This fun tour is a great way to see a great deal of St Petersburg including both historical sites and contemporary life. Your itinerary was designed to experience as much as possible in 2 days without being rushed, leaving exhilarated, not exhausted.
Your party will be only those who you invite, at a fraction of the price of ship or hotel sold tours. Being a private tour, your adjustments to the itinerary are possible, plus more personal interaction with your guide, and share stories and conversation about your life and your new experiences in St Petersburg than is possible with a group tour. Our guides know the details of every aspect of history, artand culture but unlike other tour operators, we want the narration to be a conversation and not a dull history lecture. You will not be overloaded with dates and who married who in which year 250 years ago, but your guide can certainly tell you if you are interested. But what you are going to hear is the stories of fascinating people, culturally important trends and life of everyday people throughout the eras which connects you to your surroundings far better than date and generals and a second cousin to a Tsar birth date. Your guide will assist you interacting with locals, and contemporary society and act as your interpreter if needed.
| Title | Full 2-day St Petersburg | ||||||||
| Visas | Visa Free for Cruise passengers or we can provide free Visa Invitations for those arriving by air | ||||||||
| Type | Either Shore Excursion or for those staying in hotels | ||||||||
| Duration | 17.5 hours+evening activities if desired | ||||||||
| Maximum Group Size | 15 | ||||||||
| Activity Level | Active, but can adapt for mobility impaired | ||||||||
| Inside Visits | Peterhof Fountain Park and Gardens, State Hermitage Museum and Winter Palace, Peter and Paul Fortress, General Staff, St Nikolas Church, Catherine Palace at Pushkin, the Park at Pushkin, Metro underground ride, Canal Boat trip, Church on Spilled Blood, opportunity for Russian souvenir shopping | ||||||||
| Meals | Lunches both days are included, in fine restaurants | ||||||||
| Starting Time | 45 Minutes after your ship clears customs | ||||||||
| Mobility Restrictions | Walkers and folding Wheelchairs can be accommodated | ||||||||
| Price | From $259 per person depending of party size
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Your Itinerary: (Click on activities for details)
Day 1
Arrival-Our staff will greet you as you disembark after passing through Passport Control. We will introduce you you guide and to your driver. The tour begins about 30 minutes after your ship clears customs. Clearing Customs usually takes about 20 minutes from the time your ship docks
- City Tour-During the two, or three days of touring (depending on the length of the stay of your cruise ship) in St. Petersburg your motor coach will pass through the city's residential and suburban districts en route to Peterhof on the Gulf of Finland. Among other things you shall pass the St. Nicholas Cathedral, and the nearby Theater Square with the world famous Mariinski Theatre (of such world famous ballet dancers like Vaslav Nijinski, Rudolf Nurejev, Mikhail Barishnikov) the St. Petersburg Conservatoire, and the monuments to the distinguished composers Rimsky-Korsakov and Glinka. You will pass by the Yusupov Palace (once the wealthiest person in Russia), and the symbol of St. Petersburg - the Bronze Horseman in the Decembrists' Square. Across the Neva River are the oldest buildings of St. Petersburg, including the Menshikov Palace (the mansion of the first governor of St. Petersburg), the St. Petersburg University, which are lined up one after another, and they never fail to impress a visitor every time you drive around this "museum in the open air." On the opposite side of the Neva there stands the Admiralty with its sharp and high golden spire, which is a compositional center of the entire city, and will never allow you to get lost. You shall also naturally drive along the Nevskij Prospekt, the fashionable main street of St. Petersburg. It is the center of business, fashion, boutiques, major shops, restaurants, hotels, but also some famous sites like the Kazan Cathedral, the Gostinni Dvor 18th century department store, the Alexandriinski Theatre, the Anichkov Bridge and many others.
