St.Petersburg Guide?

[+ Lucky]

A friend will be in St. Petersburg in July and would like to know if there is a gay or gay-friendly guide who could show them the sites.

He is interested in the hipper scene and finding the good nightlife.

He and his partner are well-traveled themselves, but not particularly museum oriented.

[KMEM]

I have been wanting to go to St. Petersburg for quite some time. I even booked a cruise that was stopping there a couple of years ago but had to cancel because of the press of business. Your query made me re-visit some sites I had explored on the 'net before. Even the gay tour sites list the museums as the #1 thing to do in St. P.

 

However, the sitie http://www.gay-tour.ru/ looked interesting. He says some of the "right" things and seems to have the credentials. I would certainly at least investigate it although I am not personally recommending it. One thing I do believe is correct and that is to use a "private" guide rather than one listed by such as a cruise ship.

 

Best regards,

KMEM

[rguer]

I look forward to hearing how St. Petersburg is for gay people now that the new anti-gay legislation has passed.

[ragazzolupo]

Indeed, I did use http://www.gay-tour.ru/

 

St. Petersburg is wonderful and your friends should see the monuments

 

GAY TOUR I had a great night tour that got me started for the clubs and saunas of St. Petersburg with Nikolay Mylyuev (Niko) at http://www.gay-tour.ru mob. +79214116498

St. Petersburg Russia e-mail is Nikolai.M@gay-tour.ru

 

 

ESCORT

A recommended escort is Anton who goes by Taus or Taus21 on gayromeo. He is a great escort, very nice young man, shy, fashionable, model, sincere, good review at daddys.

 

You miss the palaces and museums at your peril. Also this is a gret city for music, ballet, opera. There are great history tours to do as well.

This city, the youngest in Europe (New York was founded 100 years before St. Petersburg) Tsar Peter the Great's "Window to the West." Only 300 years old, the city was built by Tsar Peter to capture and rival the beauties of Paris and Venice . Nevsky Prospect, Palace Square and Smolny Convent, the elegant Winter Palace , which now houses the Hermitage Museum , one of the largest art and cultural museums in the world. This vast collection (about 65,000 items) includes some of history's most important art.

 

Outside of St. P is the city of Pushkin – formerly Tsarskoe Selo, the Tsar's Village. Enjoy an escorted tour of the beautiful baroque-style Catherine Palace , built by Empress Elizabeth and named for her mother Catherine the First. The architect was Bartolomo Rastrelli, who also designed the Winter Palace , as well as the Hermitage Pavilion. Visit Pavlovsk, one of Tsar Pavel's summer palaces. Like many other royal residences, the palace sustained heavy damage during the war, but most of it has been restored to its former glory. Next, visit Yusupov Palace , where Rasputin was murdered!

 

You must tour Peter and Paul Fortress with its famous Peter and Paul Church, which contains the tombs of Russian rulers from Peter the Great through Alexander III. After visiting the fortress, also St. Isaac's Cathedral (constructed 1818-58), the largest in the city, with its tall gilt dome one of the many focal points of St. Petersburg .

 

• All music lovers should visit the Alexander Nevsky Abbey. The monastery and church are surrounded by the cemetery. You will visit the oldest cemetery in Russia , where many of the country's most famous historical figures were buried includingMily Balakirev - (1836-1910), composer

• Alexander Borodin - (1833-1887), composer

• César Cui - (1835-1918), composer

• Fyodor Dostoyevsky - (1821-1881), author

• Mikhail Glinka - (1804-1857), composer

• Vera Komissarzhevskaya – (1864-1910), actress

• Ivan Krylov - (1769-1844), author

• Modest Mussorgsky - (1839-1881), composer

• Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov - (1844-1908), composer

• Anton Rubinstein - (1829-1894), pianist, conductor and composer

• Fyodor Stravinsky - 1843-1902, operatic bass, father of composer Igor Stravinsky

• Anatoly Sobchak - (1937-2000), first Mayor of Saint Petersburg

• Galina Starovoitova - (1946-1998), politician and ethnographer

• Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky - (1840-1893), composer

 

 

 

Must do is Peterhof’s Estate (Russian Versailles), which is perhaps St. Petersburg 's most famous and spectacular Imperial estate. The Grand Palace , filled with fascinating and elaborate interiors, sits on top of a high seashore ridge overlooking the vast Lower Park . The palace at Peterhof sits amidst an enormous park, adorned with fountains, statues and pavilions. Enjoy the park and gilded fountains

 

Also take a river cruise along St. Petersburg River Neva and its channels. Witness the raising of the Palace Bridge , which is probably the most famous in St. Petersburg , thanks to its situation between the Winter Palace and the Strelka on Vasilevsky Ostrov. The bridge's five steel spans weigh 7,770 tons, and are supported by packed-rubble piers with granite facing.

