- Moscow Overview
- Armoury visit
- Diamond Fund
- Kremlin visit
- Moscow Subway
- St. Basil's cathedral
- Catherine Palace
- Peterhof
- The Hermitage (early)
- Faberge or Yusupovs' Palace
- Spilled Blood Church
- Canal cruise
- St. Isaac's Cathedral
Day 1 - St. Petersburg introductory tour with a visit to Peter Paul Fortress/Cathedral, a trip to Peterhof Grand Palace and Park, Catherine Palace (Amber Room). Day 2 - a trip to Moscow by bullet train visiting Kremlin with Assumption, Annunciation and Archangelsky cathedrals, walk on the Red Square with outside views of Lenin's Mausoleum and St. Basil's Cathedral, inside Christ The Savior Church, comprehensive Moscow sightseeing tour by mini-van. Day 3 - St. Petersburg overview, visiting Metro, St. Isaac's Cathedral, Spilled Blood Church, a guided tour of The Hermitage (Winter Palace), Faberge Museum or The Yusupovs' Palace, crowned with the Canal cruise.
GET READY FOR THE COMING CRUISE SEASON!!! Take advantage of our special promo rates below.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2100 | 1500 | 1280 | 1200 | 1100 | 990 | 900 | 850 | 830 | 800 | 785 | 775 | 770 | 765 | 760 | 755 |
- DAY 1 ST. PETERSBURG
- 8:30* Meet your guide.
- 8:30-9:30 Introductory city tour, take a metro ride (optional). Visit the Farmer's Market (optional)
- 10:00-10:30 Visit Peter Paul Fortress with cathedral
- 10:30-11:30 Transfer to Pushkin
- 11:30-13:00 Tour Catherine Palace, walk in the park. You can choose to skip the palace (always crowded in summer) and receive $20US discount (let us know upon booking): we will show you the Royal Carriages Museum and Catherine Park with lots of photo opportunities.
- 13:00-13:30 Lunch time
- 13:30-14:30 Transfer to Peterhof
- 14:30-16:30 Tour Peterhof Fountain Park and Monplaisir palace.
- 16:30-17:15 Take hydrofoil to St. Petersburg
- 18:00 Back.
- DAY 2 MOSCOW
- 6:00 Meet your guide.
- 6:15-6:45 Transfer to Moskovsky Vokzal Train Station, board Sapsan train to Moscow (possible to upgrade to Business or 1 Class where meals are included, see below)
- 11:00 Arrival at Leningradsky Vokzal Train Station in Moscow
- 11:15-13:30 Tour the Kremlin grounds with Armory Chamber and Diamond Fund of Russia, visit inside the stunning Cathedral of Assumption, the Annunciation and Archangelsky cathedrals with a rich collection of old Russian frescoes and icons, view the giant bronze Tsar B
- 13:30-14:00 Lunch time
- 14:00-15:00 Visit St. Basil's cathedral, walk on the Red Square, approach Lenin's Mausoleum (outside), Alexandrovskiy Garden with the Unknown soldier tomb.
- 15:00-19:00 Comprehensive Moscow sightseeing drive tour
- 19:00-19:30 transfer to Leningradsky Vokzal train station
- 19:45-23:40 Take Sapsan fast train to St Petersburg. (possible to upgrade to Business or 1 Class where meals are included, see below)
- 00:30 Back.
- DAY 3 ST. PETERSBURG
- 8:00 Meet your guide.
- 8:30-9:30 Canal cruise
- 10:00 Early entry to the Hermitage.
- 10:00-12:00 Tour The Hermitage and Winter Palace
- 12:30-13:00 Visit Spilled Blood church
- 13:30-14:00 Lunch time (Stolle pie restaurant)
- 14:30-15:30 Visit the Faberge Museum or The Yusupovs' palace (necessary to choose at the moment of booking)
- 16:00-16:30 Visit St.Isaac's cathedral
- 17:00 Back.
*Tour sequence may change depending on the day of the week, logistics, museum openining hours. Please note the visit to the Hermitage does not include the collection of impressionists and post-impressionists which moved to the new building of General Staff. You can request it additionally when booking a tour. The extra fee of 15EUR/person will apply (only for private tours). The visit takes 1 hour.
Moscow tour is strenuous and it requires a lot of walking (Red Square, The Kremlin grounds, metro) so you need to be fit to participate. Comfortable footwear is recommended for this trip.
There are 3 classes on the Sapsan fast train:
* Economy Class (2C) - meals not included (sandwiches and drinks are on sale).
* Business Class (1B) - meals included - upgrade for an extra 100EUR/person in each direction.
* 1 Class (1C) - meals included, comfortable leather seats - upgrade for an extra 170EUR/person in each direction.
Please let us know if you wish to upgrade your train ticket at the moment of booking. Also inform us about any dietary restrictions (vegetarian and child menu are available upon request).
