HELP!! please, St Petersburg

I'm trying to plan our excursions for St.P. and I realise there is no way I can do everything I want.:(

So can people who have been please let me know which you thought were the LEAST interesting bits so I can try and make my mind up......and stop going insane, I'm sitting here with maps, guide books, internet and Thomson excursion page and I definitely have information overload.:eek::eek::eek:.

hi I was like that for our 2 day stop last year then we knew we just had to narrow right down for us. we had thought of a private tour, it covered everything and everywhere at speed we felt so decided against it in favour of a better pace for us. we narrowed it down to an all day tour of the city with lunch, which included time on our own to explore, it was fab, we got to see all the famous sights and stopped for photos, we did not get the chance to go inside. but i was ok with that. we were taken on the underground by the guide to see everyday sTP. our other trip was to the peterhof and gardens, which were fabulous. two lovely days with fanatastic weather and a taste to go back, which we will.

others did the herimitage and loved it although others said too quick and too busy, so depends what pace you want

good luck you will enjoy whatever you do

I'm trying to plan our excursions for St.P. and I realise there is no way I can do everything I want.:(

So can people who have been please let me know which you thought were the LEAST interesting bits so I can try and make my mind up......and stop going insane, I'm sitting here with maps, guide books, internet and Thomson excursion page and I definitely have information overload.:eek::eek::eek:.

I think you can skip the scenic city type tour - whatever they call that one. Whilst it's a good way to get an overview and for those who want to see the city mainly from the coach, it's a good way to get a flavour of St P. But it is a compact city and you will see a lot of the sights from the coach on your way to and from other attractions. You'll see the Hermitage from the outside, probably Peter the Great's statue, the Aurora, the Admiralty, St Isaacs and the Peter and Paul Fortress etc from across the river as you drive through. For my money you'd be better off doing something else with the time and for the cost.

I know people enjoy the Yusopov Palace and Neva trip but in contrast to the other magnificent Imperial Palaces, the Yusopov is very different with only the little theatre giving me a 'Wow' moment. It's a good enough trip but I'd say it was for a second or third visit to the city - there are more big hitters to see than that one. (The river trip was quite good though - but you can do that in the evening if you wanted to.)

Rather than try to pick out more of the least interesting - perhaps I should say what my favourite trips are:

Catherine Palace - can be done satisfactorily on a half day trip. Stunning! Although you may wish to do it as part of a whole day excursion. (Traffic last time we went was terrible so we spent quite a bit of time getting into and out of the port - so a day trip may be more time efficient instead of 2X half day ones.)

Peterhof - also very impressive but the inside is less extensive than Catherine Palace especially if you are interested in the opulence of the Palaces of the Tzars then Catherine is better imo and has the iconic Amber Room. Peterhof however has the magnificent gardens and fountains. Perhaps one or the other of these two (unless you are particularly keen on Palaces) so you can get to see something a bit different.

I think the Hermitage is amazing. Not that I'm very knowledgeable about the contents of museums or art but the sheer scale of the Hermitage, it's decoration, o.t.t. splendour to say nothing of the world famous art - some even recognisable to me - make it quite a place to visit (I spent as much time looking at the building, ceilings, chandeliers, staircases as I did at the displays). But I would say if you can do the visit 'Hermitage with the Gold Room' that is even better. I was blown away by the jewels, diamonds you see in the Gold Room (vaults). You can only go in there in small groups with the museum guides so places for this trip are limited - so if you are interested in that one I'd book on-line to secure a place.

I love the Church if the Spilled Blood too - unlike any other church I've ever seen - the onion domes are famous from the outside but the inside is wall to wall colourful, glass mosaics and colourful marble floor. Unforgettable but unfortunately that is teamed up with a walk (through the Field of Mars I think it is) and that was a waste of time really I thought. So you'd have to weigh up whether the Spilled Blood was a big enough draw to bother spending time with the walk.

The ballett is quite an experience at night (usually well known music, Swan Lake, Giselle) or the river trip is good too. Someone we spoke to really enjoyed the folk evening as well. I'd recommend getting off for the evening - just another kind of experience.

Anyway, I'll leave you to your deliberations happy v. If I can help with anything else just ask. :)

I'm trying to plan our excursions for St.P. and I realise there is no way I can do everything I want.:(

So can people who have been please let me know which you thought were the LEAST interesting bits so I can try and make my mind up......and stop going insane, I'm sitting here with maps, guide books, internet and Thomson excursion page and I definitely have information overload.:eek::eek::eek:.

