holiday ruined almost 100%

The impression about the tour "Bus tour to St. Petersburg from Kharkov" was purchased in the travel agency "Rest for all 100".

(Address of the travel agency: Kharkov, Sumskaya st. 39, 2nd floor, office No. 213).

My review of the trip from 06/20/2016 to 06/25/2016.

Dear time of day to all tourists!

I describe almost the entire tour in full, do not be lazy, read to the end. The opus is long.

Having travel experience, I have something to compare with and I can say with confidence that the rest is almost 100% spoiled.

How it all began:

We left Kharkov at 9 am.

Our group was accompanied by Elena (since she did not fully introduce herself, I can only describe - about 168 cm tall, red hair).

Immediately I would like to note her lack of professionalism, her inability to convey clear information to the group about the route, the frequency of stops along the way, their time. Not wanting or not being able to use a microphone, I had to constantly shout - “Turn on the microphone !!!”, this brought disharmony to the trip, created the feeling that the trip was intended for 4 people sitting next to the accompanying person.

About customs clearance:

Before crossing the checkpoint Goptovka, migration sheets were issued, Elena advised how to fill it out, but since, apparently, she herself crosses the border for the first time, we did not fill out the migration cards completely, without indicating the city of stay in the Russian Federation and also the purpose of the visit, this caused indignation by the customs service.

We passed two customs points in 1.40.

Let's go, let's go, let's go, when there will be a stop - we don't know, but Elena said - it will ... we go

30 hours of travel from Kharkov to St. Petersburg and only 4 stops.

From the accompanying group there is no clarity about what kind of stop ... how much time we have, only at the first stop it was clearly pronounced - 40 minutes and that's it, not a word further.

There was one good stop in the Tver region, at 5 am, but Elena did not say that here we could wash ourselves, put ourselves in order, and it was somehow too early to wash (would have known this in advance).

The last stop before Peter was - BUSHES!

We arrived in St. Petersburg around 14.00.

Peter greeted us with rain, cold weather, but Elena insists that we are now going to St. Isaac's Cathedral, it is open until 17.00, we must be in time.

And this is after 30 hours of travel, we are dirty, not washed, hungry, in what we were driving, we went to the cathedral in that.

But as it turned out, the cathedral actually works from 9 to 17 and from 18 to 21, the price changes slightly after 18.00, this is not critical, the travel agency could include a reserve in the cost, no one would be outraged, but everyone would be full, washed and enjoyed from visiting.

Was it really impossible to settle people from the beginning, and then bring them to the cathedral?

We looked at the cathedral, went to get settled in a hotel, and then a surprise there were not enough rooms with amenities for two tourists, another 40 minutes solved the problem of settling in a hotel with amenities.

And now Hurray!, at 21.00 we are at the hotel - in 36 hours.

Before arriving in St. Petersburg, Elena collected money on the bus for excursions and registration.

For registration 200 rubles. (at the hotel "Training Hotel" of the Marine Technical College, at the reception it was indicated - registration -100 rubles).

We took rooms without amenities, but were satisfied. Very clean in the rooms and bathrooms, the kitchen has an ironing board, 2 kettles, a double boiler, a refrigerator, necessary utensils. There is a TV in the room. The hotel staff is attentive and responsive.

The second day of the tour - breakfast, sightseeing tour of the city, a boat in the afternoon, a late lunch at 18.00, a sightseeing tour of the city at night by bus.

We were very lucky with the guide from St. Petersburg Oksana. Very attentive, sympathetic, well aware of the history of Russia, St. Petersburg. We got a great sightseeing tour. The other two were not taken, but according to the reviews of our group, we liked the sightseeing evening tour, which was conducted by Oksana.

The third day - our group goes to storm the "Winter"

Nothing foreshadowed trouble, Elena should buy tickets in the morning, and we should have breakfast and move to the Hermitage. And this is where the fun begins.

Elena, since she does not have a connection with the drivers, (the travel agency 100% rest, according to the escort, does not provide communication on the territory of the Russian Federation for her and the drivers).

Elena starts calling tourists, I had a Russian number and another number from a girl from our group. She calls her then me, hurries the drivers, asks questions about where we are and when we will be.

Sample conversation content:

Elena me: where are you now? You can say?

Me: st. Glinka, 19, passed the Lomonosov Bridge

Elena: We're late, we need to hurry.

I run through the salon, connect her to the drivers.

Second call:

Elena: Are there adequate people who can tell where you are?

Me: Elena, what is not adequate in my answer? I gave you the exact address, signs of the place. (how can I explain to a person who, like me, is the first time in St. Petersburg where is the group?)

Elena: Can you get off the bus and run in the direction of the Alexandria Column (Palace Square, Winter Palace)?

Me: Elena, how do you imagine it? 54 people of the group, will be carried through the historic city? You are responsible for the group and its organization, not me.

And the group had to run 3 km, in the group there were people of different ages from 14 to 60 years old.

We arrived.

The tour operator was not confirmed with a voucher to the Hermitage for our group.

Elena began to equalize the situation herself and took a queue at the individual cash desks.

The group lined up in a separate line, rejoicing that they would now take them on an excursion, and there was a line of other visitors nearby, the line was long, many had been standing since 7 in the morning.

And we, not understanding, not knowing anything, claiming that we were a group, began to enter, what had begun here, the queue was indignant, the foreigners shouted, they called the administrator of the hall. The group that managed to enter began to be kicked out, and part of our group was generally on the street.

Some of us were given tickets, then the whole group managed to get through.

What a cry there was, what a shame.

Having taken the tickets, our group wandered senselessly around the Hermitage, someone tried to join the Russian groups with a guide, but they were reprimanded and asked to leave.

We bought an audio guide for 350 rubles and learned a little about the halls and exhibits.

Naturally, in this situation, the escort did not even try to explain that the ticket price includes a visit to the General Staff, the Menshikov Palace, the Winter Palace of Peter I, the Imperial Porcelain Factory.

Those who read the information on the ticket and saved it tried to visit on their own, those who did not save it missed the opportunity to at least look.

We were late for a late lunch or an early dinner 1 time, the one who was watching the city himself came on time and waited for the group for another 30 minutes, as it turned out, as a result of the lack of communication, Elena did not know where the bus was, and the drivers did not know where Elena and the Group were.

Throughout the tour, there was no clear coordination from Elena to the group, much of the information was understood intuitively, thanks to the experience of traveling.

The way back to Kharkiv took 24 hours, including 6 stops along the way. (At the request of the group, the drivers stopped every 3.5 hours). and cheers! all the same, already familiar bushes.

Before passing the Russian customs, no information was received from the accompanying group, we got off the bus, our drivers, seeing us, asked to come in, Elena, where were you at that moment, what are you doing again?

Elena, before going on the bus you said “We must become a big friendly family”… Elena, we became one only thanks to you, because our whole group/family was united by grief, it is grief to have such an accompanying person as you.

To the drivers from this tour company, a special thank you, YOU ARE GREAT!

The road was long, the streets of the city were oversaturated with transport, we were never late to the place of excursions. Drivers were attentive to tourists, well, perhaps, this is the only pleasant moment on the way from this company.

And St. Petersburg is an unforgettable city, I'm sure you should definitely go there and maybe more than once.

Choose your travel agency carefully :).

Tatyana (Kharkov)

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