Tour companies

[Dana Deem]

Could I please have a few suggestions for tour companies in the Baltic Sea area. I had one company saved but they have closed since covid 🙁 We’ll be hitting several port on the Rotterdam next September and I’d like to use local talent if at all possible. Not having a lot of luck searching on line. Thank you for all info! 

[crystalspin]

I would browse here:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/116-northern-europe-amp-baltic-sea/

and then ask if you don't find enough answers in several pages.

[oakridger]

@crystalspin I was just typing the same thing!  We keep doing this!  😉

 

Also, to the OP, check with the people on your Roll Call for your cruise.  Some of them may have already found this information for your ports.  One of these should be yours:

 

Showing results for 'Sept September' in content posted in Rotterdam VII Roll Calls. - Cruise Critic Community

 

~Nancy

Edited July 26, 2023 by oakridger

[Heartgrove]

Viator contracts out with local guides. We are using them for an excursion in Stornoway, Scotland next month. When we were on our Baltic cruise in 2017 the only tour company we used was SPB Tours  for  St. Petersburg. I believe that SPB operates in other cities in the region though. 

 

I am not sure of your itinerary but most cities in that region are easy to navigate on your own, and the English language is readily spoken.

[terrydtx]

Here is a private tour company, Get Your Guide, we have used with tours all over the world, they work like Viator but with better pricing.  I found out recently from a Viator tour operator that Viator makes as much as a 30% markup over pricing from local tour guides and they pay the operators less than they normally charge. We are using them for our Apex cruise in September and our January 2024 Australia/NZ. 

Book Things To Do, Attractions, and Tours | GetYourGuide

[Heartgrove]

1 hour ago, terrydtx said:

Here is a private tour company, Get Your Guide, we have used with tours all over the world, they work like Viator but with better pricing.  I found out recently from a Viator tour operator that Viator makes as much as a 30% markup over pricing from local tour guides and they pay the operators less than they normally charge. We are using them for our Apex cruise in September and our January 2024 Australia/NZ. 

Book Things To Do, Attractions, and Tours | GetYourGuide

 

That seems to vary comparing Viator vs Get Your Guide. We have a six hour excursion (small van) with Viator for Stornoway, Scotland in September. There are three of us for $450 that meets us at the pier. In comparison, Get Your Guide has closed for the season but going back to an August date, offers a two hour tour for $417 up to four people at one Stornoway historical site. Cheaper, right? The catch is that they will meet you at the tour site - 12 miles from Stornoway! Read the particulars for each company and excursions.

[kitkat343]

3 hours ago, Heartgrove said:

Viator contracts out with local guides. We are using them for an excursion in Stornoway, Scotland next month. When we were on our Baltic cruise in 2017 the only tour company we used was SPB Tours  for  St. Petersburg. I believe that SPB operates in other cities in the region though. 

 

I am not sure of your itinerary but most cities in that region are easy to navigate on your own, and the English language is readily spoken.

SPB was highly regarded for their tours of St. Petersburg prior to the outbreak of war and prior to the war they also offered a tour package that covered all of the ports for Baltic cruises with discounts for cruisers who booked multiple cities through them, but  I believe that this forum is the only mention of SPB on this forums since the outbreak of war: 

 

 

We traveled to the Baltics with our then 3 year old child, and we also only used a tour in St. Petersburg and were able to easily visit all of the other ports by ourselves thanks to the excellent public transportation systems.  If you post the exact cities you are visiting, people can offer suggestions.  For example, in Helsinki there is a public tram that runs along the 2/3 line and gives you an excellent overview of the tourist parts of the city, and also takes you to the rock church.  In Tallin, many people prefer to walk around on their own (taking a cab to the top of Toompea Hill if they are of limited mobility).  

[Turtles06]

19 hours ago, Dana Deem said:

Could I please have a few suggestions for tour companies in the Baltic Sea area. I had one company saved but they have closed since covid 🙁 We’ll be hitting several port on the Rotterdam next September and I’d like to use local talent if at all possible. Not having a lot of luck searching on line. Thank you for all info! 

Now that you are in the correct forum, use the CC search engine in this forum and do a search for each of your ports. Also, in this thread, it would be helpful if you identified the ports on your itinerary.