A three-day stop in St. Petersburg is a great opportunity to explore the city and see not only the highlights, but also some off-the-beaten-track sites. Enjoy the jewellery collection of the Faberge Museum, find out about the lives of a wealthy Russian family in Yusupov Palace and, visit former royal residences – the astonishing Catherine Palace and Winter Palace (the Hermitage Museum). And more!
Important: the tour is available for fast walkers. The maximum distance at one venue is approx. 1 mile.
8:30 am – 10:00 am City tour. See St. Petersburg most famous landmarks including: St. Isaac’s Cathedral (photo-stop), Admiralty, Neva river, Menshikov Palace, Sphinx at the Academy of Fine Arts, Bronze Horseman, English Embankment, Wedding Registration Palace №1, etc.
10:00 am – 11:00 am Guided tour of Peter and Paul Fortress, including a visit to the Peter and Paul Cathedral.
11.00 am -12.00 pm Boat ride along rivers and canals
12:15 pm - 1:15 pm Lunch (included). You will be served a 3-course meal, including tea/coffee in a restaurant/cafe
1:30 pm – 2:30 pm Guided tour of Yusupov Palace
2:45 pm – 3:15 pm Guided tour of the Church on the Spilt Blood
3:30 pm - 4:30 pm Guided tour of the Faberge Museum
5:00 pm Return to the ship or optional evening program
8:30 am Meeting at the ship
8:30 am – 10:00 am Drive to Peterhof with a subway visit (time permitting)
10:00 am – 11:00 am Guided tour of one of the small Peterhof palaces: Monplaisir Palace or Bath Block or Marly Palace, etc.
11:00 am – 12:30 pm Guided tour of Peterhof Fountain Park
2:30 pm – 4:00 pm Guided tour of Catherine Palace with the Amber Room
8:30 am Meeting at the ship
8:30 am – 10:00 am Continuation of the city tour with a Russian food market/Grocery store visit
10:00 am - 12:00 pm Inside guided tour of the State Hermitage Museum (early admission). In order to minimize the flow of tourists inside the museum, the Hermitage authorities reserve the right to adjust the entrance time slot.
12:30 pm – 1:30 pm Lunch (included). You will be served a 3-course meal, including tea/coffee in a restaurant/cafe
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm Guided tour of the General Staff Building. Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art collection
3:15 pm – 3:45 pm Guided tour of St Isaac’s Cathedral
4:30 pm Return to the ship
The order of museum visits and the time spent at each venue may vary depending on ticket availability, museums’ days-off, and the traffic situation in the city.
Visa/Tour Tickets
According to the Russian legislation a licensed tour operator has the right to arrange visa-free tours for cruise passengers arriving to St. Petersburg port. TJ Travel is an officially registered tour operator authorized to issue blanket visas. You will receive your free blanket visas (tour tickets) through email once you book a shore excursion with us. Please ignore warnings from your cruise ship company indicating that only a cruise ship company is allowed to run visa-free tours in St. Petersburg. Warnings/notifications of that kind don’t have any legitimate basis.
Please note you must print your blanket visas received via email from TJ Travel and bring it along with your passports each day of your tour. Blanket visas and your passports should be presented to an immigration officer on duty during disembarkation/embarkation in St. Petersburg.
Payment information
We don’t require any prepayment for St Petersburg group tours. Payment can be made either upon your arrival to St. Petersburg or any time prior to the date of your tour. In St. Petersburg you can either pay for your package (tour) in cash (only Rubles are accepted) or by credit card.
Cancelation policy
If you or any other member of your party decides to cancel your confirmed booking you must notify us in writing. All payments are fully refundable 72 hours prior to the date of your tour; payments are non-refundable within 72 hours prior to the date of your tour. In case of a no-show, no refund is granted.
Availability
The tour includes three lunches in a local cafe or restaurant. Please let us know if you have any food restrictions in advance.
Please note that in case Catherine palace and the Hermitage museums are overcrowded, museum authorities may lim it the entrance which cause an extra waiting time – up to 45 min.
Children under 7 y.o. are free of charge. Children (7 - 17 y.o.)/students get 50 USD off the tour price. Students of 18+ must have an ISIC card, otherwise the discount is not available.
Gratuities to the guide and driver are not included in the tour price. The sum you wish to give to your guide and driver after a well-done tour should be up to the western standards (approximately 15%). It is a good idea to divide gratuity between your guide and driver and give it separately to them: 10% to the guide and 5% to the driver. Please have some cash with you (USD, EUR or RUB) for this reason, but it is always up to you!
TJ Travel Company is specialized in providing service for cruise passengers and land travelers.
