day 1 City tour. The Hermitage. Peterhof.
Right after coming through the customs you will see your guide already waiting for you.
Start the panoramic city tour of St Petersburg.
During the tour you will see St Petersburg most incredible highlights: the largest island of the city - the Vasilyevsky Island (Basil’s island), the statues of the Sphinx, the place where the city was started by the Tsar Peter the Great- St Peter and Paul's fortress
- St Isaac's cathedral and the Bronze horseman, the cathedral of Resurrection of Christ (mostly known as the church of the Savior on spilled blood), the square of Arts, the Nevsky prospect, the palace square with the monument to the Victory over Napoleon- the Alexander column, the Winter Palace, numerous rivers and canals and lots of wonderful bridges across them.
It goes without saying that the Hermitage museum must be on every traveler’s bucket list. The museum possesses over 3 million works of art. Needless to say, how busy it may get in the summer. But do not worry! We take care of everything: our managers book your museum tickets in advance, they choose the best time for a visit and even the best entrance for you to avoid crowds and skip the lines.
When you get to the Hermitage, you will just enjoy its amazing collections and its opulent interiors, being accompanied by our lovely tour guide. Starting from the Winter Palace (the former residence of the Romanovs) you will easily maneuver from one building to another, totally covering the main complex of the museum(i.e. the Small Hermitage, the Big Hermitage, the New Hermitage, the lobby of the Hermitage theater).
After the tour of the Hermitage visit the most splendid summer residence of the Romanovs which is Peterhof Lower park and the Grand Palace. Most people opt for the classic way to Peterhof: by car. Others, though, dream of taking a hydrofoil ride from St Petersburg directly to the Lower park. Whichever way you choose, you will find it enjoyable and absolutely worth doing.
Peterhof is a lovely small town, located right on the coast of the Gulf of Finland.
Originally built by Peter the Great as his summer residence and as a monument to the victory over Sweden, it was turned into the most splendid park with over 150 fountains.
When in Peterhof, the tour guide will show you the most beautiful cascades and pavilions of the so-called Russian Versailles: the Grand Cascade with its absolutely stunning gilded statues, the Chess Hill cascade with the original statues that survived during the days of WWII, the tricky fountains of Peter the Great, the Mon Pleaser palace-the Tsar’s most favorite place, which is overlooking the Gulf of Finland, Adam and Eve statues - the symbols of paradise (which Peterhof really is), the Hermitage pavilion, the Grand Palace of Peterhof (with a visit, if time allows).
Walking back to the car you might also see the other famous park of the town, which is the Upper Garden.
Meet your driver and return back to the ship.
day 2 Catherine's Palace. St. Isaak Cathedral.
Meet your tour guide and the driver. This time you are heading to the South, to the town of Pushkin, where the former summer residence of the Romanov family. Driving to the town of Pushkin usually takes about 1 hour. There is a lot to see on the way to Pushkin: the so-called Stalinist Empire-style apartment blocks dating back to the 50s of the XX century, the modern apartment blocks and houses, the Memorial dedicated to the Heroic Defenders of Leningrad in the days of WWII.
It takes just 20 minutes to get from the monument to your next stop – Catherine palace. It is no doubt the most incredible summer palace of the Romanovs. Ordered and built by the 2 famous Russian Empresses Elizabeth and Catherine the Great, the palace is famous for its lavish and magnificent facade, for both its exuberant baroque interiors and the elegant classical rooms, and, above all, for the real wonder of the world- the Amber room.
Walking through the palace golden suite of the room you will see the opulence of its decoration and the immense grandeur of its interiors. Apart from them, we suggest seeing the ground floor exhibition. This is what can impress you even more.
During WWII the palace was a target for Nazi’s shelling. Unfortunately, its amazing interiors were totally destroyed with some rooms (e.g. chapel) used as a garage…Reborn from ruins, Catherine palace is a wonderful example of amazing work performed by the Soviet restorers and historians.
After a small break for lunch or coffee (if needed) you are ready to head back to St Petersburg to visit another city’s attraction -St Isaac's cathedral. Its huge gilded dome dominates the ensemble of the square nearby, its massive neo-classical façade with bronze statues is famous all over the world. But not only is the cathedral exterior fascinating but also its interior. Mosaic works, sculptures, icons, semi-precious stones were used to decorate the main Russian Orthodox cathedral of the XIX century.
It would be a perfect ending to your tour in St Petersburg. Our team will take you back to the port.
