Enrich your stay in St. Petersburg by arranging these activities. Can be combined with any St. Petersburg tours.
EXTRAS - RIVERS & CANALS TOURS
choose your extras:
Rivers & Canals boat tours
A boat tour of St. Petersburg rivers and canals offer quite a different - and very popular! - way to experience St. Petersburg.
The city of St. Petersburg is situated on over 40 islands with more than 70 rivers and canals running through its territory. In the early years of St. Petersburg the city dwellers were making their way around the city by these waterways, as indeed was planned by the city's founder Peter the Great. The first stone mansions of the Russian nobility appeared along the waterways which still offer a unique glimpse at the history of Russia's naval capital.
St. Petersburg is often called the "Venice of the North," as it is very reminiscent of the city of Venice in Italy and Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Every embankment in St. Petersburg has a unique pattern of the grill-work decorating it. Similarly, every bridge comes with its own grill-work design which is not repeated anywhere else.
Over 340 bridges of St. Petersburg are considered to be among the most beautiful in the world with some lavishly decorated with gold-leaf and others sporting intricate architectural designs.
Private Boat Tour
During this 1-hour long tour you will navigate the waters of the Neva River and the city's other less frequently visited rivers and canals. The tour will take you along the most picturesque embankments and hidden parts of the city that you would never visit if you joined a large commercial boat tour. Sail along Kanal Griboedova, Moika River, Fontanka River, Kryukov Kanal, etc. and see St. Petersburg's eternal beauty which is best appreciated from its waterways.
Our tour guide will accompany you on this tour to provide you with full explanations and entertaining commentary along the way about the buildings and monuments you are passing by, as well as to explain a historical background and present-day life of the visited area.
Prices:
Persons
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
10
12
12+
Max group size
Prices include:
- 1-hour charter of a medium-size semi-covered boat (very important for safety and weather reasons)
- Your own captain and crew
- Services of your personal tour guide
- Vehicle rental & chauffeur hire (to drop you at & collect from river pier)
Larger boats:
Duration:
- 1 hour included (sufficient time for 99% of our guests)
- Longer charter can be arranged if you like
Public Boat Tour
If private boat charter is not practical for your group, we welcome you to join a Public Boat Tour. Although Public Boat Tour does not offer the same level of privacy as the private boat option (max group size is about 50 people), it is still a great way to discover St. Petersburg. Public Boat Tour is conducted on larger boats that will navigate the main waterways of St. Petersburg, including the Fontanka River, the Moika River, and the Neva River.
Please note that Russian-language sightseeing tour will be broadcast on the boat and so this tour is suitable mostly for taking pictures along the way. Your tour guide may attempt to translate some parts of the Russian narrative, however, doing so may interfere with other passengers' enjoyment and your guide may have to stay quiet at certain times. Public boat tours are subject to a minimum group size requirement and so departure times are somewhat unpredictable.
As departures are subject to a minimum group size requirement, it may take a while until a sufficient number of guests have boarded the ship to commence the tour. As a result, the Public Boat Tour option is more suitable for those guests choosing our lower-pace St. Petersburg At Your Leisure tour and may not be practical for those choosing our more active tours.
Prices:
Persons
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
10
12
12+
Max group size
Prices include:
Duration:
- 1 hour included (sufficient time for 99% of our guests)
Truth About Hydrofoil to Peterhof
Why you don't want to do it
If you wish to travel between St. Petersburg and Peterhof by waterway, we can arrange tickets to the Hydrofoil commuter boat.
Before requesting this option, please consider the following:
- Your safety not guaranteed: On several occasions in the past the hydrofoil carrying kids, adult and senior passengers (including foreign guests) ran aground that resulted in significant delays getting back to St. Petersburg. On May 15, 2015, two hydrofoils ran aground on the same day and national guard had to be called in to save people aboard.
- Nothing new to see: The hydrofoil is a commuter boat that goes along the southern shore of the Gulf of Finland and uses exactly the same way your cruise ship will use entering the St. Petersburg Harbour. As a result, you will not see anything new - just the same open waters you will have seen from your cruise ship all along.
If you want to experience St. Petersburg from the waterways please consider going on a Public or a Private Boat Tour instead.
