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2-Day St. Petersburg City and Local Culture Shore Excursion in a Small Group
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2-Day St. Petersburg City and Local Culture Shore Excursion in a Small Group
Richly-detailed mosaics dot the interior of Saint Petersburg's Church of the Savior on Blood.
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2-Day St. Petersburg City and Local Culture Shore Excursion in a Small Group

star-4.5170 Reviews
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Peterhof, Russia
Safety measures
icon2 days  (approx.)
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
iconOffered in: English and 1 more
Safety measures
icon2 days  (approx.)
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
iconOffered in: English and 1 more
Loading available options...
Safety measures
icon2 days  (approx.)
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
iconOffered in: English and 1 more

Overview

Get a comprehensive overview of St. Petersburg on this 2-day shore excursion with a small group. Visit the Russian Imperial palaces, the Peterhof Fountain Park, and the famous Hermitage Museum. Take a canal cruise through the 'Venice of the North' and choose to upgrade your experience with a tour extension featuring visits to the Faberge Museum and some of the city's top nighttime attractions.
  • Experience the best of St. Petersburg on a 2-day shore excursion
  • Avoid the hassles of applying for a visa with this service
  • Upgrade to add activities like a visit to see the famous Faberge eggs
  • A small group ensures a personalized experience
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Lunch
Additional, 3-hour extension after the tour
Bottled water/ Raincoats, if needed
Transport by air-conditioned minivan with 4G high-speed internet
Professional guide and guide radio and headsets for groups of seven or larger
Still photography permits for museums (where applicable)
Guaranteed to skip the lines
Gratuities
Food and drinks, unless specified
Your own expenses like souvenirs, beverages, snacks, etc
St Petersburg Port Terminal or local hotel
Open in Google Maps
Saint Petersburg Port or centrally located hotel
Day 1: St. Petersburg

After pickup from your port, begin with a St. Petersburg orientation. See the major sites and historical attractions with a tour around the city center, and enjoy plenty of photo opportunities; entrance fees are included.

Visit St. Isaac’s Cathedral with its colossal dome, see the Winter Palace, and marvel at the rich decor of the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood. Follow your guide inside the Hermitage Museum, one of the world's most prestigious museums, with more than three million works of art. The tour includes the spectacular state and private rooms, with time to grab lunch at one of the nearby cafes.

Afterward, hop aboard your canal cruise along the picturesque Nevan River.

In the evening, choose to return to your ship or use your extension to see the city after dark. Explore or dine out independently, or sign on for optional evening activities (available for an extra fee), including a visit to the Faberge Museum, a pub crawl, a visit to the ballet, or a guided walking tour.

Day 2: St. Petersburg

After a morning pickup from the port, venture just beyond the city limits to the delightful, small town of Pushkin. Explore Catherine Palace, admiring the stunning facade and palace grounds. Your tour will visit all the major halls and private rooms, and a particular highlight is the Amber Room.

After a break for lunch, take a drive to Peterhof, a seafront palace complex that’s famous for its sprawling gardens and many fountains, built to rival Versailles in France. Peter the Great designed the 300-acre landscape, and you'll stroll through the lower park.

