Go Ahead Tours Ratings and Reviews

Customer Reviews for Go Ahead Tours St. Petersburg & the Baltics

Go Ahead Tours St. Petersburg & the Baltics

See countless UNESCO World Heritage sites and brilliant Gothic cathedrals in Russia and the Baltics.
Average Customer Rating:
4.733 out of 5
4.7
 out of 
5
(15 Reviews) 15
9 out of 9 100% of customers would recommend this tour.
Customer questions and answers:
7 Questions | 11 Answers
Customer Reviews for St. Petersburg & the Baltics
Review 1 for St. Petersburg & the Baltics
Overall Rating
5 / 5
5 / 5
Tour Value
5 / 5
5 / 5
Tour Director
5 / 5
5 / 5
Leisurely
active
Challenging
by CKIRSHBERGER1  | 
Number of past tours:2
Traveled on:11/21/2011
Location:AR
Age:50-59
Gender:Female
I traveled:with friend(s)
by CKIRSHBERGER1  | 
December 14, 2011

This trip was fascinating!

Russia and the Baltics was a fascinating tour. The palaces and the Hermitage Museum were more beautiful than I could have imagined. We had the opportunity to go to 2 ballets and I was thrilled with both. Our tour guide, Maria, was a real gem. She MADE the tour. We all loved her. I would strongly recommend this tour to everyone.
Recommended for: Active Travelers, Anniversary Trips, Solo Travelers, Art, History, & Culture, First Time Travelers, Experienced Travelers
+7points
8out of 9found this review helpful.
Review 2 for St. Petersburg & the Baltics
Overall Rating
5 / 5
5 / 5
Tour Value
5 / 5
5 / 5
Tour Director
5 / 5
5 / 5
Leisurely
moderate
Challenging
by RSTERMER5  | 
Number of past tours:7
Traveled on:09/19/2011
Location:VA
Age:60+
Gender:Male
I traveled:with my spouse/significant other
by RSTERMER5  | 
October 15, 2011

very good trip

Would be better if Lithuania was included. I will not likely ever return to that region and it is unfortunate that it was not included.
Recommended for: Active Travelers, Art, History, & Culture, First Time Travelers, Experienced Travelers
+1point
2out of 3found this review helpful.
Review 3 for St. Petersburg & the Baltics
Overall Rating
5 / 5
5 / 5
Tour Value
5 / 5
5 / 5
Tour Director
5 / 5
5 / 5
Leisurely
active
Challenging
by HHAYNES4  | 
Number of past tours:4
Traveled on:09/19/2011
Location:CO
Age:50-59
Gender:Female
I traveled:solo
by HHAYNES4  | 
October 12, 2011

The Baltics

This part of the world is fascinating....so much history and conflict. The architecture was wonderful! We had a fabulous tour director! Thomas was the best!
Recommended for: Solo Travelers, Art, History, & Culture, Experienced Travelers
+2points
3out of 4found this review helpful.
Review 4 for St. Petersburg & the Baltics
Overall Rating
5 / 5
5 / 5
Tour Value
5 / 5
5 / 5
Tour Director
5 / 5
5 / 5
Leisurely
active
Challenging
by MEVANS23  | 
Number of past tours:22
Traveled on:09/19/2011
Location:VA
Age:60+
Gender:Female
I traveled:with friend(s)
by MEVANS23  | 
October 12, 2011

The Baltics, a great trip

I highly recommend this trip however please be aware there are lots of cobblestone streets.
Riga has a very compact old town with much history and a fantastict amount of art deco buildings outside the old town, The walking tour of these buildings is a real treat. Not to be missed is the Riga opera house which is centrally located and the tickets are very reasonable.
Estonia's old town is very compact filled with very interesting shops and local crafts. Highly recommend visiting Catherine's summer place and if time the adjacent museum of Estonia art. Also the tram is free for all over 65 years old.
Saint Petersburg was a delight with its history and the buildings built under Peter the Great, Catherine and Elizabeth.
This tour offers visits to three very different places!!!
Recommended for: Active Travelers, Solo Travelers, Art, History, & Culture, Experienced Travelers
+11points
11out of 11found this review helpful.
Review 5 for St. Petersburg & the Baltics
Overall Rating
5 / 5
5 / 5
Tour Value
5 / 5
5 / 5
Tour Director
5 / 5
5 / 5
Leisurely
moderate
Challenging
by SLEWIS198  | 
Number of past tours:1
Traveled on:09/19/2011
Location:OH
Age:60+
Gender:Female
I traveled:with friend(s)
by SLEWIS198  | 
October 11, 2011

