Activities in St Petersburg

Litlle adventure to climb all the way up there to the roof, but when did views where the best we saw during our trip in St Petersburg. Our tour guide was knowledgeable and pleasant person who also recommend local restaurant for as in the end (which was great) We heared some history, took little walk on side of rooftop and all that in peace without rush. Slippery during winter but that's pretty abvious. Unique experience, not self-evident to do those kind of things in every city. Yes.

We took the private rooftop tour and our guide to the St Petersburg rooftop was Misha, a young 20-year old meteorology student. He had great English, told some interesting facts and had some good jokes. The roof has a non-slip cover and it's pretty safe to walk around. Didn't know about the air-raid towers from second world war, so that was interesting to learn.

Even if you don’t have a plenty of time, I recommend you join this tour! The scenery from the rooftop is just breathtaking. You’ll know how beautiful St. Petersburg is:)
———Japanese below——
屋根の上からの景色はとても綺麗でした。
高い所から日の入りが見たくて参加したのですが、
生憎雨が少し降っていました。。。
が、それでも良かったです！
ガイドの方も親切な方でした。
ぜひこのツアーに参加することをおすすめします！

We had a fantastic tour with Andy. He was so knowledgable about the city and a great storyteller. The roof experience was nothing that we have ever tried. This was for sure one of the most amazing experiences we had in Skt. Petersburg.

I loved seeing the city from the rooftops! It was really magical to have that viewpoint. My guide was friendly and fun to chat with. He was in no hurry and gave me time to enjoy the view. Definitely a must do experience!

our tour guide was very interesting and informed. we definitely saw a side of st. petersburg we couldn't have gotten anywhere else. you won't regret taking this tour. just do it!

Наш гид рассказал множество интересных историй о Петербурге , связанных с историческими и современными зданиями города

The tour was excellent. Historical tidbits, attentive guide and most friendly welcome.

From the very start on meeting Alexei in the morning and our guide Diana the service was exemplary. We had a simply fantastic 2 days in their company and it is difficult to know how we could have fitted more in. Diana was knowledgeable friendly and happy to amend the day to accommodate any of the groups needs. Our group tour consisted of 10 people from 3 different families, with a variety of interests but we found something for everyone. We arrived in St Petersburg on Brilliance of the Seas with Royal Carribean and despite the caution in their Royal Carribean's literature the visa-free process through border control was easy with just a passport, sea pass card (from the ship) and our maxibalt tour ticket. There was absolutely no problems - this had been our one concern prior to arrival but it absolutely wasn't an issue. Being in a small group was the best, as in busy museums such as the Hermitage we could use our "sneaking skills" as Diana put it to by pass any queues and maximise our use of the time available. During the two days we had lunch at two local restaurants (included in the tour price) where the service and welcome was on a par with Alexei and Diana's. Gift shopping whilst not imperative was made easier and cheaper by their knowledge of good shops off the beaten track where prices were much lower than the peak tourist areas, but quality was fantastic.

The tour we had included the Hermitage, Yusopov's palace, Catherines palace (inc the amber room), the fountains at Peterhof, St Peter and Paul's Fortress and Cathedral, a hydrofoil trip, a metro trip, plus my personal highlight "The Church of the Spilled Blood" which is an iconic building. Diana was always on the lookout for things to make our visit even more memorable - for example we had a short stop at one of the summer houses at Catherines Palace to listen to a 6 man choir sing a traditional Russian folk song which was unbelievably good and would have been missed by all the larger group tours.

My sister is going to St Petersburg next year and I have already told her there is no option but to contact Alexei!

The message is quite simple, if you go to St Petersburg, then you must go MaxiBalt!

My wife and I had an excellent two-day visit to St. Petersburg, thanks to Alexei and Maria. (Note for disclosure purposes: This was a private tour rather than one of the group itineraries. Our time was limited because we were on a cruise.) The proprietor (Alexei) listened to our priorities in advance, made great suggestions, and then drove or walked us around with insightful and enjoyable (but not overbearing) commentary. Alexei clearly loves his home city and conveyed that to us. The fact that he had spent a year as a grad student in the US made his remarks and responses all that much more meaningful. The only times Alexei did not stay with us was when he turned the job over to Maria for Catherine’s Palace on the first day and the Hermitage on the second. Maria’s tours were wonderful. She asked about our main interests before we walked into the Hermitage. We knew this could only be an introduction to the museum’s amazing holdings, so we had picked out our points of focus rather than follow someone else’s “top ten”. We wanted to spend our time on two of the major collections, combined with an architectural overview of the palace. Without knowing in advance about our interests, Maria quickly calculated the best walking paths including temporary shows that were in different wings from the permanent exhibits. The walking paths alone would have been worth the admission but there was much more. No matter what the painting, Maria had well-informed answers to our constant and unscripted questions. It was a memorable experience. After the Hermitage, we had a great time celebrating with Alexei and Maria over traditional dumplings. Until the next time!