We did a private 2 day tour last year with Alla tours and they were excellent. A roll call was set up on here to get people together and in the end I think there was 18 of us in 2 mini buses. Have a look on their web site see if this helps.

I'm afraid I am going to have to disagree with Kruzseeka :eek: (sorry Kruzee!)

We did the Yusopov Palace and a canal trip which we really enjoyed, then on the second day we did a trip called "Easy St Petersburg" which sounds similar to the one trinitytrees did, except it was not all day, as we did not have lunch. This was with Royal Caribbean, but I expect Thomson do a similar one. We did get a chance to get out of the coach and had a bit of spare time, but couldn't go inside any of the churches. We really enjoyed it and felt it was a good introduction and should we ever go back (hopefully) we could then see things in more details

I should have said yesterday happy v that we also did the three cathedrals trip - Kazan (the one on Nevsky Prospekt), St Isaacs and the one in the Peter and Paul fortress on the island across from the Hermitage.

They are all very different internally (and externally come to that) and quite interesting but I felt a bit 'churched-out' at the end and I must say they didn't make the impression on me that for instance Catherine Palace/Peterhof/Spilled Blood (all of which we've visited twice since they were so impressive). It's a pity that the Spilled Blood isn't on this excursion as that's the jewel in the crown imo looking at the main churches in St P.

I've had a look at the Thomson excursions guide and see that they are offering a taxi trip where you can decide on where you want to go yourself for a half or full day. I suppose that's their alternative to passengers going to Alla, Denrus etc. Quite an interesting concept and new as it wasn't on last year's excursion options.

You do need to find a group of six to make it cost effective really and you would have to agree the programme (not always easy as everyone has their preferences for what they want to see) and of course it doesn't say you get a guide either - and it is the guides who bring the palaces/city to life for you.

But it is an amazing destination - and such a city of contrasts too! Whilst absolutely loving the palaces and lapping up the history I couldn't help but think there was no wonder there was a revolution - such opulence and so many treasures. It's wonderful to be able to just see them though and at least we now have that opportunity.

Enjoy your planning - hope it's not gving you too much of a headache! :D;)

I will be there in May and, because i am lazy, will be taking the bus tour on the first day and visiting St Catherines palace the second, both half day trips. there will be more opportunities to visit in future years any.

Incidentially all the other ports of call are very easy to do on your own.

ps - do you need any roubles for St Petersburg?

i will already need:

norway - norwegian kroner

denmark - danish wotsits

germany - euros

estonia - euros

russia - ??????

finland -euros

sweden - krona?

Thank you so much for your help:).

I had planed all this last year but Thomsons are not offering all of the excursions on both days this year so I'm having to choose what I want to do most.:mad:

I've looked at Alla and Denrus but as Trinity says I think you see "all of everything but not much of anything".....not to mention the fact that neither are offering any excursions the day we are in port:rolleyes:.

I wouldn't dare ask anyone to share a taxi with us, I'm far too pedantic:o and a full day on our own would cost £1080:eek::eek:.

So I've decided on Hermitage and gold room, Catherine Palace and Gardens and Fountains at Peterhof.

That leaves me with an afternoon spare so I could either do the cruise with Yusopov or the evening cruise. Naturally these are the only two which are limited so I'll have to make my mind up quickly.

Of course if I get on the ship and discover Thoms are doing things on both days I'll have to cancel the lot and re-book!

Thank you so much from a more relaxed and nearly decided Vera.

Dave!!!! I haven't even thought about currency yet, but doing my research yesterday apparently all shops etc will take any money and credit cards but street vendors want their own. Oh and all notes of any form must be....clean, new, with no writing on them.

The Yusopov Palace and canal trip is well worth taking.

Dave - they'll take Euros, Dollars and usually Sterling in St.P's. as well as roubles.

We got roubles in our local Cheque Centre without any problem, just give enough notice - beware sources that say it's a closed currency and you can't obtain it in the UK.

There is a tourist shop within the port terminal building selling the usual Russian stuff - you can offload unused roubles there on way back to the ship on final day - ask for the 10% discount deal.

