Visas For St. Petersburg

[DrJW]

Am A Bit Confused...most Local Tour Companies In St. Petersburg Promote That One Doesnt Need To Get Visas When One Books Tours With Them. The Question I Have Is When One Does Book A Tour With Them, And Then Later Wishes To Explore The City Or Some Other Sights Or Attraction On Their Own...

A] Can You Get Off The Ship Without A Visa?

B] Can You Just Stroll In St. Petersburg Alone Without A Visa?

 

I Was Told By A Colleague That Rather Than Getting A Visa Through A Touring Company, Best To Get One From The Russian Embassy?? Is This True? How Much Does This Cost? And Is This A Better Option For Our Port Stay In St. Petersburg?

 

Thanks So Much For Any Help!

 

Drjw

[Andee]

The group visa you get from the ship for one of their shore excursions or from a tour company is only good while you are with that tour.

 

You must have a visa to get off the ship, and you must get an individual visa if you want to explore on your own.

 

We used Red October for our two days in St. Petersburg, and they were wonderful. We don't read the Cyrillic alphabet or speak any Russian, and we didn't see English signs, or encounter very many people in museums or other sightseeing spots who spoke English.

[critterchick]

You can apply for a visa before you leave, but I do not know the cost or process for doing so.

 

If you book something with Denrus, Red October or Alla, the "big three" independent tour conductors, they will plan a full two days for you and you really won't have time to go out on your own. We booked 2 days with Denrus - the first day, we started at 7:30 am, were returned to the port around 5:30, had time to grab a quick bite at the buffet and then turned around and went out on an evening excursion. The second day we didn't start until 8:30 or so, and they kept us busy until 4:00 - the ship sailed at 6:00, so there is no way we would have had any time to go out on our own.

 

I should think it would be a real challenge to do St. Petersburg on your own unless you know the language. Think of being in the middle of New York without being able to read a single street sign.:eek:

[Riverroad]

As others have stated, you cannot walk around St. Petersburg on your own without a personal visa. The visa provided by your tour company (or the ship's excursion) only covers you when you are with the group. When we went in '06, the Russian visa cost about $100 if you applied for it on your own-more if you used a visa service. We live in New York so we thought we would get it in person at the Russian consulate. The visa application is very long and many of the questions asked are intrusive so we decided against doing it. As critterchick has stated, after touring all day (we used Alla) we were too tired to think about staying in the city and/or going back in the evening on our own, which had been our original plan. If your cruise has two days in St. Petersburg, your tour company will get you back to the ship just prior to sailing on Day 2.

[LHT28]

Best To Get One From The Russian Embassy?? Is This True? How Much Does This Cost? And Is This A Better Option For Our Port Stay In St. Petersburg?

 

Thanks So Much For Any Help!

 

Drjw

 

If you choose to get your own VISA

http://www.russianvisas.org/visa_information.htm

http://www.russianembassy.org/

current cost $131. USD plus any fees

Or pay a VISA service to get it for you.

SPB is a very large city & unless you speak/read Russian you are at a disadvantage

Best way to see SPB is with a tour group ...ship or private

[RetiredFL]

We went with Red October and part of our tour was time to walk down Nevski Prospect (sp?) with our guide and look in the shops etc. A couple in our group also arranged evening excursions to the ballet, etc with Red October.

They, and I am sure other companies, will arrange whatever you wish. Of course you pay!

We were there 3 days and saw a lot of the town. I would not want to be on my own unless I was in my 20s with a back pack. The alphabet is difficult and not much English is spoken. Many are also still afraid to talk with foreigners.

Our driver bought a bottle of the local Vodka for one in our group. She wanted to try it at home and send him a note telling him what she tought of it. He all of a sudden forgot his address and any other info. Later the guide told us he was affraid of getting a foreign lettter!!

[lovecruisingtoo]

We are currently scheduled on the 2009 Stockholm to Dover cruise which has 3 days in St. Petersburg. We are thinking of 2 days with one of the tour companies and one day on our own. Looking at the web sites, DenRus will help you get your own visa.

[DrJW]

We Are Booked On The 6-1-09 Sailing..which One Are You Considering?

[lovecruisingtoo]

We are on the June 29 sailing.