Baltic Cruise

[Mary324]

My husband and I are taking a cruise soon. One of our Ports of Call is St. Petersburg. We are finding it virtually impossible to disembark unless we are with an organized excursion. Does anyone know a way to visit Russia without a hassle?

Thank you.

Mary324

[DEL67]

You need a visa to disembark in St Petersburg without being on a tour (cruise line or private). You can obtain them through the web, but they are expensive. In addition, most ships dock at the edge of the city and there is no transportation at the dock unless you have pre-arranged it.

 

We have not used them, but one private tour company, Red October, has been recomeded on these boards. I believe thier URL is http://www.redoctober.us/standard_tours.asp.

 

Note: You might want to post this on the Baltic board.

[vjblk]

You might try posting this over on the Baltics boards as someone there might have some suggestions.

 

Here's the link. Hope it works.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=192

 

It's been my understanding that you need a visa in order to tour independently and they can be costly. That's why an organized excursion might be your only/best option. Don't know if that has changed in the last few years.

 

Good luck!

[LHT28]

My husband and I are taking a cruise soon. One of our Ports of Call is St. Petersburg. We are finding it virtually impossible to disembark unless we are with an organized excursion. Does anyone know a way to visit Russia without a hassle?

Thank you.

Mary324

 

You can get a Russian visa from the Russian consulate in your area or via a visa service such as Zierer (sp?)

http://www.visatorussia.com/

You will not get off the ship without it or a group tour .

[kitty9]

I've been to St. Petersburg three times and you really, really don't want to do this city on your own. First of all, you'll miss out on a lot of things by just going on your own, it's not the safest city in the world especially if you don't speak the language, and the place where you dock is very far from anything. Go with a tour group like Red October, and they handle the visa for you. If you don't have a visa, you won't be allowed to step one foot off the ship----their security is very tight, and very intimidating. The only way to avoid the visa thing is to book with a ship's tour or go with Red October.

[sjbdtz]

Reading the responses to date, I want to clarify something....

 

You CAN book an independent tour with a company such as the Baltic Tour Company (who the ship uses for individual tours...very good), or Red October (we used them too.... not bad...but not as good as BTC).

 

The ship excursions (groups) don't seem to cover all of the things you can see through a pre-arranged tour (though we did go to the ship shore-ex Russian Folklore Extravaganza in the evning of day 1, and really enjoyed it.)

 

You cannot leave the ship without an entry Visa, but both the ship's shore-ex AND the independent travel companies eliminate this requirement. Just be aware that the "souvenir shop" that Red October takes you to is more expensive than most....and also that you can request a stop at the outdoor market next to the Church on the Spilled Blood. And when you are there...be aware you can negotiate...and they'll accept US dollars (not everywhere will).

 

The tour companies themselves WILL take USD, or Euros....and its customary to tip the driver and the guide at the end of the day.

 

 

Stephen

[dileep]

My husband and I are taking a cruise soon. One of our Ports of Call is St. Petersburg. We are finding it virtually impossible to disembark unless we are with an organized excursion. Does anyone know a way to visit Russia without a hassle?

Thank you.

Mary324

 

Getting a Russian visa might be a bigger hassle than booking an excursion with a authorized tour operator like Denrus or Red October.

[juliedawg]

My husband and I are taking a cruise soon. One of our Ports of Call is St. Petersburg. We are finding it virtually impossible to disembark unless we are with an organized excursion. Does anyone know a way to visit Russia without a hassle?

Thank you.

Mary324

Mary--- I too dislike ship excursions...I found 5 other like minded persons on this board and we are booked with Travel in Russia. They did our visa's and for around $300pp for 2 days,(inc. tip) customized a tour. Of course there were compromises in sights..but we have a pretty good tour and are seeing things that the ship does not offer for less money. We are on the MarcoPolo on the june 24th docking. GOod luck....Juliedawg.

[Dbedros]

Mary324

 

Just to add some additional information. You can acquire a visa with less hassle by getting an invitation from one of the tour companies. You will then be allowed to go and come on your own.

 

I do not know if RO or Denrus do this but Alla does. Someone posted that she sent them the invite and instructions on what to do to request the visa. I am not sure because old age affects the memory but the cost may have been between $100 and $300. This is why most of us form a group to go with one of the various companies for a private tour.

[Host CMLA]

The only way to avoid the visa thing is to book with a ship's tour or go with Red October.

There are a few other good companies to choose from. Red October is not the only option.

[BaltiGator]

I'm just starting to research this, but from what I've read it may not make sense to get a visa and try to do St. Pete on your own. DP and I are very independent travelers, don't like organized tours at all, but for St. Pete we will do one. The port is evidently a long way from town, there's too much to see, lots of traffic, it's a difficult language, etc.

 

I'm sure if you were going to be there a week you could do it independently. In that situation I know we would try. But for the limited time one has to see the city on a cruise, it sounds to me like the consensus is - don't do it on your own. In which case, you don't need a visa. Russian law allows you to enter the city with a passport and a tour ticket.

[sjbdtz]

I'm just starting to research this, but from what I've read it may not make sense to get a visa and try to do St. Pete on your own. DP and I are very independent travelers, don't like organized tours at all, but for St. Pete we will do one. The port is evidently a long way from town, there's too much to see, lots of traffic, it's a difficult language, etc.

 

I'm sure if you were going to be there a week you could do it independently. In that situation I know we would try. But for the limited time one has to see the city on a cruise, it sounds to me like the consensus is - don't do it on your own. In which case, you don't need a visa. Russian law allows you to enter the city with a passport and a tour ticket.

 

You need a tour ticket or an invitation from a private tour company. The cost of the invitation letter will be included in your quote from them.

 

Some of the more popular ones are Red October; Denrus; Baltic Travel Company.

 

There's a great site: www.saint-petersburg.com where they showcase all of the sites. They don't appear to be selling anything, it's just promotional for the city.

 

Things I'd add to my list:

 

- Rostral Columns

- Hermitage 1/2 day (even if it weren't for the art...the buildings are stunning)

- Yusupov Palace (where Rasputin was murdered)

- Catherine Palace (the Amber Room was renovated...cost: $11 million)

- Peterhof Palace & lower gardens (can see to Finland)

- Smolny Convent (beautiful eggshell blue....can just observe from outside)

- Drive-by of battleship Aurora (launched the Russian Revolution)

- St. Nicolas

- Church of the Redeemer on Spilled Blood....PHENOMENAL mosaics. See pics in my sig file.

- The street market outside the Church of the Redeemer for souvenirs

- St. Isaac (2nd largest single-cupola church in the world after St. Peter's.) I may have this confused with St. Nicolas...they were both interesting.

- Peter & Paul Fortress. At first I thought this would be boring, but the Tsars are buried here, and it's a pretty impressive place.

 

 

Two days of private tour got us to all of these places.... and we could have taken up to 6 people. Total cost $1700 usd + $200 tips....included all admissions, permission for photographs, and a stop at the Red October gift shop where we got a free shot of Vodka.

[BaltiGator]

Thanks for the recommendations!