St. Petersburg tour recommendations

[Boardwalk Family]

Greetings: Going on Disney with the 2 days in St. Petersburg, which is one of the big reasons we are going on this cruise. Any recommendations on the tours, either Disney or another tour company, that would fill up our 2 days. 2 adults and 2 teens. Thanks!!

 

[ajgardner]

We are going in a couple weeks so I can’t comment on how good the tour is, but we booked through Anastasia Travel for 2 full days private tour. They have been excellent to work with thus far, very responsive to emails and reworking the itinerary several times until we were happy (and even then changed it for us again a month later when we found something else we wanted to add). I’ve read a few others that were pleased with the actual tour so I’m hoping it will be as good as the service we’ve had so far!

 

[BuzzLightyearInTampa]

We are going in a couple weeks so I can’t comment on how good the tour is, but we booked through Anastasia Travel for 2 full days private tour. They have been excellent to work with thus far, very responsive to emails and reworking the itinerary several times until we were happy (and even then changed it for us again a month later when we found something else we wanted to add). I’ve read a few others that were pleased with the actual tour so I’m hoping it will be as good as the service we’ve had so far!

It's my understanding that if you don't book the excursion through the cruise line, in Russia you need a visa. Is that the case for you guys as well?

 

[Maplered]

We did Anastasia travel in 2018 and they were beyond fantastic. They sorted our visas and got us in everywhere (including the Hermitage which has huge lines). They planned the whole trip for us.

 

[Marc D]

It's my understanding that if you don't book the excursion through the cruise line, in Russia you need a visa. Is that the case for you guys as well?

That is not exact. You need to book an excursion (or get a visa, which is quite complicated) to be allowed off the ship, but you do not need to book it through the cruise line. You need to have proof of your tour booking when you go through passport control. However, at least on our recent non-DCL cruise, non-cruise excursion guests could not go off the ship as early as those with cruise tours. There was a 90 min difference in the gathering time.

 

[DCSWO]

Anastasia takes care of your visa and we were off the ship early. We only did a 1 day stop in St. Petersburg, but it was a full day. We had an excellent English speaking guide who stayed with us the entire time and a separate driver in a private van. Our tour included a city driving tour, a tour around the lower Peterhoff park, Hermitage museum visit, Saviour of the Spilt Blood church, St. Isaac's Cathedral. Once we discussed lunch options with our guide, she made reservations for us at the Stroganoff Steak House - most excellent. They have 4.5 stars in Google reviews and they lived up to it. There were tour options to include dinner and the ballet and other night activities, but we elected to go back on the ship around dinner time. They will tailor your tour to whatever you want to see. We did some group tours, both walking and bus, in other ports, but it is well worth it to book at least one private tour. Enjoy your cruise!

 

[Mommb]

You need to book an excursion (or get a visa, which is quite complicated) to be allowed off the ship, but you do not need to book it through the cruise line. You need to have proof of your tour booking when you go through passport control. However, at least on our recent non-DCL cruise, non-cruise excursion guests could not go off the ship as early as those with cruise tours. There was a 90 min difference in the gathering time.

Yes. On our Disney Baltic Cruise, we booked through a private company -- we used TJ Tours, which was great, but I have also heard positive feedback about Alla and SPB, as well as Anastasia -- and were able to get off the ship when debarkation was announced. It is possible that people on Disney Cruise excursions disembarked earlier, but I don't recall. Our tour company asked for our passport information and sent us visas that we printed out and presented to the Russian entry officials. These visas required us to be in the company of a tour guide, but that wasn't a problem because we had no intention of wandering on our own.

The experienced tour companies have similar itineraries with small differences, so I recommend looking at their websites to see which sound most appealing to you. As with other ports, my family felt strongly that we saw a lot more of the city with a private guide than we would have on a DCL excursion.

 

[ajgardner]

It's my understanding that if you don't book the excursion through the cruise line, in Russia you need a visa. Is that the case for you guys as well?

Many of the private tours will secure a visa for you. You cannot get off the ship without having a visa or bring with a tour guide that has arranged your visa.

 

[okamy]

We did SPB Tours in 2016 and loved them. We only had one day in St. Petersburg on that itinerary (not enough time). Our guide, Svetlana, kept us moving and ahead of the other groups. She was knowledgeable and professional. We had a great experience.

They arranged the visas for us.

 

[KashasMom]

We booked 3 days in St. Petersburg with TJ Travels. It included the Faberge museum, boat trip, all the rest of the city's highlights, and was amazing. Small group, comfortable Mercedes van, great guide, delicious lunches. Visas were handled by them. We joined a group with others from our cruise that we met on CruiseCritic (on their Roll Calls board). We had a great time and many of us were on similar small group tours throughout the cruise so we became friends. One of the highlights of our trip (separately through TJ) was having dinner at a local Russian family's house. There were 7 of us and the family - homemade food and vodka - great company and a lot of laughs. Great insight to life in Russia. The family had a teenage daughter and my daughter (then 8) hung out with her watching movies after dinner. St. Petersburg was even better than I'd imagined.

 

[Marc D]

We just did a 2 days tour with Alla tours. It was booked through Celebrity cruise but their website allows to book a private tour. It was great since we were 10 in a van. It was only 30$ more per person than the same tour using the coach, with 40+ guests. It was a great use of our time in port, both days clocking in at 10 hours. It was equivalent to what they call the ‘Grand tour’, but without a subway ride. If possible, ask for Dasha. She was wonderful, especially with our 9yo son.

