Tours in St Petersburg July 2015

Hi All,

Cruising on the Brilliance of the seas next year. Have done bit of research into tours available in St Petersburg and now cannot decide between the two-day tours offered by TJ, Allah or SBP Tours. Prices etc, all similar, any horror stories about any of these companies I should be aware of? At the moment I am leaning towards TJ or Allah. Decisions! Decisions! Please help...

We were on the Vision of the Seas last year and joined a group of CC's in undertaking a tour with SPB. They were brilliant and highly professional - can highly recommend them. No problems at all.

Hi All,

Cruising on the Brilliance of the seas next year. Have done bit of research into tours available in St Petersburg and now cannot decide between the two-day tours offered by TJ, Allah or SBP Tours. Prices etc, all similar, any horror stories about any of these companies I should be aware of? At the moment I am leaning towards TJ or Allah. Decisions! Decisions! Please help...

Hi, Honey. You need the Ports of Call Board for your research:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=192

We did a 3 day tour with Alla in June this year they are absolutely brilliant. Lunch was included simple Russian food but in fabulous surroundings.

We also used SPB tours while on the Jewel a few years ago and had wonderful tours.

Alla was ok for us in June for 3 day tour. They did not provide us the time promised in the Russian Museum and did not have enough rest room breaks. A couple of people had to leave the group to find one. They also left a group stranded in St Pete after their late night return on the Moscow train. They were suppose to pick up a group but we're not there. Someone called and the van got there. Just not a good feeling at the time but all turned out well.

No complaints from us with our 2 day TJ tour, it was truly a fabulous two days.

Just off the Legend from this summer and we used SPB with people we met on our roll call and had a fantastic time over 3 days. Probably the most professional tour group we've ever been on. Ask for Tatiana!

Alla was ok for us in June for 3 day tour. They did not provide us the time promised in the Russian Museum and did not have enough rest room breaks. A couple of people had to leave the group to find one. They also left a group stranded in St Pete after their late night return on the Moscow train. They were suppose to pick up a group but we're not there. Someone called and the van got there. Just not a good feeling at the time but all turned out well.

I was in that stranded group, and it was indeed annoying at the time, but it was promptly fixed, and overall I enjoyed the Alla tours very much and would recommend them.

We have just returned home from a Baltic cruise. Earlier this month we used TJ Tours for their standard 3 day package and it was truly excellent in every respect. Would rate them 11 out of 10 without hesitation!

We used SPB Tours for our time in St Petersburg and they were simply outstanding. Have recommended them to others and all loved them also.

Cheers

Len

I've used tj they are great

Best way to do at petersburgh for sure

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The same question has been asked time and time again. All that is needed is a bit of research.

We used SPB Tours for our time in St Petersburg and they were simply outstanding. Have recommended them to others and all loved them also.

 

Cheers

 

Len

We're booked with SPB for our cruise next June, any particular guide you recommend? Someone here mentioned Tatiana, who else would you suggest? And what about Berlin, one poster spoke highly of Heather in another thread. Look forward to your recommendations, thanks:)

We used SPB on our 2 day visit in 2013. We actually scheduled a private tour for 4 of us. However, after seeing SPB's (and everyone else's) operation on the ground, I don't really think a private tour is worth the extra cost, unless you want major itinerary changes to their "standard" tours.

All the private groups seem use little "mini buses", not large coaches. The groups are small and manageable.

We're booked with SPB for our cruise next June, any particular guide you recommend? Someone here mentioned Tatiana, who else would you suggest? And what about Berlin, one poster spoke highly of Heather in another thread. Look forward to your recommendations, thanks:)

When we toured with SPB, we had an excellent young lady named Elena. Sorry I don't know her last name. All the guides are screened and all have a thorough knowledge of St Petersburg, and I'll bet every tour group can say the same.

We didn't go to Berlin, so I really cannot comment on the specific guides there, but several in our group did make the trip and all came back fascinated with this city and had only marvelous things to say about SPB Tours and how they did the tour.

Cheers

Len

Thank you all for your contributions. I have booked our 2-day tour with TJ. Fingers crossed all will be well and that we will still be allowed to visit Russia next year with the current political tensions.

We used SPB Tours for our time in St Petersburg and they were simply outstanding. Have recommended them to others and all loved them also.

 

Cheers

 

Len

With what I have read I plan to take either Alla or SPb for St Peterburg but upon looking at ship sponsored tours for the other cities there seems to be lots offered. Question - has anyone had experience using the ship's tours for the other cities instead of the the package and if so what is your opinion of them. The prices seem reasonable.

