The best deal tour in St. Petersburg

And yet everyone mentions their tours on here hmmmmm seems a bit biased, I see everyone is soliciting SPB tours

Cheers

Solu

And yet everyone mentions their tours on here hmmmmm seems a bit biased, I see everyone is soliciting SPB tours

 

Cheers

Solu

Hi Solu,

Welcome to the boards. :)

No harm done (according to the posting rules, we are just not supposed to recommend a tour we have not yet taken on these boards). I believe that most of the major independent tour companies offer a discount for composing groups on cruise critic and mentioning that you have booked with them - this is usually done on your Roll Call for your sailing.

Although I have not used them, there are many satisfied members that have toured with TJ and they frequently post with their recommendations - I used Alla Tours (several times) and loved them. I don't believe that one can go wrong using any of the often mentioned companies on these boards (Alla, TJ, Spb, Best Guides, etc.).

When you have completed your tour with TJ please come back and tell us how it went.

And yet everyone mentions their tours on here hmmmmm seems a bit biased, I see everyone is soliciting SPB tours

 

Cheers

Solu

Hi, Solu,

Strictly speaking, Len is correct - the difference is that other posters have commented on tours they've already taken, rather than tours they've booked. See the mods' comment at http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=637817

That said I've seen plenty similar posts across the various CC forums, recommending an operator that the poster has researched or booked, so don't take it to heart. ;)

But a discount for mentioning an operator's name is a new one on me. That'll be what caught Len's eye and it doesn't fit in with CC rules because it's effectively a bribe.

You can't recommend a tour you've not done but recommending an operator you've used isn't going to get you a retrospective discount refund.

Check out other St Pete's threads & you'll see plenty of recommendations for other operators that folk have used, including TJ. :)

And no worries, nobody's going to keelhaul you for inadvertently transgressing.

JB :)

We are going on Viking Star...arrive SPB early June. Have checked out several companies and at the moment we are leaning towards TJ because they spend 3 hours at the Hermitage - and we really do want to see the peacock clock in the small Hermitage.

Some of the others include Yusupov palace ....is that a must see?

Generally we prefer fewer stops and more intensive time in each place but we dont want to regret missing an important place.

Would also welcome advice re evening canal trips billed as fun vodka trips...any experience on those?

Finally I would like to buy matryoshka nesting dolls for our granddaughters (preferably not made in China!)... Does anyone have suggestions about best place to shop for those?

We are going on Viking Star...arrive SPB early June. Have checked out several companies and at the moment we are leaning towards TJ because they spend 3 hours at the Hermitage - and we really do want to see the peacock clock in the small Hermitage.

Some of the others include Yusupov palace ....is that a must see?

Generally we prefer fewer stops and more intensive time in each place but we dont want to regret missing an important place.

 

Would also welcome advice re evening canal trips billed as fun vodka trips...any experience on those?

Finally I would like to buy matryoshka nesting dolls for our granddaughters (preferably not made in China!)... Does anyone have suggestions about best place to shop for those?

If you are arranging a private tour you can set your own itinerary, so any of the local operators can oblige with 3 hours at the Hermitage, including important pre-public admission.

But I seem to recall that our seat-in-bus Alla tour included three hours there.

Most operators offer a seat-in-bus choice of "grand tour" which includes Yusopov, or "comfort tour" (or similar name) which doesn't. It's regarded by the operators as one of the more minor sights, though some who've been there might argue about that ;).

Sorry - can't help with the vodka canal trip. Might be worth checking whether it's the same route as the canal trip included in most day tours, though of course it's likely to be a different atmosphere. And a city by night is always very different.

If I were to do that evening trip, I'd probably delete the canal tour from a private day tour & make better use of that time.

Tour operators can / will include a souvenir-type shop. The one we went to with Alla, and also used by other operators, had an excellent selection including nesting dolls to suit all pockets. Price-labelled in euros, browse without pressure, pay by card or (I think) various currencies, clean rest-room, free coffee.

There are street hawkers and stall-holders (have I seen mention that the stalls by the Church on the Spilt Blood have gone?) who will take euros & possibly other currencies. You can haggle (and you need to ;)) and I'm sure you can get better prices than the shop, but there's the usual questions over quality (and for nesting dolls not to jam in changing temperatures & humidity you do need good quality) and a natural tendency to be hounded, same as elsewhere in the world.

OK, I'm getting old & lazy.:o But buying from the shop is so much easier.

Your tour might include free time in the main shopping street, Nevsky Prospekt. But seeking out nesting dolls might be time-consuming & I think I'd prefer to browse & people-watch.

All MHO as always

JB :)

... we really do want to see the peacock clock in the small Hermitage...

Some of the others include Yusupov palace ....is that a must see?

I believe that all the tours of the Hermitage include the peacock clock. It is a "must see" in the Hermitage. I know that our Alla Grand Tour included the Peacock clock. I last viewed the clock in October, 2014, and there is now a video display next to the clock that explains the mechanism (don't remember it being there on my previous visits) – very interesting. As JB said, “If you are arranging a private tour you can set your own itinerary”.

I, personally, very much enjoyed visiting Yusupov Palace. It was owned by Prince Felix Yusopov (he was VERY wealthy) and has one of the best preserved interiors (aristocratic palaces) in the city. The theater is absolutely stunning (gives a whole new meaning to home theater :D). It was also very interesting to me because it was the site of Rasputin's murder.

There is SO much to see in Saint Petersburg. Your short cruise visit will only allow you a taste. ;)

I would also recommend visiting Yusupov's Palace. Some say it is similar to other places you visit, but they are all unique in their own way. We loved the visiting the room where Rasputin was murdered and the little Theater just stunning.

In 1830, the palace was purchased by Prince Nikolay Borisovich Yusupov, and it remained in the ownership of the family until seized by the Bolsheviks in 1917. The legends surrounding Rasputin's murder, which took place in the basement of the Yusupov Palace on 16 December 1916, are mostly based on the sensationalist account in the autobiography of Prince Felix Yusupov, who claimed to have led the plotters in first poisoning, then shooting, then beating Rasputin with clubs and throwing him into the icy Malaya Nevka River, where the Mad Monk eventually died of hypothermia. There is now a display in the palace museum that uses photography, documents, and wax figures to recreate the assassination and the following investigation

A few of my pixs of this amazing place

The grand doorway entering the Palace

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe881.jpg

The main staircase, as you enter

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe882.jpg

The room where Rasputin was murdered

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe883.jpg

The box designed for the Tsar to watch the shows in the theater.

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe897.jpg

Cheers

Len

I very much recommend to see the Faberge museum. It’s rather expensive day time especially for a small group but in the evening they have different tickets and the price is much better. We plan it for our first evening.

Jess :)

I very much recommend to see the Faberge museum. It’s rather expensive day time especially for a small group but in the evening they have different tickets and the price is much better. We plan it for our first evening.

Jess :)

If you join a group with the museum, the tickets are not expensive during the day.

The museums' guides take you through in groups of 20. Currently (March), there is only one tour in English per day. When I was there in September, there were 2 daily tours in English. I am assuming that there will be 2 or 3 daily tours offered in English during the high season.

According to the museum website, the price for these tours (booked online) is only 300 rubles per person - pretty inexpensive.

It is very expensive if you want a private tour.

http://fabergemuseum.ru/

I know everyone is talking about specfic tour companies for SPB but does anyone have personal experience with a Celebrity ship 2 day tour in SPB?