Price of Excursions in St Petersburg and When do they Usually go on Sale

[tring]

We are booked on a Baltic cruise next year, and as we expected, the excursions are not available yet. We can access details of excursions which are said to be 'Typical for this port' and one of those is called 'St Petersburg Explorer' and allows for quite a lot of free time at three locations in the city. It is listed as a 7.75 hour excursion, but no price guide is mentioned.

 

Has anyone got this excursion offered for a P&O Baltic cruise this year and, if so could you let me know the price of it? I would also be interested in the price of the 5.25 hour tour that just goes to Peterhof Palace and Fountain Park.

 

Also can anyone tell me when excursions for Baltic cruises tend to go on sale? P&O website says at least 12 weeks prior to departure, but I am sure the excursions on our last P&O cruise were on sale for way longer than that.

[JeiaMoore]

Tring , £42 for the Explorer and £73 for the Peterhof, hth :).

[tring]

Tring , £42 for the Explorer and £73 for the Peterhof, hth :).

 

That is very helpful indeed. thank you very much

 

It is a long time to go, but given the prices quoted about private trips on the ports of call forums and everyone saying how much more expensive the ship's tours are, we were getting pretty worried. I did wonder if it was people wanting to 'do' everything in SPB in two days though, and given many of them are crossing the Atlantic to get there, I can partially understand that, though it is not the way we plan our holidays, even on the far side of the world :)

 

Those prices are good and free time is a particular advantage from our point of view. We did a Viking river cruise from St Petersburg to Moscow at the start of May this year and took the two day hotel extensions at either end, so we know SPB fairly well, but would be very pleased to return and have more free time in the locations visited on the Explorer - it is a lovely city and very tourist friendly. The trips (and we had lots of them) were pretty intense with lots of walking a a fair pace and also endless rapid speech from the guides (very easy to just switch off, but some was interesting). We did not encounter any queues to speak of at that time of year, so we are wary about next year's cruise as it is high season.

 

Hope you enjoy, or have enjoyed your cruise,

 

Barbara

Edited June 27, 2018 by tring

[tring]

JeiaMoore, From your other posts I see you are yet to go on your cruise, if I can be of any help, please ask.

 

If you have any interest in doing the Explorer Excursion the comments below may be of use to you:_

 

From the area of Nevsky Prospect described there is quite a bit reachable, e.g. Kazan Cathedral, Church on Spilled Blood, Faberge Museum, Art Square and the National Museum, (which is an art gallery), as well as the general buzz of the area. Field of Mars is a lovely garden area and easily walkable to the Neva River where there are brilliant views over to Peter and Paul Fortress or could just walk up the canal a short way - lovely buildings. We were not that keen on the area by Isaac's Cathedral, but there are statues nearby and fine for a short stroll. You may have time to go into the Cathedral, but like a number of other main tourist 'churches' it is actually a museum, so guides can talk to groups inside and it was far too packed for out liking, even in very early May. though aspects of the building had an interest. There are a couple of 'real' churches near Nevsky Prospect, which were smaller, but interesting and also peaceful as you would expect. Also on Nevsky Prospect we found a self service cafe down steps which was a good place for a quick, cheap lunch - not luxury but practical - you may need roubles for that, not sure they would take cards. Three hours is not long, so probably more suited to a walk around those places, but there would be time to visit somewhere of interest e.g. Faberge and walking along the canals off Nevsky is very pleasant.

[the english lady]

A very very popular thing to do is rather than pay the ships tour prices go with Alla Tours. They get very good write ups on trip advisor etc. They are cheaper than the ships tours, and you go in smaller groups. Look on their web site. You pay at the end...and they cover you visa wise.

[tring]

A very very popular thing to do is rather than pay the ships tour prices go with Alla Tours. They get very good write ups on trip advisor etc. They are cheaper than the ships tours, and you go in smaller groups. Look on their web site. You pay at the end...and they cover you visa wise.

