St. Petersburg, Russia, with Children

Hi all,

We are doing a Baltic Cruise in late May/early June, and want to show our four kids (ages 11, 9, 7, 5) a bit of St. Petersburg. We were thinking of a one-day family tour and one day of just mom/dad (and leave the kids in the club - makes me a little nervous, but people do it all the time, right?)

Anyone have experience with particular excursions in St. Pete's that are geared to families?

Thanks for your advice.

--Holly

I see you are from Rome, but one thing to consider for St. Petersburg is that you must have a visa. Either a ship's tour, or a tour booked in advance with a reputable company that sends you a welcome letter will suffice.

Yes- you can do a tour without the kids- they will be fine and I'm sure prefer being on the ship. You are probably doing a ship sponsored excursion and that is a good idea since you are less likely to run into any problems getting back on time.

In Stockholm, the Vasa Museum, and in Copenhagen the Tivoli gardens. In St. Petersburg, possibly a boat tours through the canals and the Peterhof fountains.

I have been researching St.P tours for families for a possible Baltic cruise in 2015 with my boys who will be 11 and 9. So far one I've found with good reviews and a family friendly itinerary is the Best Guides Group. Check them out online.

I'm with you on the second day - not sure if I could leave my kids on the boat for more than the half hour we took last year in the Med to wander Kusadasi by ourselves. I think we will just spread our destinations out over the two days so we don't overdue it on either one. Our biggest concern is finding food for oldest one who is a picky eater. I predict a stop at a Russian McDonald's...

Hi Holly,

We went on a Baltic cruise a few years ago with our two daughters who were 12 and 6 at the time. We booked a 2 day private tour for the four of us and they hung in for the duration although we planned shorter days for touring so as not to exhaust them.

We didn't see a lot of "kid-friendly" sites per se but we did hit the highlights. The first day was devoted primarily to Peterhof and Catherine's Palace as they are a fair drive from the city and there was traffic. They enjoyed the gardens at Catherine's far more than the crowded atmosphere inside and loved the fountains at Peterhof.

Day two we spent in the city and spent some time shopping first thing as my daughter's both wanted nesting dolls. After shopping we visited St. Nicholas' Cathedral and then the Hermitage. The Hermitage was crazy busy and we had to escape to a less crowded part of the museum - skipped some of the best-known pieces and browsed the impressionists which we enjoyed more anyway. We cut our visit short and opted to spend more time walking outside. We visited the Church of our Saviour on Spilled Blood and St. Isaac's Cathedral and then our tour guide just took us for a walk and we were able to see the Bronze Horseman statue.

St. Petersburg is beautiful and there's far too much to see in 2 days but if you're touring with kids then you will need to slow down the pace a bit so that you don't exhaust them.

Lisa

Hi Holly

On our Baltic cruise in 2007 with our then 7 yo daughter and 3 yo son, we did a 2 day St Petersburg group tour via DenRus that hit all the major sites. They were able to keep up with the pace of the group without complaints. While none of the places we visited were specifically family friendly, the kids were just plain fascinated by the novelty of Russia. My kids fortunately happen to be pretty good travelers; I think if they were not, I would have chosen a private tour so we could better set the pace (or left them on the ship, I have no qualms about that!)

We are taking our 2.5 year old in June. Booked a private tour with SPB but will make sure that the subway ride is taken, and we are also stopping at the outdoor railway museum (Varshvsky Station). Have to do at least one or two things that will keep him engaged.

I have never had any expectations while travelling with him - good days, bad days, they come and go - but at least we're not at home. We are out seeing the world.

We're traveling in August with our almost 6yo and almost 2yo, and trying to figure this out as well... Any hints appreciated!

We are taking our 2.5 year old in June. Booked a private tour with SPB but will make sure that the subway ride is taken, and we are also stopping at the outdoor railway museum (Varshvsky Station). Have to do at least one or two things that will keep him engaged.

 

I have never had any expectations while travelling with him - good days, bad days, they come and go - but at least we're not at home. We are out seeing the world.

As a toddler, she was always happy in a stroller (being pushed around like the princess she believed she was!) and was not comfortable in public not holding mom and/or dad's hand. If your toddler is a bit more independent, the StP subway is definately a good place for a toddler restraint (leash, whatever you care to call it). It is, after all, a major city and the safety percautions are different than what may be common in other cities in which you may have visited.

