St Petersburg on our own?

[dogs4fun]

7 hours ago, charlie murphy said:

you can get access to these "side entrances" if you buy your tickets in advance ( on line) these seem to be pre purchase doors. you will see this if you do research and get tickets online your ticket will direct you to a door that is sometimes away from the main entry.   i recall a lot of attractions had "side entrances" for pre purchased ticket holders.   

Yes, at some of the museums, you can use a separate entrance if you purchase your tickets online. Examples include: Hermitage (purchased online or from automated machines allows use of special gate to avoid main queues); St. Petersburg Card (special entrance for card holders at Peterhof Park, Peter & Paul Fortress, Erarta - look for the card logo)

https://petersburgcard.com/en/

Another option is the City Pass. I have no experience with this particular option but you can read about it here:

https://russiacitypass.com/en/piter

[angie7911922]

In many cities you are fine doing it on your own. In St. Petersburg, I'd recommend a guide for a few reasons. 

Many times if you are doing a small group tour, they will customize the tour for you. You can pick where you want to go and what you want to see and they will make sure you still see it. In St. Petersburg, some of the lines are long - really long. If you have a small group, your tour guide can usually bypass the line and take you right in. Less time in line means more time to see the sites!! Also, your guides will know the ins and outs of the city, the local culture, and some details on the history that you would otherwise miss.

[caripoo]

I would look into private tours....You can design them yourselves and you will have a guide and a driver...Knowing what we did and how we did it, I can't imagine doing it on our own.

[CatBelle]

I have the same question, as I have a friend in St Petersburg. I wonder how fast and slow is to move around in public transport there, our visas cost 58€/person which is cheaper than any excursion but I am afraid of the language barrier too.

[dogs4fun]

2 hours ago, CatBelle said:

I have the same question, as I have a friend in St Petersburg. I wonder how fast and slow is to move around in public transport there, our visas cost 58€/person which is cheaper than any excursion but I am afraid of the language barrier too.

I frequently use the metro & have no issues. Travel on the St. Petersburg metro is roughly equal to travel on any european system. Signs are in Cyrillic and also, usually, English. I downloaded the Yandex metro app to my phone - great resource. However, directional signs are usually in Russian only.

 

[Lagerta]

23 hours ago, CatBelle said:

I have the same question, as I have a friend in St Petersburg. I wonder how fast and slow is to move around in public transport there, our visas cost 58€/person which is cheaper than any excursion but I am afraid of the language barrier too.

In St Petersburg the metro system seems to be very efficient. The trains are quite fast, and the signs are both in Russian and English. Besides, as St Petersburg is a very tourist city, there are quite a lot of people who would speak at least basic English, so there will be no dramatic language barrier. Besides, you are extremely lucky to have a friend in St Petersburg, as this means you have someone to show you around, and this is a local who knows the inside of life there.

[Coral]

On 12/2/2018 at 4:16 AM, CatBelle said:

I have the same question, as I have a friend in St Petersburg. I wonder how fast and slow is to move around in public transport there, our visas cost 58€/person which is cheaper than any excursion but I am afraid of the language barrier too.

I think the main issue is the lines into the tourist places. If you have a guide, they have arrangements to skip the line. On your own, you may spend hours in line.

[dogs4fun]

1 hour ago, cansas.piligrim said:

You can take a bus from the port to the nearest metro station. Two more stations and you will be in the city center. Public transportation is pretty good and really cheap. All together it will take about 40 min.

Agree - it is relatively easy to DIY if you are even the slightest bit adventurous. The bus from the port is #158. This will take you to Primorskaya metro station (green line - M3) and from there you can change to other metro lines or simply take the green line (M3) all the way to Nevsky Prospekt. Link to metro map: http://www.metro.spb.ru/en/map.html

As previously mentioned, queues can be an issue as they are looooong at the "must see" venues such as the Hermitage.

 

 

[Lagerta]

On 12/3/2018 at 3:15 PM, Coral said:

I think the main issue is the lines into the tourist places. If you have a guide, they have arrangements to skip the line. On your own, you may spend hours in line.

I agree. A friend can show you a lot of the local everyday life, but they would not probably be able to arrange your entrances to popular places.Some venues are more difficult to do than others. I think it would be the best idea to get a professional guide who can get you inside the Hermitage and the Catherine's Palace in front of all lines. You can contact any of the local guides and check which places are easy to do on your own and which are better to be pre-arranged.

[Langoustine]

On 12/2/2018 at 5:16 AM, CatBelle said:

I am afraid of the language barrier too.

