• St. Petersburg Overview
  • Spilled Blood Church
  • St. Isaac's Cathedral
  • The Hermitage
  • Peterhof
  • Catherine Palace
  • Canal cruise
  • Nevsky Prospekt
  • The Eliseyevs' Grocery Store
  • Subway visit
St. Petersburg sightseeing tour, visiting Spilled Blood Church, St. Isaac's Cathedral, Metro, trips to Catherine Palace (Amber Room), Peterhof Park, guided tour of The Hermitage (Winter Palace), crowned with Canal cruise.

GET READY FOR 2022 SEASON!!! Take advantage of our special promo rates below. Valid for bookings until 31 December, 2021

Private / $ USD / Person
Group Size (number of people)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
922 495 417 355 332 302 289 277 267 277 267 257 252 247 242 237
Inclusions
INCLUDED
  • licensed local guide
  • comfortable A/C vehicle
  • hydrofoil (weather permitting)
  • Russian lunch (for group tours)
  • blanket visa
  • photo/video permits
  • bottled water
  • raincoats (in case of rain)
  • port fees, bank fees
  • welcome gift
  • headsets (5+)
  • admission fees (no line-ups)
NOT INCLUDED
  • lunch (private tours)
  • gratuity (suggested is 10% to the guide, 5% to the driver to be given separately)
Itinerary
  • DAY 1
  • 08:30 Meet your guide in the cruise terminal / hotel, payment.
  • 08:30-09:30 Introductory city tour, Farmers' market (optional), take a metro ride (optional)
  • 09:30-10:30 Transfer to Pushkin town
  • 10:30-12:00 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
  • 12:30-13:30 Lunch break
  • 13:30-14:30 Transfer to Peterhof
  • 14:30-16:00 Tour Peterhof Fountain Park
  • 16:00-16:45 Transfer to St. Petersburg by hydrofoil
  • 18:00 Onboard the ship
  • DAY 2
  • 08:30 Meet your guide
  • 09:30 Early entry to the Hermitage
  • 09:30-11:30 Tour The Hermitage and Winter Palace
  • 11:30-12:00 Visit Spilled Blood church
  • 12:00-13:00 Lunch time (optionally Stolle pie restaurant)
  • 13:00-14:30 Comprehensive city sighseeing tour, visit St. Isaac's Cathedral
  • 15:00-16:00 Canal cruise
  • 16:30 Onboard the ship
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*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 private tour. The extra fee of $15US/person will apply. The visit takes 1 hour.


  • Testimonials
  • FAQ
  • Booking terms
Write Your Own Review
How do you rate this event?
Overall Experience
Sue W.
Our party of 6 had an excellent 2 day tour of St Petersburg. Our driver Yuri maneuvered the crazy traffic with ease and did drop offs and pickups very conveient so we did not have to walk much. We scheduled a canal cruise with snacks and drinks before the Folk Show. It was a wonderful cruise. Perfect weather, great sights and the snacks and drinks were just perfect. Did I mention Vodka- yes it was enjoyed in the true Russian tradition.  We would highly recommend Guide Guru to anyone traveling on a cruise ship. The cost was less that taking the big bus from the ship. We really enjoyed our guide and driver because we got a more personal tour. We were able to arrange the time to suit our needs rather than having a fixed time schedule. Natalie made the tour schedule meet our needs perfectly.
Kevin Belam
It is simply not practical to self-tour St Petersburg. In addition to having to fork out big bucks for a VISA for each member of your group, the distances between some of the major sights outside of the city (Peterhof and Catherine's Palace in particular) coupled with the language just make it too much hassle. So you have to bite the bullet and pay a tour company, that way you don't need a VISA and they will take care of everything. I got four groups together via the Cruisecritic roll call for our cruise to form a party of 16 at a cost of US $240 each if paying in US $ cash. This included two full days of sightseeing in an air-conditioned 18-seater Mercedes mini-bus. Be aware that irrespective of the company you choose (e.g. Guide-Guru, Denrus, SPB, TJ, etc). Your guide is likely to be freelance and they all seem to be very knowledgeable and professional. The Princess organised tour was US $399 each so ours was nearly $200 less but also included lunch on both days, a metro ride and journey back from the Peterhof to the city on a hydrofoil. 

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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:

  1. Send a tour booking and passport information (for cruise visitors).
  2. 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 +7-921-903-28-81.

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.  

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