Returning to St. Petersburg, go for a ride on the Metro, an attraction in itself, famous for its baroque design. The tour concludes when you’re dropped off at your cruise ship.
Itinerary
Passenger Port St. Petersburg "Marine Facade"
8:30-9:00 am -Meeting at the port terminal (the exact time depends on the cruise ship docking time) 9:00 am -Meeting in the lobby of centrally located hotel
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Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Admission Ticket Free
City Sightseeing Neva. Canal Cruise
9:00-10:00 am - Take an hour-long cruise on the River Neva and several of the picturesque canals for a view of the city as it was intended, from the water.
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Duration: 1 hour 
Admission Ticket Included
Nevsky Prospekt
10:00-11:20 am Head straight out on a city orientation tour - the most requested destinations in the historic city center.
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Admission Ticket Free
Nikolo-Bogoyavlenskiy Morskoy Sobor
The church which has never been closed in its history even in the Soviet time
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Duration: 10 minutes
Admission Ticket Free
Peter and Paul Cathedral
See the cradle of the city
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Palace Square
The main and one of the most beautiful squares of St Petersburg
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Kazan Cathedral
Kazansky Sobor was modelled after St Peter Cathedral in Rom
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The Building Of The Admiralty
The former ship building factory
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Bronze Horseman, Monument To Peter I
One of the symbols of St Petersburg
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Senate Square
The square wich has witnessed many historical events
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Summer Garden
The oldest part of St Petersburg
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The State Russian Museum, Mikhailovsky Palace
The most mysterious palace of St Petersburg
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Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood
11:20-12:00 am - Guided tour inside and out of the stunning Church on Spilled Blood, one of the most requested iconic sights of St Petersburg
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Duration: 40 minutes
Admission Ticket Included
The State Hermitage Museum
13:00-15:30 pm -Interior tour of the opulent Winter Palace and Hermitage Museum and its best collections in one of the greatest museums in the world
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Duration: 2 hours 
Admission Ticket Included
The State Museum St. Isaac’s Cathedral
15:30-16:10 pm -St. Isaac’s Cathedral - enjoy at the enormous mountain-like edifice of Saint Isaac Cathedral full of local and European marble and semi precious stones
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Duration: 40 minutes
Admission Ticket Included
Faberge Museum
Optional
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Duration: 1 hour 
Admission Ticket Not Included
PORT
17:30 pm -Return to your ship or centrally located hotel
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Duration: 1 hour 
Admission Ticket Included
Accommodation:
  Not Included
Meals:
 Lunch  
PORT
8:00 am -Meeting at the port 8:30 am -Meeting in the lobby of centrally located hotel
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Duration: 15 minutes
Admission Ticket Free
Park And Gardens of Peterhof
8:00-8:30 am - Start the day with a city tour to the South. See the major sites of the palace estates including statues, monuments, rivers and canals, beautiful bridges, cathedrals and palaces, memorial squares and parks. 8:30-9:30 am –Drive to Peterhof 9:30-12:00 am Visit Peterhof Fountain Park – built to rival Versailles in France, Peter the Great helped design the 300 acre park and fountains. Stroll through the lower park, and its 150 fountains.
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Duration: 3 hours 
Admission Ticket Included
Catherine Palace and Park
13:00-14:0 am –Drive to Pushkin 14:00-16:00pm - Visit Catherine Palace and view the stunning palace facade which is 1000 feet long. The tour will visit all of the major halls and private rooms. Enjoy the time in Pushkin in the delightful, small town of Pushkin. Dine (own expense), explore, take photos, shop, or stroll its manicured parks.
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Duration: 3 hours 
Admission Ticket Included
St. Petersburg Metro
16:00 17:30 pm -Drive to St Petersburg and the Metro ride (subway system) – which is an attraction in itself – find out why they are known as the magnificent "Palaces of the People"
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Duration: 30 minutes
Admission Ticket Included
PORT
17:30 pm -Return to your ship or centrally located hotel
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Duration: 10 minutes
Admission Ticket Free
Accommodation:
  Not Included
Meals:
  Not Included
  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • At time of booking, cruise ship passengers must provide the following information: ship name and arrival date
  • Passport name, number, expiration and country is required at time of booking for all participants
  • Refunds will not be issued if tour/activity is missed due to late or non-arrival of cruise ship
  • A maximum of 15 people per booking
  • Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
  • Not suitable for participants with restricted mobility, and walkers or wheelchairs are not permitted
  • This tour is quite intensive and a reasonable amount of walking is involved
  • This tour is only suitable for passengers staying in port for at least two days
  • Please note: This tour is visa-free for cruise passengers only and is not suited to land travelers who will be required to attend to their own visa arrangements
  • In the rare event that a tour does not return before the embarkation time, the group members will be transported directly to the next port of call to rejoin the cruise at no additional cost
  • Three-day advanced booking is required with complete passport details, including date of birth for each member in your party. If you book closer to the time, a Russian visa is required to disembark from your ship.
  • Tour is a guaranteed departure; no minimum booking numbers are required
  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • Stroller accessible
  • Near public transportation
  • Infant seats available
  • Not recommended for travelers with back problems
  • Not recommended for pregnant travelers
  • No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
  • Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers
  • OPERATED BY Tickets and Tours
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
  • For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
  • If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
  • Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
  • Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

Learn more about cancellations.

