Just read Cameron's blog suggesting bypassing pricey optional tours when ashore during a cruise. Many excellent choices. I'm not sure, though, about his St. Petersburg. For our land tour with Rick Steves to St Petersburg it was required that we get a visa. The process cost about $400 per person. It allowed us to move about independently while we were in St. Petersburg. I know people who visited St. Petersburg on cruises. They did not have to have visas as long as they toured ashore sites as part of a tour. I'm not sure that cruise members can tour independently in St. Petersburg unless they first acquire a visa. I could be wrong about this, but it is worth checking on before hopping off the cruise ship in St. Petersburg independently. Hank, Novato, CA
Posted by
Brooklyn, NY
3843 posts
We went on a cruise to St. Petersburg. We did not take a tour from the cruise line, but arranged a private tour with an accepted tour guide so we did not need a visa. He met us at the pier and went through immigration with us. but we couldn't go anywhere without him.
Posted by
Atlanta
2469 posts
Hank,
What did you think about the St. Petersburg Tallinn Helsinki tour? Any tips or comments about things you would do differently? When did you go? I'm very interested in going on this tour after hearing the wonderful guide George share his views at the Test Drive a Tour Guide event at the recent RS Travel Festival weekend.
Posted by
franktown, colorado
2252 posts
For Judy B.: I have been on this tour; caveat: it was a while ago. I absolutely fell in love with Tallinn while there so my adamant piece of advice would be to plan plenty of extra time there. The tour department was super helpful with obtaining the required VISAs for us. That was a bit complicated for us personally-employment and related security issues. It was a wonderful tour experience and when compared to all the other Western Europe tours we had taken, it was a very unique, incomparable and exceptional tour experience. Several of our fellow travelers added on extra days and a relatively easy train journey to Moscow from the tour's end in St. Petersburg. In retrospect, I wish we had done that, too.
Posted by
Atlanta
2469 posts
Andi,
Thanks for you comments! Do you happen to know how many days tour members spent in Moscow post-tour. Or, do you know what private guide or tour company they used? Perhaps Rick has outlined this information in his guidebook.
Posted by
franktown, colorado
2252 posts
I believe it was around four days extra stay or so for each group (several couples and one group of 4 friends. Some singles). Yes, most did use a Rick recommended guide but I am so sorry that I don't remember who or whether they found the info through the RS office or in tour books. As I recall, our fabulous guide helped some folks organize their transportation and time in Moscow. You can book a private phone "meeting" with a tour expert in the Rick Steves office, arranging the phone appointment through the main office phone number or possibly even online? There are different (reasonable) prices for either a 30 or 60 minutes conference call. I do remember they added the Moscow trip because they already had the VISA for the tour and that made it a lot easier for them to travel between the two cities. Every one of our friends was happy they had taken advantage of this opportunity and they all really enjoyed Moscow, saying it was very different (at least back then) from the more European city of St. Petersburg. For more current information if you are interested in doing this, create a new forum post. There are so many knowledgeable travelers on this forum, I'd bet several folks who have taken this tour have done the same thing and a lot more recently than we did!
Posted by
Atlanta
2469 posts
Andi,
I will be sure to add at least 2 days pre-tour as I have read in other posts on the forum that Tallinn is full of sights to see in addition to the tour's itinerary. I think I could add 2 - 3 days to see Moscow but 4 would probably be over my vacation days budget. I think I would sign up for a RS phone consultation before taking this tour. Good advice! Thanks Andi!
Posted by
OP
Novato, CA, United States
172 posts
Judy B We thoroughly enjoyed the Tallinn, Helsinki, and St. Petersburg tour. We toured independently in Italy, then flew to Tallinn early to meet the tour. I would suggest a few extra days in Tallinn as there was much to see that was not part of the tour. The Seaport Museum was fabulous. The Saturday flea market, the neighborhoods, the service we attended in the Orthodox Church, all provided magic moments. We also had a local craft IPA that was the equal of any USA brew.. The ferry to Helsinki showed a ton of Finns making the trip solely to purchase alcohol at great prices. The liquor store had COSTCO like stocks of beer, wine, and booze and even sold hand trucks for bulk purchases. It was a hoot! We did not tour beyond St. Petersburg independently as we never felt quite comfortable in Russia. Hard to explain but it was a gut feeling. The tour was fantastic and St. Petersburg wonderful! Hank, Novato, CA