 

Alla have quoted almost £450 (in dollars) for the two of us to do a full day trip to two locations (and almost £550 to do the same on two half days) which is way above the cost of £84 (£42pp) for P&O's full day Explorer Trip', were we would have 6 hours of free time!!!! So Alla are charging more than 5 times the price and we would not have freedom as we would with P&O. Alla came out with a very rigid itinerary, which is not what I had asked for and, from what I have seen on the port of call forum, all the private operators charge much the same and the price per person is much the same in a small group as it is for two.

 

Those private companies seem to just want to do rushed tours to numerous places, which admittedly is what some people want. We had lots of being rushed and fussed on our Viking River Cruise tours, whilst the 6 days we were independent in SPB and Moscow were far more pleasurable and we saw a lot that we wanted to see as well. Entrance fees to places like Faberge Museum and the Kremlin Armoury and the cost of the St Petersburg canal cruise (for example) were less than £10pp, but Viking were charging £70-80 to do optional tours to those places.

 

If we are not happy with what P&O are offering for our cruise we will get visa's and stay in a hotel. We needed visas for our 18 nights in Russia early last month, so we have done the groundwork getting the required info together and have saved those details, so second applications will be relatively easy.

[JeiaMoore]

Thanks for the help tring and the english lady :)

 

tring- The P and O Explorer tour looks a great low cost option for those who have done SPB before, although from what I understand about the way the ships/independent tour visa works I'm not sure how far you can wander from your "guide"? I think you'd have to check with P and O directly whether you're allowed to visit all those places you listed on your own (although I'm not sure how 1 or 2 guides could keep track of a whole coach load of people, so I might be wrong? :o .)

 

As I've not been to St Petersburg before, my priorities are to see as much of the "main" attractions as I can see in 2 days without being too exhausted - definitely the Peterhof Fountains and Gardens, the Church of the Spilled Blood and the Hermitage (main building at least) , as well as a city "overview" type tour to see the exteriors of other important buildings/churches and the metro.

 

I'm young and reasonably fit but I don't cope with heat well :eek: and I've heard that the palaces, museums and churches (such as Catherines's Palace, St Peters and Paul Church, St Issac's etc) are understandably not air conditioned and are often very crowded and hot. So I'm very confused about what to do? :confused:

 

the english lady - I think a set small group tour might be best cost/value wise and I have heard good things about Alla Tours (amongst others!) but am torn between the Grand Tour vs The Comfort tour, as I don't want to spend too much time in hot buildings and risk overheating but equally I don't want to waste time "shopping" when I could be seeing more important things :rolleyes: .

[kenjo]

We are booked on a Baltic cruise next year, and as we expected, the excursions are not available yet. We can access details of excursions which are said to be 'Typical for this port' and one of those is called 'St Petersburg Explorer' and allows for quite a lot of free time at three locations in the city. It is listed as a 7.75 hour excursion, but no price guide is mentioned.

 

Has anyone got this excursion offered for a P&O Baltic cruise this year and, if so could you let me know the price of it? I would also be interested in the price of the 5.25 hour tour that just goes to Peterhof Palace and Fountain Park.

 

Also can anyone tell me when excursions for Baltic cruises tend to go on sale? P&O website says at least 12 weeks prior to departure, but I am sure the excursions on our last P&O cruise were on sale for way longer than that.

Last time in St. Petersburg we booked a private two day tour with local company Alla Tours. Fantastic tour, small mini bus party. You print off tickets on line and these are your visas. Russian visas are expensive. Pay at the end of the tour in US dollars or credit card at the end of first day (these were the arrangements in 2015). Jumped queues at the major attractions. It's worth a look on line, the company is very helpful. Tours fill up early. Kenjo.

[tring]

Thanks for the help tring and the english lady :)

 

The P and O Explorer tour looks a great low cost option for those who have done SPB before, although from what I understand about the way the ships/independent tour visa works I'm not sure how far you can wander from your "guide"? I think you'd have to check with P and O directly whether you're allowed to visit all those places you listed on your own (although I'm not sure how 1 or 2 guides could keep track of a whole coach load of people, so I might be wrong? :o .)