Thank you all for your contributions. I have booked our 2-day tour with TJ. Fingers crossed all will be well and that we will still be allowed to visit Russia next year with the current political tensions.

We have just returned from our Baltic cruise and toured St Petersburg with TJ doing the 2 day Heritage tour. Our guide Nina was brilliant and everything ran really smoothly from first contact with the company to being dropped back at the ship.

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With what I have read I plan to take either Alla or SPb for St Peterburg but upon looking at ship sponsored tours for the other cities there seems to be lots offered. Question - has anyone had experience using the ship's tours for the other cities instead of the the package and if so what is your opinion of them. The prices seem reasonable.

I can't speak for everyone here, but for the most part, most of the people who post here have done most of the other ports on your own. They are very simple to do on your own, with just a wealth of info from people who live in those particular cities. Most of the highlites have been picked out and unless you have severe mobility issues, save yourself a lot of money and try to do some of them on your own. Any questions about each city, just ask away. Some may require some sort of public transportation, others just use your two feet and go. Ourselves, we never do anything ship sponsored, as we like to see what we want to see and do it at our own pace.

Cheers

Len

We used TJ Travel for a private tour for our family of four (July 2014). It was fabulous!

We did Copenhagen, Stockholm, Helsinki, and Tallinn on our own and used Jeremy Minsburg, one of our best tour guides ever!, in Berlin.

We visited St Petersburg on 13-14 July 2014 onboard Cunard’s, Queen Victoria and booked with DenRus, the two day ‘Complete St Petersburg’ and an ‘Evening of Russian Ballet’. We had an absolutely amazing experience. The entire DenRus team were superb and responded promptly to our emails. We booked with ease on their website, selecting the tour that suited our sightseeing preferences. A group of 12 on our roll call had all booked the same excursion. We met onboard, disembarked together and our tour departed promptly. I was very impressed with Nadia, our tour guide, her extensive knowledge of art and history, all of which added to our experience.

Our tour included a visit to the recently opened (December 2013) Fabergé Museum, housed in the restored historic Shuvalov Palace which was a holiday highlight. For those that are interested, here is the link http://fabergemuseum.ru/ don’t forget to scroll down and click on the 3D panorama where you can click to enter each room, scroll around and also click on the camera icon to view the world’s largest collection of mesmerizing Fabergé Imperial Easter Eggs and other stupendous glittering objects.

Here are a couple of links relating to the opening of the museum: http://www.faberge.com/news/142-fabe...urgmuseum.aspx and http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/1cc38...#axzz30hZVwf9

Our tour also included the magnificent art located in the opulent Hermitage, palace square, lunch, a 60 min scenic boat trip on the canals and Neva River, an inside visit to the ornate Church of the Savior on the Spilled Blood and a city orientation tour. We booked the optional ‘Evening of Russian Ballet’, another holiday highlight. Day two - Catherine Palace including the Amber Room and a guided walk in the surrounding Catherine Park gardens; lunch at the Summer Palace Restaurant, the spectacular Peterhof Grand Cascade, fountains and gardens, a ride on the city’s underground Metro subway system (‘Palaces of the People’) together with photo stops at various city highlights. The weather was absolutely stunning. We have wonderful memories (thanks to the team at DenRus) together with gorgeous photos, of our adventure to treasure.

We were on the Vision of the Seas last year and joined a group of CC's in undertaking a tour with SPB. They were brilliant and highly professional - can highly recommend them. No problems at all.

We were told by our travel agent that if we don't book an excursion in St Pete through the ship we would need to get a separate visa. What do you know about this?

We were told by our travel agent that if we don't book an excursion in St Pete through the ship we would need to get a separate visa. What do you know about this?

Any of the private tour companies used by CC members in the past will get you the proper visa when you book through them. It is only when you are an independent traveler or use an unlicensed tour guide do you need a visa. Quite frankly I am dismayed that your travel agent is giving you incorrect info.

We were told by our travel agent that if we don't book an excursion in St Pete through the ship we would need to get a separate visa. What do you know about this?

Your travel agent might be great for booking cruises, but has a poor understanding of touring St Petersburg by cruise passengers. Private tour companies operate similarly to cruise ship tour companies.

What I liked about SPB Tours was the evening option of a private driver that dropped us off at a local restaurant and we had three hours on our own there before meeting the driver at the hotel. This was in addition to the 2-day deluxe tour and a day with their top guide in Berlin.

Have a great time no matter how you choose to see that amazing city.