 

The language is not the problem, it's the lines and waiting time at many of the places you will want to see. If SPB would sell tourists something like the Firenze Card in Florence, this would not be such a problem. But at the moment, a tour with one of the private agencies will allow you to see the most in a short amount of time.

Edited December 8, 2018 by Langoustine

[dogs4fun]

8 hours ago, Langoustine said:

 

The language is not the problem, it's the lines and waiting time at many of the places you will want to see. If SPB would sell tourists something like the Firenze Card in Florence, this would not be such a problem. But at the moment, a tour with one of the private agencies will allow you to see the most in a short amount of time.

Actually, StP does offer cards similar to the Firenze:

St. Petersburg Card (special entrance for card holders at Hermitage, Peterhof Park, Peter & Paul Fortress, Erarta - look for the card logo)

https://petersburgcard.com/en/

Another option is the City Pass. I have no experience with this particular option but you can read about it here:

https://russiacitypass.com/en/piter

[Coral]

5 hours ago, cansas.piligrim said:

I’ve checked  both sites but  didn't find anything concerning skip the line entrance. Yes, these cards will allow you to save money on the museum tickets but won’t give you a chance to enter any of the museums ahead of the line. 

I have used similar cards in other areas. The line is better but I am still standing in a shorter line. It is nothing like the arrangements guide groups have. For example - I have toured London with a guide and skipped lines all together. This past summer, I had a London Pass and got into the "quicker lines" but still  lines. More of a fast track line. I realized then how good guide groups are.

 

I would not risk my time and would just hire a guide. I would do a private guide. Again - I used to speak Russian and can read some now. I personally have been 2x on my own Visa and wandered around on my own for part of my trip (but used guides in popular sites).

Edited December 11, 2018 by Coral

[dogs4fun]

7 hours ago, cansas.piligrim said:

I’ve checked  both sites but  didn't find anything concerning skip the line entrance. Yes, these cards will allow you to save money on the museum tickets but won’t give you a chance to enter any of the museums ahead of the line. 

Check out the FAQ re: St. Petersburg card where it states:

Can I skip a queue with St Petersburg Card?

At a number of museums you present your Card at a separate ticket office marked with St Petersburg Card logo. These include ticket offices at the Lower Park in Peterhof, Erarta and Peter-and-Paul fortress. But the service is provided under general conditions, there is no special queue. St Petersburg Card basically represents an electronic ticket which provides convenience of cashless payments - present it at the cash desk together with the guidebook and get a free ticket to the museum.

[angie7911922]

I'm not sure how big your group is, but I believe if it's under 5, and you use a travel group, you will be able to skip to the front of the line, and bypass the long large group lines. There still is a smaller line of the small groups, but it makes your wait time considerably less. We had a guide from Anastasia's Travel, and she just walked to the front and was able to get us in within a few minutes. It's worth the price of the guide to be able to spend your time seeing the sites instead of waiting in the line.  

[charlie murphy]

I feel very fortunate. we did not experience the excessive lines that everyone here describes. At least not compared to any other museum or tourist site in the US or traveling. When in the hermitage we went late in the afternoon 3 ish and lines were a non issue . Within the museum there were crowds. However , if we saw a crowd around an installation we would leap frog the exhibit and return between groups . The groups seemed to be quit large and move in packs . So if you experience the museum in this mass of people you will experience a very busy museum. This was not our experience .   The metro was quit easy and efficient , it moved you very quickly over longer distances . We got use to recognizing the stops by choosing a few characters within the stop name, but mostly we just counted stops. The most frustrating part for us was having the fares at the turn stile. we resorted to using the window and a debt card. We used a 1 $ bill to ride the bus from the ship to the meto stop , I am not use where that $ ended up but we made it safely to the stop and is what we would pay at home for a similar ride on public transportation. ( you pay the guy / girl on the bus , you should get a receipt. )  The language was not an issue in cafe's , and shops we would generally find someone who spoke both Russian and English. I would recommend, if you have traveled in other cities , have map skills , are comfortable with a guidebook, and are not afraid of at times feeling a little lost ( but embracing of the adventure) then be independent .  If you like to be lead around, by a person who moves you from site to site , tells you what you are seeing , do not want to study the city before your tip, then use a guide. Both have advantages. Honestly , getting ready for SP was a lot of work and there was anxiety, but I feel that the work was well worth it. I am sure we saw MUCH MORE then the tour and MUCH LESS then if on a tour , if you know what i mean. 

