michele_d

Hi Everyone,
We will be visiting St Petersburg for three days, visa free, after taking the ferry from Helsinki. The rules dictate we must purchase the City Tour hop on and off bus for the first day. After that we have two days before returning to Helsinki on the ferry.

I have heard, that without a tour it is nearly impossible for us to see anything on our own because individuals are generally pushed aside in favor of groups. Is that true? We would like to do the hop on hop off bus the first day and then do the next two days on our own, visiting the Hermitage, the church on the Spilled Blood and then Peterhof.

Has anyone here had experience with this. I have been studying the city maps and think we can do this on our own, but am I wrong? Which is the best way to tackle this?

Thanks for your help, as always,
Michele

laurie_ann

St Petersburg is easy on your own. We enjoyed 3 great days there last summer. Do read a lot on the forums as there are some hints to get ahead of lines and such. It's easy to learn to use the metro.

In St Petersburg I actually liked the Russian Museum much better than the Hermitage. It's all art. All Russian. Not crowded, excellent audio guide and a unique experience. http://www.rusmuseum.ru/eng/home/

Another very good museum is the Museum of Political History. It also has a very good English audio guide. Great displays and the office of Lenin. No crowds there either. http://en.polithistory.ru/

michele_d

laurie_ann,
Thanks for your reply. I've been scanning the forums here and am really excited, although a little bit nervous about doing it on our own. I've heard that also, that some people prefer the Russian Museum instead of the Hermitage. I try to avoid crowds if possible. Thanks again.

kja

St. Petersburg can definitely be visited on your on, and it is well worth seeing! Two days is quite limited, though. Any option to extend your stay? If you can stretch it to 4 or 5 days, you would be able to see much more!

I can't speak to your question about individuals being pushed aside in favor of groups - its been too long since I was there.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the Russian Museum, but I personally would not give up the Hermitage in its favor. IMHO, the Hermitage is one of the world's finest museums - and it's in a gorgeous setting. To each his/her own, though...

Enjoy!

michele_d

Thanks kja,
We will be visiting St Petersburg from Helsinki via cruise ship so we are limited to 72 hours since we won't have a visa. We arrive 8am on Friday and leave 6pm on Sunday. Trying to make the best use of our time. We will be staying right near the Hermitage so hopefully that will cut down on traveling time to the sights.

live42day

Did you find out when the 'hop on hop off bus' runs? We are going to arrive from Helsinki on April 28th so hope that it is running in April.

we are going to do all on our own too, but will most likely hire a guide here and there.

Superfan307

Hi there! First of all, there's no problems visiting the city without a guide. Do you speak any Russian? I lived in Russia for a year, and visited the city 3 times. I'd suggest that you get to the Hermitage first thing in the morning - get in line 30 minutes before opening or so. You'll still have to wait in line, but the wait will be reasonable. I had friends who tried to go in the afternoon and it took them 2.5 hours to get in in the middle of November. The museum is spectacular - absolutely worth it, but it takes up a lot of time. The church of the Spilled Blood can be done on the same day as the two are really close together (within walking distance down Nevsky Prospekt). There's also a souvenir market close to the Cathedral (bargain - the prices are inflated and will be lowered)as well as a park. It rains frequently in the summer, so you might consider packing light ponchos (they sell them at Peterhoff, but at inflated prices). To get to Peterhoff is a bit trickier because the best way to get there is by metro to tram/bus. In peak season, it will take you up to two hours to get there (you have to stand in line - you should also note that Russians have a smaller sense of personal space, and if you leave enough room in front of you for another person - they will not think that you are in line and will cut). If money is not an option, you can get a hydrofoil across the Gulf to get to the docks at Peterhof. It's really not that expensive, and it's the most direct and simple route (it also allows you to see more of the city and an impressive view of the palace from the back where it's prettier). You can easily find a company that leaves for there from Nevsky Prospekt close to Knigi Dom (the Book House) (it's across from the Kazan Cathedral http://www.charlottes-saddlery.com/T...ng-Helmets.htm (that's the website so you can see what it looks like).
Once you get there, the front gardens are free to see (amazing, btw), but you'll need tickets to get into the back grounds (you'll enter from this side if you take the boat - worth it), and you'll need to stand in a separate line to get into the palace itself. Everything is not always translated, so a few words of Russian would be a plus. Patience is very important when navigating Russia - it's a gorgeous country though, and absolutely worth visiting. One other thing - foreigners are charged more for entrance fees - just the way it goes. Hope this helps - enjoy your trip!

