Need advice for a 1 day tour of St. Petersburg

[arlenez]

We will be arriving in St. Petersburg by cruise ship on June 3rd from 7 am to 7 pm and need advice on the best itinerary for a tour for the day. I noticed that many cruise ships are there for 2 days, but unfortunately, we are only there for one day. What are the not to be missed places to visit and is any one tour guide better than another for the day?

 

Thanks & regards,

Arlene

[sbhdmh]

We will be arriving in St. Petersburg by cruise ship on June 3rd from 7 am to 7 pm and need advice on the best itinerary for a tour for the day. I noticed that many cruise ships are there for 2 days, but unfortunately, we are only there for one day. What are the not to be missed places to visit and is any one tour guide better than another for the day?

 

Thanks & regards,

Arlene

 

Greetings neighbor (we are in Hamden). One day is very rushed for St Petersburg but you can certainly see a lot. For sure arrange a private tour rather than doing the ship's tours. There are a lot to choose from and everyone is convinced that they had THE BEST guide, tour, experience, etc in St Petersburg. The major companies mentioned on CC are Alla, Anastasia, SPB, Denrus and Red October. We had a great experience with a private guide named Masha who is setting up her own company. A number of people have also been posting great experiences with TJ.

 

The main sites in St Petersburg are probably the Hermitage, the fountains/gardens at Peterhof and Catherine's Palace - especially to see the Amber Room. Catherine's Palace is located in Pushkin, about an hour's drive each way so that could be tough with only one day. There is a hydrofoil to Peterhof which saves a lot of time and gives you a great view from the water. It leaves from right in front of the Hermitage so those are easy to combine. You should also try to see at least one of the cathedrals - St Isaac's or Church of the Spilled Blood. Depending on your interests you may want to consider Peter and Paul's Fortress, Choral Synaogue, the metro, etc.

 

I would contact as many of these private tour companies as you can and see what they suggest. You can come back and post proposed itineraries and I am sure that there will be no shortage of feedback available.

 

Hope this helped some. Have a great trip!

[NCMtnBoys]

We will be arriving in St. Petersburg by cruise ship on June 3rd from 7 am to 7 pm and need advice on the best itinerary for a tour for the day. I noticed that many cruise ships are there for 2 days, but unfortunately, we are only there for one day. What are the not to be missed places to visit and is any one tour guide better than another for the day?

 

Thanks & regards,

Arlene

 

I think any of the tour companies spoken of on this thread will be able to put a one day tour together for you that will take you to the major sites if that's what you wish, OR, will take you to the places that YOU tell them you want to see. We are in the same boat, so to speak, in that our ship stops there for just one day as well (Sept, 2010). I sent an email to the various tour companies mentioned and all replied with their proposed one day itinerary. All seemed very eager to work with us to get our itinerary the way we wanted it. We tweaked it a bit, then decided with which company to reserve our tour. You will find many positive remarks about all the tour companies. You just have to decide which one is right for you, regarding cost, ease of communication, sights, etc.

 

I'd say the top sights are the Hermitage, Petergof, Catherine's Palace, Church of the Spilled Blood, Peter and Paul Fortress. Most tours will capture most of these sights, albeit in an abbreviated format, in addition to a city tour. Ours will include a few of the above, and also include a canal ride, and I am going to try and get a subway ride included as well. I've heard that the architecture of some of the stations is very grand. Remember, it's one day and our goal is to see as much as we can in that one day.

[arlenez]

Greetings neighbor (we are in Hamden). One day is very rushed for St Petersburg but you can certainly see a lot. For sure arrange a private tour rather than doing the ship's tours. There are a lot to choose from and everyone is convinced that they had THE BEST guide, tour, experience, etc in St Petersburg. The major companies mentioned on CC are Alla, Anastasia, SPB, Denrus and Red October. We had a great experience with a private guide named Masha who is setting up her own company. A number of people have also been posting great experiences with TJ.

 

The main sites in St Petersburg are probably the Hermitage, the fountains/gardens at Peterhof and Catherine's Palace - especially to see the Amber Room. Catherine's Palace is located in Pushkin, about an hour's drive each way so that could be tough with only one day. There is a hydrofoil to Peterhof which saves a lot of time and gives you a great view from the water. It leaves from right in front of the Hermitage so those are easy to combine. You should also try to see at least one of the cathedrals - St Isaac's or Church of the Spilled Blood. Depending on your interests you may want to consider Peter and Paul's Fortress, Choral Synaogue, the metro, etc.