 

[Scoobydoo76]

We did SPB tours in 2010. I was very pleased with the company. They let me determin the places to visit during our time there. I believe I picked every site that Disney offered in at least 3 of their full day tours plus added one or two other stops. Our guide did a great job of arranging the itinerary and we stayed well ahead of the crowds. I recruited a few other families to join our family of four. Having 12 people in our private tour brought the cost to around $200 per person including tip for a full 2 day tour of all the major sites of St Petersburg. It was a huge savings compared to what Disney was charging and we were able to see more sites. Disney tends to limit the amount of tours you can schedule with them due to time constraints. SPB took care of all Visas and paperwork that was needed. I highly recommend SPB and if ever I would return to St Petersburg l would use them again.

 

[kiford]

We booked through DCL and did one tour that was just the Hermitage on the first day, then a boat ride down the Neva canal and river in the evening, and the second day was half at the Hermitage and half at Catherine's Palace. All three were just fantastic. The second day at the Hermitage we saw maybe 10% or less of what we'd seen the prior day so it wasn't like a repeat at all. In driving from the Hermitage to Catherine's Palace, the bus driver took us on a slightly circuitous route so that we could see some of St. Petersburg and the tour guide kept up a running commentary as we did so.

We looked into getting a visa ourselves just in case we got separated from our tour group and the cost and hassle convinced me to just make sure to stay with the group. No need to have worried, the guides were very good at keeping the group together and still giving us some time to go into the gift shop at the Hermitage. I decided not to buy anything there which I now kick myself over as they had some really nice jewellry pieces based on items in the museum. I guess I'll just have to do another Baltic cruise.

 

[AngelDisney]

DD and I are sailing in August 2020 and have 2 days in St. Petersburg. A private tour would probably be not so cost-effective for a group of only 2 people. I am looking at Alla’s small group tour of a max. of 16 people. Has anyone been on any small group visa free tours? Any feedback or comment? This would be more cost-friendly for us. TIA!

 

[aggiedog]

We used TJ, so can't answer directly. You can ask over on Cruisecritic. Lots of Alla BTDT experience over there, but I've never heard anything bad about them. They are not technically visa free (none of them are) but the agency does the visa for you. You will supply them your passport info, and you'll receive an email with a document you print out and present to passport control on the pier. Easy peasy. I definitely recommend doing a small group non-DCL tour. It will be either cheaper or the same price but for a much longer experience and more nimble since you won't be in a big tour bus.

 

[KDG]

DD and I are sailing in August 2020 and have 2 days in St. Petersburg. A private tour would probably be not so cost-effective for a group of only 2 people. I am looking at Alla’s small group tour of a max. of 16 people. Has anyone been on any small group visa free tours? Any feedback or comment? This would be more cost-friendly for us. TIA!

We booked a tour with Anastasia and had a great day. It was only my husband and I but Anastasia asked if we would mind another couple joining us and that was fine. So the 4 of us had an 11 hour tour and saw many more things than we had expected. We were able to customize where we wanted to go. We enjoyed meeting the other couple, our guide and driver.

 

[AngelDisney]

We booked a tour with Anastasia and had a great day. It was only my husband and I but Anastasia asked if we would mind another couple joining us and that was fine. So the 4 of us had an 11 hour tour and saw many more things than we had expected. We were able to customize where we wanted to go. We enjoyed meeting the other couple, our guide and driver.

It’s great to hear about this option. Maybe I will email them and mention this. Thanks for sharing your experience!

 

[leannak]

We used Anastasia too and we didn't love it. There was a difficult language barrier with our tour guide and she seemed quite bored both days. I opted to go to the ballet through Anastasia with my three children, ages 8-13 and when we arrived at the theater we were handed the tickets and told to go in. One was printed on different paper and when i looked at it I realized it was in a different area. I asked and our guide pretty much said that's what the Anastasia office gave her and there was nothing SHE could do about it. I asked at the box office and they said the tickets were purchased through two different methods - so Anastasia's fault, not the ballet - and there was nothing they could do about it since it was a packed house. So I sat on one side of the theater and my kids were alone, out of my sight, on the other side of a crowded Russian theater. So much for enjoying the ballet together! Between the transportation and guide fee and the tickets that evening, it was quite an expensive extra excursion. I contacted Anastasia later and they didn't seem to care. Eventually they offered to comp us one of the tickets but I'm not sure if it the refund ever went through. They said it would take a long time. Our guide also drove us to a souvenir shop for an hour-long stop (we didn't ask for this but were fine with it). We bought several things because I assumed our tour company would get a kick-back and that was great with me because at the beginning I thought things were going fine and I even wanted them happy with us for shopping. Well, later we found the exact same things AT THE PORT for less than half the price - maybe even 1/4 of the price. So don't shop where they bring you!

Their responsiveness ahead of the trip was fabulous. I'd just choose another tour company based on our actual tour experience.

 

[Jessicabr]

Hi,

I also booked my tours with Anastasia before. With us everything went well, we had a lovely tour guide and so flexible. When our kids started to be very bored with all the museums she brought us also to one of those souvenir shops. I thought it was very nice and the kids loved it.