gwan

I was in St Petersburg in winter, so I can't really comment on crowds or getting pushed aside by big groups, but it was no problem. About being overcharged, as superfan307 says, it's just one of those things in Russia. The higher entrance fees for foreigners is official policy, not a scam. I was there on a working visa, so I used to always get into arguments with the ticket officers on the subject (I felt it was fair enough to charge tourists extra, but as I was a taxpayer, it wasn't fair to charge me extra) but they never gave me the cheaper price! That's not to say you won't just get flat-out overcharged by taxis or souvenir sellers etc. etc. but don't be afraid to bargain in those circumstances.

Viajero2

I've never been to a more crowded and unwelcoming museum as The Hermitage. That said, I have never seen a more spectacular museum as The Hermitage. This is one of the few places I would strongly recommend a guided visit, preferably as part of a (very) small group. It will be worth it.

Dukey1

Re the Hermitage and its THREE MILLION works of art (some of which are stored in the "basement." Please remember that THIS museum is one of the major ones in Europe and you are going to see not JUST the works on the walls but also the walls and all that other adornment including the grand staircases, enough gold leaf to fund a small country, as well as areas such as the "amber room" which kinda defies description.

It could very well be MOBBED (and there's a very good REASON why it might be) but I would urge you to see it, do it with GUIDE of some sort that you can HEAR because the place can be very noisy.

In fact, if I were you i would try to CRAM as much into my visit as possible including the Church on the Spilled Blood and a couple of those "suburban" palaces, too. There's really no other city like it as you are about to learn.

amyb

I'll just add to what others say. I really enjoyed the Russian Museum, but I love art, regardless of who paints it, and it didn't bother me that I knew none of the artists. Some people go to museums to see art by artists they know, so obviously the Hermitage is the place for that.

That said, the Hermitage will most certainly have more people there, but the place is just so indescribably large that only in very few rooms will you be uncomfortable. It's like the Louvre; the rooms with the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo and the area around Winged Victory are crowded, but move on and it thins out.

You can certainly see all of St. Petersburg on your own without a problem. I might recommend a guide to Peterhof though, mine navigated crowds and cut to the front of the line to get us in (as she did at the other two palaces as well, some sort of special permission).

michele_d

Thank you all so very much for the tips and ideas!

live42day-We are taking the ferry from Helsinki so they have their own bus that makes the loop into town and to the port. I am not aware yet of a hop on hop off bus specifically for St Petersburg. From looking at the map it looks walkable I hope.

I feel confident now that we can do it on our own. We did Europe on our own for three moths so I don't know why I felt nervous about St Petersburg. I'm very excited to be on our own roaming about, that's what we love to do. Especially since we will be there in June during the White Nights.

We plan to stay close to the Hermitage so we can be there extra early to get in line. I think we will take the hydrofoil to Peterhoff and do just the gardens. Maybe bring a picnic lunch.

I plan to 'cram' in as much as we can. It'll be great since it never gets really dark in June. I have been studying a little Cyrillic and will bring along a cheat sheet to help me.

I have a feeling this short trip will leave me wanting more, but I'm just so excited that we are able to go for just three days at all.

Thanks again Fodorites. I love this site.

live42day

Amyb did you know that you are quoted, a couple of times I think, in the new Fodors St petersburg and Moscow guide?

amyb

I didn't know that! Thank you for the heads up!

tower

Leningrad was one of the easiest cities to find one's way around during SSR days. "Intourist" tried to discourage this, of course, but most of us maverick "tourists" did so anyway. Very enjoyable. Now, St. Petersburg is every bit as easy and much improved local transportation is helpful. Taxis are everywere, too. Learn a few basic words and phrases and you're good to go on your own.
stu

lincasanova

I believe you can buy tickets for the Hermitage online which i would HIGHLY recommend.

If you click on my name I have a trip report about my time in SP.

michele_d

Thanks lincasanova,
I already read your trip report. Lots of great info in it. I especially like the ice cream and fruit idea. Thanks for all the great tips and places to eat you wrote about. I'm very excited about our visit.