hog island oyster farm tour and shucking

Hog Island Oyster Farm Tours

Immerse yourself in oyster farming with a tour, tasting, and master class in shucking.

The hog experience

Delve a little deeper with a tour experience at the Hog Island Oyster farm. They offer different tour options depending on how deep into learning you want to go.

Oyster Farm Tour and Shucking

x Hog Island Oyster Company

Offsite at host venue

What you'll do

Shuck yeah! Immerse yourself in oyster farming with a tour, tasting, and master class in shucking!

Learn how Hog Island oysters are grown, about their coastal habitat, and how we use sustainable aquaculture techniques. Develop your own shucking and slurping skills (knife and glove included) and enjoy a light tasting menu of fresh oysters, local cheeses, charcuterie, and select beers and wine.

Where you’ll be

20215 Shoreline Highway, Marshall, CA 94940

How to enjoy

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Meet your host

Hog Island Oyster Company

Dr. Gary Fleener serves as the staff ecologist and farm education coordinator for Hog Island Oyster Co. He is passionate about sharing stories and ideas from the intersection of seafood, sustainability, and the California coast.

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Hog Island Oyster Company: Shucking with a View

In the town of Marshall, CA, right on the Tomales Bay, is the oyster eating experience you have been waiting for. I know what you are going to say, “but Josh, I don’t like oysters.” To which I would reply that you just haven’t had the right oysters. When you are sitting on the deck with a knife, a rubber glove, and a cup of hogwash, shucking your fresh oysters, I think you will reconsider that statement. Hog Island Oyster Company is a must-stop on Pacific Coast Highway , and here is all the information.

• Hours: 7 days a week from 9 AM – 5 PM
• Free parking
• Address: 20215 Shoreline Hwy, Marshall, CA 94940
• Information as of 2017

In July of 1983, Hog Island started oyster farming in the Tomales Bay with a five-acre shellfish lease. Now they have over 160 acres in Tomales Bay and harvest over 3.5 million oysters a year. They are dedicated to sustainable aquaculture techniques and have a “Bay to Bar” philosophy where they make sure all elements of the process meet their standards. In my short interaction with the people farming here, it seemed to be accurate as they were all enjoying themselves and loved talking about the oyster process.

The Location

As soon as you round the bend and see the old wooden building with the “live to shuck” sign, then you will know you are in the right place.

There was a lot of parking along the road and a few reserved spots in front of the building for you to pick up to-go orders.

The primary eating location is the back patio bar, where there are a bunch of picnic benches that overlook the fantastic Tomales Bay; it is one of the best oyster eating locations you can visit.

Right behind where you order, you can see them doing the farming. They had bags of oysters on the table and were sorting them and adding them to the big pools in the back so that they stayed fresh for when you ordered.

The Oysters

To order, you simply walk up to the window, pick your size, and your type, then specify the amount you want. They have a few different sizes.

They also have a picnic option where you can pay five extra dollars, and they will load you up with a knife, a rubber glove, and all of the sauces you need to shuck your oysters right there on the back patio. I did this and highly recommend it as this is a great spot to relax and eat your oysters. They also gave me the tip of ordering the “hogwash” sauce, which is rice vinegar, jalapenos, cilantro, and some other sauces. It was a fantastic addition to the oysters I purchased, and I highly recommend it.

Here is where I sat to enjoy my feast.

As a newbie to the shucking process, I got a walkthrough and was on my way to shucking in no time. It was easy once you got the hang of it, and the glove helped you to stop from puncturing yourself.

After devouring my oysters, I was on my way. I can honestly say that I thought about these multiple times while on my road trip. Along with Hensels in Crescent City (which is now closed), it was one of the best things I ate on my drive. If you have an oyster spot you recommend, be sure to leave it in the comments so I can check it out.

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Hog Island Oyster Company

HOG ISLAND OYSTER COMPANY, Marshall - Menu, Prices & Restaurant Reviews - Tripadvisor

Spend An Afternoon at Hog Island Oyster Farm in Tomales Bay

It was Monday. The day of the week that most people dread, but as a restaurateur, it’s the start of my weekend. The Northern California weather was beautiful and staying at home wasting the 85 degrees would be a sin. Though I had evening plans, there was a half day to kill and eating oysters in Tomales Bay while catching some rays sounded like a perfect way to do it.

