 days and starting an hour later will probably mean retuning to ship an hour later to compensate

I am sure the guides know how to time the day to avoid worst queues

[TravelingAPor]

I got off the ship ASAP and got on line for immigration. There were many long lines and we just waited and went outside, when we were done. Alla had a sign and they were waiting for us. the second day was much easier and we just showed our stamped passport and went straight out. Even if the ship tours left first, it didn't make much of a difference. Our tour guide knew when to take us into a room, we were never crowded with other tours. It felt like we had the place to ourselves. They have a way to communicate to each other and when we left another group followed into the empty room.

I stood right in front of a DeVinci, Madonna & Child. I could touch it. When I was at the Louvre, I had no way of seeing the Mona Lisa, because of all the crowds.

There is absolutely NO reason to pay the ship excursion prices, whcich are double what I paid because you are worried about being behind and leavinng 30 minutes later, than a ship excursion!

[Got2Cruise]

unfortunately from this year private tour operators wont be allowed in till an hour after ships tours-new arrangement with port-as you say money has changed hands!

 

 

 

However we are still going with a private tour company for better value and better experience

 

 

 

There seems to be some urgency to be off ship as soon as possible but most ships are there for 2 days and starting an hour later will probably mean retuning to ship an hour later to compensate

 

I am sure the guides know how to time the day to avoid worst queues

 

 

 

Not only that the first day you always visit the sights away from the ship. So any traffic or breakdown don’t worry you have all day and night to get back. lol. Then second day the places are close to the ship. The vendors are in constant communication so they can figure out what to do perhaps change the order whatever but you’ll get back in time because you’re actually close by

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[princeton12321]

Not only that the first day you always visit the sights away from the ship. So any traffic or breakdown don’t worry you have all day and night to get back. lol. Then second day the places are close to the ship. The vendors are in constant communication so they can figure out what to do perhaps change the order whatever but you’ll get back in time because you’re actually close by

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

 

 

We researched the he!! out of this when we decided to do the Baltic and decided on doing it on a small Seabourn ship. Sounds like our crowd fears were well founded. With 400 people aboard and docked 2 blocks from the Hermitage we never saw anything like what’s being being described in terms of line. It certainly was a splurge but with the extra night in port (2 nights and three full days), no wait on or off the ship, and central location in town for docking might be worth considering.