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St Petersburg > St Petersburg Tours > St Petersburg All-inclusive visa free 2-day shore excursion
5 reviews >

St Petersburg All-inclusive visa free 2-day shore excursion

This small group (max 16 people) St Petersburg Cruise Excursion will give you an opportunity to see all highlights of St. Petersburg in just two days for only $325 per person.
Duration 20 hours
Private tour available in English
Private tour pricing from 299 EUR per person
Group tour available in English
Group tour pricing from 325 EUR per person
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!

Highlights

The State Hermitage museum

Peterhoff parks + fountains

Catherine Palace + Amber room

St Isaak's Cathedral + square

Spilled Blood Cathedral + mosaics

Yusupoff Palace + Rasputin cellars

Boat tour along rivers and canals

Metro tour - most beutiful stations

Description

This St Petersburg Cruise Excursion covers the most of the city and its' environs for a very reasonable price and is limited to 16 people.

Day 1
7:30 – 10:00am Meeting at the terminal (Please note: the time of the beginning of the tour can be adjusted depending on your ships’ arrival time). City orientation tour
10:00 – 10:30am Drive to Peterhoff
11:00 – 12:00am Parks + fountains tour
12:00 – 1:00pm Traditional Russian lunch
1:00 – 2:00pm Travel to Tzar's Village
2:00 – 3:30pm Catherine Palace + Amber room tour
3:30 – 4:30pm Drive back to the city + metro tour on the way
4:30 – 5:00pm Church of Our Savior on the Spilled Blood tour
5:30pm Back to the ship or optional evening program

Day 2
8am Meeting at the terminal, continuation of city tour
8:30 – 9:30am Canal tour
9:45 – 12:00am Hermitage guided tour
12:30 – 1:15pm Traditional Russian lunch
1:30 - 2:30pm St. Issac's Cathedral tour
3:00 - 4:00pm Yusupoff Palace + Rasputin cellars tour
4:30pm Back to ship

Please note that actual tour sequence may be re-arranged. Substitutions may apply due to museum's days off

What’s included & not included

Services of a professional licensed tour guide for 2 days

Driver’s services for 2 days (modern Mercedes mini van with A/C)

All port fees

Cost of blanket visa

All local taxes

2 traditional Russian lunches

Bottled water for each day

Ear phones sets for the group of 10 and up

Admission fees to all museums in the program

tips

Meeting point

Marine Fasade St Petersburg passenger port

Reviews from travelers (5)

5.00/5
for St Petersburg All-inclusive visa free 2-day shore excursion
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!
for St Petersburg All-inclusive visa free 2-day shore excursion
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.
for St Petersburg All-inclusive visa free 2-day shore excursion
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!
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Marine Fasade St Petersburg passenger port
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info@maxibalttours.com
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