Hi All,
I will be on a cruise the end of July that will be visiting St. Petersburg. Does anyone know about touring on your own (not through the cruise line)? I was told I could not go ashore unless I was on a ship's excursion - is that true? Can I secure a visa and travel on my own? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Shelley

Hi Shelley,
I will be on a cruise in May that will be stopping in St. Petersburg and we have been working with a tour operator for private tours. If your ship is in port for less than 3 nights you can go ashore without a visa - only if you book an excursion through the cruise line OR with one of the gov't approved Tour operators. We are using DenRus (www.denrus.ru). Can't attest to their services as we have not yet used them, but there website has all the info you need on seuring visas, tours for cruisers, etc.

I will give a full report when I return.
Nancy

Nancy is correct. However the government is considering closing this "loophole" in their immigration policies, which would then make it impossible to venture out on your own without a visa.

Tom

Both DenRus and Red October have good reputations as alternatives to the cruise line. DenRus will match you with others if you want to lower your cost. Any private tour with 8 or fewer people is better than the large cruise tour groups. All excursions in St. P. are expensive (almost $200 US per person per 8 hour day, more for couples and quartets). The visas are almost $200 for US citizens (less for others)if you use a visa service -- remember that a letter of support(for a fee from Russian tour agencies) is needed for the visa and the cruise lines do not supply this. For two days, the visa is hardly worth it, especially if you consider that cruise ships dock at Kanonersky Island, which is very isolated -- no public transport to town except by taxi, which is surcharged to go near the ship (it is a two mile walk to the nearest bus/metro station). Visiting St. P. on a cruise is a bittersweet proposition, much less appealing in my estimation than enjoying a real Russian visit, but at east it gives a taste for future visits. efschlenk

Shelley,
Tom is correct about the visas. The government was supposed to vote in April regarding the policy, but as yet I have not heard how or if that vote was taken. If I hear anything I will pass it along.
Nancy

Thanks everyone. I will check out the private companies you mentioned - I just hate to do things with a whole bus load of others. So, now that you have told me HOW to do it - Any recommendations for "must-sees or do"?
Thanks again,
Shelley

Having not yet been there, I can only share what has been recommended to me. I have been told that Hermitage,the Winter Palace, Peter&Paul Fortress & Spilled Blood Cathedral are all "Must-sees". I will provide details of my trip and my suggestions after my visit in May.
Nancy

I got a very nice e-mail response from Olga at DenRus - Thanks for the tip, it seems like this is just what I wanted.
Shelley

Shelley,
Interesting you should mention Olga. She has beeen helping to plan my upcoming trip to St. Petersburg and I, too, have been impressed with her prompt and professional service thus far. I can't wait for this cruise to begin (19 days and I will be on my way to Amsterdam).
Nancy

I would also add that the shopping in St. Petersburg is awesome. Items such as nested dolls, ceramic dolls, collectible boxes and so on are so reasonable that you lose all sense of value. Plan on buying a lot. Take small bills (lots of them) and have a ball.

Have a great cruise.

Tom

Tom,
I have heard that some of the best "bargain" shopping is at the market near the Spilled Blood Cathedral. Has that been your experience?
Nancy
Baltic Cruise on Century<BR>

This message has been edited. Last edited by: NancyN,

Yes, it is a large open air market offering many stalls of merchandise. One gets so caught up in shopping that you forget what great deals there are and then kick yourself for not buying more. The trick is to have lots of ones, fives and tens and to bargain quickly and then buy.

Tom

Hmmm,
Bargain quickly - that might be difficult for me - I tend to deliberate over everything. But I will plan to bring lots of small bills.
Nancy
Baltic Cruise on Century<BR>

Again hi Nancy,

its correct with the market near the Blood Cathedral. And its important to have small bills to pay. But you have to be very careful. Some of our fellow passengers lost their money, it was stolen there. But everywhere you go they offer the same things. Everything is made for the tourists and very cheap quality. Sorry, but we call it kitsch or trash. But many people buy things to give it to people at home who put it in a closet and it would never seen again.
We had only 15 minutes time for the church (only outside) and the market. But we stopped at a special shop with russian products in better but also higher priced quality.
And at every stop of your bus there are russian people, offering the special dolls, stamps, russian memorabilia, books and videos.

But everybody has his own taste. I only want to describe my impressions.

Marita

Hi again Marita,
I will take your opinion under advisement, however sometimes shopping for "chatskys" can be fun.
Nancy
Baltic Cruise on Century<BR>

We went on a Baltic cruise last year that included St Petersburg. I think some of the 'must see's" are the Church of the Spilt Blood, Peterhoff, and the street shopping everybody mentioned. We bought nesting dolls, decorative boxes and lots of other souveniers, and people we gave them to really loved them - if you are careful you can find good quality. We took a hydrofoil boat ride from Peterhoff back to the city and it was great fun and fantastic views. If you get a chance, take a short plane ride to Moscow and see the Kremlin. Wonderful! One more note: I agree about not wanting to be with a busload of people USUALLY, but in this case I was glad we were. I would not want to be on my own in Russia. It was nice having a tour guide explain things (like differences in culture) and tell all the history, background and personal points of view. On our own we would have only seen things from our American perspective and it would have been half as fascinating.

Hmmm...why does this thing say 'new cruiser' next to my posts and how do I change that? I don't remember being asked!

horseylady,
Welcome to cruise-chat and thank you for your suggestions on St. Petersburg. Unfortunately, we cannot fit a trip to Moscow in our plans, but maybe next time.

"new cruiser" is based on the number of posts you have made. They are called Karma points and once you have made 5 posts your status will move to "cruiser". Make 25 and you will be given the title of "serious cruiser", and so on...

quote:

Originally posted by NancyN:
Shelley,
Tom is correct about the visas. The government was supposed to vote in April regarding the policy, but as yet I have not heard how or if that vote was taken. If I hear anything I will pass it along.
Nancy

Just an update Nancy
The Duma passed the bill on the first reading. The process calls for 3 readings and votes, if the final one passes it goes on to the president for signature. It passed as I said but what happened next is common in a country that often take 7 years to make a law that most people agree on in the first place. The visa equalization act was pulled by its sponsor so there will be no more votes. It could come up again in the future but that is not that likely.

As for shopping. The shopping area behind Church on Spilled Blood is known for pickpockets but is generally safe. There is better shopping elsewhere however. For real bargains try the Apraksin Dvor not far from the 18th century shopping center Gostinny Dvor( a great place to see hundreds of small shops in one historic building) is a place Russians go for real bargains. It has been a flea market since the early 1700's. Most people get nesting dolls , laquered boxes and such but the real St Petersburg products are porcelain, fine ad designer furs, original art and fashions. A great gift is a set or part of a set of Lomonosov china for good prices( about 1/2-14 what it is in the US) and they will ship it home for you and guarantee safe delivery. The classic style is called Cobalt Blue, a famous St Petersburg design. Original art work can be a real bargain here also, the easiest to find is right on Nevsky prospekt #32-34, on the small plaza in front of the first Catholic church in Russia. One item that is a major hit but seldom talked about is the cheap CDs, CD-Roms and DVD. For about $2.50 you can buy any software, movie or record you can think of. Kiosks and stores are all over which offer those prices.

Wow, Stan - Thanks for the tips! I wish you had posted this response BEFORE I went on my Baltic cruise. Now, you have given me just one more reason to go back to St. Petersburg.
Nancy