- Testimonials
- FAQ
- Booking terms
Natalia promptly responded to my emails and custom designed the two day St. Petersburg tour and the one day Moscow tour so that we did not miss any sites due to the usual Monday/Tuesday closures and also included a couple of extra things we wanted to see. Natalia also assisted us with our Tourist Confirmations and Tourist Vouchers required to obtain our Russian visas at no extra cost (many hotels and tour companies charge to issue these vouchers).
For our two day St. Petersburg tour, Olga was an excellent guide and we appreciated the detailed descriptions that she gave of the various places we visited. She also had a great knack for avoiding queues. Our driver, Vadim, did a great job getting us safely through the St. Petersburg traffic.
The one day Moscow tour is a very long day but well worth the effort. The day starts at 6:00 am and finishes just before midnight. The high speed Sapsan train is a very comfortable journey. Our Moscow guide, Maria, is a charming young woman who really did a great job covering a rather extensive itinerary. Maria and our driver juggled the afternoon itinerary so that we avoided most of the passing showers that occurred late in the afternoon.
We are glad we used Guide-Guru and we were more than satisfied with our guides and drivers. Guide-Guru provides a quality product and is more than willing to adjust their suggested itineraries to accommodate particular interests or special requests. Natalia does a brilliant job ensuring clients are totally satisfied with their itineraries.
Highly recommended. Guide-Guru is worth every Rouble, particularly if you have limited time, as you will visit more sites than possible on your own and you will avoid all of the ticket queues and entrance queues..
Is Russian visa required on this tour?
No, Russian visa is not required. Guide-Guru, LLC. is the certified tour operator (MBT 010048 reference number in the Registry of Russian Tour Operators). There is a decree permitting visa-free stay in Russia for cruise passengers who take tours of the local authorized tour operators. Our tour ticket is your blanket visa.
Where do we meet our guide?
Major cruise ships dock at the St Petersburg Cruise Terminal 'Marine Facade'. Our guide and tour leader meet the groups inside the terminal in front of the passport control area. Smaller ships dock in the city center and the guide will be meeting you on the pier in front of the passport control area.
What time do we meet our guide?
The meeting time will be confirmed and mentioned in your tour tickets. The time shifts are possible to match your ship's docking time.
Can the tour be customized?
Yes, the tour is customizable.
What happens if the ship is delayed?
We will be informed of this circumstance and the guide will be waiting for you until you disembark. If the ship arrives in time and you do not show up, the waiting time will be maximum 1,5 hours. Please disembark according to the time specified on your tour ticket.
What if we miss the ship?
We do not plan distant afternoon trips on the day of your ship's departure. Our excursion programs are designed to make sure you stay close to your cruise ship on the sailing date. Our excursions normally bring you to the ship 1,5 hours before the ship's departure.
Can you give us some helpful tips while doing tours in Russia. Is it easier to bring Russian Ruble to buy snacks , or use restrooms or eat at restaurant while you are taking us on tours? Any suggestions for us to be aware of?
You can withdraw some cash rubles from any ATM in the city (there are many). Many stores and restaurants take bank cards (Visa, Mastercard). The guide will help you with money exchange on the day of the tour.
How to book:
- Send a tour booking and passport information (for cruise visitors).
- Receive our Confirmation, payment link and your tour ticket for visa-free disembarkation (cruise visitors).
Payment:
Cruise visitors to St. Petersburg - 0% prepayment.
Non-cruise visitors to St. Petersburg - 50% prepayment.
Moscow tours (all visitors) - $200US/person prepayment.
The balance payment is made at the beginning of your tour.
European tours - 50% prepayment (if booked with Russia) or 100% (if only Europe).
Theatre tickets - 100% prepayment.
- Credit cards for prepayment - Visa/Mastercard/Amex/Diners/Discover/JCB/Unionpay
- Credit cards for payment in St. Petersburg - Visa/Mastercard/Amex.
Cancellation:
St. Petersburg tours: < 24 hours or no-show - NO refund.
Moscow / European tours: < 7 days - NO refund.
Air/train tickets - NO refund.
Theatre tickets (once purchased) - NO refund.
Ship's non-call in St. Petersburg port - 100% refund.
Please inform us as early as possible if you have to cancel your trip via e-mail guidegurutours@gmail.com or 24-hour phone/Whatsapp +7-931-7066377.
Discounts:
Child younger than 6 y.o. may travel with 1 parent free of charge. Schoolchildren, students and children over 6 y.o. receive a discounted rate. (Students must provide their international ISIC ID card to our Tour Coordinator upon payment to claim their discount. If they fail to do this, they will be charged the full adult price).
Tour mates:
Did you know you can save a lot of cash by finding travel companions to join your tour? You are welcome to find tour mates by placing a message on Cruisecritic/Tripadvisor boards.
