Grand Tour di 2 giorni

I visited Russia with a negative, if as it turned out, a somewhat uninformed view of Russia and as a result a low expectation of our Baltic cruise stop in St Petersburg; well, what a surprise that turned out to be, absolutely stunning!
We booked through St Petersburg Guided Tours and was lucky enough to have Valerie (Valaria) organize, reorganize and then lead our small group of 4. She has patience, perfect English, a genius for context and for painting the picture that gives such colour and realism to the visual experience.
St Petersburg is a seriously great experience. I’ve drawn the deep breath at the Pyramids and the Sphinx, the Terracotta Warriors, Angkor Wat and the Forbidden City etc. I can assure you St Petersburg resides in the top three. The Hermitage, Peterhof Fountain Park and Grottos and the Yusupov Palace plus much more just dashed my preconceptions.
Our 2 day private tour for 4 with Valarie turned out to be a steep discount to even the elite class of 16 from the ship.
Strongly recommend both the city and St Petersburg Guided tours.
Sonny

We booked our personalised tour online with Valeria - a very easy process - rather than using the cruise operator tours. Our visas were included. What we got exceeded our expectations - the itinerary was arranged to suit our requirements a car with a driver, a very knowledgeable tour guide who spoke excellent English accompanied us through all the venues we had chosen providing a wonderful and detailed commentary on all we saw. We were made to feel that nothing was to much trouble and have no hesitation in recommending them. They will enhance your trip to the beautiful city of St Petersburg.

Very high recommendation:
We found St. Petersburg Guided Tours online.
They seemed to offer what we wanted. We were first time visitors to St Petersburg and we wanted both flexibility and advice on what to see and in what order.
Our first contact was answered by Valeria. It was obvious that she spoke English very well. All my questions were answered. The price was not cheap but it was reasonable. We didn’t realise all the value included until later.
Our cruise line and our travel agent stressed that we could have a big problem arriving without a visa to do an independent tour. They said you must book the ships tour or you could miss seeing St Petersburg and have to stay on the ship. (completely false)
Valeria assured us that she would arrange a short visit visa under the St Petersburg visa-free arrangements for cruise ship passengers that require us to be with the guide at all times. We sent her our passport information and she arranged everything. We had the email with the tour tickets before we left home.
Valeria did not ask us to pay when we booked. Not even a deposit.
When arrived in St Petersburg, we had no trouble at Passport Control using just our passports & the tour tickets. Our guide was waiting for us and our tour began.
The order that we visited places was arranged to suit both the weather and the number of tourists at that time and not once in two days did we have to wait in the very long queues for visit the Hermitage, Peterhof, Katherines Palace, the Cathedral on the Spilt Blood or anywhere else. She had pre-arranged priority access and we walked past a lot of very long queues. When you have a short time, this is very important.
Our guides’ knowledge was excellent. More detail than we could absorb in two days but an absolutely wonderful experience.
The vehicle that picked the four of us up at the port was a luxurious 8 seater van. Very comfortable and our driver was good. We never had to worry about our bags or our jackets. He stayed with the car at all times.
We were dropped off very close to all points of interest and when we had finished our guided tour, there was our car back waiting for us very near the exit.
Some of the attractions have very specific booked appointment entrance times but our guide managed all of this for us so we arrived at just the right time.
Our guide was very ethical, easy to deal with, very polite and friendly. She made our visit to St Petersburg a complete success. I am very happy that we did not take the very expensive ships excursion and that we chose St. Petersburg Guided Tours

Look for the name Valeria in the reviews to be sure you are looking at the right company.

We had two wonderful days in St. Petersburg. This was our first time for my wife and I to book a private tour and couldn't have been more pleased. We really enjoyed having Nadia as our guide. She met us after coming off the ship as directed. She did a great job and took care of us very well. She was extremely knowledgeable, more than willing to answer our questions and just pleasant to be with. With the sites being so crowded at times it was nice to get what seemed like special VIP service in getting in and around the crowds. We also liked our driver Sergey and though he said he didn't speak English much he surprised us with what he did speak and understand. We would highly recommend St. Petersburg Guided Tours.

We were searching for an alternative to the higher-priced bus tours available from our cruise line, and wow, did we ever pick a winner with St. Petersburg Guided Tours. We were a group of 4 people, and were accommodated brilliantly with a completely private tour - it was just our group and Oleg our guide, and Yuri our driver. While Oleg provided very interesting background, Yuri very adeptly negotiated the traffic and got us everywhere safely and easily. St. Petersburg Guided Tours made all of our arrangements in advance including Visas and tour/attraction tickets, so we never waited in line to see anything on our itinerary, and had no issues with not being able to speak Russian. In fact, all of our advance communications with Valeria were excellent, very professional, and complete. Oleg adjusted our itinerary to make the most of our time, so we never felt rushed. We would highly recommend this company to anyone wanting a great tour of St. Petersburg from friendly people who take pride in sharing their beautiful city, and who will adjust group sizes and schedules for the benefit of the visitors. All in all, it was a personalized and hastle-free tour that was easier on our pocket book too.

We were a party of 4 (one being totally wheelchair bound) on a cruise. No tours available off the boat to suit disabilities so I contacted this company and arranged the trip prior to our visit. Valeria my contact was brilliant and it allowed us to plan the trip to our requirements. On the day our guide and driver met us as arranged with a Mercedes vehicle with tail lift. The tour was amazing and our guide Nadia superb not only extremely knowledgeable but also amazing at clearing a path for the wheelchair. I cant thank this company enough they made something which was impossible possible..

