Exclusive St. Petersburg Two Day Program (Visas Included)

Saw everything I had ever hoped to see in St. Petersburg. Our tour guide provided an amazing amount of information on the history of everywhere we went.

Our 2-day guide was Dimitri. He was a wonderfully, knowledgeable, honest and forthright guide. He speaks excellent English! Dimitri knows the history, the culture and the people. He answered each and every question with directness, with historical references, with enthusiasm and was just quite good. We enjoyed the tour very much. It was the typical (at least we think) St. Petersburg tour stops at Catherine’s palaces, Petersboro palace, all the churches and other stops along the way. I particularly enjoyed the countryside around St. Petersburg on the way to and from Petersboro, as well as the lunch stops both days. All in All this was a 5 star shore excursions for me!

This two day tour is amazing. You get to go inside both Peterof and St. Catherine. I could not find another tour that did this. The price is also great. Well worth the price and way cheaper than the cruise's tour. Very easy, they meet you after you clear customs. Dimitri was our tour guide and was very informative and answered all of our questions about the sites and about Russia. Would highly recommend him and this tour. Our meals were truly Russian lunches. Great experience.

Our guide was the best ever! Personable, FULL of interesting information - History and local observations that made us feel a part of where we were. Could not have had a better guide. Our only complaint was the first day the bus was the last one and were getting concerned (it was our first time ever using a tour other than the ships excursions) we missed them. But the bus was comfortable and again, the guide was THE best!

Ilya was our tour guide for our 2 day tour of St. Petersburg while our RC brilliance of the Seas ship was in port. He was the best guide we have ever had on our journeys. Ilya explained so much history and culture of this beautiful city it was amazing and entertaining. We wish him well is all his future endeavors. Thank you, Karen

My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed our 2 day tour of St Petersburg. We were pleasantly surprised to get such a capable guide as Ilya. He is very personable, speaks fluent English and is a walking encyclopedia of knowledge. We were constantly amazed at the amount of detail he seemed to know regarding art and history of Russia. The only issue with covering so many venues is you don't really have time to really appreciate sites like Peterhof and the Hermitage to their fullest. But far as we are concerned, Ilya was our best tour guide ever .

Excellent guide!

This two day drip into St Petersburg Russia was two days and money well spent. We saw so many places and into so many exhibits that we would never have seen in such a short period of time. we had our same tour guide for both days and we were picked up each morning at our ship and off to a full day of adventure and a wealth of Russian History at the same time. Our tour guide brought to light the history and the beauty of a lovely old city that we could have never done on our own. our guide knew so much and kept us moving and all together in a large group, but made it very personal as it was his city and his country. This was the best two days spent off ship in Russia. We would do again, and not needing an expensive visa was a plus!

BEST tour ever!! Beautiful city, good mix of bus and walking, great guide! Great stops, loved the 3 churches the MOST. Picked great gift shops, allowed us off for a group bus picture too. Lovely city and great people. Needed the 2 days to see it. Could have even been a 3rd day.

The tour was jam packed with many of the most popular sites in St. Petersburg. Our guide was very knowledgeable and we lucked out with the weather. The lunches were different at off the main path local restaurants but enjoyable.

The guide Anatoliy Karpov was very pleasant, knowledgeable and helpful. His English could be a little better and it would be nice to provide a little more history at all the stops. Also, the group should be taken to a better-quality souvenir shop. Make sure to insist to see every stop listed on the itinerary. Sasha the bus driver was amazing! He knows the city very well, avoids traffic jams and knows how to get close to all the stops. This excursion provides an excellent overview of all the most important places to see in St. Petersburg. Well worth it!

Baltic Travel was wonderful and our guide Anatoli was wonderful and funny and very knowledgeable! We got to do things the cruise ship tour didn't get to do and our lunches were better than the other tours also. We compared notes with the other people who took the same tour, different operator. Anatoli made the tour so much more enjoyable with his humor!

St. Petersburg tour was fantastic. We got the opportunity to see all major attractions. I usually like to see things on my own but this would have been impossible given the 2 days I was there. Tour guide was fabulous and very knowledgeable. My family was thoroughly impressed, would definitely recommend! **One word of caution - it takes about an hour to get through Russian Customs when getting off cruise ship. Second day is easy and fast, but first day off ship, customs is very slow.

Excellent tour. On the go from pickup to drop off. Guide was very knowledgeable on all sites. Meals were included and were very good. Give yourself lots of time to clear customs on the first day in port.

I loved this excursion as it's kind of hard not to love St Petersburg, but what made this 2 day adventure even better was our tour guide Katherine. She gave us an insight of how locals live and their traditions. She answered all of our questions and she also got us to the best souvenir stores in town. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this excursion at all.

Excellent guide, good knowledge of the subject, she was very kind and willing to answer questions. Time used to the maximum

The guide did a great job, we saw everything we were to see , the transportation was perfect, and the lunches were good . What more would you want .

