St. Petersburg Classic One Day Shore Excursion

St. Petersburg Classic One Day Shore Excursion Photo #1 of 2 Photo copyright ShoreTrips.com.

Overview

You will see the most important parts of the city and at the best times to avoid the biggest crowds.

In a city like this, there is never enough time, but we feel this itinerary will satisfy any visitor. If you desire to see something that is not a part of this day, please contact ShoreTrips and we will see if we can make it happen.

This excursion is a non-visa tour for cruise ship passengers. According to the Russian Federation law, visas are not required for the shore excursions if you book the tour through the companies officially licensed and authorized by the Russian government to receive foreign cruise passengers and to operate inside St. Petersburg port areas. We will supply you with the tour ticket, which is called a blanket visa or booking confirmation, and you will pass the customs/immigration offices.

Your pickup at the ship will bring you into St. Petersburg and around the city on an introduction tour of the city. You can expect to see the most beautiful, historical places in St. Petersburg and you will have photo stops along the way. Your English-speaking guide is in love with his/her native city and will absorb you in the stories as you see Nevsky Prospekt, the main steet full of cathedrals and boutiques, the National Library, the imposing Kazan Cathedral and the Square of Arts, which is a group of buildings by Carlos Rossi consisting of the Russian Museum, the Ethnographical Museum and Michael's Castle. The Hermitage's Winter Palace, the Admiralty and its golden spire, Theatre Square with the famous Mariinsky Theatre, and St. Nicholas Cathedral will be part of this introduction. You may even have a chance to capture the brides and grooms lined up at the government building for their weddings in full regalia as marriages take place all day long, almost every day.

As part of this tour, you will have entrance into St. Peter and Paul Fortress located on its own island. It is here where the cathedral shares the land with a converted prison that the Tsars are buried.

We will stop for lunch which is not included. At the suggestions of your guide, you can select what sounds appealing, but we promise you that this lunch will be quick and reasonable, as we want to get you back on the touring trail!

Following lunch, the must-see Hermitage will be scheduled. We go at this time as the crowds are diminishing somewhat, which will make for a more pleasurable tour. This will be followed by a visit to one of the most stirring monuments called the Church of the Spilled Blood, also called Church of the Resurrection of Christ. Though you won't need a long visit here, it will prove memorable for long after your visit.

Luckily, the shops are open late in St. Petersburg and even if you are not a shopper, you will enjoy being part of the bustle on the street. Perhaps just a volume of Pushkin poems will remind you of your day here, and there is a wonderful bookstore on Nevsky Prospekt, the main shopping avenue.

As your ship stays a little longer during a one-day stop, we will give you one more treat, a boat trip up the river. Seeing the landscapes on both sides of you will be a perfect way to remember this day in Russia.

This excursion is a non-visa tour for cruise ship passengers. According to Russian Federation law, visas are not required for shore excursions if you book through companies that are officially licensed and authorized by the Russian government to receive foreign cruise passengers and to operate inside St. Petersburg port areas. We will supply you with the tour ticket, called a blanket visa or booking confirmation, which you will pass to the customs/immigration offices. Due to the length of time needed to acquire these tour tickets, we ask that you please MAKE YOUR BOOKING NO LESS THAN 2 WEEKS BEFORE THE DAY YOU LEAVE HOME. Thank you.

We will need the following information at the time of booking: Each passenger's full name as it appears in their passport; Citizenship; Date of birth; Passport number; Passport issue date; Passport expiration date; Arrival date into St. Petersburg; Departure date from St. Petersburg.

Any information forwarded to Shoretrips necessary to obtain a visa must be exact. We will pass on a $10 processing fee if corrections are necessary after we receive the visa. This is a per person fee, charged for each visa that requires changes.

This includes standard admission to all museums in the program, guide's services for 1 day, driver's services for 1 day, car or minivan (Mercedes), all port fees.

Though we have included admissions, there is often an optional charge for photo and/or video use in palaces and museums. It is a nominal fee and must be paid upon entry.

Cost of food and beverage is not included. Suggestions will be supplied by your guide for lunch that will be quick and typical.

Gratuity is not included. We suggest a 10% gratuity to your guide and 5% to your driver.

VERY IMPORTANT: YOU MUST BRING YOUR TOURIST TICKET (BLANKET VISA) WITH YOU AS WELL AS YOUR SHORETRIPS TRAVEL VOUCHER OR YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS PROGRAM. IF YOU FAIL TO BRING THESE THERE ARE NO REFUNDS.

Some of the museums may be closed on certain days. We will substitute another appropriate venue when this happens. The Hermitage Museum is closed on Mondays, Catherine Palace and the Amber Room are closed on Tuesdays, and The Church of Spilt Blood is closed on Wednesdays.

You are not able to move around St. Petersburg alone; your blanket visa requires you to travel only with a guide.

SHORETRIPS WILL SEND YOUR BLANKET VISA AFTER THE BOOKING IS CONFIRMED. THIS IS A DIFFERENT DOCUMENT THAN YOUR PRE-PAID VOUCHER, AND YOU MUST HAVE A PRINTOUT OF YOUR TRAVEL TICKET/BLANKET VISA BEFORE YOU DEPART. If you cancel your trip after the travel tickets have been issued, a $50 per person fee will be charged.

Days offered: 7 days a week

Departures:

• 09:00 AM, duration: 8.5 hours