F.A.Q.
If you can't find an answer to your question, please contact us and we will respond within 24 hours!
A: No, you don't. UlkoTours LLC is a fully licensed tour operator registered with the Federal Ministry of Tourism, registration number MBT 005452. Under the federal license and under the special agreement with the port and customs authorities, we do Visa-free tours for all cruise ship visitors. A visa-free tour (or a Blanket Visa tour) means that you will leave the boat and will come back only accompanied by your guide. If you wish to have more flexibility and explore the city on your own after the tour , you will need to obtain your own Individual Russian Visas. (expecially applies to those passengers that arrive onboard Oceania's Regatta, Seabourn cruises or SilverSea - as they dock in the city center) if you don't know where to start - ask me!
A: UlkoTours requires a minimum $100 deposit to book a tour. Deposits can be made sent by check to our US address , by Credit Card or via PayPal.
The balance for the tour is payable on one of your tours days. We accept ALL major Credit Cards in our office in St.Petersburg.
If you would like to take care of all your tour payments in advance, we can accept your advance payment via:
- credit card
- check to our U.S. office
- Paypal
- bank money transfer
A: There's a small deposit ($100-$200, depending on the size of the group) required to book a tour. We used to work without asking for deposits but after several bad cases of no show and late cancellations we have changed the policy. The deposit guarantees your guide and driver's availability for your dates, and goes towards your ticket reservation.
However, If you feel absolutely uncomfortable making a deposit, we are open to discussing the possibility of making a reservation for you without one (if you don't require any ballet/folk-show ticket purchase). We only kindly ask you to inform us about ANY change of your tour plans in advance. As I have said, we have had cases of people cancelling at last minute when tickets had already been purchased. This is the reason why we ask for a deposit. I hope you understand.
A: All the guides in my team are experienced professionals with all the necessary museum licences and also accredited by the city of St.Petersburg to provide city tours! All of us have been working in Tourism for more than 8 years and are highly expereinced in dealing with foreigners with high expectations, families with children and people who need special assistance. All of my guides have proved themselves to be very reliable and responsible, we all work very hard to make your visit safe and easy, and always do out best to minimize your waiting time in lines. We all speak excellent English (and most of us have originally been trained to be Interpreters or English teachers) so you will have no problem understanding any of the guides.
A: I keep track of all people that have used our tours and they will be more than happy to share their experience with you over the phone or by email.
A: Of course, isn't this the point of getting a private guide?:)
A: Yes, I can organise a tour for you in any language you need. Just let me know which one and give me some time to get you a guide!
A: I use only comfortable foreign-made air-conditioned vehicles with full insurance coverage. We have business-class sedans and SUVs available for individuals and couples, as well as mini-vans to seat up to 5-7 people and mini-buses for larger groups (up to 14). All the drivers are highly experienced, polite and non-smoking, most of them speak a little (or more than that) English and several other european languages.
A: A "+1 hr delivery" means that a driver will add one extra hour for the delivery of the vehicle to the total hours at the end of the day, this is a standard practice among all the drivers, it's like with a taxi - you get in and the meter automatically adds on for seating. it's just the way it is.
A: Your tour price doesn't include gratuities to your guide and driver. If you are happy about the tour and would like to thank your tour team for the job well-done you are welcome to do that at the end of your tour. Please have some cash with you for that purpose. The amount depends solely on you, but usually the gratuity is divided 2/3 to the guide and 1/3 to the driver. However, you might want to modify that according to your prerefences. It's better to tip your guide and driver separetely.
A: Yes, we accept ALL Major Credit Cards in St.Petersburg only.
A: If you are arriving by plane or train and already have a Russian Visa,
then the only information we need from you is your name and your phone
number.
If you are a cruise passenger and require visa-free service, then we
need the following information from you to be able to arrange for you
blanket visas - this information is submitted with the Russian customs
so that they would be able to let you disembark without a visa:
Full Name
Passport Number
Date of Birth
Citizenship
A: Yes, We put groups together only upon customer's request. Usually
such join-up tours tend to be still quite private, maximum 10-12
people altogether. Although we can easily accommodate a larger group
should a customer wish so.
To find tour mates, you can do both - post at our Roll Call and go to Cruise Critic's Roll Call boards to find more people!
A: Of course it's absolutely NOT necessary to do any shopping. Since
yours will be an entirely private tour, the decision whether to do shopping or not
is entirely yours.
