St Petersburg travel

Dave, It would help if you could elaborate on what type of information you're interested in? Are you referring to sights to see in St. Petersburg, information on the Russian Visa process or ????

I visited for 2 days (on a cruise ship) in June 2009. I loved it and want to go back for more. Most of the people dealing with tourists did not speak or read English. It's a good idea to learn the Cyrillic alphabet - often you can interpret the signs if you can read them. Cab drivers will rip you off if you don't know what the fare should be. Credit cards are not always accepted for entrance fees and services. Taxi drivers were happy to accept dollars but no one else was. I can't help with visa questions - I traveled on my Israeli passport (automatic visa on arrival).

We also went for two days off a cruise ship. We toured with Alla Tours. Normally, I tour on my own, or schedule my own activities, rather than hire a guide. I have yet to opt for a cruise-sponsored tour. For St. Petersburg a guide seemed like a good choice. I think the visa is about $150 by itself, the two-day Alla tour was $300 (paid in US currency) including tip. The tour was ten people in a van with a driver and guide and all admissions were included. We chose a "strenous" tour, to get as far from non-ambulatory cruise passengers as possible. The tour didn't include lunch stops (we packed a lunch and snacks from the ship). There is one advantage to an even smaller tour. At Catherine's Palace a tour group of six or smaller doesn't have to wait in line.