SpbTicket | FAQ

Yes, we are. Our registration number in the Russian Federation of Tourism is PTO 019423 .As we are officially authorized by the Russian government we will supply you with a tour ticket which will allow you to easily pass through customs and immigration. In addition, we have a contract with the new St. Petersburg sea port “Morskoy Fasad”, so we can guarantee to meet you directly near your ship.

Visas are not required when touring with Alfa Travel. We provide our clients with documents, including tour tickets,  that confirm your booking with SPbTicket. Your tour tickets act as a visa when you pass through Russian immigration in the cruise terminal. You will need ONLY your SPBTicket and your passport.

Here is some formal information about the requirements for visa-free passengers: According to Russian Immigration Law, tourists arriving to St. Petersburg on cruise ships have the right to disembark the ship without a regular Russian tourist visas provided they have met the following conditions:

• Duration of stay in Russia should not exceed 72 hours.
• Cruisers should overnight on board the cruise ship.
• Cruisers should utilize the service of a Russian Tour operator

The right to tour without visas is given to all cruise passengers matching the above conditions regardless of Tour operator.

We will send you a tour ticket (blanket visa) by e-mail and you will need to print it at home and to bring it with you to pass through Russian customs control. The following information is required to issue your Tour Ticket:

• Your full name (as it reads in your passport)
• Citizenship
• Date of Birth
• Passport number
• Passport Issue Date and Passport Expiration Date
• Arrival and departure dates in St Petersburg
• The name of your ship

Please, ensure that you make your booking at least 4-5 days prior to your ship’s arrival to St. Petersburg. The port authorities require all passport information in advance and late bookings sent in less than 4 days will be rejected.

If you book your tour for next year, we are happy to provide you with 5% discount off the cost of any St. Petersburg tour.

Children until 10 years can travel with us for free. Children 11-16 = 50% discount.

Students can get discount for some tours with the ISIC (obligatory to have it by).

Unless you prefer different, you may pay for your tour in the morning of the second day of the tour. If it is a one-day tour, you can pay in the afternoon. Depending on the tour route your guide will either take you to our office or our manager will come to your van. In case of cash payment you also can pay directly to your guide just to save time.
As a rule we don’t ask for any deposits. The only exceptions are theater tickets and railway/airplane tickets.

Gratuities to the guide and the driver are not included in the cost of the tour. According to Russian standards, the recommended amount will be around 15% of the cost of the tour service. As a rule it is 10% to the guide and 5% to the driver and it is better to give it separately. Gratuities will be happily accepted in any currency: US $, euro or rubles. However all the gratuities depend on how much you were pleased by the service and remain solely to your kind will!

We always reserve the entrance tickets/vouchers in advance and do our best to plan the museum entrances for the time when it is less crowded and we usually are able to avoid waiting in line. Please notice that in high season we can’t give you a 100% guarantee and sometimes you will have to wait for the entrance for 10-15 minutes. Catherine Palace in Pushkin is the place where the situation is the worst and very often we have to wait in line there. So if you have a tough schedule or come on very busy days, we would recommend to avoid going there and include something else instead. Pavlovsk Palace or Grand Palace of Peterhof  are no less interesting and beautiful than Catherine Palace.

Yes, and, in fact, we recommend you to take advantage of this unique chance. Don’t miss the opportunity to see a Russian ballet or to enjoy an evening of Russian opera in one of the best theatres in St. Petersburg. We also highly recommend a visit to the Folk Show or a night boat trip along the famous canals. Or, perhaps you would like to feel yourself as a Russian aristocrat and enjoy an extravagant dinner in one of the former royal Russian palaces. Upon your request, we will send you additional information about our “optional evening” programs.

Wе have the brightest choice of evening entertainments in Saint-Petersburg and we have prebooked seats in most attractive theaters during the high season in the city.