First trip

Had a great time, this was my first trip abroad. The tour directer was great. This trip set a very high ar for future travel !! The tour went aboveand beyond to set up extra optional excursions requested by travelers !!
Recommended for: Active Travelers, Art, History, & Culture, Food & Wine, First Time Travelers
+1point
1out of 1found this review helpful.
Review 6 for St. Petersburg & the Baltics
Overall Rating
4 / 5
4 / 5
Tour Value
4 / 5
4 / 5
Tour Director
5 / 5
5 / 5
Leisurely
active
Challenging
by LCARROLL31  | 
Number of past tours:8
Traveled on:09/19/2011
Location:TX
Age:60+
Gender:Female
I traveled:with friend(s)
by LCARROLL31  | 
October 11, 2011

Step Back in Time--Step Forward to the Future

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This is a good tour for history and art buffs. Very interesting to see the after USSR rule and at the same time learn what it was like during that rule. Tallinn was my favorite city as had a very medieval feeling and was great for walking about. Many of my fellow travelers liked Riga the best. St. Petersburg is a busy city, but felt safe walking during the day, but would not risk it at night unless in a group. Peterhof and the Catherine Palace was well worth the optional fee. The Hermitage was, of course, not to be missed. The treasury is worth the extra entrance fee. Have to have a reserved ticket, so get in advance. The fast train was indeed fast and comfortable, but the scenery was ordinary. Moscow is extremely crowded and would not go anywhere, except a few blocks from the hotel, without the group. To stand in the middle of Red Square with St. Basil's Cathedral at one end, the Gum to one side, Krelim walls and Lenin's Mausoleum on the other and the State History Museum at the other end was incredible. Thomas, our guide, spent his free day on Sunday to take us on a tour of the Metro stations and back to Red Square to view Lenin's tomb and the Armory with the Fabreges eggs. He was a superior guide, which is what I now expect from GoAhead--this was my 8th tour. I cannot rate this my best tour ever, but glad I did it. People are always asking me what was my favorite city or country or tour and is it so hard to say as each one is so unique. Tips: Getting a Russian visa requires patient and can cost over $200--Russia is very expensive, so buy souvenirs in the Baltic countries (you find basically the same things everywhere)--requires quite a bit of walking and over uneven pavement in the Baltic cities--pack an umbrella and scraf or hat--keep your camera handy at all times so you can capture that incredible sight--enjoy.
Recommended for: Art, History, & Culture, Experienced Travelers
+12points
12out of 12found this review helpful.
Review 7 for St. Petersburg & the Baltics
Overall Rating
5 / 5
5 / 5
Tour Value
5 / 5
5 / 5
Tour Director
5 / 5
5 / 5
Leisurely
active
Challenging
by RRAFFERTY4  | 
Number of past tours:5
Traveled on:09/19/2011
Location:MN
Age:60+
Gender:Male
I traveled:with my spouse/significant other
by RRAFFERTY4  | 
October 4, 2011

Baltics and St Petersburg/Moscow

Trip of a lifetime. Never thought I would be Standing in Red Square!
Recommended for: Active Travelers, Solo Travelers, Art, History, & Culture, Trip Of A Lifetime, Experienced Travelers
-1point
2out of 5found this review helpful.
Review 8 for St. Petersburg & the Baltics
Overall Rating
4 / 5
4 / 5
Tour Value
4 / 5
4 / 5
Tour Director
5 / 5
5 / 5
Leisurely
comfortable
Challenging
by SADELMAN2  | 
Number of past tours:3
Traveled on:7/12/2006 12:00:00 AM
Location:NY
Age:60+
Gender:Female
I traveled:solo
by SADELMAN2  | 
May 25, 2011

Russia and Baltic

The trip was excellent. The young man leading the trip was knowledgeable and clever. He was inventive and creative when we hit the inevitable snags. St. Petersburg was host the G-8 so the security was opressive, NOT THE FAULT OF THE TOUR!
Tallin is a wonderful city and the Estonian people were warm, friendly and welcoming. All in all the tour was enlightening and fun.
Recommended for: Active Travelers, Solo Travelers, First Time Travelers
+2points
6out of 10found this review helpful.
Review 9 for St. Petersburg & the Baltics
Overall Rating
4 / 5
4 / 5
Tour Value
5 / 5
5 / 5
Tour Director
5 / 5
5 / 5
Leisurely
moderate
Challenging
by JMARINO43  | 
Number of past tours:6
Traveled on:5/9/2011 12:00:00 AM
Location:MA
Age:60+
Gender:Male
I traveled:with my spouse/significant other
by JMARINO43  | 
May 22, 2011

