Sightseeing Tours in St Petersburg

Olga was extremely professional and posssesed a wealth of knowledge which she was able to impart with us throughout the tour. I couldn't have done the visit so efficiently if i were alone. Because she knew not only about art and architecture, she was also extremely adept at guiding us in the most efficient way by taking us to less crowded area first and being flexible. There was a family with an infant who showed up late, but she handleded it graciously. The only "problem" was the extra time it took to get inside, as there seemed have confusion as to which group gets to go first. To me it was no such big deal, but some people might have become impatient. Overall, I'm very satisfied. Thank you Olga!

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!

I really recomend this very interesting tour.

No line, no waiting and so much interesting facts.

A very professional guide!

10/10!

Really enjoyed the tour with our experienced and friendly tour guide
Definitely recommend this tour to everyone
Thanks

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

The guide Julia was very informative and gave us great insights into the history of St Petersburg and it’s monuments

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 husband and I had two days in St. Petersburg as a part of our cruise itinerary. We knew we wanted to choose a local company and found MW Tours through Trip Advisor. After contacting MANY different companies and weighing all our options, we decided to book a 2-day tour with MW... and we are so glad we did!

MW's tours have a maximum group number of 10, as opposed to other local companies that will take up to 16. This is a nice guarantee that your group is not going to get too large - which allows you to move more swiftly between sights. That's an important detail if you plan on seeing as much as possible in a short amount of time!

We selected the "Venice of the North" Tour, which includes the Hermitage (early admission), Church of the Spilled Blood, St. Isaac's Cathedral, Private canal boat tour, visit to a metro station, Yusupoff Palace tour, the Peterhoff Gardens, and a tour of Catherine Palace. Amazingly, we fit it all in in two days, which is no easy feat! Our lunches were high quality meals at nice restaurants.

Our guide was Irina, and she was lovely. Irina had a very deep knowledge of the history of St. Petersburg and took great pride in sharing her city with us. She maneuvered our group of 6 around long lines at each location, and she smartly adjusted our itinerary to match our groups needs and desires. Irina was always timely and respectful, and she led our group with grace and poise.

We had the pleasure of meeting Marina Wilson once each day. Her schedule didn't allow her to visit our group long, but she was as warm and friendly in person as she was through all our correspondences leading up to our trip. Before we had arrived, I told Marina that we wanted to see a ballet performance, and she helped us secure fantastic seats rather last minute - just one example of the quality of service you'll find with Marina. She runs a well-organized team of all stars, and we can't say thank you enough to them all!

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 a two day, 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. In two days 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!

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!

We were a bit hesitant to book a tour of St. Petersburg not through our cruise ship but the positive reviews of Marina Wilson Small Group Tours persuaded us. So glad we did! Booked the two day tour and found only one other couple going with us. Perfect. No problems at all with visas and entrance tickets. Akatrina, our guide, was very professional. She continually told us all about what we were seeing and guided us smoothly around long lines to get the best experience. She obviously knew what we needed and was so pleasant even after long hours with us. We highly recommend taking this small group tour. Marina also made arrangements for us to attend an evening small concert tour at Vladimir Palace that was wonderful. Pickup at pier and after the concert were right on time. These were some of the best tours we have had especially being in a restricted country.

My wife and I concluded our Russian river boat vacation in St. Petersburg and extended two days at a hotel to spend more time is this beautiful city. I had contracted with MaxiBalt Tours in advance of arriving in Russia for private guides for the Faberge and Hermitage museums. The services promised were delivered and could not have been better. Alexei Volkov, himself, coordinated both tours personally and the guides he provided were extremely knowledgeable and made sure we saw what we wanted to see. We never felt rushed and on this, our 2nd trip through the Hermitage, we were shown through doors and hallways so as to avoid much of the crowd. At the end of our last tour, Alexei showed us to a restaurant (somewhat hidden) where we enjoyed a nice lunch with him. All in all, Maxibalt Tours went above and beyond to leave us with very good memories of St. Petersburg.

My wife and I concluded our Russian river boat vacation in St. Petersburg and extended two days at a hotel to spend more time is this beautiful city. I had contracted with MaxiBalt Tours in advance of arriving in Russia for private guides for the Faberge and Hermitage museums. The services promised were delivered and could not have been better. Alexei Volkov, himself, coordinated both tours personally and the guides he provided were extremely knowledgeable and made sure we saw what we wanted to see. We never felt rushed and on this, our 2nd trip through the Hermitage, we were shown through doors and hallways so as to avoid much of the crowd. At the end of our last tour, Alexei showed us to a restaurant (somewhat hidden) where we ejoyed a nice lunch with him. All in all, Maxibalt Tours went above and beyond to leave us with very good memories of St. Petersburg.