I kidnapped Peter from work and we headed out towards Tomales Bay for our first ever visit to Hog Island Oyster Co. Talk about taking for granted what is in your own backyard.

Hog Island Oyster farm has been raising premium quality oysters since 1983 and the Farm in Marshall, California has quickly become a favorite hot spot for the outdoor eating of these so-called aphrodisiacs. 

The oyster bar, AKA ‘The Boat’, offered a small selection of shucked oysters, local snacks, beer and wine.

They were armed with one cashier and a full-time shucker. The shucker was really busy servicing all the hungry folks.

Need some help? I will shuck for food. 

There was also an option to book a picnic table in advance and shuck-your-own oysters.

Seeing the unspontaneous picnickers, with their bright blue protective glove and oyster knife, shucking away gave me a tinge of jealousy since “shucking oysters” is on my bucket list . Would it have been rude to ask to shuck just one of theirs? 

We ordered a half dozen of sweet water raw oysters, four chipotle bourbon BBQ oysters, a hunk of chorizo, a small block of lavender cheese, a box of crackers, one beer and a Pellegrino. $51. Ouch.

Though I am not typically a raw oyster fan, these tasted like the mildest sea water. Even so, I only ate a quarter of one. Enough. Give me one of the barbecue bourbon style. Did I mention bourbon? They were so large and meaty that I had to cut them with a knife. Slurping them whole would had only led to dribble down my chin. Very uncouth.

The Spanish chorizo and Cypress Grove Chevre cheese made for nice accouterments, but did not steal the main show.

All the tables in the picnic area are communal, which is alright by me, I like most people, especially the ones who bring their own wine and like to share.

Many thanks to our new Fresno friends who have good taste in  Northern California  Syrah.

We spent just over three hours noshing, drinking, chatting with our new pals and getting lobster-style sunburns.

With my newly acquired experience, I now know that on the next visit to Hog Island Oyster Farm, and there will be a next time, it is essential to pack my own sharable wine, sunscreen and a blue glove to shuck an oyster.

Have you been to Hog Island Oyster Co.? Have you ever shucked an oyster?

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15 thoughts on “Spend An Afternoon at Hog Island Oyster Farm in Tomales Bay”

Those BBQ's oysters sound amazing! I also like them grilled with a little cheddar cheese and bacon. It gives them a wonderfully smokey flavor.

That just proves that everything goes with bacon!

Well it's an unlikely name for an oyster farm but it certainly looks delicious! 

They are amongst the best in the area!

I have been trying to aquire a taste for oysters for the past year. I've decided I like Oysters Rockefeller…and that's about it. Which I feel is cheating a bit since they're basically disguised in sauce and breadcrumbs. But I'm going to keep trying to like them plain, especially if I ever have the chance to go here. It looks so fun!

Maybe I need to try Oysters Rockefeller! That sounds like oysters I would love :)

Mmmmh. Oysters. I like mine best in a stew. Your post made my mouth water.

Oyster stew sounds good! Can you make me some? :)

oh, I love Hog Island! looks like a wonderful time

It was such a great way to spend a warm afternoon :)

I. Love. Oysters.  Raw, fried, steamed, in stew, with bacon… ok, I'm starting to sound like Lieutenant Dan and I need to stop.  But this looks like my idea of heaven.  My favorite oysters come from Apalachicola, FL – try them sometime if you find them!

I will definitely givie the Apalachicola a shot if I find some! I think the raw oysters are going to be an acquired tasted for me, but I’d like to try the oyster strew that everyone is talking about :)

I forced myself to eat oysters in New Zealand because they were famous from a town on the bottom of the South Island. They say they are an acquired taste… one I clearly haven acquired yet :-)

Yummy! I love oyster when it's grilled..and dip in a lemon juice and soy sauce with chili on it! Perfect!

That sounds like a delicious version.

