Tour Company in Russia
 

I am looking for a reputable tour company for sightseeing in Moscow and St. Petersburg. I will not be on a cruise and most of the ones I have been able to find are for cruise passengers. TIA for your help.

Michelle

Alla Tours in St. Petersburg.

Are you fully committed to taking a tour? These cities can be visited on one's own.

Do you have your Russian Visa.

You can't apply for a Russian visa more than 90 days before the travel date. The OP is going in October.

I have used this company:-

http://www.baltictravel.com/page/18

Thank you for the responses. No...I'm not committed to a tour guide. I'm just getting started with the planning and visa process.

"I'm not committed to a tour guide" -- OK, then get a few good guidebooks (or look through some at your local library) and begin planning! These are wonderful cities to visit, and each has a tremendous amount to offer, so if you are willing to do so, tailoring your time in them to YOUR interests can make the trip much much more enjoyable.

Hello,

I represent Petersburgtrip, a small company that offers private tours in St Petersburg. (http://petersburgtrip.com/) As a rule, we walk or use public transport and combine must see and off the beaten track sites.
I agree that you don't necessarily need a guide in St Petersburg. That very much depends on what type of person you are and on your interests. Still, there are places that are relatively hard to visit independently. For example, some people find it difficult to navigate the Hermitage simply because it's huge (while others do that independently without problems). Another place to think of is the Catherine palace in Tsarskoe Selo. especially if you are coming from May to September, there may be problems with tickets (you can spend a lot of time in a line) and transportation there is not very obvious.
Nevertheless, the city center itself is easy to navigate, just be prepared to walk a lot as the city is big.
Make a list of places you are interested in and then it'll be easier for you to decide what you can do independently and where you have doubts. All people are different.

When we were in St. Petersburg a couple of years ago we arranged tours through DenRus and were very very pleased with the itinerary and the guide.

We were a group of 14 people and traveled in a small van with the guide.

My only recommendation would be that you try to see as much as you possibly can in that city.

I have organized a group of friends and we are using DenRus in August. They have been very responsive and have great reviews. They will do any size group. You can call or email. Located in St Petersburg, RU and have an office in US (Florida) as well.

If you are visiting St. Petersburg and Moscow on your own, then you will need a standard visitors Visa. Need to see Russian consulate on this. I just know that it takes a little while to get those documents ready. So give yourself some time to organize this. I visited St. Petersburg on a shore excursion but was also trying to visit Moscow while our ship was at port for 2 days. In the end, our group chose not to visit Moscow and spend our time visiting St. Petersburg. Most companies that provide shore excursions can also provide day trips and city tours. Not sure if you are a USA citizen but I would recommend www.privateshoretrips.com. I had booked a 2 day tour and they were top notch. They are also a USA company which made me feel good in case anything went wrong. Good luck.

I have walked a lot in St. Petersburg ....

BUT I also had a tour guide because a tour guide gets you quickly from point A to point B, with valuable information added to your own researched knowledge.

Good point by AlishaSha to make a list.

Good point by Dukey1, to see as much as you can, I never mind paying a tour guide because I always see more.