Paying for photo ops in St. Petersburg museums, palaces

[CJcruzer]

We are planning a3-day group private tour with Denrus in St. Petersburg - we have options to pre-pay lunches, meals and also the photo stops/opportunities in museums and palaces....

 

How many photo opportunities do you get in the museums, etc... We are visiting the hermitage, Yusopov Palace, Catherine's Palace and Peterhof....I realzie outdoor pictures are not "regulated" but wondering about the inside photos - if it is worth the extra charge or just buy a "coffee-table" picture book.......Would be curious to know what rooms we can photograph or if we are limited in our photography...

 

CJcruzer

[lisalovlee33]

We took RedOctober in St. Petersburg. Almost all the places require a $5 fee. In the case of the Hermitage, you can take photos of everything except for the current exhibits. In the case of Catherine's Palace, you cannot take photo in the amber room.

Isaac's Cathedral also $5. So, is Yusosov.

[dbh62ark]

CJcruzer, we did see a lot of books for sale at the various sites, but I don't think I would consider them coffee-table quality. They are not hard-back but have lots of lovely photos. There are extra fees if you want to shoot video, and we paid approx $50 U.S. to shoot photos and videos at each of the sites. It was well worth that price to us, but that is of course a matter of personal opinion. We do enjoy having our own photos. We did need SLR to get good photos in some of the interiors of the palaces and museums due to lighting, and some passengers who were using the small digital camers were not able to get good quality photos in some places if that helps with your decision.

 

For others, please note that Red October had quite a mark-up in photos fees (a nice profit center for them) and charged twice as much as Denrus for the fees last year. Denrus charges only what the sites charge without pocketing any profits in this area.

 

Have a great trip,

Donna

[spearmint]

Last week, I took photos everywhere, and had no extra costs. They were included (for still photos) in the price of the DenRus Value Excursion Tour. Our guide, Ljudmilla, got us stickers, if required, before we entered the locations; Hermitage, Peterhof, Yusopov, Church of Spilled Blood, St. Isaac's Cathedral. We paid for the tour before we left, and paid nothing after that when we were there.

[Juliadlf]

We used DenRus this past August along with CC roll call mates for a custom 2 day private tour and we had the fees included in our costs. Just makes life easier.

For a breakdown of what rooms you can and can't take photos in , it would be best to ask Denrus directly so you have no disappointments or misunderstanding.

I do remember a couple of times the guide telling us we couldn't take a photo but given how much we saw and did in the two days, I can't say for sure what exact room(s) we were in. We'd definitely advise to pay the photo fee.

We did buy a couple of the books sold at the sites just to be able to reference back to our photos and figure out which palace or cathedral we were in:p .

 

You will definitely not be disappointed with whatever tour company you use.

 

Julia

[Katy P.]

Are you allowed to carry with you your knapsack/ purses when you go inside the Hermitage, Peterhof, Catherine's palace in Pushkin and at the Peter and Paul church? Or do you have to check this in at the entrance? Any advice? Thank you. :)

[Dbedros]

No you are not allowed to carry these large items. If you do you will hold up your group checking them into the cloak rooms. If you are taking a private tour leave them with the driver in the vehicle. We visited St. Petersburg the end of August and had an early opening at Catherine's Palace and had to check our jackets. We were the only ones there so it was not a hassle, but with a crowd could have taken a lot of time.

[dileep]

We took RedOctober in St. Petersburg. Almost all the places require a $5 fee. In the case of the Hermitage, you can take photos of everything except for the current exhibits. In the case of Catherine's Palace, you cannot take photo in the amber room.

Isaac's Cathedral also $5. So, is Yusosov.

 

The Red October guides arbitrarily charge $5 or more. For example, inside St. Isaacs there is a booth that has a photo permit for 50 rubles (less tha $2), but since most people dod not have Russian currency they have to pay the guide.

 

Also, in most places there is a long line for photo permits.

 

You don't have much choice but pay the gude the $5!

 

The Peter & Paul Cathedral is the only place we went that had free photography.

[Juliadlf]

Are you allowed to carry with you your knapsack/ purses when you go inside the Hermitage, Peterhof, Catherine's palace in Pushkin and at the Peter and Paul church? Or do you have to check this in at the entrance? Any advice? Thank you. :)

 

One of the great things with Inna our guide from DenRus was she told us at each stop if we couldn't take something into the site so there was no waiting or mixups. I was able to take my purse into each of the sites without any problem but backpacks, napsacks would definitely have to be left at the door or on your tour bus/van.

 

Julia

[Mc_Cruiser]

There are a huge amount of photo opportunities inside the 'paid for' areas, I know I took loads of them. The Hermitage for one will take you several hours to go through and there are lots of things to photograph. Often the tours of places like Peterhof will be outside only, especially if you are already going inside Catherines palace and the Hermitage. And as others have said, the only place you can't use your camera in Catherine's palace is the Amber room, and they claim this is to keep from causing blockages for other tour groups, but I think it is to sell more books and postcards ;).

[AndrewM]

Though I paid my guide for the Hermitage and Peterhof, I got kinda tired passing over the 5 bucks so when we got to St. Isaac's and Church Of Spilled Blood, I told her I didn't want a pass...I took pictures anyway..I know I know..I should have paid but I was getting cranky with my guide and I wanted to see if she'd say anything...she said nothing.

 

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[spearmint]

Are you allowed to carry with you your knapsack/ purses when you go inside the Hermitage, Peterhof, Catherine's palace in Pushkin and at the Peter and Paul church? Or do you have to check this in at the entrance? Any advice? Thank you. :)

 

We were advised to leave stuff on the bus/van. The driver was either in the vehicle or it was locked. No problems.

[dbh62ark]

And as others have said, the only place you can't use your camera in Catherine's palace is the Amber room, and they claim this is to keep from causing blockages for other tour groups, but I think it is to sell more books and postcards ;).

Just a quick clarification because the Amber rooms are so awesome. After we left the room, our guide pointed out that we could take photos from the doorway of the next room, and I got some good shots there.

 

Happy travels to all,

Donna

[HomeLover]

Pay the fee and take the pictures. your own are so much more satisfying.