Best tours to take in St. Petersburg, Russia recommended by a local

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Hey guys, in this post, I wanted to share with you the best tours to take in St. Petersburg, Russia recommended by a local – me, who was born and lived in St. Petersburg for 22 years.

You will find different tours for any taste, interest or budget – keep reading to find out, whether to take tours in Saint Petersburg and which tour is an absolute must for anyone visiting the city.

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_message message_box_color=”juicy_pink” icon_fontawesome=”far fa-grin”]If you’re new to this blog, hi, I’m Liza. I was born and raised in beautiful St. Petersburg, Russia and in the last 4 years of blogging, I created over 40 articles about travel to Russia, from the transport guides to the safety tips! Click here to access all the Russia posts >>>[/vc_message][/vc_column][/vc_row]

I tried to sort these great tours in Saint Petersburg based on the tour type, e.g. walking tours in St. Petersburg, bus tours, skip the line tickets or even day trips from St. Petersburg, Russia. While I took some of the similar tours before, some others were recommended to me by my family, friends, friends of friends and you know, the word of mouth. All the tours suggested below have a really good rating, so hopefully, you won’t be disappointed.

best things to do in St. Petersburg drawbridges

Without further ado, let’s get started with the best tours to take in St. Petersburg, Russia

Walking tours in St. Petersburg

The first category of tours and excursions in St. Petersburg is walking tours. I would recommend those if you’re prepared to walk a lot, as the distances in St. Petersburg are not so small. I would also recommend only taking them when it’s warm in Saint Petersburg.

  1. 1/2 day private tour of St. Petersburg
  2. St. Petersburg Metro Stations 2-hour tour
  3. Yusupov Palace and Rasputin Exhibition Guided Tour
  4. Hermitage museum guided tour
  5. 2-hour night walking tour
  6. 2.5-hour Segway Sightseeing tour (nice when it’s warm, otherwise you’ll feel miserable)

If you’re wondering when exactly it’s warm in St. Petersburg and what to wear there, head to my ultimate guide to St. Petersburg, Russia >>>

Best tours in St. Petersburg, Russia

Great bus tours in St. Petersburg

I would recommend taking bus tours, when it’s too cold to walk outside or when it’s not enough time to see the city. Let’s say you’re in St. Petersburg for only 72 hours (there’s a way to visit St. Petersburg visa-free if you come by cruise, read more here>>>), you don’t have much time. However, you want to see as much as possible and cover all the main landmarks in the city. In this case, you can take one of those tours below.

  1. St. Petersburg Flexible Day Tour
  2. Private 1/2 day tour

Would you like to see a ballet or opera in Russia? See this post to find out how to do it easily! >>>

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River and canal cruises in St. Petersburg

River and canal cruises are really popular in Saint Petersburg and I would definitely recommend you to go on one of these cruises. However, they are not available when the canals are frozen and that’s roughly from the end of October to April. Also, when it’s cold, sitting outside it’s pretty miserable, so you need to dress warm or pick a boat that has an inside section with heating.

There are so many different canal and river cruises in Saint Petersburg, that it could be confusing for you, which one to pick. I would definitely recommend Moyka River cruises. There’s no 100% need to buy them online, you can just head to the river (crossing with Nevsky Prospekt) and buy it there. 

  1. Hop-on-hop-off tour
  2. Channels and rivers boat tour (all major rivers)
  3. Northern Venice canal boat tour (the most affordable one)
  4. Drawbridges night cruise

Do you already have your accommodation booked? If not, this guide to the best areas to stay in St. Petersburg will help >>>

best museums in st petersburg
best tours in saint petersburg

Food and drinking tours in Saint Petersburg

Many tourists and travellers are very curious about Russian food and drink habits, hence, there are quite a few of these tours available. While some of the tours are focused on trying local’s food, the others mainly involve drinking. Whichever you prefer – it’s up to you!

  1. Caviar and vodka tasting at the Vodka museum
  2. 3-hour cooking masterclass
  3. Food & party evening tour
  4. Pelmeni cooking class

Read this post to find out about 5 amazing budget-friendly restaurants in St. Petersburg >>>

The best bars in St. Petersburg that locals love >>>

The best bars in St. Petersburg according to a local | Party like a Russian

Day tours from St. Petersburg, Russia

Even though distances in Russia are massive, there are quite a few places you can visit that are in close proximity to Saint Petersburg. Most of them involve palaces e.g. Peterhof or Tsarskoe Selo (Catherine Palace), where you can totally go by public transport as well. The others are more complicated to travel to and do require a tour. 

  1. Catherine Palace Tour
  2. Private Peterhof Day tour
  3. Catherine Palace and Pavlovsk Palace day tour
  4. Full-day tour to Veliky Novgorod

If you’re interested in visiting Peterhof Park and Palace by yourself, you can read my guide about how to get to Peterhof here >>>

Best museums in St. Petersburg, Russia
Catherine Palace, St. Petersburg in winter

Other tours and experiences in St. Petersburg

In this category, you can find tours that didn’t fit into any other category, such as entertainment, shows and all the other possible things.

  1. Russian Folk Show Evening
  2. Classical Music Experience in a Palace
  3. (ONLY IN WINTER) Winter Fairytale Horse Ride and Tour
Moscow or St. Petersburg

I hope you liked this post about the best tours in St. Petersburg, Russia! Should you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask! Read more of my posts about St. Petersburg in this category here >>>

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