We were on a cruise and booked St Petersburg Guided Tours on our own. We were last minute but they were able to accommodate all our wishes. We customized our own two 1/2 day tours. We had allotted 5 hours each day. They sent us an itinerary that meet our every need. All done through email. They emailed us each a tour pass to get through customs and met us right when we cleared. Paid with a credit card and off we went. It was a 1/3 the cost of the ships tour. It was just our family of four on the tour. We had our own guide and driver in a new Mercedes Tour Van . We were dropped off and picked up at every entrance. They handled all the tickets and we went right to the front of the lines. Some museums even had separate entrances for the tour guide. Very knowledgeable guide and would highly recommend. They kept everything to schedule and even did some extra local knowledge things. We saw the ships tour that had one guide and thirty people. They all had headphones on to hear the guide. I was so grateful that we booked on our own. We were traveling with our two teenage girls and they loved the tours. You can't go wrong with St Petersburg guided tours. I booked because of these reviews so I thought I should leave one myself.

Took this tour while on a two-day cruise ship stop in st petersburg. first the tour offered a combination of stops/experiences that the cruise-based trips just did not include. further, the tour company took care of all the international visitor paperwork to allow us to enter russia without a traditional visa. their staff was waiting for us each morning outside the terminal and since a personal tour we were able to drive places and closer to places that the large buses could not go. Also, at some locations we were able to use "small group" entrances and side doors to skip the general admission and bus tour entrances. Tour guide and driver were both friendly, personable, knowledgeable about the destination and even further customized our tour based on our interests. They also picked our lunch places which were also a treat and let us taste all kinds of local and ethnic foods. We suggest them to all!

Not sure what to expect, but we were very excited to head to Russia, and explore St Petersburg. Looking back, there is no way we would have been able to experience so much (and so much of the good stuff) without our talented, fearless and passionate guide - Valeria.

We were a small group (4) and Valeria and her ever-ready driver had our utmost enjoyment in mind while we were getting the most out of our experience. Usually, I enjoy traveling by myself, or with friends. Tours - not so much. However, I can not recommend Valeria enough to anybody looking to explore the most popular destinations and sites of St Petersburg (wait till you see Valeria handle crowds of people and somehow manage to get you to the front of the line!) and also local markets and restaurants the locals know about as she is both passionate for and native to this remarkable city. Her English is excellent and her Russian accent, "most wonderful".

We were a family of 3 visiting St Petersburg on a Baltic cruise and wanted a tour tailored to what we most wanted to see. I contacted Valeria based on the Trip Advisor reviews and her excellent website.
We exchanged emails over a week or so and Valeria designed a 2 day itinerary that met our requirements. We're not very early risers so wanted the day to start around 9am which she was happy to accommodate. During our 2 day tour, we were shown many beautiful palaces and gardens including Peterhoff with its beautiful fountains and gardens, St Peter and Paul Fortress, The Church of the Saviour of Spilled Blood with its amazing mosaics and St Catherine's Palace with Amber Room. Valeria is passionate about her home city and her enthusiasm and extensive knowledge made such a difference. She was happy to adjust things during the tour for us and I can recommend her service whole heartedly. Such a pleasure to have had 2 days with her.

We were in St. Petersburg for two days last June. We had limited time because we were on a cruise, and also a limited budget. I had contacted Valeria two weeks prior to our trip and she personalized both days to our specific interests and for a great price. The first day she gave us a tour of the City, stopping for pictures and explaining with great detail everything around us. She then took us to the Hermitage Palace, where we found out she has a degree in Art History, so she made us appreciate the important art masterpieces even more. The second day she took us to the Spilled Blood Church and then to the Catherine Palace in Pushkin. Again, she dazzled us with her knowledge and passion for art and history. We didn't have to go through the line in the entrance and even had time to enjoy tea in the park outside the palace. Most important of all, I felt that I was visiting all of this places with a very knowledgeable friend and not a guide.

My family and I recently went on a Baltic cruise and stopped off in STP for two days. We needed a guided tour otherwise we would have had to apply for a visa ourselves. I'm so glad we chose St. Petersburg Guided Tours because they took care of everything for us. They secured us visas and we skipped all the crowds and lines at every crowded tourist spot. We got to customize our private tour and choose different museums and restaurants we were interested in. Valeria was an incredibly knowledgeable and passionate tour guide, we miss her already! I was so incredibly impressed by the city, the sites, the food and everything about this tour and the company.

We arrived to St.Petersburg for 2 days while cruising around the Baltics. We travelled with my family, 6 people together with kids. We decided to have a private tour to feel comfortable, to keep our pace. We had a wonderful 2 day tour with Valeria and her company, which was recommended by our friends. My parents dreamed to visit the Hermitage and children loved Peterhof gardens and its tricky fountains. We skipped all lines and had a wonderful traditional Russian lunch. We enjoyed visa-free option to visit St.Petersburg - Valeria took care of all the formalities - as I think we wouldn't manage to arrange it by ourselves. Thanks again for a wonderful tour. We definitely recommend it!

We worked with Valarie and planned out exactly what we wanted to see in St. Petersburg over the 2 days our ship was docked there. . Our guide had studied with the Hermitage for a month as part of her training. She was a wealth of information to get the most we could out of our 3 hours there. Unbelievable!!! She made sure we got to see everything she could squeeze into those 2 days. What a beautiful city!

We took two day tours with Valeria, one to Peterhof and one to Catherine Palace and Pavlovsk. Valeria, our contact and guide, is extremely knowledgeable about the history, architecture and art work of the sites. Not only were the tours efficiently arranged and excellently conducted, Valeria was happy to provide additional information, such as recommending restaurants and a tour of the best subway stations. She responded immediately to my first email of inquiry and followed through on every question. She clearly loves her city and is enthusiastic about sharing it.