I suggest arranging a private tour beforehand and highly recommend SPB Tours. You can customize the day to your specific requirements, they get you to the front of the line at virtually every location (including the Hermitage) and will handle things the way you want. If you find that the children don't like a particular place, the guide can move on immediately and, if you are particularly enjoying a spot, they can stay longer. (Try getting that flexibility on a ship's excursion!) We used them two years ago for our two days in St P -- there were only 8 of us and we paid a little less than half what the ship charged for a bus with 55 people, saw a lot more and had far more options. Note -- they also take care of any visa requirements for you.

@OzCanuck -

I'm guessing you'll be departing soon, if you haven't already! Would love to hear how it goes with your little one - we're debating now whether to leave our kids on board with their grandparents one day in st Petersburg and then swap instead of the kids going into st Petersburg. I'm sure my nrarly 6yo would be fine, but our almost 2yo I'm not so sure about....

Saw this thread and had to respond. My wife is from St. Petersburg (pushkin), and is there with our 3 year old now visiting family. Please keep in mind, ST. Petersburg (SP) is a huge city. The smaller ones are honestly better off staying on the ship. This is NOT the most stroller friendly city.

I would highly recommend a private tour, as others have stated above, more freedom to come and go as you choose. BUT, if you just want to see the major sites, and can be n a bus for awhile then definitely do that. SP is busy with LOTS of traffic. so being on a nice air conditioned tour bus will be nice.

If you are a bit adventurous, definitely take the Metra (subway). incredible escalators, and stations underneath. but nt for little ones.

And the one ting everyone is missing, is the Russian circus. may have to do this on your own, but well worth it have you ever seen a bear juggle a cylendar? Highly recommend for those who can sit through a 2 hour show. Do a little bit of research, and this may be your best bet. Would not hurt to get a private tour and plan on going here with it.

Something no one has mentioned which might be helpful is that almost directly across from the Church of the Spilled Blood is a multi aisled street market with everything in the world to look at and buy, from nesting dolls to snacks. It would be a good place to use that toddler restraint mentioned above so you won't get separated.

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Our first cruise was with our then 18 month old to the Baltics. I can highly recommend alla tours who let us put together our own tour in a private mini van. They even provided a car seat and water. We did all the main sights including the underground and a hydrofoil ride.

Something no one has mentioned which might be helpful is that almost directly across from the Church of the Spilled Blood is a multi aisled street market with everything in the world to look at and buy, from nesting dolls to snacks.

This recent post suggests the market is no longer there:

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=43678665

Thanks for the update.

Always appreciate timely information.

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@OzCanuck -

I'm guessing you'll be departing soon, if you haven't already! Would love to hear how it goes with your little one - we're debating now whether to leave our kids on board with their grandparents one day in st Petersburg and then swap instead of the kids going into st Petersburg. I'm sure my nrarly 6yo would be fine, but our almost 2yo I'm not so sure about....

Sorry for the late reply.

We had an awesome time on the cruise- and SPB worked out very well for our two days in St. Petersburg. Highlites were Varschavsky outdoor railway museum, and of course Peterhof. At one point my 2.75 year old said "daddy - no more churches please".

Any specific questions please feel free.. I did a quick review here:

boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2059784

Thanks for the review! Noted that you guys are veggie - my husband is as well an in general the rest of us don't eat that much meat (tho we do all eat fish). Do you have any veggie restaurant recs in the ports of call?

Thx!

Thanks for the review! Noted that you guys are veggie - my husband is as well an in general the rest of us don't eat that much meat (tho we do all eat fish). Do you have any veggie restaurant recs in the ports of call?

Thx!

Only one. This is the little place just around the corner from the Hermitage:

https://plus.google.com/113530670662155969391/about?gl=ca&hl=en

Troitskiiy Most or something. Very cheap, very filling and relatively healthy. A good option if your tour doesn't include a meal, and you find yourself near the Hermitage around lunch time.

The other ports we ended up just giving in to the siren song of pizza and beer.

ArchMom-

I haven't taken the baltic cruise yet, but Rick Steves recommended this vegetarian restaurant in Stockholm:

http://www.yelp.com/biz/hermitage-stockholm

and this pizza restaurant

http://www.yelp.com/biz/vapiano-stockholm-5

Good luck!

We just returned from our Baltic cruise on the NCL Star and had 2 days in St Petersburg.

We loved it and so did the kids ages 6&8. I wouldn't hesitate to take them along.

We used SPB and they were great with the kids! They even grouped our tour with 2 other families so the kids had playmates when they go bored.

I as quite surprised how nice it was! Wish we had more than 2 days! We saw the Hermitage, Fortress cathedral, Peterhof Gardens, Catherines Palace, subway ride/stations, and then we did an evening excursion to St Isaacs and climbed up to the top of the dome for some awesome views!!