ShoreTrips' Grand Access to St. Petersburg, Russia

Russia is a historically fascinating destination, and St. Petersburg is a convenient port of call to both ocean and river cruise travelers ready to delve in.

Best of all, sailings usually visit for multiple days, and ShoreTrips has the city covered with many tour options for passengers to take advantage of the extended time.

St. Petersburg is naturally and architecturally beautiful. Known as the Venice of the North, its maze of canals and bridges make for a unique landscape punctuated with striking structures, from churches to palaces. Further renowned culturally for its art and ballet, it’s no wonder why Baltic Sea cruises stop for a couple days at a time and river voyages upwards of four days or so.

Ready to make it easy for travelers to decide on excursions, ShoreTrips offers visa-free choices divided primarily by shared and private opportunities. Specific to St. Petersburg, each is available for one, two or three days with the option of either a classic overview or Jewish focus for private tours.

Visa-free means the tour ticket serves as a blanket visa or booking confirmation to pass the customs/immigration offices. (Visas are not necessary for shore excursions if they are reserved through a company officially licensed and authorized by the Russian government to receive foreign cruise passengers and to operate inside St. Petersburg port areas according to Russian Federation law.)

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Pricing starts at just $169 per person for a shared one-day van tour, which lasts 10.5 hours and is available at three departure times. Even for a single day, guided highlights include St. Nicholas Cathedral, Fountain Park, Hermitage Museum and Church of the Spilt Blood, as well as sightseeing of many others while driving by.

Upgrading to three days of shared touring adds St. Peter and Paul Fortress, Yusupov Palace, St. Isaacs’s Cathedral, Grand Palace at Peterhof, Tsars Village, Catherine Palace, General Staff Building and Faberge Museum for a total of 26 hours.

Private tours are similarly planned with the bonus benefit of exclusivity. Pricing is based on group sizes up to eight at $211 to $323 per person for a single day. Nine-person private groups can also be accommodated at a different cost scale.

Jewish private varieties are offered as highlights or immersion tours with the former looking at a mix of sites like The Hermitage and the Great Choral Synagogue with the latter dedicated solely to Judaism.

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Meanwhile, half a dozen shorter add-on excursions are also available above and beyond the bulk tours. These include the means to see an evening folk show, performance of ballet or opera, or to explore the city of St. Petersburg at night. Also available in the evening is a self-guided tour of the Faberge Museum or a visit with a local family in their home. Extending the cruise inland is a boat excursion along the rivers and canals.

No matter what St. Petersburg adventure you choose, ShoreTrips is ready and eager to arrange it.