Accessible excursions St Petersburg

[MRSCWW]

Hello, looking for recommendation of shore excursions that can accommodate wheelchair.  I can transit into normal seat and fold up manual chair if necessary.

[1025cruise]

You might want to check on the northern European ports of call forum for the recommended vendors, then contact them and see if they can accommodate you. 

[Scooter girl 58]

Hi   I uses a mobility scooter and when I went to St Petersburg six years ago we did a 2 day tour with Alla Tours. They were magnificent, we had a wonderful time and saw much more than those who did ships tours. I would have a look at their  website and see if any of the tours appeal and the email Alla, who was extremely helpful.

[wanderingjudith]

We booked an accessible tour through Sage travel. We were met at ship, secure ramp for scooter or wheelchair. Used scooter at hermitage museum. It was spendy but fabulous. We chose where we were to go. They organized access which is a little challenging in St Petersburg.  Btw, be careful with scooter in Estonia stop. Easy scooter to the town center, but cobblestones ate my scooter. Sigh. 

[Scooter girl 58]

I know what you mean about the cobbles in Tallinn. 😖😖😖

[Joseph2017China]

On ‎1‎/‎16‎/‎2019 at 5:36 PM, MRSCWW said:

Hello, looking for recommendation of shore excursions that can accommodate wheelchair.  I can transit into normal seat and fold up manual chair if necessary.

 

Pick a tour company in St. Petersburg.  Explain to them what kind of wheelchair you have and needs.  They will recommend a tour for you.  We used TJ travel.  We have a fold up, electric scooter.  I sent them dimensions, fold up size, and requirements.  We did a 2 day tour, which included an customized evening add on, and they handled everything.  It was not a handicap excursion, but a normal excursion.  So start a conversation with them, and let them tell you what can be done.

 

 

[KateDen]

I had heard that Alla tours were excellent and that some people with disabilities had used them. We are planning a Baltic tour next year so I wrote to them. I told them my husband uses a folding mobility scooter and can transfer into a van but cannot walk long distances. And that we can place and remove the scooter in the back of a van. Here is their response:

 

That would be a great honour for us to have your on our tour, but I am afraid we will not be able to be of service for you. Our tours are very strenuous and even our younger guests sometimes describe them as marathons, as they include a lot of walking, with a rare possibility for rest. Thus, based on the information you provided, we have to admit that no of our tours would suit your husband and let him truly enjoy the visit to St. Petersburg with us.

We would suggest getting in touch with another very good and friendly tour company who specializes in small private tours. They will also be eligible to support you with a visa-waiver, so that you will not need a regular Russian Visa.

You may check with this company here: https://www.bestguides-spb.com 

 

I contacted SPB and received a gracious response that they can indeed provide a tour that will work for us. They seem to be committed to having us see as much as possible, although there are some places that will be inaccessible. They can even provide a wheelchair, and a pusher, for a nominal cost. From my correspondence so far I highly recommend them.

 

Kate

[MRSCWW]

Thanks for everyone’s comments. We have gone ahead and booked with SPB Tours for St Petersburg. They were really helpful and no issue with us travelling with wheelchair. Thanks again

[Id rather be diving]

Wow!  We used Alla last September.  My husband uses a scooter and Alla could not have been more helpful pre-cruise to arrange everything.  We did book a private tour for five of us.  It was not much more pp than their group tours.  Alla has a van with a wheelchair lift for us both days.   We went pretty much everywhere the regular tour did...I know because one of our friends was on the regular group tour and we ran into her in the Hermitage,  Catherine’s Palace and a couple other places.  Our tour guide even worked with the handicap accessible porters at the subway so my husband was able to see the beautiful subway stations, too.

 

Glad SBP is working out for you but Alla did work out for us last year.

 

Kari

[KateDen]

42 minutes ago, Id rather be diving said:

Wow!  We used Alla last September.  My husband uses a scooter and Alla could not have been more helpful pre-cruise to arrange everything.  We did book a private tour for five of us.  It was not much more pp than their group tours.  Alla has a van with a wheelchair lift for us both days.   We went pretty much everywhere the regular tour did...I know because one of our friends was on the regular group tour and we ran into her in the Hermitage,  Catherine’s Palace and a couple other places.  Our tour guide even worked with the handicap accessible porters at the subway so my husband was able to see the beautiful subway stations, too.

 

Glad SBP is working out for you but Alla did work out for us last year.

 

Kari

 

I had read about others with scooters who had used Alla so I was a bit surprised at their response. But I will take them at their word that they do not want to provide a tour for us. SPB was welcoming and had several ideas about tours so that's who we will be going with.

 

Kate

 

[angie7911922]

As many others have mentioned, I'd consider a private tour group. We used Anastasia's Travel, and they were excellent. Many of the guides are set up to accommodate. Talk to them about your needs and see how they can help!