Taking a guided tour in St-Petersburg just for safety purposes, in my
opinion, does not make sense because this city is safer than other
Western megalopolises.

But you may want to take a tour if you want to learn more than your
guidebook provides (Russian guides used to be pretty good, though it
may not be true any more, with the proliferation of small tour
operators), or just to deal with a language barrier.

If you do it on your own, make sure to visit 2 sites missing from your
list: Peterhoff (or Petrodvoretz) - arguably the most breathtaking
tourist attraction in the world, and the Katherine Palace. Both are in
St-Petersburg suburbs. Not sure what you mean by Nevsikj Palace.


My wife and I are considering visiting St. Petersburg next summer. I
believe that St Petersburg has some spectacular tourist sites (the
Hermitage, Cathedrals, Nevsikj Palace?) but we are a little concerned
about stories we have heard about crime and corruption. I suppose that
we could avoid these hassles by paying for a tour but we would prefer
to travel on our own.

We have traveled extensively but I would have to say we are not
particularly daring. So are we overreacting or should we be concerned.
Is a tour worth considering?

Thanks for any thoughts

Steve Gerdemann