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Daytrip: Hog Island Oyster Farm

Crossing through Sonoma and into Marin County, it’s hard not to sing the praises of Northern California. Within an hour’s drive, one passes through temperate valleys filled with fertile soil for farmlands and wineries, charming historic towns, markers for abundant trails through woodlands and redwood forests, beautiful coastal ranges, rivers, and estuaries, before coming to a gorgeous coastline rich with sealife.

Yesterday, we did just this, en route to the town of Marshall, on the northeast shore of Tomales Bay. In September, your chance of sunny days on the coast are high and the midweek crowds are low—perfect conditions for visiting the very popular Hog Island Oyster Farm picnic area.

If bivalves are your thing, look for the stanways floated out in the bay. That’s where the oysters are feeding on rich algae in the cool, tidal waters before being pulled in to the nursery. You can observe the process: the oysters are tumbled and shocked before being put into baths and sold to market.

Even better, you can reserve a picnic table and sample them.

Picnic reservations are hard to come by on the weekends, but walk-ins are sometimes available Tuesdays through Thursdays. We had made a reservation, but still had the place practically to ourselves all morning. Each reservation is for a three-hour block, and comes with a grill, oyster-shucking tools, lemons, hot sauce, Hogwash (their take on mignonette), and a shucking lesson. We packed a picnic with sparkling wine and cheese (you can bring whatever you like, except for hard alcohol), but you can also purchase almost everything you need there.

Between the two of us, we shucked and polished off five dozen oysters—though I can’t take much credit for the shucking part. I was incredibly slow at it!

And if raw oysters aren’t your thing, and you’d rather not cook, you can also reserve tables at “The Boat” oyster bar section where they’ll grill them for you.

The views are incredible, and the air is clear—it smells salty like the sea. There’s no cell-service or wifi signals, so it really feels like you’ve gotten away.

We decided to take advantage of the beautiful day and explore a bit more after lunch, driving south to Bolinas and finally Mill Valley before heading home.

Hog Island Oyster Farm , 20215 Shoreline Highway, Marshall, CA 94940. Picnic Area, Daily Reservations from 10:30-1:30 + 2:00-5:00pm, Fri-Mon reservations required,  Tue-Thurs walk-ins welcome for tables without grills. The Boat Oyster Bar,11:00am – 4:30pm Fri-Mon reservation required.

P.S. More places to visit in Point Reyes and Tomales Bay  (including Tomales Bay Oyster Farm ). Also, a day in Petaluma and a weekend visit to the Sonoma Coast .

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Salt + Spine

A Shucking Great Event: Live Podcast & Farm Tour at Hog Island Oyster Co.

Don't miss our next live show—complete with a tour of hog island's working farm, delicious bites from their new cookbook, and an afternoon of storytelling..

I’m thrilled to announce the next live recording of Salt + Spine , which is coming up next week on the stunning shores of Tomales Bay in Northern California with the Hog Island Oyster Company!

🎙 Tales of the Tide: A Salt + Spine Live Podcast, Farm Tour, and Afternoon Bites at Hog Island Oyster Co.

📅 Date: Thursday, July 27, 2023 🕒 Time: 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM PDT 📍 Location: Hog Island Oyster Co., 20215 Shoreline Hwy, Marshall, CA 94940

🎉 Reserve your spot now for an extraordinary adventure celebrating the beauty of Tomales Bay, the flavors of Hog Island, and the power of storytelling. Spaces are limited, and this event promises to be one for the books!

🎟 Get Your Ticket 🎟

Get ready to include in an afternoon of immersive storytelling:

🎟 A Captivating Farm Tour: Get an exclusive glimpse behind the scenes at the renowned Hog Island Oyster Co. Witness the artistry and dedication that goes into the harvest and sale of over 5 million oysters and clams each year. Prepare to be amazed!

🦪 Culinary Delights: Delight your senses with a culinary experience curated by the talented Chef John Ash from the new The Hog Island Book of Fish and Seafood . Experience the mouthwatering flavors of fresh ceviche, a hearty grain salad, and the pièce de résistance—barbecued oysters with chipotle bourbon butter. It's a feast you won't want to miss!

