Reviews › Packed in Loads with A Private Guide & Driver - Would Recommend

Was very dubious before leaving England whether to book an independent private guide in St Petersburg or go on the cruise ships excursions, especially with the Visa situation in Russia. I was travelling with my husband and another couple.

How pleased I was we took the leap of faith. Our Guide Tatiana was so knowledgeable and seem to know the private entrance to get into the Hermitage and other attractions on our itinerary which saved us so much time, by not going with a bus load of people.

We did fit an awful lot into 2 days, which was a bit tiring especially as we opted to go and see Swan Lake at the theatre at night, however as a one off visit, we got to see a lot in a short space of time.

I can highly recommend MaxiBalt Tours and the owner Alexei, who I Skype d before deciding on the final itinerary. His English is perfect and he is very accommodating and professional from start to finish.

From a monetary point of you, we spent less on the tours than if we had gone with the cruise company and had a minibus, guide and driver just for the 4 of us.

This is what we managed to squeeze into our 2 days

DAY 1

9:00 Meet at the Cruise Ship

9:00 - 12:00 City tour with a visit to Peter and Paul Fortress

12:00 - 13:00 Time for lunch

14:00 - 16:00 The guided tour of the The Hermitage Museum

16:30 - 17:30 Canal tour

18:00. Collected at 1900 for Ballet - Swan Lake

DAY 2

9:00 Meet at the Cruise Ship

9:00 - 12:00 Tour of the Catherine's Palace

12:00 - 13:00 Drive to Peterhof