Two day program was well planned and the guide was excellent with a clear strong voice. All venues were very crowded, but our small group was well managed by our guide. This tour was a very good value!

We had a marvelous experience with Iliya, our expert guide. The information was endless and his knowledge astounding. We traveled in a large coach bus that was comfortable & roomy. The lunches were good but especially the traditional Russian borscht, delicious! We got to see all the key highlights and we are determined to visit one day again to see more! This tour was worth every single penny!

Took this tour on recommendation and glad we did. There is so much to see and just beautiful art. Our guide was very knowledgeable and thried the best he could to assist the ADA tourist.

This 2 day tour was very full our guide was the best ever. People need to be active as there is a lot of walking but so good especially because Ilya was so good.

Our two day tour with Irina was absolutely fantastic!! From the palaces to the churches to the city tour ... we loved all of our stops and had ample time to tour and shop. Our tour guide spoke English very well and was sooo knowledgeable, patient and kind to all of us. It was a lot of walking and two long days but all of the sites were well worth the exercise. Even our lunches were decent and very satisfying. One word of advice though ... DO NOT WAIT FOR YOUR CRUISE LINE TO ANNOUNCE DISEMBARKMENT... we waited but then proceeded to leave before the official announcement and still waited almost 45 mins to get through passport control at the terminal. There were 6 cruise lines at the terminal and way too many people but fortunately everyone was in the same "boat" and the tour bus waited for us!! So try to leave about one hour before your meeting time if possible especially the first day. But wonderfully packed tour and better priced than the ship's tour package!

The highlight of of our trip was this 2-day tour of beautiful St. Petersburg. The Hermitage, Catherine's Palace, Peterhof, Pushkin, the churches -all great and gold. But what made it special was our guide, Irina. She had a complete knowledge of everything, and added a little humor to the telling., No problems. Everything was on time.

amazing, amazing!!! (2 day tour)

Best tour on our 14 day cruise although most St. Petersburg venues were extremely crowded with large tour groups (eg. 35-45 people). However, this is a small group tour and our guide managed to skillfully bypass the long entry queues. First day our group was 10 people (8 from different ship doing tour in reverse). Second day just two of us and delightful guide, Christina. Hermitage Museum was somewhat disappointing because of large tour groups all trying to see same small section of notable exhibits (mostly paintings). Christina was extremely knowledgeable about all venues/associated history and offered us honest insights into contemporary life in St. Petersburg. Highly recommend.

Our tour guide, Christine, was excellent. She was so knowledgeable about every where we went, whether palaces, churches, or museum. Her patience was appreciated with those with difficulty keeping up due to disabilities. She answered questions quickly and was honest if she was unaware of something. I loved the fact her English was so understandable. Meals were spot on and very good.

A most excellent tour!! Ilya was a great tour guide talking and engaging with us for 2 long days. He was great with sharing information and was very open in answering any questions someone had. Having a small group is highly recommended!!

The price seemed high, but we received our money's worth. Our visas were purchased for us. We rode in a comfortable bus with a careful, courteous driver, and a knowledgeable, interesting, and understandable tour guide. Besides the bus ride around St. Petersburg, we were taken to two suburbs. In those locations we saw two palaces that we would not have wanted to miss. Our guide allowed us to roam the outsides of buildings while she stood in the line to enter. Then, she called us to her through our headphones of the FM system she provided for the entire 2 days. While on the bus, she told us about what we would see, then, at the sites, she spoke through the system to tell us what we were seeing. We had two modest pre-paid lunches, and we did not spend much time away from site-seeing. We saw all of the sites listed on the program and more! The tour took us to two different souvenir shops with a wide variety of products and prices. We could not have asked for a better tour.

The logistics and our guide for this tour were some of the best ever experienced with any tour company. Bus was comfortable and always parked nearby the sights; guide was locally raised and educated, so her knowledge and perspective was tremendous. We saw an incredible amount of sights in two active days.

My family enjoyed this two day tour. The tour guide is very knowledgable and has a great sense of humor. The tour is well-organized and it allows you to see the best of St. Petersburg in a short period of time. Two recommended improvements are: 1. Too much time was allocated at the souvenir shops. Personally I would prefer to visit places where the local people shop. 2. Lunches were served in remote 'restaurants' outside the city. We could have simple sandwiches in the city instead.

We were so glad that we chose Shore Excursions. So well organized and what an excellent tour guide! He was amazing. A pleasant, very knowledgeable young man. The sites we saw were amazing. We had enough time at each location, not rushed. Plenty of time to see everything. Our only disappointments were the lunch stops at the two locations and the fact that we did not see any Impressionists paintings at the Hermitage. Really disappointed about the latter.

group was a nice size. Tour guide knew her stuff but she was a little hard to understand. Good experience

A very good tour for the time we had. We feel as if we saw as much as could be seen in the time we had. It took 3 hours going through customs so the tour guid added that time to the evening so we got it all in. If there is a complaint it is that there was almost too much, too many places and too much information for the time we had.