🎙 Live Podcast Recording: Join our live audience for an intimate recording of the Salt + Spine podcast. Engage in an enthralling conversation with Hog Island co-founder John Finger, Chef John Ash, and Salt + Spine host Brian Hogan Stewart. Discover the secrets behind Hog Island, sustainable aquaculture practices, and the art of cooking with shellfish.

🎟 Exclusive Ticket Benefits: By securing your ticket, you gain access to the Hog Island farm tour and live podcast recording. But that's not all! You'll also receive a personalized signed copy of The Hog Island Book of Fish and Seafood , a cherished memento to remember this unforgettable day. Food and beverages will be provided during the event (alcohol available for purchase).

🌤 Note: Coastal weather can be unpredictable. We recommend bringing layers and wearing comfortable shoes for the farm tour portion.

Experience the magic of storytelling come alive as we take the Salt + Spine podcast to the stunning shores of Tomales Bay!

We can’t wait to see you there for a shucking good time!

Ready for more?

Hog Island Oyster Farm tour

A few of these shots were taken in the same style as what is on the Hog Island website as a sort of homage to the images (and to keep us sharp on our toes!)

– In the wild, only about 1/10th of 1% of oyster spawn survive because they have to fight to stay alive amongst everything else in the sea that likes to gobble them up.  As the oysters are now bred in oyster farms, at Hog Island they get about 75-80% of the spawn to live.

– As mentioned, oyster farmers grow the oysters and as such they are true farmers , visualizing what they want to be the final product and working to make sure that happens by creating the right environment for that to occur.  The process is quite fascinating.

– These young oysters are put in round tubular pens where they are tumbled by the wind and waves falling over each other, which chips off the outer shells.  This stress makes the oysters create a harder shell (better for shucking!) and the oysters will create a deeper pocket in their shells, which equals more meat!

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Oyster-shucking classes on Long Island

Tools of the trade include special gloves and knives. Credit: David Daly

Whenever Eileen McGuire has new houseguests at her home in Southold, one of the musts on her itinerary is to take them to an oyster shucking class.

“It’s fabulous,” said McGuire. “Very educational, and a lot of fun.”

There are more than two dozen oyster growers across Long Island, but only a handful offer shucking lessons.

On-site classes usually start with a lesson on the life of an oyster, the method of cultivating them, the history of oyster farming, how the mollusks affect our ecosystem (one adult can filter 50 gallons of water a day) and more. You also often have the chance to tour an oyster farm and see the spawning process firsthand, according to David Daly of Southold Bay Oysters.

Guests are then provided with the necessary gear, including a special opening knife and gloves, for the latter part of the session, when they get a chance to roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty.

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So how hard is it to shimmy open a stubborn mollusk? Well, there’s a reason there are professional oyster shuckers: Oysters have a very strong muscle called the adductor that allows it to shut its shell quickly when approached by a predator. To make shucking even more of a challenge, the shells are fit tightly together and move on a hinge to open, and it’s difficult to find a spot to slip in your oyster knife.

If you’re intimidated, Daly offers words of encouragement. “It actually requires patience more than strength,” he explained.

McGuire, who has taken multiple shucking lessons, said, “You have to put a little muscle into it. It’s all about technique.”

At the end of the classes, the reward is to enjoy the delicious oysters you’ve painstakingly opened.

“It’s truly an eye-opening experience,” said McGuire. “Learning about oyster farming, holding the baby oysters and learning how important they are in keeping our waters clean actually makes the oysters taste better because you truly appreciate them.”

Peter Stein, of Peeko Oysters in New Suffolk, agreed. “These oyster-shucking experiences are an ideal and storied way to discover just how special these oysters are.”

And in case you were wondering, no one has found a pearl yet. But you never know . . .

