Prisendam Tours in St. Petersburg

[jbmurr]

We will be on the Prisendam in June and are wondering which tours to book for the two days we are in St. Petersburg. Has anyone taken any that they could recommend. The Hermitage is a must!

[MercedMike]

You will find dozens of posts on this board about the many many possible options in St Petersburg. You just need to read the descriptions of each, and then look for a ship's tour or an independent tour which covers the ones you like.

 

For starters Check out our review and pics at http://www.elite.net/~thehalls/baltic.html

 

for some attractions that we chose.

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

[MightyQuinn]

We will be on the Prisendam in June and are wondering which tours to book for the two days we are in St. Petersburg. Has anyone taken any that they could recommend. The Hermitage is a must!

We were in St. Petersburg aboard the Prinsendam on June 8-9/08. We did Alla Tours “Complete St. Petersburg”, a fixed-price package tour with a pre-set itinerary designed to cover the highlights in the most efficient manner. We can recommend this without reservation. Here’s our experience:

 

Sunday June 8 – The Prinsendam docked at 7:00am and shortly thereafter we went to the gangway ready to disembark. Other passengers on independent tours were also gathered. Once the ship was cleared at 7:25am, we were off. No hassles by ship personnel. We entered Russian Customs and presented our passport, a copy of our passport and our Alla tour ticket to the officials. Our passport was stamped and we were given a red laminated card for entry to the city. Once through customs, we were greeted by Elena (we couldn’t believe our fortune to get one of Alla’s most senior guides) who escorted us to our Mercedes minivan. Our group comprised 7 couples and 1 child, for a total of 15 people. This turned out to be an excellent size.

 

We started with a city sightseeing drive, covering such highlights as St. Nicholas Church (where we popped in and caught part of the Russian Orthodox service), Theatre Square with Mariinsky Theatre, St. Isaac’s Square, Bronze Horseman, Smolny Cathedral, Nevsky Prospekt, Kazan Cathedral, Grand Hotel Europe and Winter Palace with the Hermitage Museum. We were scheduled for early entry to the Hermitage at 9:00am, but we didn’t actually get there until 9:45am due to road closures and delays associated with an Economic Summit happening downtown. The rescheduling turned out to be brilliant, since when we arrived we had the Hermitage to ourselves - literally JUST OUR GROUP. Once inside, we climbed the majestic Jordan Staircase and marveled at the grandeur of this incredible building. We toured the State Rooms of the Winter Palace, Malachite Room, St. George’s Hall, 1812 Gallery and Pavillon Hall. We’re still alone! But by the time we reached the rooms of da Vinci, Rembrandt and Rubens, it was becoming more crowded. Elena did an outstanding job of highlighting pieces and whisking us to/from rooms to avoid any congestion. At the Gallery of French Impressionists, she gave us free time to enjoy this collection at our own pace. In total, we were at the Hermitage for about 2 hours, which for us was just about right.

 

It was now 11:45am and we stopped for lunch at a Russian restaurant next door to the Hermitage. Lunch consisted of mushroom & egg noodle soup, cuke salad, chicken with cheese sauce, rice & beans with a cherry tart for dessert. Unremarkable but satisfying. After lunch, we visited the Church of the Spilled Blood, modeled on St. Basils’ in Moscow and known for its multi-colored onion domes and richly decorated mosaics. Simply stunning.

 

Next we visited Yusupov’s Palace on the banks of the Moika River. Elena guided us through the elegant rooms of one of the richest families in Russia. We saw the reception rooms, private living quarters and the former wine cellar where Rasputin was assassinated. The highlight was a visit to the exquisite Yusupov Theater, still in use today and renowned for its outstanding acoustics. We learned it’s an honor for artists to perform on this stage and we were delighted to be there.

 

Our first day ended with shopping at a store near Mariinsky Theater called Swan Lake. Elena explained that Alla has decided to take clients to selected stores where quality is assured and prices are fixed. Swan Lake had the usual assortment of Russian souvenirs, as well as free vodka tastings. Staff were friendly and there was no pressure to buy. Cash registers automatically showed any purchase in Rubles, Euros and USD! Our group made a few purchases and we returned to the Prinsendam by 5:15pm. Later that evening, some people went to the Russian Folk Performance and reported a great time.

 

Monday June 9 – We passed through Russian customs at 7:45am, showed our passports and received another red laminated card. Alla was waiting on board the minivan to process payment for the tour. We paid cash - US$300 in crisp clean bills - while others paid by credit card. By 8:15am we continued on another sightseeing drive, this time covering Vasilievsky Island for great views of city centre and Neva Embankment, Rostral Columns, Stock Exchange, Admiralty and Cruiser Aurora. Then we visited Peter & Paul Fortress, toured the Cathedral with its landmark spire and saw the tombs of the Russian Czars, including those of the Romanovs.

 

The rest of the day was spent in the suburbs. We traveled 25 km south of St.P to Tsars Village to visit Catherine’s Palace, a former summer residence of the Russian Czars. We arrived at 11:30am and the place was packed. Despite the crowds, Elena did an expert job of guiding us through this opulent palace. The ceremonial rooms are an unequalled example of Russian baroque architecture. Utterly extravagant. We easily understood how the imperial balls held here overshadowed those held in the Winter Palace. The Amber Room is awesome, albeit a replica of the fabled original. No pics allowed, but you can get some good shots from either doorway.

 

After our visit to Catherine’s Palace, we drove to Peterhof, 32 km west of St.P on the shores of the Gulf of Finland. We ate a box lunch en route - chicken pancake (crepe), yoghurt, Wagon Wheel type biscuits, chocolate bar, fruit juice and bottled water. Nothing special. Peterhof is known as Russian Versailles and its principal attractions are beautiful fountains and waterfalls. We wandered the lovely Upper Garden and Lower Park and admired the unique waterworks, including the extravagant Grand Cascade Fountain with many gilded bronze statues. We delighted in the Jester Fountains, especially once Elena told us the secret of how they work!

 

Our program included a hydrofoil ride back from Peterhof to the city centre, but unfortunately, very strong winds caused the hydrofoils to be cancelled that afternoon. Apparently this is not uncommon. So we were back on the minivan for the drive to St.P. On the way, we saw the aftermath of the wind storm - uprooted trees along the main highway and several traffic accidents. Once back in the city, we made our final excursion to St. Isaac’s Cathedral, the largest in Russia and one of the largest cupola cathedrals in the world. This architectural wonder can accommodate up to 10,000 worshippers at once. By now, we were used to everything about St.P being over-the-top, but we were still wowed.

 

Sadly it was time to return to the ship. Traffic was heavy and it took a while to reach the port gates. Once there, we needed to cross railroad tracks to reach the ship but we encountered a very long train blocking our path. Our driver Dmitry took several detours looking for an alternate route and finally secured the help of a forklift driver who escorted us through the railyard maze. This was all very exciting and we made it back to the Prinsendam within minutes of “all aboard”.

 

We had an exceptional time in St. Petersburg with Alla Tours. Her “Complete St. Petersburg” exceeded our expectations in every regard. It’s still hard to believe that we got such a comprehensive itinerary, expert guidance and personal attention of a small group for US$300pp. We saw more, paid less & had a mich more intimate experience than our fellow pax who chose Shorex ship tours. For us, Alla Tours “Complete St. Petersburg” was a real winner.

 

The Prinsendam is a wonderful ship & St. Petersburg is an exciting destination. It's a great combination so I'm sure you'll have a fabulous time.