 

As I've not been to St Petersburg before, my priorities are to see as much of the "main" attractions as I can see in 2 days without being too exhausted - definitely the Peterhof Fountains and Gardens, the Church of the Spilled Blood and the Hermitage (main building at least) , as well as a city "overview" type tour to see the exteriors of other important buildings/churches and the metro.

 

I'm young and reasonably fit but I don't cope with heat well :eek: and I've heard that the palaces, museums and churches (such as Catherines's Palace, St Peters and Paul Church, St Issac's etc) are understandably not air conditioned and are often very crowded and hot. So I'm very confused about what to do? :confused:

 

.

 

 

Yes we were wondering if there would be some sort of 'leash' applied :) Though the description does say it is possible to do an independent boat tour, which I would have thought would have been very tightly timed and would be going a considerable distance away (there are usually other stops) so would not be exactly 'captive ' on a boat. The boat ride is worth doing though as you see a great deal without all that walking.

 

You would certainly not have time to visit all of the the places I mentioned, but given what is mentioned (specifically the Emporium and the Fontanka River), I am pretty sure were people will be deposited and places I have mentioned are very close (within five minute walk), the only exception being The Church on Spilled Blood, which is a bit further down Nevsky, which is a very long road and on quite a hill, so not for anyone with mobility issues. The boat stop is, in fact right outside the Faberge Museum. That tour would certainly keep us happy, but as you say, we are in a different position.

 

I cannot help with details of temperatures in buildings in high season, but I can well believe the crowds as some places were pretty busy in the first few days of May, when we were there and there was only one ship in port at a time and the river cruise season was just starting. Viking generally had us there for start of play though and they had booked early doors for St Catherines and our group was the first in - brilliant. The problem appears to us to be the fact that all tourists converge on the same places as virtually everyone is taken round in tour groups. The main centre of the city is a very pleasant place with lots of beautiful architecture, which is why the boat tour was so good and is something I would recommend, though I would suggest trying to sit out as the indoor cabin is lower and the banks can be fairly high so visibility can be restricted.

 

One thing about temperature though is that you would not need to be covered up that well as most of the churches you visit (certainly St Isaacs) are classified as museums - so no dress restrictions. A simple scarf over ladies heads and no obviously revealing clothes is ok otherwise. Hence long shorts should also be OK, but best to check with your tour company. Taking a fan may be worthwhile. Even the 'easy' Viking tours were apparently pretty grueling and a passenger with a walking aid struggled a bit, though of course other 'easy' tours can be not much more than a ride in a vehicle and at times traffic was stationary when we were there, so I would not want to be stuck on the road in in high season as you could be stuck for a long time. Any trip which travels on the metro would be a lot better and I was surprised how well it worked on three of our trips - we did have the audio system though, so did not have to gather in a huddle. Overall to see things, I suspect it would mean a lot of time on your feet in crowded conditions as there is a lot of ground covered, though it is possible that less is seen in the high season when everywhere is crowded - we were walked a long way at a swift pace in the palaces, so were very tired afterwards.

 

One point about Peterhof though is that the fountains are turned off for the winter, The official 'turn on' this year was 17th May, though I think they were operating when we were there and that is normal. I understand they are turned off about mid October, depending on weather forecasts. We had left Peterhof as we wanted some time just to appreciate the city and it was an optional excursion. We had intended to return slightly out of season, but we would like to see the fountains, so we may risk the crowds in Peterhof.

 

Also be aware that the tours just visit the highlights of each venue, for instance when we were given free time in the Hermitage, we saw some lovely parts that were not on the tour. Got lost though and in quite a panic to find our way beak to the meeting point :)

 

I hope you enjoy whatever you decide to do,

 

Barbara

Edited June 28, 2018 by tring

[tring]

Russian visas are expensive. Kenjo.

 

Actually the cost of a Russian single entry visa is £130 + some minor admin charges, which is way cheaper than the tours groups charge. They obviously are just arranged to make monstrous amounts of cash, though I assume the government takes money to arrange the group visa as tours can be got cheaper from a hotel.

 

A double entry visa (which would be needed to leave the ship on two days) would cost a fair bit more and the Xtra cost could alternatively cover most of the cost of an hotel and is the path we would take. Not for everyone though, I admit.