Want to take a class? These are four oyster growers that offer shucking lessons on Long Island:

• Southold Bay Oysters, Southold, southoldbayoysters.com
• Peeko Oysters, New Suffolk, peekooysters.com
• Founders Oyster Farm, Southold, foundersoysterfarm.com
• Little Ram Oysters, Southold, littleramoysters.com

A public farm tour with a shucking class can cost $90 per person, while a private farm tour and shucking lesson starts at $475 for up to 6 guests.

When to Book

Most shucking lessons on Long Island are offered from mid-spring through early fall.

What to Bring

Everything you need to shuck will be furnished at your class. However, check with the venue regarding food and drink availability.

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• Regent Seven Seas Cruises

Best of Moscow by high speed train

By shuguley , February 15, 2014 in Regent Seven Seas Cruises

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Sure would appreciate someone who has taken "Best of Moscow by high speed train" from St. Petersburg could please share their impressions of this shore excursion. From the description this sounds like a very long day.

Wondering how the 4 hour train trip was in terms of accommodations, etc. Also what time did you leave the ship and what time at night did you return? Were both legs of the trip on the high speed rail (I read that slower trains also travel the same tracks)?

My wife and I are considering this excursion. We thought that if we are making all the effort to go to Russia then how could we pass up going to Moscow, walking in Red Square, seeing St. Basil, etc.

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If you are considering this on the 2015 June Baltic cruise on Voyager; my suggestion is don't. There is so much to do in St. Petersburg and although a train is one of my favorite ways to travel the time would be far better spent in St. P.

Thanks for the advice. Yes, this would be on the Voyager during the 2015 season but not yet sure exactly which cruise.

We did the Moscow excursion "on a different luxury line", but from your brief description it sounds very much like the same trip, so I will operate on that assumption. It is a VERY long day! We left the ship at 5:30 AM and returned at 12:30 AM. The highspeed train trip is comfortable, and while they call it "Business Class" it does not compare well to the equivalent class on say Rail Europe. When we did it in 2011, we did have highspeed both ways, and the trip back seemed much longer as the adrenaline and excitement had worn off!:D

Moscow itself is not that terribly different from any other big city in the world, but this Cold War kid never thought he would ever stand in Red Square, never mind walk the grounds of The Kremlin, or tour The Kremlin Palace, or see (but not visit) Lenin's Tomb, or visit The Armoury. But he did, and he loved every minute of it! Yes, it is a long day, and you barely scratch a scratch on the surface, but it is worth it. There is a tremendous amount to see in St. Petersburg, but every Baltic cruise goes to St. Petersburg, so you can go back if you choose to. Not every cruiseline offers you the chance to see Moscow.

I have not personally done this tour, but our last time in St Petersburg, the private guide that we hired for a day was leading the regent tour to Moscow on the high speed train the next day. He said it was way better than the previous alternative, which was flying to Moscow and back. He said that you actually got to Moscow faster because you didn't have to deal with airline checkin etc. it did seem like a very long day to me, and there is so much to see and do in st. Petersburg that I didn't consider doing it.

countflorida

We toured to Moscow from St. Petersburg via the hi-speed SAPSAN train last September, from a Baltic cruise on the Oceania Marina. You need to have a two-night, three day port call in St. Petersburg to take this tour because the tour typically leaves the ship around 5:00 - 5:30 AM and doesn't return until after midnight the next day. We didn't take the ship's tour; we made private arrangements with TravelAllRussia for three days of touring, the first and third days in St. Petersburg and the second day the tour to Moscow by train. Our cost for the private tour for three days was about the same as what the ship charged for the excursion to Moscow alone. There are a number of private tour agencies that operate in St. Petersburg and offer the Moscow train tours; we would strongly recommend them over the ship's tours.

All three days had private guides with car and driver. The second day, the driver picked us up at the ship and took us to the train, but we were alone on the train, and met in Moscow by the guide on the station platform. After our tour and dinner, we were brought back to the train and after the return train trip met by the driver and taken back to the ship. Because you are alone on the train you must have your own Russian visas.

If this is your first visit to St. Petersburg, I would agree there is much more to see there. We found Moscow somewhat a disappointment, particularly Red Square. The Kremlin and the cathedral in Red Square were also worth seeing. But the best thing we saw was the Moscow subway! I worked for the Washington Metro system back in the 1980s as it grew from 40 to 80 miles and although I was in the computer area, I learned a lot about the challenges of running a subway system. We used the Moscow system to get across the city from where we had dinner to the train station, and I was amazed at the cleanliness', speed of operation, the short headways maintained, and the courtesy of everyone involved. A very impressive experience!

We had been to St. Petersburg before, and so had the time to take a day and go to Moscow. Also, I really like trains, and the SAPSAN is a German train set running on Russian rails. Seats are like first class domestic air, spacious but not too plush or comfortable, but with enough room. Not too much recline, and almost 8 hours on the train in two shots is a lot for an old man. They come through and sell drinks, candy, etc. but the sellers don't speak English and no one around us helped, so we had just poor coffee once coming, and brought stuff with us for the trip back. Not too much to see from the train either, particularly on the return when it is night the whole way.

If you decide to go, take a private tour and avoid the overly expensive ship's tour. I'm glad we did it, but wouldn't bother to repeat the tour; we've seen Moscow.

Thanks so much to all of you for the thorough and thought insight. Yhe information you have provided is most helpful.

countflorida: Your detailed post is very helpful. We are not quite ready for a Baltic cruise but should do so within a year. Time enough to do our pre travel research, bookings and visa gathering.:) Thank you!

Emperor Norton

Sure would appreciate someone who has taken "Best of Moscow by high speed train" from St. Petersburg could please share their impressions of this shore excursion. From the description this sounds like a very long day.   Wondering how the 4 hour train trip was in terms of accommodations, etc. Also what time did you leave the ship and what time at night did you return? Were both legs of the trip on the high speed rail (I read that slower trains also travel the same tracks)?   My wife and I are considering this excursion. We thought that if we are making all the effort to go to Russia then how could we pass up going to Moscow, walking in Red Square, seeing St. Basil, etc.

I did this on Seabourn. IMO DONT. Take Aeroflop (er Aeroflot). The train has non folding seats where you are literally knee to knee with your fellow passenger (facing each other). Further they don't believe in air conditioning. It's also the worlds slowed bullet train. I think I would have found more enjoyment wandering around the St. Petersburg and Moscow airports.

Countflorida,

This is a little off topic,, however we had planned a river cruise in Russia but decided we would rather stay on land and have booked about two weeks with Travel-All-Russia using the private guide and driver. I'm curious as to how you found them as a tour company.

The guides they provided were fine. We had a different guide each of the days in St. Petersburg, but both were flexible, pleasant, knowledgeable and spoke English very well, as did the guide in Moscow, incidentally. She was a bit aloof, distant, not too friendly, but otherwise fine. In fact, she was the one who suggested taking the Metro, which unexpectedly became one of the highlights of the Moscow excursion. If I have a complaint with AllTravelRussia, it is with their plan and its execution (more later).

I had requested emphasis on World War II (in Russia, the Great Patriotic War) sites and info. In scheduling us, they weren't careful about dates and a couple of the sites we wanted to see were scheduled on the third day, after we'd been to Moscow. But both sites were closed that day of the week, and that info was readily available, right on web sites describing them. Also, the included meals (lunches in St. Pete, dinner in Moscow) were not what we asked for: light meals with some choices, so we could avoid things we didn't like and choose things we did like. My request was ignored; we were given full Russian meals with a fixed menu, no choice. On the first day, a fish dish was the entre, but I am allergic to fish. Fortunately, I had the e-mail I'd sent with me and showed it to the guide, and she was able to change my entre to chicken, which was very good actually. But we didn't want a 3-4 course lunches or dinner (in Moscow). We had the guide drop the lunch the third day, although we never got any credit or refund. But, particularly in contrast to the ship's tours, the prices were so reasonable we didn't worry too much about it.

