Saint Petersburg: Maps , pictures and information.

[GTAgal]

Thank you so much for posting all these photos & giving so much info. i have just read through everything. My husband & I are in SPB for 3 full days at the end of June & we booked a private guide & driver to take us around. I wonder if you recall what the rules are at the Hermitage & at Peterhof, at Catherine's Palace, etc regarding taking in purses, small backpacks, water containers. I have read that some places do not allow you to wear 'outer' garments which I presume means coats but does it also mean vests with pockets which is what we wear to carry our personal items.

Any info would be helpful in advance.

[scubacruiserx2]

Originally Posted by GTAgal

Thank you so much for posting all these photos & giving so much info. i have just read through everything. My husband & I are in SPB for 3 full days at the end of June & we booked a private guide & driver to take us around. I wonder if you recall what the rules are at the Hermitage & at Peterhof, at Catherine's Palace, etc regarding taking in purses, small backpacks, water containers. I have read that some places do not allow you to wear 'outer' garments which I presume means coats but does it also mean vests with pockets which is what we wear to carry our personal items.

Any info would be helpful in advance.

Congratulations on your 3 day trip to St. Pete. I'm sure that you will love it ! Russians seem to follow certain traditions and laws. The coat check is no exception.
http://www.passportmagazine.ru/article/1430

Inside - No coats. No food or drink carried around. There have been problems in the past with a liquid attack.

http://www.hermitagemuseum.org/html_En/05/hm5_1_48.html


Purses for ladies (small bags for men) are acceptable indoors. Backpacks are usually tourists. I don't know for certain if backpacks or vests are permitted or not, so I would ask your guide for clarification. We carry our valuables zipped-in our jackets and remove them to pant pockets at coat check. My wife doesn't carry a purse, but I have a man purse that will serve as camera case this year. Outside like Peterhof is no problem for water etc., but inside we leave it in the jacket at the Гардероб.

[GTAgal]

Thanks again for more helpful info. Glad to hear a purse is okay. I can always transfer valuables to it from our vest pockets if need be.

Did you go to the Russian Museum? Reviews of it seem pretty positive. If you went, what was your impression?

[scubacruiserx2]

Originally Posted by GTAgal

Thanks again for more helpful info. Glad to hear a purse is okay. I can always transfer valuables to it from our vest pockets if need be.

Did you go to the Russian Museum? Reviews of it seem pretty positive. If you went, what was your impression?

No , we have not , but it's the first thing scheduled on our first full day , later this fall. It's next to Spilled Blood so - we're looking foward to using a up-graded camera for both.

[scubacruiserx2]

One of the things that Cruise Critic does is to link people. We have met and made a number of friends by sharing shore excursions and experiences. Unfortunately , the only people that most visitors to St. Petersburg will meet is their guide and driver. Of course there is nothing wrong with this , but staying in St. Petersburg allows you to see and do more and allows you more time and opportunities to develop relationships.We hope that others will be encouraged to visit St. Petersburg - maybe post cruise. When we stayed in May 2009 , We met Doug Pullar , owner of The Other Side gastropub and his Russian wife. When we first ate there in 2011 - we missed connections. We got his phone number and arranged a meeting. He brought his young daughter along- asleep in her stroller. We had a great visit with Doug and he gave us a nice gift. When his daughter woke up , she seemed kind of shy hiding behind her dad. So I tried to engage her. Taking my wedding ring off , I held it balanced on a table with one finger and snapped it sharply with the middle finger of the other hand. It spun rapidly on edge , like a gyroscope , for about minute. When it slowed , I rapidly snatched it up and spun it again. She became mesmerized . Adding a couple of coins spinning only increased her delight , so much so ,that she wanted to give it a try. After several unsucessful attempts , I got her to balance the coin , on edge with her finger. Striking it with my finger tip produced the desired result . Many giggles latter , she was bouncing around like we were old friends. She was so cute and reminded us of how we missed our grandchildren - triggering a long distance phone call.

[scubacruiserx2]

We thought these kids outside of the Hermitage were so cute.





They were lined up like little dolls.






We thought this guy , in front of the Hermitage , would fall into the river. Click on picture for the video.

[judyrabbit]

[quote=GTAgal;38173786 I wonder if you recall what the rules are at the Hermitage & at Peterhof, at Catherine's Palace, etc regarding taking in purses, small backpacks, water containers. I have read that some places do not allow you to wear 'outer' garments which I presume means coats but does it also mean vests with pockets which is what we wear to carry our personal items.
[/quote]
It's for sure no water inside the museums. We had small backpacks and we were asked to carry them in front. In Peterhof palace they don't allow taking pictures so we had to put the camera into the locker too. Vests were OK.

[scubacruiserx2]

Originally Posted by judyrabbit

It's for sure no water inside the museums. We had small backpacks and we were asked to carry them in front. In Peterhof palace they don't allow taking pictures so we had to put the camera into the locker too. Vests were OK.

Thanks for the info upgrade Judy,

[scubacruiserx2]

We had planned to take our oldest grandson on the May 7th NCL Baltic cruise to St. Petersburg. But plans got changed - so we went to Orlando.


Typhoon Lagoon




Surface diving Shark Reef. Click on picture for video (When diving with sharks , look out for Manta Ray shadows ).









Ride the Crush 'n' Gusher in this video clip.





After Typhoon Lagoon , we tried indoor skydiving with the grandkids.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iShTAHWCJI


Getting ready for our flight.





We are taking a break for SCUBA diving with friends in Cozumel tomorrow, enjoy your weekend and Bon Voyage !

[dolfans0704]

Typhoon Lagoon remains one of our favorite water parks! You have beautiful grandchildren, scuba! Enjoy your time in Cozumel and will catch up with you in June after our Baltics cruise. Thanks again for all the valuable information and fabulous photos you provide on this thread...safe journeys!


Dolfans from Miami