Review about by Janice Newman

Our visa-free tour from Helsinki to St Petersburg was wonderful! All arrangements worked out smoothly. The ferry trips on the St. Peterline’s “Princess Maria” from and to Helsinki were pleasant with a comfortable, roomy cabin and excellent food for dinners and breakfasts. As promised, a private tour guide (Ludmilla), with car and driver (Dmitri) were at the St Petersburg ferry terminal to meet us. It was a warm and sunny day for the extensive tour of the city and it was certainly a benefit to have a private guide for our visit to the Hermitage Museum, bypassing the queues. Ludmilla was an excellent guide throughout the entire day and we are grateful to her for her willingness to answer all our questions. The Hotel Domina Prestige where we were taken at the end of the 7+ hours of the tour was of a very high standard, with friendly helpful staff who spoke excellent English. This hotel is so central – an easy walk to the Neva, the Hermitage, Palace Square, etc. Maria was our guide for the next 2 days, driving us herself to Pushkin one day and to the Peterhof the following day. We cannot thank Maria enough for her enthusiasm in sharing so much information with us during these 2 days as well as giving us personal insight into life in this most beautiful city of St Petersburg and the surrounding areas. Most of all we thank Maria for her open, friendly and delightful company. In conclusion, we can whole-heartedly recommend this visa free tour to St Petersburg arranged for us by East West. It gives an excellent overview of the city and the museums and palaces which were included in the program. Best of all was the benefit of the private guide, so much better than tagging along with a full-busload of tourists with one guide! Many thanks to Susie, Ludmilla and Maria from Aubrey and Janice Newman, Canberra, Australia. September 2015.