 

I would contact as many of these private tour companies as you can and see what they suggest. You can come back and post proposed itineraries and I am sure that there will be no shortage of feedback available.

 

Hope this helped some. Have a great trip!

 

Greetings to you too neighbor! Thank you for your response. I had already sent emails off to Alla, Anastasia and SPB from recommendations on CC. I have not heard back from any of them yet, but our plan is to definitely take a private tour.

 

There are so many places and things to do in St. Petersburg, but I'm sure once we hear back from the private tour operators we can figure out a great itinerary.

 

Thanks again,

Arlene

 

P.S. I used to work at Quinnipiac and my daughter was a student there.

[rdr525]

We too are only going to be in SPB one full day. I contacted several tour operators and as Mt Boys we picked T J Travel- We posted on CC board and found a family that want to share tour (bringing the price down)

We are seeing most of the sites mentioned, ex canal ride and subway. Catherine Palace is closed on Tue when we wll be in port.

 

Good luck

[TLCOhio]

I had already sent emails off to Alla, Anastasia and SPB from recommendations on CC. I have not heard back from any of them yet, but our plan is to definitely take a private tour. There are so many places and things to do in St. Petersburg, but I'm sure once we hear back from the private tour operators we can figure out a great itinerary. Thanks again,

Arlene

 

One day is very limiting, but if using a private tour, you will be time-efficient and see lots and lots. BUT, in writing these major firms, were you very specific in your likes and personal interests? How much are you focused and interested in art, architecture, history, churches, outdoors, etc.? Did you tell them what else you have done in Europe and what you really loved in those previous visits and places? And depending on the actual weather that day, you might want a plan A and a back-up plan B if it is rainy and marginal. The good news is that you've got lots of time to plan, research and prepare for this once-in-a-lifetime visit.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[ptcandy]

We will be arriving in St. Petersburg by cruise ship on June 3rd from 7 am to 7 pm and need advice on the best itinerary for a tour for the day. I noticed that many cruise ships are there for 2 days, but unfortunately, we are only there for one day. What are the not to be missed places to visit and is any one tour guide better than another for the day?

 

Thanks & regards,

Arlene

 

HI Arlene

Hope this post finds you guys well. Happy Thanksgiving. Was looking around for my sister who will be on her first cruise on the Voyage of Discovery in June. I see you have been busy cruising. We just returned on the Solstice and it was the best cruise ever. The ship was great and the ports of call were all very interesting.

Glad to see on the boards.

 

All the very best

 

Peter and Candi

[arlenez]

HI Arlene

Hope this post finds you guys well. Happy Thanksgiving. Was looking around for my sister who will be on her first cruise on the Voyage of Discovery in June. I see you have been busy cruising. We just returned on the Solstice and it was the best cruise ever. The ship was great and the ports of call were all very interesting.

Glad to see on the boards.

 

All the very best

 

Peter and Candi

 

Hi Peter & Candi:

 

It was great to hear from you. We have really become addicted to cruising and we are enjoying all of them. Hope to see you again some day on another cruise.

 

Best regards,

Arlene

[MercedMike]

The first thing to do is to check out the shore excursions offered by your ship. These will tell you some of the many many things do to and give you some idea of how you have to prioritize and choose a few.

 

Then I would suggest that you go to the DenRus site http://www.denrus.ru/viptours2.html. They have (IMAO) a particularly good list of customizable tours, which give a lot of the possible options. Reading ALL the things they offer will again teach you that you are going to have to pick and choose.

 

If you see a ship's excursion that covers what you want to do,that can be a very good option. Another is to take one of the "packaged" tours from DenRus, Alla, Anastasia or Red October who are frequently recommended on this board. But I really suggest that you consider a custom designed private tour for a small group. We worked with DenRus to get exactly the itinerary we wanted and they were excellent and cooperative.

 

You can check out what we did in two days in St P at

http://www.bully4.us/baltic.html

 

If you move fast, you could do quite a lot of that in one quick moving day.

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

[arlenez]

The first thing to do is to check out the shore excursions offered by your ship. These will tell you some of the many many things do to and give you some idea of how you have to prioritize and choose a few.

 

Then I would suggest that you go to the DenRus site http://www.denrus.ru/viptours2.html. They have (IMAO) a particularly good list of customizable tours, which give a lot of the possible options. Reading ALL the things they offer will again teach you that you are going to have to pick and choose.