[Lagerta]

That's right, if you are on a private tour, the guide doesn't just tell you stories. They handle all the logistics of the tour, they know all the ins and outs, and they take you straight from one place to another without losing any time. They take you in front of all lines, which I would never dare doing on my own. This is why guided tours are generally quite intense and informative. It is not about being lazy and not doing any homework before the trip, but about saving your precious time if you are within strict limits of a cruise.

[charlie murphy]

If you go the web site for the Hermitage. you will be given an option to pre purchase tickets. they include all ( a lot of ) the hermitage properties in the SP area. also included was St Isaacs with collinode( sp?). There is a one and two day option not much of a price difference.  The web site shows you were to enter ( no line) It looks a little confusing on the map but not so difficult when standing in front of the museum with the map in hand. The St. Isaac ticket may have been with the church of our savior of spilled blood - can not remember but those were also available on line.  At saint Isaacs we were there in the evening and there was no line to enter ,there was a line of 5 (+ or -)  people at the automated ticket machines , no one standing  at the window ( the person in the window let use know where to enter)  All I am saying is SP is NOT as difficult to navigate as this forum would have you believe. This forum should not scare a person into feeling the only way to see SP if via tour.  If you made it around the other Baltic cities on your own ( minus Tallinn, because a it is so easily walked and enjoyed ) then you can manage SP. If you want to venture outside SP proper ie to Peterhof or St. Catherine's  then you may need a third day or the tour guide. But given a extra day or half day ( half of our day was spent at a world cup game) I feel very confident that we could have seen one of these sites as well. now the price and work of securing a visa may be a different story. 

[Lagerta]

We are not trying to scare people 🙂 All I am saying that touring St P with a guide and doing it on your own will be two different kinds of experience. Of course, it is possible to see the city independently, but the feeling and the impressions, as well as the efforts made will be not like being on a tour. However, you are right, and everyone needs full information so they could compare and choose.

[angie7911922]

On 12/3/2018 at 6:15 AM, Coral said:

I think the main issue is the lines into the tourist places. If you have a guide, they have arrangements to skip the line. On your own, you may spend hours in line.

This was big in our decision to use a travel guide. We were afraid we would have to stand in line forever, and some people do. We used Anastasia's Travel Group, and we hardly had to stand in line at all. It left us so much more time to see the sights!

[bigeck]

On ‎11‎/‎16‎/‎2018 at 3:03 PM, dogs4fun said:

I have been to St. Petersburg multiple times and have no issues whatsoever getting around on my own. The metro is not difficult to use and if one has a good map, navigating the historic city center is, imho, easy. I am now on my second 3 year visa and usually spend upwards of 2-3 weeks at a time in Russia.

With that said, on my very first trip to St. Petersburg, we arrived via cruise ship without tourist visas. We booked our 2 day Grand Tour with Alla Tours - it was the best decision to maximize our limited time in the city. I agree with previous posters that a private tour is the way to go if you wish to see as much as possible during your limited stay. My advice would be to hire one of the excellent local tour companies.

If you are staying longer than 2-3 days or simply want to wander around on your own, snap some photos, experience some local cuisine & visit a few sights, I heartily recommend DIY. It is definitely not difficult to get around St. Petersburg.

Queues are long at the more popular sites (Hermitage, Catherine Palace, etc.) and, as has already been mentioned, some venues are located a distance from the city (ex: Peterhof, Catherine Palace).

If you are determined to DIY, feel free to email me & I will be happy to help.  

 

Thanks for the info. I've sent you an email 

[Shiprin]

I personally used Anastasia Travel to organise the visa. I'm not sure I could be bothered getting the visa myself to be honest because of the language and cultural barrier. Haha.

 

St Petersburg was great by the way!

[dogs4fun]

4 hours ago, Shiprin said:

I'm not sure I could be bothered getting the visa myself to be honest because of the language and cultural barrier. Haha.

 

St Petersburg was great by the way!

Actually, it is not difficult to DIY with a visa in Saint Petersburg. Metro stations have signage in both Russian & English - many locals speak English, particularly in the tourist areas. However, IMHO, it makes little sense to go through the expense and hassle of procuring a visa for a short port visit unless you plan on returning or are an inveterate DIYer.

 

[angie7911922]

On 12/2/2018 at 4:16 AM, CatBelle said:

I have the same question, as I have a friend in St Petersburg. I wonder how fast and slow is to move around in public transport there, our visas cost 58€/person which is cheaper than any excursion but I am afraid of the language barrier too.

There is some issues with the language, but there are people that speak some english too, so you can get around, or use google translator. I wasn't as concerned with the language, but having a tour guide was extremely helpful in getting through the long lines and the traffic, and just in general. Out guide from Anastasia's Travel was able to share the coolest information with us that we never would have gotten otherwise. It was well worth the extra to have someone help us around the city, and using a tour guide was less expensive than going on a ship excursion.

