private guides in Petersburg

It's probably not on this website. You can buy one of Rick's books that covers St. Petersburg (Northern European Cruise Ports or Snapshot: St. Petersburg, Helsinki & Tallinn), or you can ask a Rick Steves staff member to "chime in."

Our Northern European Cruise Ports book as well as the Snapshot: St. Petersburg list tour guides. Here are some of those recs to get you started.

Tours in St. Petersburg
Walking Tours--Peterswalk has been doing excellent, English-language walking tours of the city since 1996. Their original, four-hour tour is a great way to get your bearings here (650 R/person, mobile +7-921-943-1229, www.peterswalk.com, info@peterswalk.com). This tour begins every day in summer (April-Oct) at 10:30 at Hostel Life, at Nevsky Prospekt 47 (near the Fontanka River--enter around the corner at Vladimirsky Prospekt 1 by ringing the bell and going up to the fourth floor; tour may run sporadically off-season--check website).
You can also hire a private guide through Peterswalk (1,200 R/hour for up to 8 people, 4-hour minimum; this price assumes you already have visas, but for an extra fee they can also arrange a visa-free private excursion--email the owner Peter to arrange details).

Bike Tours--Peterswalk (listed earlier) offers 3.5-hour weekend and late-night bike tours (mid-May-Sept Sat-Sun at 11:00, also mid-May-Aug Tue and Thu at 22:30, 1,200 R/person, starts at SkatProkat bike shop at Goncharnaya Ulitsa 7, near Moskovsky train station and Ploschad Vosstaniya).

Boat Tours--St. Petersburg is a delight to see from the water. Low-slung canal boats ply their way through the city, offering a handy orientation to major landmarks. After curling through narrow, urban waterways, your boat pops out onto the wide Neva River, offering a grand panorama of the Hermitage, Admiralty, Peter and Paul Fortress, and beyond. Various companies offer essentially the same one-hour, 500-R cruise, advertising at touristy points near canals; most cater to Russian tourists and have zero English information. (Before booking, specifically ask whether there’s any English commentary.) Better yet, hold out for the one-hour cruise from Peterswalk, whose guides not only speak English, but cater the commentary to passengers’ interests. While it costs a bit more, it’s worth it (600 R/person, 3-4/day in peak season--but check website for specifics as schedule and offerings are subject to change, departs from Fontanka 53--along the Fontanka River a long block south of Nevsky Prospekt; same contact details as for walking tours, earlier).

Bus Tours--CityTour runs red, double-decker, hop-on, hop-off buses that make a circuit of major sights in the center, with recorded commentary. The full circle takes two hours, but the frequency is sparse (once per hour)--potentially leaving you with more time than you want at a particular stop. The first buses start around 9:00 and the last one finishes its route just before 21:00. A ticket good for the whole day costs 500 R; buy it on the bus (tel. 718-4769, mobile tel. +7-961-800-0755, www.citytourspb.ru).