Express St. Petersburg

Introduction

During our tour you will get acquainted with the main sights of St. Petersburg: architectural monuments belonging to different epochs and styles, beautiful Neva embankment, magnificent palaces, cathedrals and unique bridges. You will see St Isaacs Cathedral, Kazan Cathedral, Peter and Paul Cathedral, Savior on Spilled Blood Cathedral, the Hermitage, the Russian Museum, Palace Square, Neva Embankment, a monument to Peter the Great, Summer Garden, the Mariinsky Theatre and many more. The tour is not only about sights themselves, but also about prominent people who created our city, lived and worked on the banks of the Neva. Petersburg is one of the most mysterious cities. Built on a swamp, it quickly turned into a pearl of European architecture. Myths and legends of the city on the Neva River, about which well tell you, are still present to this day.

Day 1: St Petersburg In and around St Petersburg Arrival in St. Petersburg On arrival in St. Petersburg you will be met by our friendly representative who will escort you by car or mini bus to your hotel. Your St. Petersburg tour begins right away as on the way to the hotel, you will have the opportunity to get your first glimpse of this truly unique and beautiful city. After settling in at the hotel, you can sit down to a short lunch (optional), to prepare you for the city tour. Panoramic City Tour. This tour is a great start to your trip and the best way to get acquainted with all of the citys major highlights. Our professional guide will take you down Nevsky Prospect, St. Petersburgs most famous and vibrant thoroughfare. There you will see some of the citys most interesting architectural monuments including the Kazan Cathedral and the Winter Palace. You will then proceed to Vasilevsky Island - the area of the city that Peter the Great originally planned to be the city center. This island juts out into the Gulf of Finland - reminding you of St. Petersburgs close proximity to the sea and maritime history. The tour will include a visit to the Peter and Paul Fortress - a symbol of St. Petersburg and also the oldest building in the city. While there, you will visit Peter and Paul Cathedral, the burial place of the Russian Tsars from Peter the Great onward. You will then be taken back to your hotel to relax. In the evening you will have free time to stroll along the city streets and to dine at a restaurant of your choice. If you would like recommendations on good places to eat, just ask us.

Day 2: St Petersburg Breakfast at the hotel Visit to Peterhof. Peterhof (Petrodvorets) is a jewel of Russian art - a town of parks, palaces and fountains. In the past, it was used as an exquisite summer residence by the Russian Tsars. You will visit the Grand Palace - the largest and the most famous palace of the residence which was often used for gala receptions. After this you will proceed to the Lower Park (Nizhny Park) which is a genuine masterpiece of landscape design. The park is adorned with more than 150 fountains and 4 monumental cascades. There are several small palaces and pavilions on the park territory, such as the Monplaisir, Catherines Block, Marli, Hermitage, the Bath Block and many more. If you are ready to walk a lot you will also enjoy a magnificent view of the Gulf of Finland +Optional excursion The Palace and Park of Tsarskoye Selo is a former country residence of the Russian emperors. It is a fascinating monument of the worlds architectural and gardening arts of the XVIII-XIX centuries. Its 3 parks occupy an area of 600 hectares on which are located over 100 architectural monuments: from magnificent palaces and grand monuments to intimate pavilions and park sculptures designed by masters of the Venetian school such as P. Baratta, A. Tarsia and D. Bonazza. The center of Tsarskoye Selo is Catherine Palace, containing exquisite decorative objects, furniture, Russian and Western-European paintings, unique collections of porcelain, amber, arms and decorative bronze sculptures. The Palace also contains the Amber Room - a truly unique work of craftsmanship – a room made entirely of amber. The room was looted by the Nazi’s during WWII but luckily most of its pieces were recovered. The room was fully rebuilt in 2003. Tsarskoye Selo was also the main residence of the last Tsar Nicolas II and his family.

Day 3: St Petersburg Breakfast at the hotel After breakfast we will head to one of the greatest and largest art museums in the world - the Hermitage. The museum consists of five historical buildings including the Winter Palace - the residence of the Russian Tsars. The museum contains over 3 million pieces of art with dates ranging from high antiquity to the present day. Among the Hermitages treasures are artworks by Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Titian, Rembrandt, Rubens as well as many others. We will spend 3 hours at the museum, however, to view the collection in its entirety would take almost 15 years, spending 8 hours a day in the museum and taking one minute to examine each exhibit.

Day 4: St Petersburg Breakfast at the hotel Hotel check out Transfer to airport Say goodbye to St. Petersburg, the Venice of the North and one of the most interesting and colorful cities in the world. We hope to welcome you back to Russia sometime in the future. Do Svidaniya or until we meet again!