St Petersburg and the Baltics

Visiting the Hermitage was the highlight of this trip. If that was all I saw it would have made the trip worthwhile. I loved Riga and Tallinn but the hotels are NOT centrally located. Too far to walk into the towns. Go Ahead needs to give travelers a list of restaurants in St. Petersburg. Most of us do not speak Russian and can not even guess the Cyrillic alphabet words. I'd pay more to get dinners included in St. Petersburg. The ferry to Helsinki was a lot of fun but the city of Helsinki has little to offer the traveler. The tour director and the local guides were outstanding!
Recommended for: Solo Travelers, Art, History, & Culture, Experienced Travelers
+13points
13out of 13found this review helpful.
Review 10 for St. Petersburg & the Baltics
Overall Rating
5 / 5
5 / 5
Tour Value
4 / 5
4 / 5
Tour Director
5 / 5
5 / 5
Leisurely
moderate
Challenging
by WCREEKMORE1  | 
Number of past tours:1
Traveled on:05/09/2010
Location:LA
Gender:Female
I traveled:with my spouse/significant other
by WCREEKMORE1  | 
August 16, 2010

Great way to learn about different cultures

Enjoyed the free time in each town.
Moscow: We did abreviated tour of Hermitage because it was closed for the 60th anniversary of Russia's victory over agressors. St. Basil's and other sites we went to see were closed. Tour of the subways is a must, our guide Sergei did a great job. Loved the park we stopped at and all the weddings being held. Hotel did not provide bottled water, but did provide a kettle to boil water in. Accomodations were comfortable. Our time was cut short, did not ride the Siberian Railway to St. Petersburg. Did not see any of the anniversary festivities.
St. Petersburg was great. Hermitage was nice, but enjoyed Peter's Palace and Peter and Paul Fortress more. Wonderful canal ride. Church there a must. Hotel grudgingly provided drinking water some days. Accomodations were very comfortable. Location better than Moscow hotel. A great city to wander around in.
We enjoyed a brief time looking for amber on the beach in Parnu. Had lunch at a small restaurant with delicious soups and pies.
Tallinn was very nice. Another great place to walk and explore. The medievel town offererd great photo opportunities at night and early in the morning. The hotel room had a computer and internet service. The room was small, the tub and shower hard to get into!
Tour to Helsinki was shorter than expected, but informative. Would have liked more time to explore.
Riga was another great place to explore, but I think we were there a day too long. Maybe a night in Helsinki instead of extra night in Riga.
Our tour director found great places for us to eat as a group on our first nights in town when dinner was not provided. She told us about local politics and culture during bus rides. Local guides were knowledgeable and spoke english very well. This tour was a wonderful way to learn about places we've heard about all our lives, but were totally clueless about. People were pleasant and helpful. Only knowing a few words of Russian we were able to go out on our own, to buy things and ask for help. In the other countries we were able to use English. I would recommend this trip. If you are going all the way to Russia, see both Moscow and St. Petersburg. They are very different.
Recommended for: First Time Travelers, Solo Travelers, Art, History, & Culture, Experienced Travelers
+28points
31out of 34found this review helpful.
Review 11 for St. Petersburg & the Baltics
Overall Rating
4 / 5
4 / 5
Tour Value
4 / 5
4 / 5
Tour Director
5 / 5
5 / 5
Leisurely
active
Challenging
by STANAKA19  | 
Number of past tours:9
Traveled on:06/20/2010
Location:OH
Gender:Male
I traveled:with my spouse/significant other
by STANAKA19  | 
August 6, 2010

A very memorable trip to Russia and the Baltic duo

The tour was well organized and the director Ildico was fantastic. I'd recommend her to anybody without reservation. I was able to learn the history of Russia and its interaction with the neighboring countries.
Recommended for: Active Travelers, Anniversary Trips, Solo Travelers, Art, History, & Culture
+3points
11out of 19found this review helpful.
Review 12 for St. Petersburg & the Baltics
Overall Rating
5 / 5
5 / 5
Tour Value
5 / 5
5 / 5
Tour Director
5 / 5
5 / 5
Leisurely
active
Challenging
by RNOTTKE2  | 
Number of past tours:4
Traveled on:06/20/2010
Location:NY
Gender:Male
I traveled:solo
by RNOTTKE2  | 
August 5, 2010