The people who were on the ship's tour to Moscow saw us boarding the same train for which they were forced to queue up and wait on the way back, and asked us what we had done. I was candid and open so they were not happy when I explained what we had arranged and particularly what it had cost. Also, when we returned to the ship, we found they had laid on a late supper for those who had gone to Moscow, so up we went and had something. Well, it turns out the late supper was supposed to be just for those on the ship's tour, but we and others on 'independent' tours, there were a dozen or more of us, crashed the party, actually got there first, and they didn't realize it until the larger group arrived and there weren't enough tables/places set. By that time, the 'independents' had all gotten served and were eating; what could they do?

A couple from the larger group sat down with us and asked us about our tour, and they were the ones I told about our arrangement and its cost. They turned to others who’d been with them and announced the details, loudly enough so the whole room heard, which started a lot of bitching and complaining. I gathered they weren't very happy with the ship's tour to begin with, and this was the straw that broke the camel's back. We finished up and beat it out of there, but overheard later that one of the excursion staff came to check on something and ran into a real mess. I caught a cold on the trip, which forced me to bed the second day following in Tallinn, so by the time we reappeared we heard about the contretemps' but apparently no one recalled who started it, thankfully.

Because of what happened to us, I would probably not use AllTravelRussia if I were to go again, or if I did, I would be sure to get confirmation of every detail of the tour. They do have good reviews generally, and we were certainly helped by their visa department and liked the guides and drivers. Their weakness, I say now with full 20:20 hindsight, is that once the sales person who plans the tour, sells it to you and collects your money, he (or she) transfers the plan to their Russia office for implementation; there is no follow-up to make sure it gets done right. And that is where our problems arose; we paid for a custom tour but got a standard package with a few destinations switched, and no one checked them out, even to see when they were open the day we were scheduled to go. If you check every detail that’s important to you, it should be OK, but that’s a hell of a way to have to do business, in my opinion.

Thank you for the 20/20 hindsight observation on your Russian tour operator, and better priced than the ship's excursion cost.

Thanks very much for the feedback.

We had the same experience as you so far as price. We originally booked a Viking Cruise but, hearing some things about the river cruises that made us unhappy, looked into other options. T-A-R cost the same or less than a cruise and had us in hotels for 11 days. We opted for the private tour. They have three tour levels, based on hotels. We originally opted for the four star as it did not cost much more than the three star hotels. Finally we decided to throw it all in and upgraded to five star. In Moscow we will be at the newly opened Kempinsky which is two blocks from Red Square. In St. Petersburg it is the Grand Hotel Europe, one of the most vaunted luxury hotels in Russia. Location is important for us as the tours use up only part of the day so being in the center of everything for our independent touring is important. As with many other cities, the less you pay, the farther out of the center of town you are.

We have been working with our salesman in D.C. and he seems to get back to us with the changes we want. He recently returned from Russia so is up on everything. When I asked they said they paid the full TA commission if I wanted so I got my usual TA on board so he is watching our back and giving us that extra level of comfort. He also set up our air, which I know pays him little or nothing, and got us business class for much less than T-A-R wanted for economy, though it took working for a while with a consolidator. He's happy to get his 10 percent on this trip without having booked it. He also took care of the trip insurance. We've been doing a lot of research on the CC sister site Trip Advisor and will write a report there. We will, I guess, become a source of info for CC members after having spent 5 days in Moscow and 6 in SP.

• 4 months later...

scubacruiserx2

Anybody considering a day trip to Moscow from St. Petersburg on the Sapsan may want to look at our travelogue filled with pictures.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1927687

Very informative. Thanks dor sharing. Jeff

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• Preplanned tours
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• St. Petersburg

Moscow Metro

The Moscow Metro Tour is included in most guided tours’ itineraries. Opened in 1935, under Stalin’s regime, the metro was not only meant to solve transport problems, but also was hailed as “a people’s palace”. Every station you will see during your Moscow metro tour looks like a palace room. There are bright paintings, mosaics, stained glass, bronze statues… Our Moscow metro tour includes the most impressive stations best architects and designers worked at - Ploshchad Revolutsii, Mayakovskaya, Komsomolskaya, Kievskaya, Novoslobodskaya and some others.

What is the kremlin in russia?

The guide will not only help you navigate the metro, but will also provide you with fascinating background tales for the images you see and a history of each station.