Dear Shore Excursions Group! The “Exclusive St. Petersburg two day program” was magnificent! Very well organized and with the most dedicated and serviceminded guide possible. She was extremely knowing about history, art history and culture in general.

Katarina was terrific. She gave us a preview of the day- attractions, food, bathroom, shopping… She shared lots of interesting information and was funny. We had some time to explore on our own and the rendezvous was obvious. Her english was easy to understand and she clearly enjoys her job. Highly recommend this tour.

the tour was everything and more as stated. we had a very knowledgeable guide a very one of the better shore excursions we have taken. I would highly recommend this Excursion.

Very good trip, guide was informative and flexible. Lunch poor second day. There was a lot to see and not much time but made us feel like we needed to come back for more.

This was excellent. Our tour guide was Ilya and he was extremely knowledgable of all the sites on this very inclusive tour. Our group was only 14 people, so we had ample access to all the sites (Ilya timed it so we avoided the large tour groups) and plenty of time to discuss things with Ilya. It's a very full agenda, and Ilya did a great job previewing what we were doing so we understood the sights and history of the facilities we visited. Ilya was excellent at explaining the family relationships in context with the palaces. There was so much to see that it was still difficult to keep Pushkin, Peterhof, Peter/Paul and Hermitage collections straight. We had the usual lost tour member(s), and Ilya was great at tracking them down and getting them back with the group. He was also very sensitive to time and made sure we were back to the ship when promised. All in all, we highly recommend this excursion - it's a lot to do in two days, but worth the effort!

The tour was on time and the guide was very easy to understand. Showed us all the highlights. Food was nice. Without hesitation better than being on the tour with the cruise, it was only 12 of us vs 35 or more from the ship.

My wife and I found this to be a very interesting and worthwhile two day tour with our group consisting of 15 people, a tour guide and driver. It was a very busy two days taking in and visiting the many historical sights and attractions of St. Petersburg and its surrounding countryside. Our guide Ilya, a young man, was exceedingly knowledgeable and informative that we came away from this tour feeling fully appreciative and satisfied in what we had seen and learnt. In fact it was very eye opening. We would certainly recommend this two day tour. Dick and Mary Hawkshaw Canada

Fantastic tour with a very knowledgeable guide. The palaces and churches are fantastic and a must see when visiting this region. The included lunches were below average but we very much enjoyed the stops.

Our guide was Ilya, and he was excellent!!! Please contract with him if you want us to have a top-notch tour. He even gave us a very brief tour of two artistically-decorated subway stations. This man knows his history and city, and even more importantly, has the language skills to convey that information to us. He is a priceless gem!!!

We booked the two day but it was too much for us so we only could do 1 day. What we did see was wonderful. The gal that gave the tour was a slave driver but to get everything in, she had to be. The younger and healthier did fine but I'm sure all were tired. She didn't just give us our scheduled stops but pointed out things all along the way. She gave a good tour. Thanks

Excellent tour; would highly recommend. The visits to the palaces, Hermitage and assorted churches were what we had in mind when we booked this tour. Our guide Irina is very knowledgeable about the sites we visited and spoke English in a clear and concise tone. Pictures do not do the places we visited justice. You have to see it in person. Nice new bus, plenty of stops for breaks but lots of walking, mostly on flat ground. And, lots of crowds but it is tourist season.

We took this tour and found it to be the highlight of our trip. Our guide was truly knowledgeable and passionate about the history, culture and art of the city. The museums with collections of priceless art and absolutely stunning riches of the palaces was amazing. She kept our interest for 2 days. If you want to see the best of St. Petersburg, this is the tour for you.

Excellent guide and driver. Van was a little old and could have used a step stool to assist elderly travelers up to and off van. Also guide could have asked if travelers had any preferences as to parts of Hermitage to visit. We wanted to see the "Impressionists" collection but there was no time allowed.

Our guide Ilia was most passionate and informative about every aspect of Russia cultural history and contemporary life in Russia. A very impressive tour with him. We would highly recommend Ilia.

We took the Shore Excursions two day St. Petersburg tour at the end of May 2017. This tour was amazing. We had an excellent guide, Irina, who was very knowledgeable and provided us with valuable information including Russian history. She took us to Peterhof, Catherine's Palace , the Hermitage and three catherals; St Issacs, St. Peter and Pauls, and the unbelievable Spilled Blood. THis was alot to see in two days, but she covered the most important aspects. In fact, I commented to her that after spending a half-day in the Hermitage we saw more with her guidence than if we would seen if we spent two full days on our own. I would highly recommend this tour to all. The only small glitch was the initiall meeting. We were told the guide would be meeting us inside the port facility and she was outside. It was aminor delay, but we were relucatant toexit as you were not allowed back in once exiting. Second day was no problem.