The answers provided below are based on answers previously given by the tour provider to customers’ questions.
Q:
What is the policy on sanitization during 2-Day St. Petersburg City and Local Culture Shore Excursion in a Small Group?
A:The policies on sanitization are:

  • Hand sanitizer available to travelers and staff
  • Regularly sanitized high-traffic areas
  • Gear/equipment sanitized between use
  • Transportation vehicles regularly sanitized
See all safety measures taken by 2-Day St. Petersburg City and Local Culture Shore Excursion in a Small Group.
Q:
What is the social distancing policy during 2-Day St. Petersburg City and Local Culture Shore Excursion in a Small Group?
A:The policy on social distancing is:

  • Contactless payments for gratuities and add-ons
See all safety measures taken by 2-Day St. Petersburg City and Local Culture Shore Excursion in a Small Group.
Q:
What measures are being taken to ensure staff health & safety during 2-Day St. Petersburg City and Local Culture Shore Excursion in a Small Group?
A:The policies on staff health & safety are:

  • Guides required to regularly wash hands
  • Regular temperature checks for staff
  • Paid stay-at-home policy for staff with symptoms
See all safety measures taken by 2-Day St. Petersburg City and Local Culture Shore Excursion in a Small Group.

Traveler Photos

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Traveler Tips

  • "It would be helpful to develop a 10-page need-to-know summary of Russian cultural and political history that would serve as a basic knowledge base for people on this tour and probably others as well." See review