The highlight of our early May Baltic Cruise was this whirlwind tour of St Petersburg. The small group tour offered by Marina Wilson was far superior to the experience shared with us by other travellers on our Royal Caribbean Baltic cruise.

Our guide, Irina, was a model of knowledge, tutoring and efficiency. During the tour she crammed in sights and stories that what would normally take several days longer.
She brought to life for us the history of St. Petersburg from its foundation through to the post war restoration. We left with a far better understanding of the royal family, the aristocracy and the common man during the tumultuous 300 years of Russian history. Irina navigated us around crowds and lineups to see and experience the highlights of the rich trove of art and treasure in the palaces and churches in the greater St Petersburg area. Her obvious love for her country and its rich historical past left us with many happy memories, and yet a desire to read and explore further.

Thank You for a very memorable tour!

Six of us hired a small boat for a private tour. The tour itself was excellent and our guide Katya provided a tremendous amount of information about St Petersburg, it's history and landmarks, as we were on the tour. Katya even brought a couple of bottles of wine so that we could enjoy a Georgian merlot as were on or trip. St Pete's is a city that really does need to be seen and appreciated from the water.
Afterwards one of our group left a small back pack including their passports on the boat. We only discovered this after the boat had sailed off to it's next booking. Katya and Marina did a great job in locating the boat, retrieving the back-pack and returning it to our hotel. This really was excellent, above and beyond the call of duty, customer service. I have no hesitation in recommending Marina and her team to any visitor to St Petersburg.

We,a group of 7 people of friends and relatives, had an excellent two-day visit to St. Petersburg. We were on a cruise and instead of using the excursion arranged by Royal Caribbean, we booked our own from MaxiBaltTours. This was a private tour with a van and a driver. The owner Alexei gave us great suggestions in advance to choose the best way to see as much as possible the city within our limited time, yet everything run smoothly. The guide Elena was so nice and patient to help everybody. She was well prepared and spoke excellent English. She was very knowledgeable and well informed about the all historical events and the great art works. Thanks to Alexei and Elena, we experienced a most enjoyable and unforgettable tour in St. Petersburg.

Had a great tour with Anastasia of Marina Wilson Tours. She and our driver, Alexander, showed us every sight to be seen during our stay. She was a fountain of knowledge and could answer every question we had for her. Alexander could not only drive, but he SURE COULD park. They picked us up promptly each morning and delivered on the ambitious schedule that was planned for us. Touring was made so much easier by being able to skip the lines. The tour included all the major sights one must see in St. Petersburg as well as some that were lesser known and off the beaten path. Lunch each day was in a local restaurant with local fare. We highly recommend this excellent tour and would use Marina Wilson Tours again.

My friend and I were guided by Vadim who was amazing! We did the evening food and party tour. He's been living in St Petersburg for years and knows everything there is to do. He was great at advising the worthwhile things to do and see and what to skip. He took us to some cool places that you wouldn't find on trip advisor or any of the travel blogs we had read. We got to experience some awesome traditional Russian food and some wild drinks :) And he showed us the areas to visit that aren't the tourist traps. He gave us great ideas for the rest of our time here, I could not recommend enough!!!

My friend and I were guided by Vadim who was amazing! We did the evening food and party tour. He's been living in St Petersburg for years and knows everything there is to do. He was great at advising the worthwhile things to do and see and what to skip. He took us to some cool places that you wouldn't find on trip advisor or any of the travel blogs we had read. We got to experience some awesome traditional Russian food and some wild drinks :) And he showed us the areas to visit that aren't the tourist traps. He gave us great ideas for the rest of our time here, I could not recommend enough!!!

Marina Wilson's Private Tours was recommended by friends who had a fabulous experience with this company a few years ago. I can only echo that review. Our driver and tour guide were excellent. I felt that we got more than our money's worth over the one-day tour. We saw all that I had hoped to see, bypassed lines at the Hermitage, had parts of Catherine Palace almost to ourselves (good timing) and had a fantastic lunch as well. Valeria was an informative and interesting tour guide. My absolute favorite part of the tour was the Peterhof Gardens. Spectacular! I highly recommend this experience.

This is a must! It's a bit scary at first, but you get used to walking on the roof top really quickly. First we went up to a tower on a tiny balcony all the way around the tower. Breathtaking views over the city! After the tower we continued through an attick on the roof next to Nevsky. Our tour guide was Maxim, he had great stories about the history of the city and like they promise, you get the best photos of the city from this tour.

Christina’s commentary was knowledgeable and informative. She actually got our tour into a couple of extra special little performances. Obviously she knew her way around and how to beat the lines. Very professional. Max greeted us prior to taking off on the first day and was there to greet us on the last day. He cares about the client’s experience. The driver was super. Highly recommend this company.

Hard to put in words this positive feelings.
From first steps in shop you feel yourself welcome. Painting lesson is must to do. You get a lot information about the art of matryoshka doll.
At last but not least - you have selfmade souvenir from St.Petersburg.
Shop assistants do their work with all the heart and with high knowledge.
Seeing is believing.
Спассибо!!!
Tiiu from Tallinn