The tour guides are excellent, professional and fluent in English. The Hermitage Museum is phenomenal. Unfortunately, it is very crowded and, for seniors, this will be a challenge to walk through for 3+ hours. I hope the tour guide would give some free time to walk around. We wish we can stay in St. Petersburg for few days.

We really enjoyed the two day program in St. Petersburg. The program was very well organized and included all major "must see" sites. The guide was excellent, spoke very good English, and had boundless energy. The driver managed to get us safely around, which was a major accomplishment as the first day of our visit fell on a major holiday.

Tour was well organized and for the most part ran on schedule. Was expecting a smaller bus/van but we were on a full size coach. Our driver, Boris, was amazing! He was able to maneuver the bus easily in tight downtown streets and heavy traffic. Our guide, Ilya, was very knowledgeable and provided excellent commentary during the entire tour. My only negative comment would be that there were several guests in the tour that should have adhered to the physical limitations restrictions on this excursion. Our progress was constantly impeded due to waiting on these individuals. Our tour guide was gracious, but seemed frustrated with this at times too. Will probably book a private tour for our group of 12 next time.

The two day Shore Excursions in St. Petersburg was one of the best Excursions we have taken from Shore Excursions Group. The guide, Ilya, was especially superb and provided the best tour and all the information needed. Ilya also spent necessary time where it was necessary to appreciate St. Petersburg highlights. Thanks, and we will continue to use Shore Excursions Group for all our needs.

First class tour. Good guide. Gives you your money's worth and then some

Guide was very thorough, knowledgeable, and had impeccable English. Enjoyed our visits to the Hermitage (despite being obnoxiously overcrowded), Peterhof Palace, etc. Would give this excursion 5 stars except we were disappointed in having too many people on the tour. We like smaller groups of 15 or less. Would love to have seen a better quality souvenir shop, but that is a minor complaint.

Built on a swamp, this magnificent city is not only a Russia's face to the West (as Peter the Great intended), but cultural capital with well preserved palaces, churches, monuments - a place that every person should visit and appreciate. As a recomendation - try to read and learn more about the history and art of the country, so you can appreciate to a greater extend your limited time there! Enjoy!

This was a terrific tour and a great way to really experience this amazing city. Our tour guide was fantastic - very knowledgeable and experienced. Because there is so much to see, it did feel rushed at times, especially at the Hermitage museum, which was at the end of the second day. It could be a bit tiring for some too, but the ease of travel, meals included, stops for shopping, and not having to worry about Visas was a relief. I would definitely recommend this tour for a good overall way to experience St Petersburg.

Well worth the price. The museums and palaces and cathedrals were spectacular. Would go back

Our tour guide Gregory was the most knowledgeable and pleasant tour guide one could hope for. Gregory brought a beautiful city to life for us. Thank you Gregory!

Overall it was a very good excursion, mainly because St Petersburg is such an impressive and majestic city. The guide was friendly and personable. My only criticism is that on some long periods of time, perhaps when traveling to one of the castles, she could have talked to us more about the history of Russia, St Petersburg, different rulers of Russia, the culture of the Russian people, and so on. She did brief and very good introductions to those issues but I would have relished even more information. The only other criticism I have is that the food was not very good. The first day was worst than the second one. Nevertheless, overall, the guide was good and so was the tour. The city is even more than magnificent.

We spent two tremendous days in St. Petersburg, Russia under the incredible guidance of Irene. We saw all of the important and beautiful sights but that was only part of the success of this adventure. Irene was, without doubt, one of the most well informed individuals we have ever met. She spoke continuously for the whole 20 odd hours and everything she said was interesting and informative. We left with the sense that we knew everything about the history and current state of the beautiful city of St. Petersburg. A nice lunch was provide on both days and we did have some time for individual exploration around the palaces and churches that were the highlights of the tour. All in all, we would highly recommend that tour. You could not see St. Petersburg on your own (as you could in several of the other cities we visited). The tour was reasonably priced; the group size was just right; and Irene gets an A++ for being the best guide one could imagine.

We had an extraordinary experience with this program. We were a little bit afraid because it wasn¥t a program from the ship but it works as well as the cruise¥s programs and may be better. In this place it is a MUST to take this kind of tours because the common russian people DOES NOT SPEAK ENGLISH so nothing can you learn or hear in this wonderful place, plenty of history. Wee took the 2 days programe and starts 08.30 am and finished at 6.00 pm That is enough because you stay exhausted at the end. Others took another night tour and many missed because they were tired.

We must admit after getting through the stoic customs individual, it was such a pleasant surprise to have such a down to earth, informative, patient individual for a tour guide. He made our Russia experience, one to be remembered, for some time. Job well done, for my family, by your company.