Reviews

4.5
star-4.5
170 Reviews
5 stars
141
4 stars
18
3 stars
8
2 stars
2
1 star
1

Reviews by Viator travelers

Showing 1-10 of 170 reviews
star-5
February visit
TIBORZOLTAN_C
, Feb 2020
We had this tour in the middle of February. The weather conditions are really not comfortable at that time, but we were plentifully compensated with the amasing things we seen. Our guid Olga made a great job. A lot of things we learned from her started with architecture till the russian history. All we saw was a big influence on us. Hermitage, Cathedrals, Cathrins palace... I'm not able to pick only one as best experience. You must see !
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icon Response from Host , Nov 2020
Dear gues! Thank you for your review It was a pleasure to work with you.Olga joins me and sends you best wishes!
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star-5
2 Days in wonderful magic St. Petersburg
Kate_L
, Nov 2019
I honestly do not know how to explain how wonderful it was to do our tour with Ludmila. Over the course of planning this trip I realized Ludmila is a very genuine and honest person. The tour was really great, they even helped us plan a visit to see a folklore show the first evening of the St. Petersburg tour and transportation back to the ship. Our guide in St.Petersburg Xenia was the best of all. She went out of her way to make sure we were able to see everything on our itinerary. Even though circumstances on that particular day made other tour companies have to skip Catherine's Place, we did not have to. We also loved that we saw more than our ship tours, and with a smaller group. We did not opt for a private tour, however still felt like our group of 15 people was pretty private compared to the numbers we saw with the ship tour. When we left the ship there was a sign with our last names (along with the names of others on the tour) on it, not a sign with a tour company name that was waiting for lots of people and then were dividing them up in groups. That was a nice personal touch.
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star-5
Don't miss tour!
Paul_W
, Oct 2019
Svetlana and Michael were the best guide and driver you could ask for. They were waiting for us as we left immigration just like we were told. There were 15 people on the comfortable minibus. WiFi and bottled water on board. We saw so much of St Petersburg in our 2 day tour and lunches were great!
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star-5
Great trip
dvarc0e
, Oct 2019
St Petersburg is awesome. Our guide Marsha was very caring and informative. Always jumped the queue. Recommended.
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star-5
St Petersburg
dizzyloo
, Oct 2019
Our tour was wonderful. Tatiana was a beautiful person. We enjoyed her insights and humor. We had about 14 in our group and I thought it was a great size. St Petersburg was amazing and we saw so much in our two days there. When at the beginning of our tour the guide realized that our earbuds weren’t receiving her words she called and was delivered a new one quickly. I would highly recommend this tour.
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star-5
Amazing City and Wonderrful Tour Guide
Jiin W
, Oct 2019
My wife and I both enjoyed this tour immensely. The small group of 14 was ideal. Our beautiful guide Svetlana and skillful driver Andrew were outstanding. Svetlana speaks perfect English and very knowledgeable about the history of St. Petersburg. We enjoyed every minute in this two-day tour.
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star-5
First Class Excursion
Robert_H
, Oct 2019
First class from the moment we stepped on board our mini coach,The guide Svetlana and the driver Andrew were both very informative and helpful at all times. We went for the two day visit with Ludmilla Tours and was very pleased with our guide and the places we visited, We would recommend you to anybody. thank you once again.
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star-5
Amazing City and Amazing Tour Guide
Victoria S
, Oct 2019
Our guide met us as we exited immigration in St. Petersburg, Russia. Beautiful lady with excellent English and an amazing knowledge of her city. We saw so much in two days. St. Petersburg is nothing like most Americans imagine. The Hermitage, Catherine the Great's Palace and Gardens, Russian Orthodox churches are just stunning!
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star-5
2 Day St. Petersburg Local Cultural Small GroupTour
Adventure679286
, Sep 2019
My husband and I both enjoyed this tour immensly. The small group of 14 was ideal and our Guide Svetlana was outstanding. Her English and knowledge of the history of St. Petersburg was excellent, finding the answer for a question if she didn't know it. She had a delightful sense of humour and made the history extremely iteresting and easy to understand. She went out of her way to include the Faberge Museum for those who wanted to visit it right at the end of a very busy day, still smiling and making sure we all had what we needed. She also arranged shopping time for those who wished for it. An amazing 2 days spent enjoying such a beautiful city. I highly recommend this tour but particularly Svetlana.
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star-5
2 Day St Petersburg City and Local Culture Shore Excursion
Traci_G
, Sep 2019
What an amazing excursion! We were able to quickly skip lines, see the highlights and learn so much about this beautiful city. Our guide, Tatiana and our driver, Andre were fabulous! The price was considerably less expensive (by 2/3) than what was offered by the cruise ship and best of all, those who chose the cruise ship excursion to the same city complained about how awful their tour, guide and time spent at each location was. Definitely will use Viator again!
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star-5
Wonderful excursion
Kanchana_D
, Sep 2019
Everything was handled exactly and stated. It was a breeze. The guide and driver were exemplary and we really enjoyed our trip. I would advice this excursion to everyone. Perfect in every way.
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star-5
Great tour
robertbZ5970DN
, Sep 2019
The guide was very professional and knowledgeable. The whisper devices were absolutely necessary so you could hear her commentary. The pace of the tour was good and adequate time was provided to explore on your own and do some shopping
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star-5
St Petersburg small tour
Sharif_N
, Aug 2019
This was a fabulous tour. Our guide was informative with out being boring. The small group made going everywhere easier. St Petersburg was spectacular and this tour gave us a well rounded feel for what the city has to offer.
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star-3
Not satisfied
MariaTeresa_G
, Aug 2019
Did not take me to the amber room in Catherine palace or the mirror room. Did not take us inside Peterhof only the garden. When I asked they said the Chinese had all the tour tickets.We had to pay extra for the 3 hr extension to see the Fabregas eggs
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star-5
St Petersburg 2 day
Rosemary_H
, Aug 2019
Anna was very thorough. She was very knowledgeable and a great person.Only complaint was the restaurant they took us to for lunch-they should be embarrassied by what they served us ,especially the vegetarian folks.But otherwise a good tour
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star-5
Amazing
anitahO125BC
, Aug 2019
Tatianna was an excellent tour guide. There was so much to see and lots of information. She was able to alter her tour to show us the local synagogue
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star-5
Well worth the money !
Julie S
, Aug 2019
This was a fabulous two day excursion. Our guide Eugenia was incredibly knowledgeable and we packed an awful lot into the two days. The palaces and churches were out of this world and I'd highly recommend this trip.
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star-5
An Essential Tour for anyone visiting St Petersburg
david_m
, Aug 2019
This was an outstanding tour. We were collected at the port; the bus was a modern air conditioned Mercedes with free wi-fi. Our guide Svetlana had an encyclopedic knowledge of St P and the tour comprehensively covered all the highlights over 2 full days. Our favorites were the Hernitage, St Isaac’s Cathedral & the Peterhof Gardens which are an hour’s drive outside the city. You couldn’t do a tour of this scale on your own. I recommend it unreservedly.
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star-5
Wonderful St Petersburg
Eric_M
, Aug 2019
We had a wonderful time seeing the beautiful city of St. Petersburg! Our guide & driver were so cheerful & informative, and educated us on much of the history & culture in Russia.
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star-5
Excellent Tour
Jay D
, Aug 2019
Great tour. Elena was very informative. The only thing I wished there was more of was what happened after 1917. Most of the information was based on before that time period but I asked the guide about communism, Putin and the Ukraine.
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Attractions in St Petersburg

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