St. Petersburg Private 2 Day Highlights and Sightseeing Excursion

Description

• Professional, licensed driver air-conditioned transportation!
• Round trip transportation from your St. Petersburg cruise ship terminal!
• 2 day private guided excursion with English speaking and certified shore excursion guide!
• "Blanket" Visa for Russia is included for the duration of your St. Petersburg sightseeing shore excursion!
  
• See the best sights of St. Petersburg city including Peterhof, hydrofoil ride, Peter and Paul Fortress, St. Isaac's Cathedral, canal boat ride, Catherine's Palace, Amber Room, State Hermitage Museum, and Church on Spilled Blood!
• Skip the line tickets into Peterhof Grand Palace and Catherine's Palace!
• All entrance fees, admission costs, and taxes!

The majority of cruise ships spend two days in St. Petersburg, Russia, offering passengers enough time to see and do a lot during their St. Petersburg cruise excursions. With this private 2 day St. Petersburg city sightseeing shore excursion, you do not feel like you missed out on seeing something! If you are only in St. Petersburg cruise port for one day, we also offer a feasible Private 1-Day St. Petersburg Shore Excursion option for you too. There is now a 3-Day Private Sightseeing Excursion option as well!

Experience the best highlights and sights of world-famous St. Petersburg, and enjoy this private sightseeing excursion with your own St. Petersburg excursion guide and transportation. Your private guide will be with you every step of the way so there are no worries at all - your guide and excursion tickets are your visa and permission to travel St. Petersburg safely and without any hassle.

Your private cruise excursion guide, transportation, and driver will show you the best in your 2-day private excursion. This St. Petersburg sightseeing shore excursion is just for your group, no others will be added, escape the crowded cruise line excursions offered by your ship! The more in your party, the lower the per participant price of this cruise excursion.

Day 1 

Your private guide will meet you outside your cruise ship as you exit the immigration booth. You will climb aboard your air-conditioned transportation to start your first day of seeing and exploring some of St. Petersburg's best highlights.

Hydrofoil boat ride to Peterhof Palace
A fun and fast way to get from St. Petersburg across the Gulf of Finland to the Peterhof Palace. The ride is approximately 30 minutes and a nice way to see a panoramic of the city and coastline.

Peterhof with the Grand Palace, the Lower Park, and the Fountains
You will have an inside visit to Peterhof Palace. Upon arrival, you will not have to wait - you get to skip the line! Peterhof was the summer residence created for the Russian Emperor Peter the Great at the beginning of the 18th century. It is located on the shore of the Baltic Sea and has more than 150 fountains, 4 big waterfalls, beautiful palaces and amazing gardens.

Peter and Paul Fortress
After leaving Peterhof, you will have an inside visit the iconic Peter and Paul Fortress located on the banks of the Neva River. With the towering structure and flying angel atop the steeple, the fortress is a must-see on anyone's list. Established in 1703 by Peter the Great, the fortress is a large complex that once held some high profile criminals including author Fyodor Dostoevsky "Crime and Punishment" and Leon Trotsky, Lenin's assistant. Housed within the complex is also the Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul, the city's oldest dating back to 1712. 

St. Isaac's Cathedral
Continuing with your city sightseeing, you will visit one of the most elaborate structures, St. Isaac's Cathedral. Not only is it known for its large gold-domed outside structure but the legendary inside. Decorating the interior, you will find gold, marble, lapis azul, and the amazing malachite columns. The ceilings are dominated by paintings. The huge doors each weigh 10 tons.

Canal boat ride
You will conclude your day with a scenic ride on the River Neva on a canal boat. You will travel down a portion of the river and under many of the stone bridges.

At the end of day 1, you will be returned back to your cruise ship and the guide will meet you again in the morning for your second day of sightseeing.

Day 2

Tsarskoe Selo with Catherine's Palace 
Located in Tsarskoe Selo, or Tsar's Village, you will find grandeur and excess that will rival any to be found in the world. Catherine's Palace was completed in 1756. You will be greeted by it's elaborately decorated blue and white exterior that has over 220lbs (100+ Kgs) of gold but it is what is inside that is truly unbelievable. You will skip the line and avoid the crowds. Beyond the sculptures, paintings, grand ballrooms and more is the Amber Room. It is a complete room made completely of amber panels, gold leaf, crystals, and mirrors. You will have an inside visit to see the grandeur for yourself.