Excellent 2 day tour of St Petersburg! Our guide was extremely knowledgable. Her command of English language was flawless-very pleasant and kept our group moving at a very pleasant pace. I don't know just how she pulled it off but our small group of maybe 30 was always front and center at all sights--not so with the ship's large group. By far the best tour we have ever taken!

The absolute highlight of our entire Baltic cruise was our guide Ilya in St. Petersburg!

Our tour ran into problems due to weather and the ship was not able to dock on the first of the two days. The tour group could not have been more accommodating: they politely fielded our phone calls from the ship and rearranged the second day's itinerary to compensate for the lost day. We could not see everything in one day, but we didn't miss as much as I had feared we would. And, in keeping with their guarantee, the Shore Excursions Group gave us a full refund for the missed day. Our guide was excellent as well. Kudos to ShoreX!

Our guide for 2 days Ilanyi [I know I misspelled his name] was wonderful and very knowledgeable of every sight we were shown. He made our experience enjoyable while being through but not in the least bit boring and long. He attended to our every need and fully without hesitation answered our every question. What a pleasure it was to have him guide us on a magical tour one one of the greatest cities in the world. He always found a way for us to get to the front of the line with little fanfare. My husband and I would highly recommend your tour company not only for showing us all the sights but for the pricing attached to the tour. The number of people on the tour was great[6] I know there could have been more but with our guide it would have fine. Thank You for making our two days in St Petersburg, Russia special.

The destination is one of few dream destinations of a lifetime. The Hermitage/Winter Palace, Peterhof, Catherine Palace, Peter and Paul Fortress, and the colorful Church of the Savior of Spilled Blood are amongst the best monuments of civilization. The city and people however show the strains of low living conditions, public underfunding and a poor economy. The pace of the tour is somewhat hectic. Lunches, included in the two days tour were fine but not above average and did not really taste ´localª.

I would re book with out hesitation. Great Guide that was very knowledgeable. NO issues at all using this group for the tour. Group size was small only 30. We had a full size bus with plenty of room to relax. The historical sites and tour exceeded my expectations.

The excursion was excellent! The guide was outstanding. She was knowledgeable and very professional. We were pleased with this great experience. Thank You!

We really enjoyed our tours. The tour guide, Irina, was fantastic and really shared about what it was and is like to live in Russia. The itinerary was great and everything went smoothly. This was our first time using a tour that wasn't from the cruise line -- and it is definitely the way to go.

The tour guide is very knowledgeable, personable and very informative. Too much to see and not enough time to do it. Need to come back in the future to see more.

My family and I joined this 2 day tour and enjoyed it immensely. My 3 daughters learned a lot from our tour guide Irina who made sure we got the most of the cultural history of the great Romanov family. The only down side was that though we went to two different restaurants on different days, the entree' of chicken stroganoff with rice was the same.

Catherine, was humorous warm and exceptional.

Was very informative. The guide was very good.

The tour was extensive and informative. Catherine, tour guide, was excellent. I would have like to see more of St. Petersburg.

Everything was great, including our tour guide! Lines were long everywhere!

Very thorough, very informative and all around excellent except for meal which was nothing special.

The guide on our two day St. Petersburg program was excellent--funny, knowledgable, and accessible. We saw so much of St. Petersburg and want to return, however, never in July and on days when five cruise ships are docked there!

One of the reasons we selected this cruise was we had St. Petersburg/Russia on our bucket list. This tour did not disappoint. It was awesome! Our tour guide Ilia was amazing. His knowledge of each Museum we were in and every palace we visited, was staggering. We saw a totally different Russia than what we see and hear in the news. We have talk up this tour to everyone we know.

We had two guides with us due to the larges size of our group. However, they were both very good and worked well together. They were informative and covered all sites listed on the tour over the two days. First bus was not very good (lacked adequate air conditioning) and we were given another bus on the second day. Lunch provided on both days were exactly alike and not very good. The difference was salad served with entree on the first day and soup on the second. The chicken was floating in a gravy that looked like Campbell mushroom soup. Same entree on both days! We were all surprised! Large crowds everywhere and we were rushed through the sites. Perhaps appointment tours should be considered as in other countries. It was great that we were given ear phones as guides used microphones so we heard everything. All in all interesting tour.

Although we started off a bit strangely, with Irina knowing she had two people to pick up from Holland America, she had the wrong names. However, in her usual light airy way, we went on from there to have a wonderful time in St. Petersburg. The weather was hot and wet, but better than she gave us reason to expect. In fact, her downplaying of our expectations was the main reason it came as such a surprising pleasure. I would go on any tour with her and now with Shore Excursions Group, too.