Catherine Palace - typical of Baroque style, was built for the wife of Peter The Great in the village of Tsarskoe Selo, or today's Pushkin, and it became known as the Catherine Palace. Catherine became the Empress, Tsarina, after her husband's death, and she was called Catherine I. It must be noted that Catherine I was not Catherine the Great, who was officially Catherine II. Tsarskoe Selo (in English: "The Tsar's Village") is located about 27 kilometers (17 miles) south of the city. Catherine’s Palace exceeds all the other palaces with its gigantic size and unique decorations. The stunning façade of the palace extends for almost 300 meters (1000 feet), and gives the first impression what to expect inside.
We shall have a full tour of the entire palace, however, the most stunning rooms of the Palace are the “lost Amber Room”, which has walls complete covered by different shades of amber mosaic, and the Great Hall with gilded walls, chandeliers and mirrors. We shall also view parts of the surrounding park's and gardens consisting of almost 600 hectares (1.500 acres). – An inside visit is included.
Fine Russian or European lunch -Lunches are included.in a fine cafe or restaurant, among the approximately 11,000 local restaurants. .
Peterhof Fountain Park -Peterhof Fountains & Grounds – You will be exceptionally lucky since our tour enters the palace compound through the unbelievable Upper Park, which is very seldom visited by hurried tourists. Built to rival Versailles in France, the palace sits atop of a high hill overlooking the Gulf of Finland. Peter the Great drafted the layout for the 300-hundred acre park and supervised the design of the palace fountains. The Grand Cascade, the most famous fountain group, features gilded Samson prying open lion's jaws as water cascades down the terraced steps, and small spouting fountains anoint smaller sculptures. We shall stroll through the lower parks and gardens, and view and “experience” (be careful!) some of the Peters surprise creations among the many decorative fountains. – No inside visit, only the parks and gardens.
- Metro (the city’s underground subway system) - Visit the magnificent "palaces of the People" as the St. Petersburg Metro used to be called during the Soviet Union years. The construction was started after the II World War, and its expansion continues endlessly, new stations opening periodically A ride is arranged between the Technological Institute and the Moscow Arch of Triumph stations. Since the entire St. Petersburg was built on the marsh land, the tunnels had to be dug deep, deep until solid soil was found, and you shall descend endlessly deep on extremely fast moving escalators. All the stations are totally different and individually designed. Some are luxurious with art work, statues, sculptures, mosaic walls, and chandeliers, some are simpler looking. The trains run like clockwork, normally at 2 minutes apart, and they are always crowded, as if there was a constant rush hour. – A ride is included.
Day 2
Church of the Savior on the Spilled Blood - This recently restored church sports a fantastic and ornate "Russian-style" exterior and is built on the site of the March 1, 1881 assassination of Tsar Alexander II. The church is distinguished by its picturesque silhouette and rich colorful decoration. The facade is lined with ceramic tiles and colored glazed bricks. The interior is covered with beautiful mosaics
Hermitage-Winter Palace-- The former residential palace of the Romanov rulers, called the Winter Palace, and four other buildings together house today one of the world's most prestigious museums, called The Hermitage and one of the premier art collections. Your guided tour includes both the Winter Palace and the Hermitage display rooms, which contain over three million art works, including paintings by Da Vinci, Rafael, Monet, Rembrandt, Renoir, Picasso, Van Gogh - to name a few. The Baroque style Winter Palace was designed by Italian architect Rastrelli, and boasts huge ceremonial reception rooms, throne rooms, private theatre, gold and marble, irreplaceable state gifts and collections, patterned parquet floors, ornate staircases, molded and decorated ceilings, and gilded appointments. If nothing else, this is the “must” place in St. Petersburg. – An inside visit.
- City TourPeter and Paul Fortress - Originally built to protect the city from Swedish attack, the fortress soon became Russia's Tower of London, a place for imprisoning political prisoners - including Peter the Great's own son. Visit the Peter and Paul Cathedral - the city's tallest structure in the days of Peter the Great. The ornate interior boasts gilded iconostasis, 18th century paintings and icons - and the tombs of many Tsars and Tsarinas, including Peter the Great and Catherine the Great.
Canal Cruise:- