2 day St Petersburg Tour Operator

[lyla edith]

We arrive in St Petersburg May 17 on the Eurodam. We are looking for a 2 day tour for 8 people with a driver and English speaking guide. Has anyone heard of / used "Tours by Locals"? Their quote is half that of anyone else and they also charge per tour rather than per person.

[mezza]

this question has been asked HEAPS of times - Red October, Alla and Denrus are all the accredited tour operators and all accesible online. We used Alla but all good

[lyla edith]

Thanks Mezza. "Tours by Locals" claim to be accredited, can be organized over the internet and tick all the same boxes as the larger operators.........their price just seems too good to be true.

[taxmantoo]

We were there last summer and I did a lot of research. I never came across any tour group called "Tours by Locals". We were a group of eight and I booked with Anastasia. She seemed to offer the best prices and the best flexibility for what our group wanted but there are others who offer similar services.

 

You should go to the Ports of Call forums, and specifically the Baltics one at http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=192

 

You will find many threads there on St Petersburg tour operators.

 

Good luck and you will love the Baltics cruise. It is a wonderful experience.

[lyla edith]

Thanks Lisa + Louis. We have a quote from Anatasia and have found her excellent to deal with thus far. Any advice on how to fit everything into 2 days. We are planning on Catherine Palace interior and just the gardens at Peterhof. What time did you get picked up from the ship?

[taxmantoo]

Started at 8 am on the first day. We had no problem getting off the ship (priority dismebark with a suite) and breezed through Immigration in a few minutes. Anastasia and her guide were there to meet us and off we went...

 

Itinerary looked like this

 

FIRST DAY – Monday June 16

 

8.00 am

Passing the Passport control

8.15 am

Meeting

8.15 am – 9.00am

City Tour

9.00 am – 10.00 am

Drive to Peterhoff with the metro trip on the way

10.00 am - 1.30 pm

Peterhoff tour (or Petrodvorets) with Lunch at a park cafe.

1.30 pm

Departure for Tsarskoye Selo

2.30 – 4.30 pm

Tsarskoye Selo tour (City of Pushkin)

4.30 pm - 5.30 pm

Drive to downtown

5.30 pm – 6.15 pm

St Isaac's Cathedral visit

7.00 pm

Back to the ship

 

SECOND DAY – Tuesday June 17

9.15 am

Meeting

9.45 am - 11.00 am

Peter and Paul Fortress

11.30 am -1.30 pm

The Hermitage visit

1.30 pm - 1.45 pm

Departure for the lunch

1.45 pm - 3.15 pm

Lunch in a venue of your choice

3.15 pm - 3.45 pm

Savior on the Spilt Blood

3.45 pm - 4.30 pm

Shopping time

5.00 pm

Back to the ship

 

 

Cost was approx $250 USD for each of 8 people for the guide, air-conditioned van and driver.

[lyla edith]

Thank you for SO much information. Could you give me the contact details for the tour company you used? I just had a thought that maybe my Anatasia is different from Your Anatasia.

[lyla edith]

We have 2 days in St Petersburg in May. Has anyone heard of Optima.........web site travelinrussia.com. They require a 30% deposit and we do not want to get there and find they do not exist.

[taxmantoo]

Thank you for SO much information. Could you give me the contact details for the tour company you used? I just had a thought that maybe my Anatasia is different from Your Anatasia.

 

Anastasia Travel Company

http://anastasiaworld.com/enghtml/index.html

Sveltlana was our guide