St Petersburg guided tour ~ Lunch Query

Will be taking a private party of 4 guided tour of St. Petersburg this June and am uncertain what the protocol is for lunch. Does the guide and driver join us at lunch (and we pay for their meals) or do they not join us at lunch? In short, what should we expect at restaurant lunches in the middle of a tour day?

We are being allowed to chose where we go for lunch and would like to understand what normally happens with the guide and driver as that may influence what we choose for restaurants.

Any previous experience in this matter you all wish to share would be greatly appreciated.

Will be taking a private party of 4 guided tour of St. Petersburg this June and am uncertain what the protocol is for lunch. Does the guide and driver join us at lunch (and we pay for their meals) or do they not join us at lunch? In short, what should we expect at restaurant lunches in the middle of a tour day?

 

We are being allowed to chose where we go for lunch and would like to understand what normally happens with the guide and driver as that may influence what we choose for restaurants.

 

Any previous experience in this matter you all wish to share would be greatly appreciated.

Hi. My husband and I did a 3-day private tour through Red October as few years ago. It was fantastic. I can only remember what we did for 2 of those days. One of the days lunch was included (not sure why it was included one day) and we were taken to a restaurant and my husband and I had a pre-set meal while the driver and guide ate in another part of the restaurant. We did not pay for them. The other day we went to a very casual "local" restaurant, chosen by the driver and guide, where we seemed to be the only foreigners. The food was great and very cheap. We ate with the driver and guide and paid for them. (We initiated the offer). It was very enjoyable, and also delicious. Hope this helps.

We also toured with Red October a few years ago and we did exactly the same thing as Sweetpea. Enjoy your cruise and tour!!

None of our lunches will be pre-set or included in the tour cost which is somewhat different.

But thanks for the advice as to how Red October handled the lunch arrangements.

We used another company. No meals were included. We picked where to eat. Your option to invite the driver and guide. Or not. They will not take offense either way. Enjoy!

Thanks Duct Tape for that advice as well. You correctly discerned that I would like to not cause offense to the driver and guide.

Bingo. None of us want to be the Ugly American.

It seams like we run in to this every time we get a private car and translator. It always comes down to the following:

1) Ask the guide where is the nicest place to have lunch; they will take you there and pick you up an hour later.

OR

2) Ask them where the locals eat for the most authentic meal for a good price?; they will take you there and you should ask them to join you and pay for their meal.

Both ways work depending on the situation...

If they take you to a restaurant I hope you like stroganoff.

We like to invite our guides to join us as our guest for lunch. It gives us both an opportunity to learn more about each other's country and culture without taking up their tour time. In some places we have visited, it may be the guide's only opportunity to get a wholesome meal. If we have a separate driver, we always invite him to join us, but I can't think of a single time that the invitation was accepted.

In St. Petersburg you will probably be taken to a restaurant in the city or in Pushkin when you visit Catherine's Palace. They will be restaurants that cater to tourists and can handle your credit cards. Since you can't have rubles, you probably won't be able to go to the places that are only for locals unless your guide pays and you reimburse, which can be awkward.

BTW, if you are using a private guide rather than a tourist service like Red October, make sure you are properly visaed.

We used ALLA Tours and the first day the meal was included at a touristy restaurant. The second day the guide took us to a local pub like place and she helped us choose then she placed the orders and paid. We paid her in USD when we paid for the tour. She did eat with us the second day and I suppose that we paid for her meal but I don't remember. The meal was very inexpensive and was a beer and an empanada type meal.

We went with Anastasia. Meals were not included, but we invited our guide and driver to dine with us. And we paid as it was our invitation.

To all of you who provided advice; it is helpful to have some idea of what others have done as the guides may also have expectations based on their previous experience with Silverseas Cruisers. Thanks!