State Hermitage Museum
As one of the oldest and largest museums in the world that dates back to 1764, the Hermitage started as someplace to hold the collection of 255 paintings Catherine the Great purchased from Berlin. It houses over 2 million collections ranging from ancient Egyptian pieces to works of the masters including da Vinci, Michelangelo, Rembrandt, Ruben, Renoir, Cezanne, Manet, Monet, Van Gogh, Matisse, Gaugin, Rodin and more. Note that this excursion does not go into the Diamond Room.

Church on Spilled Blood
One of the most recognized structures known for it's decorated spindles, towers and domes are Church on Spilled Blood. Built on the spot where Emperor Alexander ll was assassinated in 1881, the church is also known as the Resurrection of Christ Church and Church of Our Savior on the Spilled Blood. Built primarily with donated funds, both private and from the royal family, the exterior and interior are decorated with very unique mosaics. You will have a visit inside the interior to see the amazing pieces.

At the end of your day, your private guide and transportation will return you to your St. Petersburg cruise terminal with memories you will surely have for a lifetime. Each day will be approximately 8 hours long. The activities may be switched according to closures.

Closure days for some sights:
Mondays - Hermitage Museum
Tuesdays - Amber room (Catherine Palace)
Wednesdays - St Isaac's Cathedral, Church on Spilled Blood

What is included?

• Professional, licensed driver air-conditioned transportation
• Round trip transportation from your St. Petersburg cruise ship terminal
• 2 day private guided excursion with English speaking and certified shore excursion guide
• "Blanket" Visa for Russia is included for the duration of your St. Petersburg sightseeing shore excursion
  
• See the best sights of St. Petersburg city including Peterhof, hydrofoil ride, Peter and Paul Fortress, St. Isaac's Cathedral, canal boat ride, Catherine's Palace, Amber Room, State Hermitage Museum, and Church of Spilled Blood
• Skip the line tickets into Peterhof Grand Palace and Catherine's Palace
• All entrance fees, admission costs and taxes

Excursion Notes

• We suggest you wear comfortable clothing and walking shoes, sun protection and/or light jacket.
• Please bring your camera (your guide will tell you where photos are not allowed or if there is an additional federal fee).
• Have enough cash (Euros) for shopping or extra food/beverages, gratuity for shore excursion guide and driver (customary is 15%), your passport and special visa which will be emailed to you, and a great sense of adventure.
• The actual order of activities may vary slightly depending on venue closures, traffic, etc.
• Do expect traffic and crowds.
• Shoulders and knees must be covered in all religious venues such as cathedrals.
• Shore Excursioneer will need the passport information from each participant, which will be forwarded to the operator to obtain your visas. We will send you a list of all the information needed. The operator will send us your visas and we will forward them to you. Your visa from the operator and your valid passport must be presented to Russian officials and are required in order to get off the ship in St. Petersburg. Also note, your passport needs to have a minimum of 6 months validity left (does not expire within 6 months of your stop in Russia) and a minimum of 2 blank pages for your Russian entry stamps.
• Other language-speaking guides are available for an extra cost per hour of: Spanish 5.00€, French 5.00€, Italian 5.00€, German 3.00€, Dutch 10.00€, Japanese 18.00€ and Mandarin 20.00€. Please request this service when you place your reservation, payment will be on site on the day of your excursion.
• This excursion is only available for guests staying more than 2 days in St. Petersburg.

Where we meet

For the St. Petersburg Private 2 Day Highlights and Sightseeing Excursion, you will meet outside your St. Petersburg cruise terminal's Passport Booths. All necessary details will be printed on your Electronic Shore Excursion Ticket.

Excursion Restrictions

• This excursion involves a considerable amount of walking and is not allowed for those with mobility issues.
• The streets of St. Petersburg and are not suitable for guests in wheelchairs or families with strollers due to uneven surfaces.

Excursion FAQ

Cancellation

• Your ship arrives into port late and you cannot make it in time to the meeting location (we will verify with the tour operator).
• Your ship skips/misses the port.
• Weather conditions or equipment failure prevents the operator from running the excursion.
• A medical problem prevents you from safely participating in the excursion (we will verify with the excursion operator and the guest may send doctor's note). This applies to individuals only and not the remainder of the group.
  
• Cancellations/deposit refund requests that do not comply with the above may not be subject to refund.
• Refunds may be subject to a service charge fee as determined by the payment processor, please refer to Terms and Conditions for more information.