St. Petersburg: Should I get a Visa??

[generaldisarray]

I am planning to visit St. Petersburg. I understand that a Visa is not required if one takes cruise excursions.

 

However, I would like to understand from anyone that has visited St. Petersburg if it is a good idea to get a Visa anyway. I am concerned that I may not get to see the main sites and wonder if it is a good idea to explore on my own.

 

Should I just stick to the excursions offered by the ship? Is it safe to explore on my own? Are there other options for good tours and should I get a Visa? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks!

[numberscritter]

If you do not get a visa the only time you will be allowed into Russia (off the ship) is for your scheduled excursions. So if you are in port for 2 days and have an excursion on the first day, the second day you will not be allowed to explore on your own.

 

Visas can be expensive to obtain, mine cost me $175 through a visa service. However I look at it as a small price to pay instead of standing on the ship and looking at the port!

[JodiBB]

If you're concerned you won't get to see what YOU want to see, why don't you go with a private tour, like through Red October, Alla, or Denrus. They are approved tours that you can go through, customize your trip and you still won't need a private VISA.

[gratefulguy]

It might depend on whether you can get a visa in time and conveniently. If you live in a large city with a Russian Consulate, or similar, you might be glad to have the freedom to leave the confines of a tour. If you have researched the tours offered by the cruise line, RO, Denrus, Alla, Optima, et. al., you could decide if they include your desired sights and with enough time to do more than rush through. The ultimate convenience would be your own driver/guide, with a flexible framework. Have you posted a request to share a tour on the thread for your sailing? That can locate people on your ship who share your interests and might result in a semi-personalised itinerary. The main difficulty with doing an un-escorted visit, is the problem of language/alphabet. If you don't read Cyrillic, navigating the transport system, getting tickets, buying food, etc. can be very time-consuming. It's reported that there are very long lines for entrance to many sights--even with cruise line excursions. The private tours advertise you bypass the lines and save many wasted hours. If your ship docks at the Cargo Port, there is also the problem of getting out to the bus stop (some report you can use the workers' bus), but the private tour companies have a pass that lets them come to the ship. It may get easier to travel in Russia, but for now, the current system favors travelling in groups.

Have a good trip!

[gointostpete]

In my opinion, it would be best to book some kind of tour. We were just there in May and booked our own private tour through DenRus. I shudder to think of how much precious time we would have wasted trying to figure out how to get around if we had tried to do it on our own. Our driver knew where he was going and zipped around through all these back streets. Sometimes he dropped us and our guide off in one spot and was waiting for us in a different spot if we walked or took the subway. It was so convenient and we chose every detail of our itinerary, so got to see everything WE wanted, as time allowed, of course.

[volador]

You do not need a visa if you use a local tour agent, I recommend Optima which is on the the Web called travel in Russia, we just used them on June 18th and 19th, we were on the Star Princess, this is what I just wrote to them.

 

Dear Alex,

 

I want to take this time to thank you for all the work you did for us setting up our tours of St Petersburg. Then topping it all off by sending Irene and Victor. Irene is one of the best tour guides that we have ever met. She was able to get us in and out of all the important sites with out us standing in long lines. In addition her knowledge of history was amazing. We were always met right on time and each time we asked for something special, she was able to fit it in with no problem. Victor was an excellent driver and we always felt safe and comfortable with him behind the wheel.

 

In short we would recommend your services anytime. Please feel free to use this if it helps you get business. I am very willing to answer questions by email if anyone wants to talk to me.

 

Sincerely

 

Tom Young

 

email tank@tomandshirleyyoung.com

[SaylorGirl]

We had our own Visas in September and it was the best thing we did. I can't even image being in St. Petersburg stuck in a tour group. We had so much fun and we saw everything we wanted to see and more. We utilized the public transportation system which was great. We pre ordered tickets for the Hermitage so we had no waiting, it was easy to get a guide once you were inside if you wanted one. Nothing and no one slowed us down we were able to move along at a great pace. St. Petersburg is a wonderful walking city. You won't be sorry.

 

If you do decide to go with a tour choose one such as Denrus that will give you a better tour than the large ship tours.

[juliedawg]

anks!

[juliedawg]

6 of us who met on this board organized tour with Travel in Russia (Optima). Our ship docked and cleared early---we were off the ship and into our van before the ship's large buses were even dockside. We were able to do much more for less money than the ship's tours and had a wonderful guide. She really went out of her way to take care of everyone. We were able to avoid lines and spend more time at sites. As for the VIsa's? absolutely no problem. we faxed info to Tour In Russia, they faxed back tickets and we were good to go. Immigration barely looked at our paperwork.

Heard complalints from persons who took the Marco Polo Line tours and we passed them in lines at both the Hermitage and Catherine' sPalace.

This private tour almost made up for the inferior conditions on the cruise ship. Maybe other ships have better cruises than the Marco Polo but I imagine they are all in big buses with nonflexible schedules.

[Louise1]

On-your-own independent travel in St. Petersburg is certainly possible (and fun and exciting) if you are well prepared. We were there this past May and had a truly extraordinary time exploring sites and experiencing the local culture completely on our own strolling throughout the heart of the city and sometimes using public transportation. We completely agree with SaylorGirl when she says it's a very walkable city; and using city bus service is also a snap if you are used to city bus systems and have rubles and a guidebook with bus routes (DK guidebook has key routes...). We visited so many sites and never waited long in line, but perhaps that was due to the being there early in the tourist season. I provide careful details and perceptions of our experience via two postings (June 15 & 18) that may help you decide if independent travel is for you.

 

Also, for each of us, the total Visa cost was about $100. Invitation/voucher was ~$35 USD (which you simply purchase via internet via a registered Russian tourist agency) and the Visa itself, which we applied for directly at a consulate in our city, cost $75 Can. Dollars or roughly $65 USD. You need to include a copy of the invitation and voucher (2 separate sheets; both family members are written on both the invitation and the voucher) with your Visa application and you also need to carry a second copy of them to show to Russian customs and immigration.

 

However you decide to see the city, have a great trip!

[Kumarrr]

Should I just stick to the excursions offered by the ship? Is it safe to explore on my own? Are there other options for good tours and should I get a Visa? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

 

Don't do St. Petersburg on your own. . . too much to see. I took a tour will Alla Tours--- only 4 of us, and it was wonderful. Her explanations were superb! We could move quicklky, there wasn't a large group that kept us waiting while someone decided they now needed a bathroom. . . It was worth every penny. The more people you have in your tour, the price comes down. We wanted 6 or 8, but in the end, we were thrilled with 4 of us, a tour guide and driver.