Beyond Expectations

Compressing the kaleidoscope of experiences that this tour contains into one short review is beyond my skill. It took me 78 pages of typewritten journal and 700 pictures to detail all the wonderful, exotic things I experienced, saw, tasted, relished-- the people, the shops, the food, the museums, the architecture, the art, the Old Towns, the new towns, the uptowns, the downtowns. Probably the best were the unscripted walking tours our tour director Ildi lead to introduce us to each city and to show us and tell us things the local guides don't. For her these cities were more than places to live--they were places to love.
Recommended for: Active Travelers, Art, History, & Culture, Experienced Travelers
+12points
16out of 20found this review helpful.
Review 13 for St. Petersburg & the Baltics
Overall Rating
5 / 5
5 / 5
Tour Value
4 / 5
4 / 5
Tour Director
5 / 5
5 / 5
Leisurely
active
Challenging
by ISTRASSER1  | 
Number of past tours:9
Traveled on:05/09/2010
Location:NJ
Gender:Female
I traveled:with friend(s)
by ISTRASSER1  | 
August 4, 2010

st petersburg and the baltics

this was my10th goahead tour and it was fabulous., the tour guide, lala was just wonderful and did many extra things to make our trip special. it was amazing to see places that had played such an important role in my childhood and we were there for a special time, victory day to celebrate the 65tth anniversary of the victory over germany. and our guide went out our our way to make sure that we were able to take advantage of this special day
Recommended for: Active Travelers, Solo Travelers, Art, History, & Culture, Experienced Travelers
+6points
10out of 14found this review helpful.
Review 14 for St. Petersburg & the Baltics
Overall Rating
5 / 5
5 / 5
Tour Value
5 / 5
5 / 5
Tour Director
2 / 5
2 / 5
Leisurely
active
Challenging
by BBRODERICK8  | 
Number of past tours:3
Traveled on:05/09/2010
Location:CT
Gender:Male
I traveled:with my spouse/significant other
by BBRODERICK8  | 
July 31, 2010

A Great Experience

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St. Petersburg is a beautiful city and we were so glad we went there and to Estonia and Latvia. To see how these countries really are is quite an experience and we suggest that more travelers should go and see for themselves the great culture and history of these countries. You will not be disapointed. Our tour guide was not the best and did not inform us of some changes that were made and she had a bad habit of telling you interesting facts that the local tour guides were going to tell us which I thought took some of the interest out of the local guides narataive as they didn't know that our guide had already told us the highlight of this guides tour. Other then that negitive and some very fast paced power walking with Lala we loved the trip. Huge value and all bases covered. Love Go Ahead!!!!
Recommended for: Active Travelers, Anniversary Trips, First Time Travelers, Solo Travelers, Art, History, & Culture, Experienced Travelers
+8points
10out of 12found this review helpful.
Review 15 for St. Petersburg & the Baltics
Overall Rating
5 / 5
5 / 5
Tour Value
5 / 5
5 / 5
Tour Director
5 / 5
5 / 5
Leisurely
active
Challenging
by KKROGER1  | 
Number of past tours:4
Traveled on:6/20/2010
Location:MO
Gender:Female
I traveled:with my spouse/significant other
by KKROGER1  | 
July 16, 2010

Prepare for an Awe Inspiring Experience

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We loved our trip to St. Petersburg and the Baltics in June, during White Nights. We were treated to amazing art, architecture, rich history and wonderful world treasures. We are still digesting all that we saw and we find ourselves still trying to learn more about this part of the world. Every inch of the tour was magical from Red Square and the Kremlin, to Palace Square and the Hermitage. We loved the charming Old Towns of Tallinn, Estonia and Riga, Latvia. Our tour director was fantastic and along with her knowledge and the expertise of the city guides in St. Petersburg and Moscow, they gave us a great experience. Again, Go Ahead has knocked our socks off with an outstanding tour.
And here is a "Hangout" TIP: Take time out on the Neveky Prospekt in St. Petersburg to go to the second floor of "the Singer" where you will find a wonderful cafe for lunch or coffee, tea and pastry - you can sit and relax while overlooking the Kazan Cathedral-magical.
Recommended for: Active Travelers, Art, History, & Culture, Trip Of A Lifetime, Experienced Travelers
+23points
23out of 23found this review helpful.