There is a "camera tax" for official buildings, a few Euros, they put a small coloured disc on your camera. I paid the first time, then noticed that nobody checked - kept the sticker on for the second day and didn't bother paying again.

They don't like flash photography inside - so adjust settings to compensate.

We paid for a drink in a cafe in Euros, but beware, they will give you change in Roubles :eek: So we used them up by buying a fridge magnet and mug (which I broke when I got home :rolleyes:)

I'm pretty sure you can use Euros anywhere.

I wouldn't dare ask anyone to share a taxi with us, I'm far too pedantic:o and a full day on our own would cost £1080:eek::eek:.

I did a private tour with Denrus last year, 1st day we did city tour, interior of St issacs, st catherines palace, watched a sevice in tsar nicolas church, folk centre, lunch, metro system shopping etc. 2nd day Peterhof, peter and paul fortress, church of spilled blood, lunch shopping and the hermatige. For both days in a Merc with driver and Guide for two of us it cost £800. I am not the best at walking so everthing was done at my own pace and not rushed, It was 30 degrees when we were in St petersburg.

In my opinion it was money well spent and we really enjoyed it:rolleyes:

Thank you so much for your help:).

I had planed all this last year but Thomsons are not offering all of the excursions on both days this year so I'm having to choose what I want to do most.:mad:

I've looked at Alla and Denrus but as Trinity says I think you see "all of everything but not much of anything".....not to mention the fact that neither are offering any excursions the day we are in port:rolleyes:.

I wouldn't dare ask anyone to share a taxi with us, I'm far too pedantic and a full day on our own would cost £1080:eek:.

So I've decided on Hermitage and gold room, Catherine Palace and Gardens and Fountains at Peterhof.

That leaves me with an afternoon spare so I could either do the cruise with Yusopov or the evening cruise. Naturally these are the only two which are limited so I'll have to make my mind up quickly.

Of course if I get on the ship and discover Thoms are doing things on both days I'll have to cancel the lot and re-book!

Thank you so much from a more relaxed and nearly decided Vera.

So pleased to hear you are now in a more relaxed frame of mind happy v. Those trips look a good mix to me - I don't think you'll be disappointed. The history of the Catherine Palace is especially fascinating - it was occupied in WWII (whilst Leningrad was under siege) and the retreating army set fire to it! :eek:

Look out for a painting in the corridor as you approach the exit to the Palace - it's a fairly amateurish painting but the impact! Flames coming out of all the windows of the Palace! Oh my! What a tragedy to wreak such havoc. But it lets you see just how amazing the renovation has been.

Apparently the fire brought down the ceiling in the great hall which put out the fire there preserving about 70% of the gilding and the parquet flooring. Traditional craftsmen were used to restore the building faithfully and they've done a magnificent job.

And of course there's the great mystery of what happened to the original Amber Room (theories abound) but again it's been restored and last year we were able to have a really good look at it (the previous time we were let in a small groups for a very short time but this time it was part of a through route on the tour so we were able to walk through slowly and really appreciate it better.) All the intricate carving and range of colour is beautiful. I'm sure you'll find it fascinating! :)

Just my four eggs:

Using a local tour operator is the way to go. You'll see so much more in their two-day tours in 16-seater minibuses - earlier start, no hanging around everywhere while 50 other people board the ship's bus (Doris will be here in a minute, she's in the queue for the ladies), pre-public admission to the Hermitage, queue-busting at St Cath's, side-streets round the traffic jams, no wasted time with half-days returning to the ship for lunch (sorry, Doris left her glasses in the buffet but she'll be here in a minute), ride the subway, ride the hydrofoil, personal attention, flexible itinerary, same visa-free arangements as the ship tours, book in advance (e-mailed tour ticket for immigration without visa) but pay no money til day two.

Alla Tours, SPB Tours, TJ Tours, Red October, Best Guides, Anastasia Tours, & others. We used Alla but all have exellent reputations. And when you've figured your way round ship's complex list of day & half-day tours you'll find that two full days are more expensive than any of the locals' standard tours. Custom or private tours too, needn't be more expensive with at least 8 in the group.

To me it's a no-brainer.

The least-interesting bits?

Depends what doesn't interest you.

To me, the Hermitage. Which will probably bring howls of protest. But each to their own.

We bought roubles in the UK - had to order but no problem. We changed enough for the guide's tip (any currency welcome), spent some on beers in places which accepted roubles only & no plastic, and made up the shortfall in the tip in euros. So no left-over roubles.

