St Petersburg "local" tour

[Stinkybaby]

we are thinking of booking a Baltic cruise with ncl maybe in 2018. I've been reading a lot about St Petersburg. We aren't big "sightseeing" or artsy people. Would like to see some of the tourist stuff but would also very much enjoy eating in a restaurant where "locals" eat checking out a few local bars, maybe go to a show, etc. I know in order to do this we would need an official tour guide. We just aren't the type to go to a big museum and look at art all day. Any ideas? Would be more than happy to book a private tour or perhaps arranging a small group with the roll call. Thanks!

[sonoma03]

There are many local St. Petersburg tour companies that offer private tours that you can tailor to your interests. SPB Tours, Alla Tours, and TJ Tours are all frequently used and recommended by Cruise Critic members. If you'd rather go with a ship's tour, some cruise ships also offer a private car/van for a half-day or full day, although that will probably be more expensive than the local tour companies.

[sonia2509]

We are not arty people and my husband will not step into any type of church, therefore most of the group tours for St Petersburg will not suit. The best is to book a private tour. We booked ours with Insider Tours as they were willing to listen to what we didn't want to see. You need to do a lot of research and decide what you would like to see and then enquire with 2 or 3 of the tour guides regarding a private tour with what you would like to see.

 

 

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[John Bull]

As others have posted, any of the St Petersburg tour operators can fix up the sort of day that you're considering.

Add Best Guides, DenRus, Anastasia & Red Oktober to sonoma's suggestions, apologies to others I've missed but they all have excellent reputations.

 

Most cruise lines also offer a car or van and driver/guide - that would give you the same flexibility as using a local operator but they charge eye-watering prices Also I don't know whether you can communicate direct in advance to get itinerary advice and plan ahead - and unless you know a very great deal about what you can do & where you can go, you are going to need suggestions and help with logistics.

 

There are rules attached to visa-free tours - particularly about being accompanied - and different tour operators have different takes on those rules. It should be possible for instance to split with your guide in the shopping street of Nevsky Prospekt and meet up with them there an hour or two later. And to have your guide drop you at a restaurant (they can help you decide which one, and help with menu choices etc) and then return for you at a pre-determined time.

 

Once you have a broad plan and a provisional booking, you may want to use your ship's RollCall to look for sharers to help with the cost. Since your intentions are very different to the usual tourist fayre I think you'd find it easiest to look for 2 to share a car.

Or - if you feel that plenty of fellow-cruisers would be interested in your less-touristy & more laid-back plans - most (all?) tour operators have 16-seat vans. You would need at least 6 - 8 sharers to get a price close to the standard cost of a regular tour.

 

Tour operators in St Petersburg are usually both prompt and helpful in their e-mail communications.

 

All MHO as always

 

JB :)

[Pet Nit Noy]

we are thinking of booking a Baltic cruise with ncl maybe in 2018. I've been reading a lot about St Petersburg. We aren't big "sightseeing" or artsy people. Would like to see some of the tourist stuff but would also very much enjoy eating in a restaurant where "locals" eat checking out a few local bars, maybe go to a show, etc. I know in order to do this we would need an official tour guide. We just aren't the type to go to a big museum and look at art all day. Any ideas? Would be more than happy to book a private tour or perhaps arranging a small group with the roll call. Thanks!

 

I suggest you begin by contacting Best Guides. They have a web page of "Off the Beaten Path" tour suggestions. On that page, they list twelve somewhat atypical tour suggestions along with a thirteenth titled "Even More."

 

http://www.bestguides-spb.com/tour2.html

[ljandgb]

FYI, the Church of Spilled Blood is no longer used as a church. I think maybe there's a service once a year. It was used for storage and as a hospital for WW2 casualties. It was then renovated and is now primarily as historical site/tourist area.

 

Unless your dh has opinion on even setting foot in a building with religious imagery, it's worth a look. Every surface inside is a mosaic. Very different from other big cathedrals, etc, around Europe. It's gorgeous, especially with the light filtering thru the windows.

 

Just an FYI, in case you'd be sorry to miss it.

 

We did a private tour with our group of 8, with TJ. Totally worth it. We don't do a lot of churches either, and Spilled Blood was the only one we saw. We had lunch at a fast food blini place, and dinner at Teplo, a home cooking sort of restaurant.

[sonia2509]

FYI, the Church of Spilled Blood is no longer used as a church. I think maybe there's a service once a year. It was used for storage and as a hospital for WW2 casualties. It was then renovated and is now primarily as historical site/tourist area.

 

 

 

Unless your dh has opinion on even setting foot in a building with religious imagery, it's worth a look. Every surface inside is a mosaic. Very different from other big cathedrals, etc, around Europe. It's gorgeous, especially with the light filtering thru the windows.

 

 

 

Just an FYI, in case you'd be sorry to miss it.

 

 

 

We did a private tour with our group of 8, with TJ. Totally worth it. We don't do a lot of churches either, and Spilled Blood was the only one we saw. We had lunch at a fast food blini place, and dinner at Teplo, a home cooking sort of restaurant.

 

 

It is not for religious reasons, he is not into history - modern buildings and modern history especially the last century is his preference, that is just him. I would contact Insider Tours as well as were very happy with them as well.

 

 

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