Elia our guide was very good ,dedicated and knowledgeable the met us at the cruise terminal and for two days took us to all attractions mentioned in the busybprogram answered our questions and responded to our needs we enjoyed very much

Elia our dedicated well informed well knowledgeable guide met us at the terminal and took us to all the attractions mentioned in the program explaining,answering our questions and responding to our needs we benefited and enjoyed a lot

Very good tour. Our guide, Ilya, was very knowledgeable about history and art. Our first day tour started late because one of the pre-paid coupes never showed up. Ilya still got the whole itinerary in by extending the tour, only after determining that no one in the group had any evening tour planned. We had to wait in long lines at nearly every site, which could have been very bad if the weather had been nasty, but we had good weather.

EXCELLENT, OUTSTANDING. Our tour guide talked continually for two days straight, WOW what a wealth of knowledge. Our tour started two hours late day 1 due to no-shows but he made sure we got our full time in and we saw everything we were supposed to see and do. I would have given anything to spend a week with this guy listening to him and touring St Petersburg.

I can't stress enough how thankful we are to have booked this excursion. I'm sure there a a lot of very good guides, but none like Ilya. He was fantastic, funny and insightful, truly gave us the insiders version of local affairs. If we could go back, we would want no one other than Ilya to guide us. Sights and history are amazing. Not sure about the negative food reviews on here, we thought the food was great.

Our guide and bus driver were the best we had such a great time with them

We did this excursion as part of a 14-day cruise on Celebrity. We used Celebrity excursions except for this one - and what a great choice it turned out to be. Rather than a group of 40 or more in a city where there are tons of tour groups, we had a group of 18. This made moving around some of the extremely crowded venues much easier - and a lot less time trying to keep the group together. Our guide, Anatoly, was very knowledgable and knew how to make adjustments at different attractions so that we could see more. St. Petersburg is very crowded - long drives to some of the attractions. But worth the time.

Tours were punctual on both days. Our guide Irena was extremely knowledgeable and very pleasant. We accomplished two full days of tours being relaxed at all times yet feeling that we had seen much of the locations on the tour. We would highly recommend this particular tour to anyone else interested in seeing St.Petersburg.

Excursion was wonderful. Learned a lot. Saw all of the highlights but needed more time seeing the art at the Hermitage.

Great tour

So Much to see

Tour occurred during celebrations of 70th anniversary of Russian VE Day - articulation of events occurring en route to tour venues would have added a great deal to the overall two day tour. Guide lacked good judgement when moving the tour group through holiday crowds - lost two people resulting in 1/2 hour delay - only luck prevented it from being longer. Audio systems used during palace tours was excellent - explanations of tour venues was above average.

Nadia, our guide was very informative. Small group(about 15) was ideal & paid less than the huge 30+ tour groups to see the same sights. The so called ""Russian lunch"" was a farce. Only thing Russian was the borscht. We were herded in with several large tour groups & sat so close together that it was hard to lift your arms. Very disappointing. 2nd day was a little better in that we dined right at Peterhof without the other tour groups but the meal was identical to the 1st day's (but without the borscht) I am of Russian heritage &, believe me, none of the 2 meals we had were Russian in nature.

We were so happy with this tour and our tour guide who definitely made this 2 day excursion so wonderful and memorable. She was the best, so professional, knowledgeable, and so well organized. Communication was excellent, radio headsets were awesome, very clear and you were able to walk around a huge room and look at everything without being glued to the tour guide and worrying about losing her. We saw so much in the span of 2 days and also learned so much from our tour guide. I can't say enough about her and I thank her so much. Only con was that our meal was about the same both days and it would have been nice to have some variety.

The guides were on the pier, the buses were present & on time. The selection of sites to see in St Petersburg was great. Especially going inside the Church of the Spilled Blood, a must see, that many tour groups just drive by the outside of. Utta, our guide spoke excellent English and knew her stuff. Individual headphones for everyone, so you did not have to cluster around the guide to hear. We spent just the right amount of time at each site. Prior to leaving the USA, the instructions from the company were specific on bringing copies of our shore excursion tickets and passports for each guest (Russian immigration was very picky). We had a bus load, 30 people, the trip was well run. We will use SEG again

tour guide Yuetta was very good.She worked very hard to provide information on all the musuems and answered all our questions.The tour at the Hermitage is pretty tiring because of the large number of people visiting the muesuem. I felt that we got more for for our money than by purchasing tour on the ship.

Again, we were a small group. Our guide was fantastic. Very informative, friendly and having 2 sunny days in St. Petersburg made it possible to see everything so differently to our experience last year. (that tour was not with Shore Excursions) You are still No. 1 reliable, reasonable prices and your guides are 1st class. Keep up the good work.

Guide, ride, and sights were a once in a lifetime experience

Experienced and knowledgeable tour guide worked very hard at providing us an excellent, quality tour. She provided educationally in-depth information and insight into the culture and history behind the artifacts. She was able to get us into the sites on the itinerary quickly. We saw the interiors of all our sites which was a huge plus. When we did wait, there were musicians who provided entertainment for us. She also took us to one very good shop with a variety of Russian souvenirs which provided a receipt in dollars, Euros, and roubles, making it quite easily understandable to pay. The driver was also top notch. He was amiable and efficient in getting us to our destinations. When the tour finished back at the cruise port, there were port shops that unfortunately cheated people out of their change, e.g. giving 10 (cent) coins instead of 10 rouble notes. One duty free shop promised if we bought their postage, they would mail our postcards for us. They have yet to be delivered weeks after we returned home. But all in all, the tour itself was memorable and St. Petersburg was well worth the visit with its amazing architecture, culture, and history.

The guide was unbelievably knowledgeable about all aspects of the city and its history She kept us moving at a rapid pace through many palaces, museums, and churches The lunches provided were a pleasand surprise - tasty food and a variety of courses

Great to see all St Petersburg has to offer but a lot of stamina is required because a lot is packed in to the two days.

A GREAT VISIT FOR AN ART LOVER. OUR GUIDE ELENA WAS KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT ART & HISTORY. WE FOUND HER INDIFFERENT THOUGH. A FRIENDLIER ATTITUDE ON HER PART WOULD HAVE GONE A LONG WAY. LUNCH OFFERED ON BOTH DAYS WAS QUITE GOOD.

St Petersburg is a must see. The palaces were beautiful beyond description. The art at the Hermitage was well worth the crowds.

Better price than cruise line! And also better coments

We are experienced travellers.We have had some bad experiences with cruiseship excursions so we sought an alternative for our planned visit to St Petersburg a long anticipated once in a lifetime experience.Our choice of Shoreline excursions intensive 2 day tour as an alternative was a good one. We were toured in a new Mercedes 12 person air-conditioned minibus.We had wonderful unseasonably warm weather so appreciated the air.Our Guide and driver were excellent.They were always on tme ;pleasant and helpful.Our guide was an intelligent well educated articulate and informative women ( Nadia)who spoke English fluently;really knew her subject matter and had style and flair in her presentation as well as giving useful advice. The itinerary was very intensive not recommended for the inferm or handicapped.We saw all the major sites in a sensible(early entries to avoid crowds)and organized fashion. We wholeheartedly recommend this tour; pricey but worth it!!

There is no way that a person, on their own, could pack this much sightseeing into two days. Maria was very knowledgeable and a great tour leader. She obviously reads and studies these subjects, as well as being very experienced. The first day meal was not memorable. We didn't take the tour for the food but it would be nice to have a more memorable meal as long as we have to eat! We saw and learned a lot and I can recommend this tour and this guide highly.

These are must see sites that beg for an organized excursion with someone who knows what you're looking at. It's a mad pace but well worth it. Maria, our guide, really came through when we did this tour in May, 2014 and then some. We hope she gets to see this as she lost out on well deserved tips when she would offer unsolicited commentary on President Putin's work toward bringing back the old Russian glory days of the Soviet Union. These may be her honest opinions but should have been left as private answers to customer's questions rather than a lecture on the bus.

My husband and I took this trip July 13, 2012. The tour was spectacular and very well organized. The best thing about this tour is, due to the small size of the group, you did not have to wait in the long lines. We went to the front of the lines every where we went. The lines were very long and this was a real bonus. The lunch was very good. I would recommend this tour to anyone going to St. Petersburg.

This tour was the highlight of a cruise planned to encourage our grand daughter to realize there was more too the world than southern California. We saw history, other cultures and met people of various nationalities and origins. St. Petersburg, it's beautiful churches, Katherine's palaces and the Hermitage were amazing.

Very educational...2 days are not enough to explore St Petersburg, I will do it again.

Best part was the small group, but also the very experienced tour guide. Everything was very professionall done.

The group was small, the guide was extremely knowledgeable. We kept moving on schedule, saw the most important highlights could not have done much better. Only negative was the lunches were just average but maybe that's how the Russians eat every day.

Shore Excursions tour was better than the ones from the ship's options due to a super local guide - Irena - she is an English teacher but so knowledgeable and interesting - we were all sorry to say goodbye

Our guide, Maria, was well organized and knowledgable. She went above and beyond by adding an attraction to our itinerary to accommodate the large majority of our group. The tour was a excellent experience

It was a well-organized tour. Our tour guide was very friendly and knowledgeable to our questions. Time was divided wisely to spend in each attraction. St. Petersburg is indeed a beautiful city.

Tour guide was aware of ship's schedule and kept to time constraints so the rest of us could enjoy the day. Tour guide's historical knowledge made the tour extremely enjoyable.

Perhaps a recommendation to bring portable battery operated fans along...

An exceptianaly organized and knowlagable guide took us on a fast pased but highly enjoyable tour of St. Petersburg. For the short amount of time we had, two days, I think we got an amazing view of the city & the wonders it holds.

We had a very intelligent guide who provided us with a lot of historical and artistic info/knowledge. The sites we visited were amazing. Unfortunately, the choice of restaurants and food was less successful...

Irina, our guide, was very good. Her English was not very accomplished, but her attitude and honesty were. Food was a little disappointing, but we were not really on this tour for food. St. Petersburg is unbelievable! Kudos to Russia for preserving this extravagent piece of history. Kudos to your company for efficiently exposing us to it. I loved having a small group.

Our guide was young, energetic, experienced, knowledgeable, and, at times, amazing. She was able to work around any negatives about the weather, the crowds, the lines, you name it. We saw an amazing amount in the 2 days, due to her expertise. I would recommend this excursion without hesitation--especially when I saw and heard about the ship-coordinated alternatives which involved long lines, long waits, huge groups, herding from room to room through the sites. Our guide knew the Hermitage like the back of her hand. If there were crowds in one area, she would reroute our group to where there were none--still getting back to the crowded areas at a better time.

Really enjoyed the smaller size group. It was much easier to move through museums with the small group. Our tour guide was fabulous. The driver was also great!

Our guide was well educated, and responsive to our questions and needs.

Very organized trip. Well trained guide. Skilled driver. Excellent itinerary. Excellent value.

On the second day we were taken to a restaurant for lunch. Wine was served as part of the lunch so when the waitresses came around to take orders for beer, I think many people thought it was included as the wine had been. When it came time to pay for the beers that people had ordered, some didn't have money to pay. The fact that it was NOT included as part of the lunch should have been made clear as it had been at the restaurant we had lunch at on the previous day. That was, however, the only small glitch in a very good tour.

This tour included EVERY venue in St. Petersburg. We were really impressed!

The guide was well informed and spoke great English. The museums & palaces info were great but more local info would have been nice. She skipped general info about the people & city.

This was a wonderful way to see so much of a beautiful city! Our group was around 20 people, many of us ""bundled"" this tour with other ports (I added Tallin) and that just added to our savings. Our guide was so informative and knowledgeable (over 20 yrs experience), we learned not only about the Romanoffs, but she also could elaborate on the changes in Russia since 1990 (just another advantage of smaller groups- all questions can be answered!) This tour covered everything you'd want over the 2 days.. palaces, cathedrals, city & countryside. We never felt rushed or over-extended either.

Tour guide and bus driver were absolutely the best!! Tour guide had Masters in Art History, and shared a wealth of knowledge. We always felt safe with the negotions of the bus, with our great driver. We would recommend visiting just one palace, and replacing one with an alternate site.

The tour guide was excellent,very knoweledgeable, informed and experienced. She kept us altogether and was very patient and kind.

We could not have had a better guide...she was so knowledgeable and pleasant...we saw everything and learned so much history about an incredible city! All agreed this was the BEST tour...and we had no trouble leaving ship or clearing customs!

We got to see the most important places in St. Petersburg.

Overall, great tour and incredibly comprehensive. At the end of the second day, we definitely felt that we had seen the highlights of what there was to see in the area of St. Petersburg. Additionally, loved the fact that there were only 25 people on our tour bus. The smaller group size was a huge plus. This tour has a very aggressive itinerary. If you are looking for a relaxing, laid back tour, pick a different tour. However, if you are looking to maximize your time in Russia to see all you can possibly squeeze into two days, this is the tour for you! The only negative comment we have is that the lunch that was provided on both days was only fair and did not appear to be very Russia and that there was very limited time to shop. There was a huge financial summit in town while we were there so traffic and road closings were an issue but the tour company did the best they could to accommodate the situation and we were still able to see all that we were scheduled to see.

Our group thought this tour was the best of our nine day cruise. We would highly recommend your tour to all who ask.

We saw many beautiful places but we were always rushed to go to the next place. If you have any walking disability you might not want to go on this excursion. The places we visited were very crowded which was not the fault of the excursion company. It was not easy to get in the bus. It had a very high step and no hand rails to help you.

Similar to tour offered by our cruise line, but it was less expensive and offered more sites.

Lived up to expectations

Great guide and driver! Hit all the biggies except for a cruiser Aurora drive-by/photo op. Did see it in the far distance! Lunch in Catherine's Palace was very enjoyable as was the prior day's lunch in an upscale downtown restaurant. Felt safe and secure in a modern motorcoach with 30 others! Due to 306 anniversary celebrations and associated traffic/delays, our guide made sure that we saw what was scheduled even though we didn't get back to the ship until 7:30pm! She went the extra mile!!! :-)

Difficult to go thru customs to enter Russia, but fortunately the tour waited beyond the start time. The VISA included made things a lot easier. The guide spoke excellent English and provided insight into ""life in Russia"" as well as excellent historic knowledge.

This tour package covered all the major sites of St. Petersburg that I wanted to see.

Very good shore excursions.

This tour includes Catherine Palace, Peterhoff Palace, Hermitage, Cathedral on the Spilled Blood. If the tour includes the Canal Tour, that will make it perfect tour.