Some people who have heard about my disappointment at the Hermitage have wondered why we got stuck in that bad situation. Here's more info, which you might keep in mind if you're planning a trip to Russia.
There are two kinds of tourist visas to Russia: a regular visa, which allows you to wander about as you wish, and a 72-hour-tourist visa, available for people who come on cruise ships. The regular visa costs about $160, so tour operators don't want to buy it for a day stop. The cruise ship visa comes with the requirement that people must take the official tour offered by the cruise ship, set up as part of the package when the ship arranges its docking. So you get the tour provided by the official tourist people, visa price included.
Our guide was a former schoolteacher and had good English -- during a longish bus ride he entertained us by reciting poetry in both Russian and English -- and our own tour leader was able to negotiate a few minor changes in the itinerary (we didn't have to stop in the souvenir shop) but we were pretty much stuck with the official plan of two museums, one church inside, one church outside, lunch, and driving around and around St. Petersburg. That didn't leave much time for any one attraction.
Our "church inside" was the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, built over the spot where Tsar Alexander II was assassinated in 1881. The inside surfaces are entirely paved with elaborate mosaics; the outside features an array of colorful onion domes. It was our favorite site of the entire tour and we could easily have spent a lot more time there.
Nice of you to share for future travelers! Your pics look very interesting!
ReplyDeleteLearned a lot this post. I am sure there are other situations not just Russia where there are two rules for travelers.
ReplyDeleteWhen we visited the Hermitage it was practically empty. I think our tour arranged for us to be there first thing in the morning. I was amazed by the open windows all over. No worry about humidity, etc. I took tons of pictures. I agree with you about the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood. It was spectacular!
ReplyDeleteOurs was not a cruise ship tour, but a land tour with Tauck Tours. they do such a good job. I loved the trip---one of my favorites.
As a tour group, we were also allowed in an hour early, before the general admission. That didn't mean any less waiting in line, as there were three huge cruise ships in town that day -- probably totaling 8000 or 9000 passengers -- and all the tours had the same idea.
DeleteI had been considering a River Cruise but now--all those sales booklets go directly into recycling. How many passengers stay onboard and decline tours???
ReplyDeleteI've never done a river cruise but have done several ocean cruises. You don't have to go ashore (we decided to skip the second day of St. Petersburg because it sounded a whole lot like the first day), and in fact shore days are very nice if you stay on the ship. Uncrowded dining rooms, a generally relaxed atmosphere, sometimes fancy food treats.
DeleteOr you can go ashore but not take a ship excursion. We often would just walk around the town, have lunch, drink a beer, take pictures, see what we could see. Some passengers will take a city bus to the end of the line and explore, or take a cab to visit a certain tourist spot. (You couldn't do that in Russia, of course, because of the visa, but in other countries, no problem.)
Good to know! And probably a rushed tour is better than not at all, so there's that.That church is really amazing.
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