JB :)

I will be there in May and, because i am lazy, will be taking the bus tour on the first day and visiting St Catherines palace the second, both half day trips. there will be more opportunities to visit in future years any.

Oh I'm with you there Dave, if I did two full day trips I should have to sleep for the rest of the cruise. I must be getting old! but I find whole day trips exhausting :p

And as you say, it is a good excuse to go back :D

You won't believe this!

I've just sat down to make my booking when I've realised the money I withdrew from the bank this morning was what I had left in the account for the trips:o:mad:. Honestly if I had brains I'd be dangerous.

One thing though, I've just realised that only 2 afternoon trips are offered. For a city like St.Petersburg I don't think this is very good. Especially when the excursion team is usually so good.

You won't believe this!

I've just sat down to make my booking when I've realised the money I withdrew from the bank this morning was what I had left in the account for the trips:o:mad:. Honestly if I had brains I'd be dangerous.

 

One thing though, I've just realised that only 2 afternoon trips are offered. For a city like St.Petersburg I don't think this is very good. Especially when the excursion team is usually so good.

I wonder if there might be more offered when you get on board - as you say two pm trips doesn't offer much choice. We had more on the Caribbean than had been on the web - there was at least one more anyway - a Margarita Island one. We liked the look of it more than the one we'd booked ahead so we cancelled and rebooked once on board.

Also they sometimes put extra pm trips on if they have a lot of demand and am trips get full. There might be hope of more to choose from once on board. :rolleyes:

I wonder if there might be more offered when you get on board - as you say two pm trips doesn't offer much choice. We had more on the Caribbean than had been on the web - there was at least one more anyway - a Margarita Island one. We liked the look of it more than the one we'd booked ahead so we cancelled and rebooked once on board.

 

Also they sometimes put extra pm trips on if they have a lot of demand and am trips get full. There might be hope of more to choose from once on board. :rolleyes:

That will be fine. I'll just make sure I take plenty cash in case this happens.

I've just asked hubby if he has any preference regarding the trips, and he said "he prefers, me to do it" :rolleyes:.

DH has just prompted me to tell you about Kronstadt. It's some kind of fortress/naval base on an island near St P. As you sail out you will see it - but it's about an hour - to an hour and a half after leaving port when you pass it. Horizons is the place to be!

About 3/4 years ago we saw them doing some work in the vicinity of Kronstadt - apparently building up some kind of foundation from the land mass towards the island. Last year the work was complete - and it's a causeway with a road from the port side (as you sail out) to Krondstadt - but it disappears under a tunnel as you pass the island to reappear on your right.

But the amazing thing is - it's created a huge harbour and there is a barrage at a relatively narrow passage through which the ships sail and this has been constructed to stop St P from flooding! It's the scale which is mind-blowing. If you think of the barrage at Kronstadt as the mouth of the harbour the enclosing walls span about 15 miles across from one side of the mainland to the other - and St Petersburg at the end of the harbour is about 25 miles away! It's a fascinating bit of engineering and worth staying on deck (or in Horizons) to see it. Our friends were so cross they'd gone down to change for dinner and missed it all!

This link shows you its position - inside the harbour is called Neva Bay but it's huge!

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&client=firefox-a&q=kronstadt&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x4696454b36f2a757:0x143522ed1efe654b,Kronstadt,+St+Petersburg,+Russia&gl=uk&sa=X&ei=VSUtUeWVMbSV0QWghoHgBg&ved=0CJgBELYD

Thank-you so much Kruzseeka. I've made a note of this.....it's right up our street and we'll definitely be somewhere to see this. I've got maps here but this isn't shown, however as you say the scale beggars belief can't wait to see it.

Also thanks to DH.:)

I wonder if there might be more offered when you get on board - as you say two pm trips doesn't offer much choice. We had more on the Caribbean than had been on the web - there was at least one more anyway - a Margarita Island one. We liked the look of it more than the one we'd booked ahead so we cancelled and rebooked once on board.

 

Also they sometimes put extra pm trips on if they have a lot of demand and am trips get full. There might be hope of more to choose from once on board. :rolleyes:

On my last cruise i was waitlisted for an excursion and they said if they could get 15 passengers they could put on an extra coach. This is what they did. They also usually have more excursions available aboard than those listed on the website.