St. Petersburg solo? Possible?

[karlth]

Cruising on the 21. of next month with NCL and was wondering if it was practical, or even possible, to visit the city center without a tour group.

 

I will of course have a visa but is it simply too much of a hassle to travel without a guide?

[reiken]

We just returned from St. Petersburg (RC, Jewel of the Seas, departed Harwich, UK, on May 29). Although we had a most excellent private tour, I think it's reasonable to do this city on your own assuming you have the proper paperwork.

 

We docked at what appeared to be a beautiful brand new port terminal - probably the nicest of any cruise port I have been to. Contrary to other forum posts, we did see taxis parked looking for business on the shore side of the terminal.

 

There are a great number of tourist/gift/souvenir shops near the main attractions. They were very helpful with items in the store and I have no doubt they would be helpful with directions or other types of information.

 

Let me know if you have any specific questions...

[karlth]

Thanks.

 

Is the city center far away from the cruise terminal?

[reiken]

Yes - the city center is a good distance from the port, and the neighborhood between the port and the city center did not look inviting. I would recommend arranging transportation (such as a cab) in advance or, failing that, there appeared to be taxis waiting to take cruise passengers into the city.

[GuideDiva]

Getting into the city center and how practical it is all depends on which of the ports you arrive in. Many ships arrive at the cargo port which does not have taxis anywhere close to the ships, the front gate is 2-3 miles from the ships. There is a dock worker shuttle bus that circulates in the port area however that can be used if the driver doesn't mind. When you get to the main gate, a 1/3 mile walk gets you to the bus stop for Bus #22 which comes all the way into the city center. It stops many places so it can take a long time to get there.

The 2 River ports for smaller ships has easy access the to the city center, the piers are along the river on both sides within walking distance of the city centers, a 20-30 minute walk from the Hermitage.

The new passenger terminal has a taxi dispatcher right inside the terminal. It is about 600-700 Rubles to the city center. You need to use the dispatcher, and not just hail a taxi. Taxis still need a port permit to come into the new port area but not the $30-60 port fee for vehicles entering the cargo port.

These 4 ports are of the main interest to cruise ship passengers but some smaller ships also arrive at the old passengers terminal where bus transportation is possible.

[karlth]

Thanks again for the information.

 

Do you know if the NCL Jewel arrives at the new terminal or the cargo port?

[capnpugwash]

Unless you are a russian speaker I would imagine that you would have immense problems understanding and making yourself understood. I got back on Wednesday and our guide spoke English but our drivers did not, nor did immigration, nor the canal boat staff, nor the staff in the museums and churches. The people are also quite the most unsmiling bunch I have encountered, they say that it is the weather which is rainy and grey.