Julia and Vladimir were excellent tour guides for the 2 days I spent with them in St. Petersburg. Julia is friendly, well organized, and responds promptly to emails. She readily cooperated with my preferences, waited patiently if I wanted to take photos, and her museum pass helped us skip long lines. Her husband, Vladimir, efficiently drove us around, allowing us... More

For several days Julia of "Dancing Bear Tours" was a superb guide on a private tour of St. Petersburg. She is well educated and has an excellent knowledge of the history and architecture of the city. The traffic was heavy but her husband was very familiar with the roads and a great van driver who allowed us to cover numerous... More

My husband and I traveled independently to St. Petersburg in June, just in time for the White Nights. Julia and her husband, Vladimir, were on time at the airport, greeting us with compliments (“I know you are a professor,” she said, “but you can’t be because you’re not stout!”), orientation to the city, and genuine warmth. We had asked Julia... More

We were on Oceania's Insignia, and booked 2 1/2 days of tours with Julia and Vladimir. Julia guided while Vlad did the driving. (His English is not yet comfortable.) Julia customized the tour to our interests via email before we arrived. She also provided the necessary documents for a Russian visa. They were at the exit from the border control... More

We were 2 couples on a Group tour, with 3 days in St. Petersburg. I looked online before we left and found Julia. We made arrangements and what a good idea! Dancing Bear got us in the front of the line, everywhere we went. They took us to unusual restaurants where we had genuine and delicious Russian food...if we wanted... More

My friend and I only had 3 days in which to see as much of St Petersburg as possible. If we would have tried to do it on our own we would not have been able to see half of what we did with Julia. She created a custom trip based on the things we had asked to see, and... More

We had booked a cruise to St Petersburg as it included a trip to the Ballet .We specifically wanted to go to the Mariinsky Ballet and at the last moment found out it was at another theatre etc. As there was not enough time to get a Visa we looked for options on the internet and found Julia with all... More

My wife and I had several days free in St. Petersburg during a river cruise and engaged Julia and Vadimir to show us their city. It was the best decision we made during the trip. Julia has perfect English and knows the city as only a native daughter can. Vladimir is an excellent driver and we always felt safe in... More

We hired Julia to be our St.Petersburg tour guide for 2 of the 7 days we visited St.Petersburg. She provided an outstanding service that was customized to our specifications. I was born in St.Petersburg and was returning to visit for the first time in 32 years with my husband, 8 year old daughter and father. Julia paid specific attention to... More