And there some stories to be told during the Moscow metro tour! The deepest station - Park Pobedy - is 84 metres under the ground with the world longest escalator of 140 meters. Parts of the so-called Metro-2, a secret strategic system of underground tunnels, was used for its construction.

During the Second World War the metro itself became a strategic asset: it was turned into the city's biggest bomb-shelter and one of the stations even became a library. 217 children were born here in 1941-1942! The metro is the most effective means of transport in the capital.

There are almost 200 stations 196 at the moment and trains run every 90 seconds! The guide of your Moscow metro tour can explain to you how to buy tickets and find your way if you plan to get around by yourself.

single post

St. Petersburg-Moscow cruise – September 2004

Bebe, Howie and Marilyn Abbott flew from Boston on Thursday evening, Sep 9 and arrived in Helsinki, Finland the following afternoon. We spent two+ days visiting Helsinki and getting our clocks rewound.

On Monday we were bussed along with 13 others to St. Petersburg, Russia where we were deposited on the river cruise ship m.s. Yesenin which would be our hotel for the next 12 days. There were two tour groups totaling 61 passengers on board.

On Tuesday we began our tour of St. Petersburg on bus and by foot. One of the most spectacular landmarks is the Church on the Spilt Blood.

Our tour included the Hermitage , or Winter Palace whose interior rooms were beautifully restored and furnished. Here is a sample .

On Wednesday we traveled to the Catherine Palace in Pushkin where we were greeted by the first of many bands playing the Star Spangled Banner or The Saints Come Marching In. The palace’s gilded interiors were overwhelming. Here is our host, Peter the Great.

The following day was spent at the incredible Peterhof on the Gulf of Finland where Peter created a Russian Versailles. Just look at the canal leading to the palace from the gulf and the fountains and statuary that met a visitors eye.

That evening we set sail from St. Petersburg on our way through rivers, lakes, canals and locks toward Moscow. During the night we traveled along the Neva River and across Lake Ladoga into the Svir River.

On Friday the Yesinin docked at Svir Stroy for a few hours. A walk through the village resulted in an invitation into a private home for blinis (small Russian pancakes), cookies and vodka.

From the Svir River we traveled north through the night on Lake Onega reaching Kizhi Island on Saturday, Sep 18. We explored the collection of wooden architecture under rainy skies.

It took the rest of the day and the following night to travel south on Onega to the Volga-Baltic Canal, pass through 6 locks into White Lake and dock at Goritsy. The major attraction there is the Monastery of St. Kirill .

From Goritsy we followed the Sheksna River into the Ribinsk Reservoir which is fed from the Volga. A side trip on the Volga took us to Yaroslavl, a small city east of Moscow. Our Monday visit included a music and dance performance that evening.

By Tuesday morning we had returned to the reservoir and continued along the Volga to Uglich. We were once again met at the pier by a group of musicians . Among the attractions at Uglich were the ornate domes of St. Dmitry on the Blood.

That evening the passengers and crew were treated to entertainment by the Yesinin Passenger Folk Orchestra , which was created under the guise of Russian language lessons earlier in the voyage.

The passengers included a large number of Aussies who were not to be ignored as they lead the audience in Waltzing Matilda.

Six locks and one day later we arrived at our berth on the Moscow Canal where our ship remained for the rest of the trip. Our introduction to Moscow took place on a tour bus stuck in a traffic jam. Wow – are Moscow drivers innovative.

Here are Bebe and Marilyn in front of St. Basil’s on our first of many visits to Red Square.

Here they are on the following day at one of the many museum-like subway stations in Moscow.

One side of Red Square is bordered by GUM , the state department store. Under the vaulted skylights inside was a favorite spot for lunch.

Our last day was spent exploring the Kremlin Cathedrals and Armoury. Here is one of 1000’s of treasures exhibited there. We finished the day at the Moscow Circus where a favorite of ours was the performing goats!

• More Winterset adventures •

50th wedding anniversary at the Bitter End Yacht Club – 2004 Bicycling the C&O Canal in 2004

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A History of Moscow in 13 Dishes

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