[jasamy2]

We did this exact cruise (Princess, Regal)  last year and loved it so much, we are doing it again this year.  We booked the City Drive and Catherine Palace tour the first day and the Hermitage Museum & St. Petersburg On your Own tour the second day, both thru Princess.  Both tours were fabulous.  We saw so much and our tour guide, who was a local gal, was so informative and upbeat, it was like having a family member show us around.  We may have spent a little more but we had a lot of shipboard credit so in my mind, it was all free.  We entered the Hermitage before regular hours, saw more than we were expected to because the place was near empty.  When we left, it was Grand Central Station, elbow to elbow.  We all were given headsets and that's how she communicated with us.  No stress, suggestions of "now would be a good time to visit the restrooms, and I'm turning left at the such and such statue" were all so comforting guides.  One thing she did tell us, leave your jackets on the tour bus and any purses or bags so we wouldn't have to check our things at the coatroom.  They are not allowed in as you tour the Hermitage.  This saved us valuable time at the coatroom which is more like the size of a hotel lobby.  The first tour included a Russian lunch, which naturally included Russian wine and vodka.  We don't drink but it's there if you do.  DIY is nice, we did it on our own for all the other ports but in St. Petersburg, we are glad we went with the tours.  The streets are HUGE and we never would have been able to get in as much as we did if we had to do it on our own.  We had 3 hours to meander freely our way around at the end of the tour.  We were with another couple that purchased their tour thru Viator and they were exhausted from walking for most of their tour and it didn't include lunch or free time.  I don't think it was worth the $80 they saved.  We were dropped off a block from the main center and was quite navigable. Upon return to the ship, people at the next table heard us telling our friends about our day and he said we were smart to do a tour that included the visas.  They paid nearly $800 for visas and didn't cover as much.  I don't know how many people were in their party.  I can understand if you are a party of 8 or more, sometimes it's cost effective to DIY but if you are doing it because you think you will cover more, I don't think so.  St. Petersburg is a BIG city, if you are there for a day and a half, how much can you really see?  

[fabnfortysomething]

7 hours ago, jasamy2 said:

We did this exact cruise (Princess, Regal)  last year and loved it so much, we are doing it again this year.  We booked the City Drive and Catherine Palace tour the first day and the Hermitage Museum & St. Petersburg On your Own tour the second day, both thru Princess.  Both tours were fabulous.  We saw so much and our tour guide, who was a local gal, was so informative and upbeat, it was like having a family member show us around.  We may have spent a little more but we had a lot of shipboard credit so in my mind, it was all free.  We entered the Hermitage before regular hours, saw more than we were expected to because the place was near empty.  When we left, it was Grand Central Station, elbow to elbow.  We all were given headsets and that's how she communicated with us.  No stress, suggestions of "now would be a good time to visit the restrooms, and I'm turning left at the such and such statue" were all so comforting guides.  One thing she did tell us, leave your jackets on the tour bus and any purses or bags so we wouldn't have to check our things at the coatroom.  They are not allowed in as you tour the Hermitage.  This saved us valuable time at the coatroom which is more like the size of a hotel lobby.  The first tour included a Russian lunch, which naturally included Russian wine and vodka.  We don't drink but it's there if you do.  DIY is nice, we did it on our own for all the other ports but in St. Petersburg, we are glad we went with the tours.  The streets are HUGE and we never would have been able to get in as much as we did if we had to do it on our own.  We had 3 hours to meander freely our way around at the end of the tour.  We were with another couple that purchased their tour thru Viator and they were exhausted from walking for most of their tour and it didn't include lunch or free time.  I don't think it was worth the $80 they saved.  We were dropped off a block from the main center and was quite navigable. Upon return to the ship, people at the next table heard us telling our friends about our day and he said we were smart to do a tour that included the visas.  They paid nearly $800 for visas and didn't cover as much.  I don't know how many people were in their party.  I can understand if you are a party of 8 or more, sometimes it's cost effective to DIY but if you are doing it because you think you will cover more, I don't think so.  St. Petersburg is a BIG city, if you are there for a day and a half, how much can you really see?  

 

 

how much were your ships tours per person?

we had a party of 5 in minivan with TJ tours

no need to purchase visas as included in their visa waiver programme[same as ship]

we paid just over $300 per person for a 2 day tour-ie about $150 per day

the ships[NCL] tours were much more than that for a 1 day tour

if you are going back might look into that option as they catered for us a a 2nd time visitor to see extras