The tour of the Golden Room is not included into the General Hermitage
tour, but we can easily include it per your request. There's a 100%
guarantee if booked/ordered at least a month in advance, if your
reservation is made later than that the museum reserves the right not
to confirm the tour.
A:Usually for private tours for 2 people we have comfortable air-conditioned sedans. But if for some reason you need a larger vehicle, we can easily accommodate your request at no extra charge.
A: Yes, Of course we can arrange tickets to any performance upon your request. Prices are subject to the season and the performing theater. Thus, Mariinsky theater tickets will always be more expensive than Alexandrinsky theater or the Hermitage theater. If you are interested in specific dates, please contact our managers.
A: Most of our tours involve quite a lot of walking, as several museum
visits are included each day. To give you an estimate, Hermitage
museum tour usually lasts around 2 hrs, but there are some seats
available throughout the museum as well as wheel chairs for rent
(free). Over 50 low easy steps to climb or elevator also available.
Catherine's palace walking tour is around 1 hr + some walking time in
the park (10-30 minutes depending on the tour). 2 flights of stairs to
climb, elevator available for handicapped people with advance notice
from the tour company.
Peterhof palace walking tour is around 1 hr + some walking time in
the park (30-80 minutes depending on the tour). 2 flights of stairs to
climb, NO elevator available.
St.Isaac's cathedral, Church on the Spilled Blood - 15-30 minutes
walking (depending on tour). Around 10 steep steps to climb/go
down in St.Isaac's cathedral.
Peter and Paul Fortress 30- 45 minutes walking (depending on tour),
cobble stones around the court yard.
Between the sights you're transferred by a comfortable air-conditioned
vehicle, usually our drivers try to take you as close as possible to
the venue to minimize the walking distance.
Also, any of the tours can be modified to minimize walking and inside
museum visits.
A: Yes, you can video and take pictures in almost all the museums
included into the tour itinerary with exception of Peterhof, where no
photo/video is allowed at all.
There is a photo fee for Hermitage museum IF you have a big camera
like Nikon or Canon. If it's a small one and fits into your pocket,
then no ticket is necessary.
If you're traveling with a big camera just let us know in advance and
we will get you a camera ticket for the Hermitage as a bonus.
A:No, no visa is required if you go on one of our tours. We provide Tour Tickets that are sufficient to go through customs control.
A:855-866-8773 is a USA/Canada Toll free number, please feel free to contact us at any time convenient for you. We have customer support available round the clock.
A: Big Matreshka and Small matreshka tours are Guaranteed Departure and you will be part of a group limited to 16 passengers. However, if less people sign up the tour will still take place and you will not be charged extra.
A: Thank you for your question. We will be happy to arrange something unusual for your daughter's birthday. If you could let me know your email we would gladly describe the possible options to you personally, in order not to reveal all the secrets to the public here!:)
A: Although 20 years passed since Belarus became independent from the Soviet Union, many people still cannot easily find the country on the map. As a matter of fact Belarus borders on Russia and therefore can be conveniently fitted into your itinerary across the Baltic countries and Russia.
Nowadays Belarus draws attention of individual tourists who are interested in post-Soviet countries and their military heritage. Due to its central European location Belarus took part in many conflicts, the First and the Second World wars being the worst of them. The sights that remind of those drastic events are the Brest Fortress, the recently restored Stalin Line and Nalibokskaya Puscha (the operation ground of the Belarusian partisans including the famous team of the Belskies brothers) to name a few.
People from all over the world come over to pay tribute to the dead and to learn history from the survivors, rather than from the books. Still more people want to track their Belarus family roots, for the successive wars and Communist regime caused massive migration from the USSR to Canada, USA and Australia.
Other visitors to Belarus want to enjoy the genuine atmosphere of the Communist era that is still here. However, the sightseeing in Belarus isn’t only limited to Soviet works of architecture and military constructions –castles and manors and folk craft museums are waiting for their visitors! Finally, natural reserves of 
Belarus will make another highlight of your trip – it is not too many places in the world where you can still see bisons in the wild.
While getting ready to your Belarus trip you may have some questions about Belarus visa requirements, safety and other issues. All the Belarus travel tips can be found here – in the form of questions and answers compiled by a private Minsk guide, a former inbound travel agent. Whether you will choose his guided Minsk tours or will prefer to get around on your own, having a knowledgeable contact on site will be to your benefit!