 

If you see a ship's excursion that covers what you want to do,that can be a very good option. Another is to take one of the "packaged" tours from DenRus, Alla, Anastasia or Red October who are frequently recommended on this board. But I really suggest that you consider a custom designed private tour for a small group. We worked with DenRus to get exactly the itinerary we wanted and they were excellent and cooperative.

 

You can check out what we did in two days in St P at

http://www.bully4.us/baltic.html

 

If you move fast, you could do quite a lot of that in one quick moving day.

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

 

HI:

 

Thanks for the information. I had already contacted all of the tour companies and I am still waiting to hear back from a few of them.

 

Your photos and review are outstanding. Thanks for sharing.

 

Warm regards,

Arlene

[tracytraveller]

I woul have chosen such an itinerary:

City tour in St Petersburg with St. Peter and St. Paul's fortess

The Hermitage museum

Peterhof Upper and Lower fountain parks

Nevsky prospect.

I suppose, independent tour-operators will be able to organize such a tour. Thanks God we will be there for 2 days and won't be in a hurry

[cadburysmom]

I woul have chosen such an itinerary:

City tour in St Petersburg with St. Peter and St. Paul's fortess

The Hermitage museum

Peterhof Upper and Lower fountain parks

Nevsky prospect.

I suppose, independent tour-operators will be able to organize such a tour. Thanks God we will be there for 2 days and won't be in a hurry

 

We only have time for a 1 day tour as well and this is basically the itinerary we have chosen.

 

Still trying to decide between Peterhof and Catherine's Palace, though I'm leaning heavily towards Peterhof.....those fountain parks look INCREDIBLE!

 

Was wondering what the OP, Arlene has decided to do. :)

[arlenez]

We only have time for a 1 day tour as well and this is basically the itinerary we have chosen.

 

Still trying to decide between Peterhof and Catherine's Palace, though I'm leaning heavily towards Peterhof.....those fountain parks look INCREDIBLE!

 

Was wondering what the OP, Arlene has decided to do. :)

 

Hi:

 

We are still looking for a tour. It's very expensive for just the two of us and no one has joined our roll call thread.

 

Regards,

Arlene

[cadburysmom]

Hi:

 

We are still looking for a tour. It's very expensive for just the two of us and no one has joined our roll call thread.

 

Regards,

Arlene

 

I'm running into the same problem except everyone on our roll call is doing a 2-day tour of St. Petersburg whereas we have chosen to visit Moscow on one of our 2 days in port.

[TLCOhio]

I'm running into the same problem except everyone on our roll call is doing a 2-day tour of St. Petersburg whereas we have chosen to visit Moscow on one of our 2 days in port.

 

For both Arlene and cadburysmom, I would strongly suggest to keep planning ahead, being patient, etc. Most cruisers are not on these boards and/or are just "lurking" now. Doing a private tour with just the two is costly, but there's a good chance something will come together, you'll hook up with another couple, etc. Some people plan far ahead. Many others, however, wait until a couple weeks ahead to figure out that they need to make some arrangements. That's what happened with us. We planned for just the two of us, but we were working and ready if we hooked up with another couple or so. That's what happened and it was great for the four of us. For one day if you do a tour with just the two of you, there will be added cost, but the benefits are well worth it compared to wasting too much time on a couple of time-inefficient ship tours. How often do you get to Russia and how much are you spending on the whole trip? This will be your SUPREME HIGHLIGHT of the trip! Prepare for the worst (in cost) and expect the best!

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[sbhdmh]

For both Arlene and cadburysmom, I would strongly suggest to keep planning ahead, being patient, etc. Most cruisers are not on these boards and/or are just "lurking" now. Doing a private tour with just the two is costly, but there's a good chance something will come together, you'll hook up with another couple, etc. Some people plan far ahead. Many others, however, wait until a couple weeks ahead to figure out that they need to make some arrangements. That's what happened with us. We planned for just the two of us, but we were working and ready if we hooked up with another couple or so. That's what happened and it was great for the four of us. For one day if you do a tour with just the two of you, there will be added cost, but the benefits are well worth it compared to wasting too much time on a couple of time-inefficient ship tours. How often do you get to Russia and how much are you spending on the whole trip? This will be your SUPREME HIGHLIGHT of the trip! Prepare for the worst (in cost) and expect the best!