 

The problem with getting a visa is that the form is real inquisition and it takes an age to gather the information and check what the answer should be to all questions, which are not always clear. The official visa centre though is very helpful and can give guidance on the phone. We also payed a reasonable fee to have our forms checked before we went off the have our fingerprints taken in Manchester (could alternatively go to London or Edinburgh). Making that small payment also got us an appointment in Manchester, whereas otherwise it would have been a turn up and wait job. Knowing what we do about that system it is not something I would recommend to someone who does not have the prior knowledge of the system and got the necessary info to hand, if they are only going for two days

 

Their are visa agencies which claim to "help" with the visa application. They charge a fortune and all they do is advise were necessary and check the form, since they have no way of gathering your personal info that is needed. Hence paying the fee to the official agency for a form check does the same thing.

 

There is another way round the visa. You could go on a ferry from Helsinki (or I think Tallinn), when you can have a visa free stay of a certain time (I am fairly sure it is 72 hours). People going for the world cup with official fan ID have also been able to go without visa's. Visa's are a money making matter and are run on a tit for tat basis - i.e. they ask us what the Brits ask Russian visa applicants - so fair do's. US citizens actually have an easy application system than we do.

 

Just thought I would clarify the myth regards visa's. Yes can be a pain, but if you are willing to spend the time, it is possible.

[marylizcat]

We did a ship excursion which gave us several hours free time, though with a different cruise line. There was no ‘leash’ at all, we were free to go wherever we liked. We had been to St P. before too and were happy to potter around on our own. They just gave us a map and told us what time to meet up back in the souvenir shop, where they have toilets.

 

 

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[tring]

We did a ship excursion which gave us several hours free time, though with a different cruise line. There was no ‘leash’ at all, we were free to go wherever we liked. We had been to St P. before too and were happy to potter around on our own. They just gave us a map and told us what time to meet up back in the souvenir shop, where they have toilets.

 

 

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Thanks a lot for that information sounds good to me. Now where are those rubles. we will need them for the tube fare..............:)

 

In some ways that is not surprising. Having been through the visa procedure they are obviously not that bothered about all those details on the visa form, e.g. Previous passport details, parent's/childrens names, dates of birth/death and their passport details, and all the countries you have visited in the last ten years. When you ask about it they are just as happy without some of that information if you do not have it, but you do need to make sure you give the appropriate response on the form and send a covering letter to explain why you cannot give that information. Visa system is clearly a matter of financial income and tit for tat political moves. Apparently the big problem is if you make a second application and put different details down. Luckily we have been forewarned by the forums and have kept a detailed note of what went on our application forms.

 

I am quite a bit ahead of myself as our cruise is not until Aug 2019, so just hope that tour is offered for our cruise. We are feeling quite off put by stories of crowds and queues in high season, so we may well keep away from the main tourist sites altogether. The cruise itinerary is 16 nights with seven other appealing ports, so will have a great time anyway.

[BrianI]

For a visitor arriving by cruise ship there is a 72 hour visa exemption provided you are accompanied with a licenced tour operator. This can be either a ships tour or one with a land based tour company

 

http://www.saint-petersburg.com/russian-visa/for-cruise-ship-passengers/

 

Brian

[tring]

For a visitor arriving by cruise ship there is a 72 hour visa exemption provided you are accompanied with a licenced tour operator. This can be either a ships tour or one with a land based tour company

 

http://www.saint-petersburg.com/russian-visa/for-cruise-ship-passengers/

 

Brian

 

Yes, that is true for cruise passengers, but people who arrive by Ferry do not have to be accompanied by a licensed operator, according to postings on TA, so they can just check into a hotel and enjoy.......

[Thejuggler]

We did Baltics last year, day one we did a full day tour to Catherines Palace lunch and then Church of St Peter and Paul which was very informative and interesting.

 

However we much preferred the day after which was half a day where we were driven to the city centre and left to wander for 3 hours.

 

We walked for all three hours, tried some Russian, got lost in some side streets, saw a few sights and were then driven back.

 

A full day doing this would have been even more enjoyable than the guided tour.