St Petersburg tour questions
May 16th, 2006, 04:56 AM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 998
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
St Petersburg tour questions
We are an ad hoc group with 2 days in St Petersburg off of a cruise ship. We are considering Red October, Denrus, and Alla Tours to see all the normal tour sites for a two day excursion. (I know, its not nearly enough.) I have seen good reviews on Red Oct and Denrus, can anyone vouch for Alla Tours?
ONe of our days is a monday, Peterhof is closed, the tour co's say it is all about the fountains and grounds anyway, so missing the inside is ok. I don't know how to react to that. We will be seeing Catherine's Palace and Hermitage.
Red October also says seeing the inside of Peter and Paul's Cathedral is better than Church on Spilled Blood inside if we only have time for one. Comments?
Red October wants us to have box lunches as it saves tour times by eating on the bus or en route etc. Sounds reasonable. But some of us are interested in a lunch at a cafe. Comments?
Sorry, I am wandering here. My main question is any feedback on Alla Tours. Thank you.
ONe of our days is a monday, Peterhof is closed, the tour co's say it is all about the fountains and grounds anyway, so missing the inside is ok. I don't know how to react to that. We will be seeing Catherine's Palace and Hermitage.
Red October also says seeing the inside of Peter and Paul's Cathedral is better than Church on Spilled Blood inside if we only have time for one. Comments?
Red October wants us to have box lunches as it saves tour times by eating on the bus or en route etc. Sounds reasonable. But some of us are interested in a lunch at a cafe. Comments?
Sorry, I am wandering here. My main question is any feedback on Alla Tours. Thank you.
May 16th, 2006, 11:54 AM
#3
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 559
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I cannot say anything about any specific tour companies in Saint Petersburg, sorry. There are a lot of good tour guides, and many can be found just (for example) by walking into a touristy location, like the Hermitage.
I <b>can</b> tell you that Peterhof is fantastic because of the gardens. If you are visiting other palaces, it is really not necessary to go inside- the viewable area is quite small. The Catherine Palace is much more impressive.
For me, the interiors of the Cathedral on the Spilled Blood is more interesting than the Peter and Paul Cathedral inside, but maybe it is just my taste. The Spilled Blood interiors are done completely in mosaic tile and semi precious stones- I find it quite impressive. Historically, Peter & Paul is more "important"- but with limited time I personally would opt for the Spilled Blood. Even if you take a tour of the Peter & Paul Fortress, see about spending 15 minutes inside the Spilled Blood (without a guide- it will still be worth it)!!!
Where are the box lunches coming from? That may be fine, but I wonder who is making these "lunches"...
Let me know if you have other questions! If I had only 2 days in Saint Petersburg, I would try to squeeze in a lot!!!
I <b>can</b> tell you that Peterhof is fantastic because of the gardens. If you are visiting other palaces, it is really not necessary to go inside- the viewable area is quite small. The Catherine Palace is much more impressive.
For me, the interiors of the Cathedral on the Spilled Blood is more interesting than the Peter and Paul Cathedral inside, but maybe it is just my taste. The Spilled Blood interiors are done completely in mosaic tile and semi precious stones- I find it quite impressive. Historically, Peter & Paul is more "important"- but with limited time I personally would opt for the Spilled Blood. Even if you take a tour of the Peter & Paul Fortress, see about spending 15 minutes inside the Spilled Blood (without a guide- it will still be worth it)!!!
Where are the box lunches coming from? That may be fine, but I wonder who is making these "lunches"...
Let me know if you have other questions! If I had only 2 days in Saint Petersburg, I would try to squeeze in a lot!!!
May 16th, 2006, 12:13 PM
#4
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 24,291
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I can't say anything about the St. Petersburg tour, since we still haven't managed to get to Russia, but I can comment on the boxed-lunch-vs-café issue. Last December I was on a cruise that offered a day's tour to Salzburg, with lunch at a local restaurant. The lunch was a complete waste of precious time, the food was mediocre, and I would much have preferred a boxed lunch to eat on the bus--especially if prepared by the excellent ship's kitchen.
May 16th, 2006, 12:18 PM
#5
Join Date: May 2003
Posts: 8,219
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
We toured with Red October for two days. We went to Peterhof and saw the small "Mon Plaisir" palace, rather than the large one. The gardens are amazing.
We only wanted to see one palace outside the city, so skipped Catherine's. We saw Yusopov's, which was gorgeous.
We ate in restaurants, but made our menu selections when we met our guide the first morning, so really didn't "waste" anyt time waiting for food--which was excellent.
We only wanted to see one palace outside the city, so skipped Catherine's. We saw Yusopov's, which was gorgeous.
We ate in restaurants, but made our menu selections when we met our guide the first morning, so really didn't "waste" anyt time waiting for food--which was excellent.
May 17th, 2006, 04:44 AM
#7
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,421
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Highly recommend you contact Olga http://www.tourservice.sp.ru/
She can answer all your questions and help you decide.
I would skip both palaces and stay in St. Petersburg, unless you really, really want to see the Amber Room at Catherine Palace. At Peterhof, the grounds and fountains are spectacular. The interior, however, is all brand new (having been recently restored following being completely demolished in World War II).
The Hermitage is a palace turned art museum. The treasures within are astonishing.
Both the inside of Peter and Paul's and the Church on Spilled Blood are magnificent (each in their own way).
Olga came highly recommended here on this forum and we could not have been more pleased.
With only two days, I would not waste a minute traveling outside glorious St. Petersburg.
She can answer all your questions and help you decide.
I would skip both palaces and stay in St. Petersburg, unless you really, really want to see the Amber Room at Catherine Palace. At Peterhof, the grounds and fountains are spectacular. The interior, however, is all brand new (having been recently restored following being completely demolished in World War II).
The Hermitage is a palace turned art museum. The treasures within are astonishing.
Both the inside of Peter and Paul's and the Church on Spilled Blood are magnificent (each in their own way).
Olga came highly recommended here on this forum and we could not have been more pleased.
With only two days, I would not waste a minute traveling outside glorious St. Petersburg.
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
kahplayground
Europe
9
Jan 14th, 2004 04:48 PM
