Venezuela's Safe Harbor

My mother wants to go to St. Petersburg, Russia, this summer. Any suggestion on tours that focus on St. Petersburg and last at least a week?

Cameron Quinn Arlington

Many package tours like to cram in as many Russian highlights as possible, or at least pair up the two imperial cities, Moscow and St. Petersburg. However, various companies cover St. Pete only, and for more than a long weekend.

The Russian National Group (877-221-7120, http://www.russia-travel.com ), which is affiliated with the Russian National Tourist Office, offers an eight-day tour of St. Petersburg with various 2005 dates. Prices per person double range from $2,164 (low season, tourist-class hotels) to $4,040 (high season, deluxe hotels) and include air from New York, lodging, breakfast and sightseeing at the top spots, such as the Hermitage and Peter the Great's Summer Palace.

Visitrussia.com also has St. Petersburg packages for three, five or eight days; the weeklong trip starts at $474 per person double for hotel, transfers, breakfast and guided tours (international air is extra). If you want to separate from the pack, the company also custom designs trips. Simply select among its online offerings -- Yusupov Palace ($45-$80), Draw Bridges Night City Tour ($55-$60), a tour of the city's suburbs ($155-$165) -- and the firm will pull together a special package built for you. Info: 800-755-3080, http://www.visitrussia.com .

Postscript

Eileen and Mark Lunardi of Springfield have some supplementary suggestions on visiting the Azores (May 8). "First of all, your response was terrific, especially since information on the Azores is not exactly abundant," wrote the Lunardis, who lived on Sao Miguel Island about 10 years ago when Mark Lunardi was vice consul at the American Consulate in Ponta Delgada. "We just wanted to make an additional recommendation. In the center of the island, there is a spot called Caldeira Velha, which is a thermal spring just right for swimming. It is perpetually warm and fizzy all year round, in addition to having a cool waterfall cascading down into it at the far end. For honeymooners, it's a delight!"

They also add that Lagoa do Fogo has a lake beach, but you must hike down "harrowing edges of an extinct volcano" to reach it, and it's "about an hour and a half down and over two hours back UP!" As for visiting other islands by ferry, the couple says from San Miguel you can cruise over to the tiny island of Santa Maria, which on a clear day is visible from Ponta Delgada.

Send queries by e-mail (travelqa@washpost.com), fax (202-912-3609) or U.S. mail (Travel Q&A, Washington Post Travel Section, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington D.C. 20071).