ST PETERSBURG 2 DAY TOURS BEST FOR SENIORS

[lorrainemargaret]

Would really like a 2 day tour when we are in St Petersburg but just wondering if we will keep up?my husband is 72 and struggles a bit with lots of walking up steps,what sort of age people go on the 2 day trips,any advice welcome Thanks

[dogs4fun]

2 hours ago, lorrainemargaret said:

Would really like a 2 day tour when we are in St Petersburg but just wondering if we will keep up?my husband is 72 and struggles a bit with lots of walking up steps,what sort of age people go on the 2 day trips,any advice welcome Thanks

Some of the tours are very intense with long days and the need to keep pace with the tour group. With the description of your husbands walking ability, I would not book anything with an "active" activity level.

I am not sure of the average age, but the Baltic cruises usually cater to a more mature group (maybe 50s - 60s).

Have you checked the 2 days tours that have an easy activity level? Many independent tour operators offer such tours - for example, Alla Tours offers a Comfort Tour that is specifically designed for those with some mobility limitations. I think your husband would be quite comfortable on such a tour.

[LondonTowner]

We have been twice and on both occasions did the 2 day Comfort Tour with Alla Tours. It is excellent.

[Jezabel2924]

We did this last year and many of the attractions/palaces had many steps to navigate and no elevators inside.   People in our group were wearing fitbit and said they had reached their 10,000 steps before noon on the tour.  I would check with your operator and check into the Comfort Tours.

[kitkat343]

Honestly if you can afford it, I’d recommend a private tour for just he two of you.  It will be more expensive but was worth it for my family since we had a 3 year old in tow.  They brought the car as close as possible to the entrances, and we skipped through the lesser parts of palaces (the middle part of Catherine’s palace tends to be not the highlight) to conserve energy.  You can research all the major attractions and prioritize the ones you are most interested in, including choosing which types of art you’d like to focus on in the hermitage. You can take reals whenever you start to get tired (and stolle is a great restaurant to have a quick bite to rest).  You can skip souvenir shopping if you don’t like that, and not have to wait for anyone else.  With the private tour we were able to see all the major attractions in St. Petersburg, and if you can afford it I think it’s worth maximizing your time and energy there.  My review is a little out of date, but it has info on travelers with disabilities and families and you can find it in my signature line.  

Edited March 13, 2019 by kitkat343

[wing]

I agree, private tours are better for seniors. We were on a private tour with my mum who is 75 y o. I was initially worry about her mobility, but the tour was well planned by Elena of Red Sun Tours and became a nice visit for both of us. My mum loves history and art and our itinerary was tailored accordingly.  Our guide was very knowledgeable and caring. if she saw my mum tied she could find a park bench or a cafe where we could relax for a few minutes; it was nice, when we were sitting together as friends in the Peterhof gardens by those nice flowerbeds and fountains and our guide told us about her past and present. On a group tour you can hardly experience that. 

[dogs4fun]

2 hours ago, wing said:

I agree, private tours are better for seniors. 

From my experience on Baltic cruises, the vast majority of cruisers would qualify as seniors. 🤔

Just my observations from multiple trips to Russia ... most of these "seniors" appear to do very well on group tours & save a bundle of money in the process. IMHO, private tours are great for those who wish to customize, those with small children, people with health issues and/or mobility limitations, and those with deep pockets.

Edited March 24, 2019 by dogs4fun

[Eartha Kitten]

We were in SPB for 3 1/2 days and booked a private tour for our family of four.  The  youngsters were 63 and 65, the seniors were 86 and 93.  We used Dancing Bear tours and they customized the tour for us to minimize walking and stairs.  Worth every penny and they weren't all that expensive at all. Door to door service with a smile!

[dogs4fun]

8 minutes ago, maddocfamilyu said:

we had in our group a woman with an electric scooter. It is good for travel, but it is not allowed in the Catherine Palace and the Hermitage, so she had to wait for a free wheelchair.

 

I think this is because of the restored parquet flooring.

[angie7911922]

As mentioned above, do a private tour. We used Anastasia's Travel and had the opposite issue - 2 young kids. But her team is amazing. The guide we had went at our pace, the pace needed for our kids. And with the small group that we had, we were able to avoid many of the lines, which made up for any time we lost with the kids. It was well worth it for us.

Not only will you get to go at your pace, but you can also customize the tour, so you can see what you want to see!

 

[Kate P.C]

Most tour agencies have all that covered. All of them will be able to do a customizable tour , depending on what the majority of the group would like. When we were in St. Petersburg, about 4  years ago, we booked with Anastasia's Travel

A group of 8 from 7 to 70 🙂 so to speak, is not the easiest to deal with, but the Anastasia team was attentive to the needs of all. The days went smooth and not rushed at all.