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

I agree 100%. We did not plan our August Baltic cruise until June and we were on MSC - talk about slow roll calls! We eventually found 2 more families to join us and it worked out perfectly. Apparently after we left for Europe another family contacted one of people on our tour asking to join us as well. We couldn't add them because 2 families were in transit so we couldn't "discuss" the change. It is still very early in the planning process. I am pretty sure that if you make a plan and post it someone will find it very appealling to join with someone who has done all the legwork for them. If you can't afford the tour for 2 then ship's tours could be an option even if it is not optimal...

[TLCOhio]

I agree 100%. We did not plan our August Baltic cruise until June and we were on MSC - talk about slow roll calls! We eventually found 2 more families to join us and it worked out perfectly. Apparently after we left for Europe another family contacted one of people on our tour asking to join us as well. We couldn't add them because 2 families were in transit so we couldn't "discuss" the change. It is still very early in the planning process. I am pretty sure that if you make a plan and post it someone will find it very appealling to join with someone who has done all the legwork for them. If you can't afford the tour for 2 then ship's tours could be an option even if it is not optimal...

 

Excellent summary and true! Prepare the private tour plan and have it ready. You can always, if needed, "down shift" to the cruise ship options and/or decide to suck it up and pay a little more for the two of you on the private tour. It's only mid January now! Lots of time for things to fall together and work out.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[NCMtnBoys]

Hi:

 

We are still looking for a tour. It's very expensive for just the two of us and no one has joined our roll call thread.

 

Regards,

Arlene

 

I agree with the others. Plan ahead as though it's just the two of you and hope for the best. Some of the tour companies do not require a deposit or payment until the day of the tour, so if you didn't get the number of people you wanted you could cancel.

 

We opted for TJ Travel for our one-day St Petersburg tour Sept 7th. I posted on our roll call thread that I had a tour reserved and what the tour entailed. Slowly people started asking about joining the tour and at this point there are a total of 12 of us on our tour. That is the maximum number of people that we've all decided we want on the tour so I've asked TJ Travel to close it. All people on the tour found out about it through the roll call thread, I never got a message from TJ Travel indicating they had someone interested, asking me if it was ok to add them. Having 12 people on our tour has brought the tour price down to $180 per person. Our full-day itinerary includes a City Tour, an optional boat/canal ride (extra $20 per person) in our own boat with a guide, private tour of the Church of the Spilled Blood, The Hermitage, Hydrofoil to Peterhof/fountains, a Metro ride, and the Nevsky Prospect. And had an email from them today that they have already prepared an additional surprise for us. We also get an additional 5% discount if paying in cash. So I'm pleased with their services so far. Our original price was $300 per person for just the two of us, and we were prepared to pay that because of the benefit of having the private tour, but I'm really pleased that this far in advance, we've already got a total of 12 people.

 

Good luck, I hope you, too, are able to find others to join your tour, when you book one!

[arlenez]

I agree with the others. Plan ahead as though it's just the two of you and hope for the best. Some of the tour companies do not require a deposit or payment until the day of the tour, so if you didn't get the number of people you wanted you could cancel.

 

We opted for TJ Travel for our one-day St Petersburg tour Sept 7th. I posted on our roll call thread that I had a tour reserved and what the tour entailed. Slowly people started asking about joining the tour and at this point there are a total of 12 of us on our tour. That is the maximum number of people that we've all decided we want on the tour so I've asked TJ Travel to close it. All people on the tour found out about it through the roll call thread, I never got a message from TJ Travel indicating they had someone interested, asking me if it was ok to add them. Having 12 people on our tour has brought the tour price down to $180 per person. Our full-day itinerary includes a City Tour, an optional boat/canal ride (extra $20 per person) in our own boat with a guide, private tour of the Church of the Spilled Blood, The Hermitage, Hydrofoil to Peterhof/fountains, a Metro ride, and the Nevsky Prospect. And had an email from them today that they have already prepared an additional surprise for us. We also get an additional 5% discount if paying in cash. So I'm pleased with their services so far. Our original price was $300 per person for just the two of us, and we were prepared to pay that because of the benefit of having the private tour, but I'm really pleased that this far in advance, we've already got a total of 12 people.

 

Good luck, I hope you, too, are able to find others to join your tour, when you book one!

 

Thanks. I think I will take your advice and book with T&J as I have already been in contact with them (and other tour companies) and they offer everything we want to see. Hopefully, we will find others to join us to lower the cost.

 

Thanks & regards,

Arlene

[cadburysmom]

Thank you for all of your helpful replies....EXACTLY what I need to hear.

 

NC Mountain Boys, I'm so happy you had enough interest within your roll call to bring the cost down. Crossing my fingers we are just as lucky.

 

Thanks again to everyone. :)