Hello! My name is Ekaterina (Katya) Chelpanova. I have been arranging private tours in Russia and St Petersburg for more than five years. Before I worked as a tour guide for other companies. I arrange all types of tours in St Petersburg in English, Spanish, Russian and other languages upon request. Visa-free entrance for cruise passengers is provided. Check my regular and smart programs for cruise passengers here:
Why should you choose my company if there are so many offers of private tours in St Petersburg? Here is the answer:
Before I started my own company, I worked as a tour guide for other companies, among them were big and well-known ones. I saw that when the company is big, usually, it has a stable good profit and the management does not have a need and desire to think about the need of each client as well as the strengths and uniqueness of each employee. A huge company is like a huge factory, which produces a standardized product. Myself I like products, which exceed the category of standard. I like tailor-made clothes, tailor-made food. That is why my company is smaller and I have time and desire to be aware of uniqueness of my employees, be very selective in my choice of guides, drivers and vehicles. In my company, be it a driver or a guide, you will meet people who are bright and gifted in what they do. Each of my employees is unique both as a person and as a professional. You can meet my team here: My Team
In my offer of the tours, I rely on my experience of guiding tours for many years, as well as on my passion for art and history. I should acknowledge that the sights, which are the most advertised, are not necessarily the best choices in high season. I will be more than happy to offer you a tour to the places which everybody knows, such as the Hermitage or Catherine’s palace, while, on the other hand, if it is the peak of the season or if you prefer something unique, I would also suggest visiting Pavlovsk palace, or Cottage palace reminiscent of Italian countryside villa, or Gatchina, a castle-type palace. Or maybe it will be the Hermitage tour but with the focus on the topic you are interested in. I am very good at hearing people’s needs and their characters. As a result, my tours are personalized.
Do I guide tours myself? Yes, I sometimes do but now I focus on managing tours. Besides tourist business, I work in academic field: I am a literary and film scholar.
Contact me and I will send you the customized offer within 24 hours!
We ( my wife and I) contacted Ekaterina ("Katya") about two months before our cruise on NCL stopped in St. Petersburg. We wanted to see the city on a less-crowded... read more excursion than the ship offered.
First off, there are NO visa issues. While the ship might want you to think otherwise, Ekaterina is licensed by the government, and uses that license to provide you with a temporary visa. She sends this visa document to you a couple of weeks before your cruise, so you have it in hand when you disembark in Russia. Simply show it to customs along with your passport, and everything is fine. It really is that simple. And, because you are in a private car, they get you back to the ship at any time you choose.
We contracted for two days, and were met by Maria, the tour guide and Dimitri, the driver. We were very pleased with both Maria and Dimitri. There were no communication problems, as both spoke English.
Our email correspondence prior to the tour was very easy. Katya did not require any deposits in advance. By email, we discussed the sights which we wanted to see, she offered her recommendations and we agreed upon a schedule. This was easy to do and this private tour (and driver) was actually less expensive than the ship's excursions.
Maria was charming, as was Dimitri, and she held degrees in both history and art, so her guidance was appreciated through Peterhof's Palace, Pavlovsk Palace, St. Isaak's Cathedral, the Hermitage, City Tour by boat, Church on the Spilled Blood, lunch at a local restaurant, etc. We learned a good bit about Russia's history.
In addition, Maria handled all necessary entrance tickets, the cost of which were included, with the exception of the cost of lunch.
Best of all, everything went smoothly, we had no worries and a lovely luxury ride which dropped us off at the front door of all of these attractions, and we skipped the lines.
Do consider this approach to touring St. Petersburg. We really enjoyed it and I believe that you would also.
Bluffton 9/30/2018
Joined another couple on our cruise for a wonderful 3 day tour with guide Elena and driver Dimitrie. All four of us had visited St Petersburg before, visiting... read more the highlights. This visit we wanted to see other attractions which the wife of the couple we were with had organised with the the help of TJ Tours.
We couldn't have had a better guide and driver, they were both charming, very easy to get on with and spoke excellent English.
While we were driving around Elena would talk about what we were going to see with a great deal of very interesting historical information.
My husband and I had a wonderful 3 days in splendid company. Though we had not met our fellow cruisers or our guide and driver before we had such a good time it felt like all six of us were friends. Fantastic experience. Thoroughly recommend TJ Tours.
John N 7/11/2017
Myself and my wife booked a cruise which stopped overnight in St Petersburg. As neither of us has ever been to Russia before we thought we would try to... read more make the most of our time and learn about the history and see the sights.
We found Ekaterina online, and she promised to make a tour that would cover all the items on our bucket list. The pre cruise arrangements we very simple as Ekaterina looked after everything and two weeks before sailing we received from her the documentation to allow us to get out of the port.
When the day arrived and we disembarked from the ship everything went smoothly and within minutes we were through customs, and Ekaterina was waiting with our name on the clipboard, and she had an excellent driver waiting outside.
The two days were action packed, and in fact on the first day, as my wife wished to add and additional palace to the original itinerary, this was made possible by over running our schedule 2 hours - thanks to Ekaterina and her driver for that.
I can honestly say that we had a terrific time and saw everything...... not just palaces and cathedrals etc, but had river cruise, trip on St Petersburg underground, visited the largest produce market and much more.
Ekaterina has a superb grasp of the English language, and I think there is simply nothing she does not know about St Petersburg and its history , so we were really lucky and had a fabulous two days, even the weather was not particularly kind to us, because we had a private car at our disposal, could be dropped right at the door of an attraction - then afterwards a quick phone call to the driver and we were back in the car.
All in all we would certainly recommend without hesitation Ekaterina to be you personal guide if you are thinking of visiting St Petersburg. Trust this information is useful to someone.
We ( my wife and I) contacted Ekaterina ("Katya") about two months before our cruise on NCL stopped in St. Petersburg. We wanted to see the city on a less-crowded... read more 