[KMEM]

Nothing like a personal recommendation. Thanks, ragazzolupo.

 

Best regards,

KMEM

[ragazzolupo]

with the tour: Nikolai.M@gay-tour.ru

 

The tour is a little different from any of my other experiences. As I remember, he provided a car and picked me and my American buddy up at our hotel. He then customized our interests into a tour that lasted 3-4 hours. We paid any entry fees to bars or saunas (including his) but he was known in most of them and they usually waived his fee. It was all very interesting and set us up for returns to a couple of the places during the following week. Niko was not just a guide, but he was cruising and taking his pleasures along with us (not with us). Niko's fee was well worth the value he gave as a guide.

 

Also, DO NOT GO TO RUSSIA WITHOUT A GUIDE UNLESS YOU SPEAK RUSSIAN. I was very fortunate in having guides with me all of the time. I even learned to speak and read a little Russian. However, I have European friends who "tried to do it on their own" and had a horrible time. Practically none of the signage, even in the subways, is in the Roman alphabet, so unless you can follow directions in cyrillic, you are going to get lost and miserable.

[LouieD]

About how much does Nikolai charge to show you around?

[+ Lucky]

Thanks for the advice. i appreciate it and have passed it on to my friends who are going to St.Petersurg.

[ragazzolupo]

About how much does Nikolai charge to show you around?

 

My best memory is about 45 Euros (for 2 people-not each) for the night tour plus a tip. His web site rates are printed below. I suggest that you visit the web site http://www.gay-tour.ru/

 

and then do as I did and e-mail him with the services that you want. He offers pretty much anything that you might need.

 

 

 

Service I offer:

Walking tours and guiding with the car Boris.

Picking up from the airport and taking to the hotel

Reservation tickets for theatres and tables in restaurants

Tourist invitation (stay in Russia for a month)

Business invitation (6 - 12 months in Russia)

My personally guided tours are reasonably priced. I can show you many interesting places and you will come away pleased that you visited my glorious city!

Day tours include visiting museums, palaces, churches, taking a boat trip on rivers and canals, shopping etc.

Night tours include visiting gay clubs, bars, discos and saunas. I can arrange flexible schedule for your visit.

 

See also the list of excursions

 

Service fee

Guiding with the car, per hour. Minimal booking 3 hours. € 15

Pick up from the airport Pulkovo € 40

Pick up from the train station, Sea port, river port € 30

Official tourist invitation for Russian visa (1 month in Russia) € 25

Business invitation for Russian multientry visa (1 year in Russia) € 70

Assistance in arranging dates with locals

 

Free options:

Reservation tickets in the theatres and tables in restaurants € 0

Assistance at dinner in restaurant (if available:) € 0

 

* Prices for all the tours are in euro and valid for 1-2 people. Guiding the group 3-4 people costs "basic price" +25%.

[+ Axiom2001]

I'm glad that you responded. I had planned to once I read the thread, but since you've been there and have had a wonderful and memorable experience,

I want to thank you for your endeavor.

 

In Nikolai's ad he wrote: "Assistance in arranging dates with locals...." I like that and he doesn't have a fee after it either. Usually when a guide has made

arrangements for me to meet "some hot stuff," I've tipped him for this type of service.

 

To the original poster: once you and your mate have taken your trip, I do hope that you will write here in details for others to read and perhaps use!

[+ Lucky]

I received a private message suggesting, but not outright saying, that Nikolai was somewhat effeminate. Is this the case? That would not be a deal-breaker for me, but I wonder if it is just gossip, perhaps put out by a rival?

[ragazzolupo]

I have no memory whatsoever of Niko being effeminate. I remember him as being a regular guy. He is NOT an escort. He is a gay guy guide. He is very professional with clients and not going to put on any moves, nor, do I think, generally, he would be receptive to any. He can, however, show you the wonderful world of daylight culture in St. P and be your Virgil to the mysterious and perhaps slightly dangerous (on your own) world of gay night kultur in St. P.

[+ Lucky]

I suspected that it wasn't true and passed it on. Thanks for the reply.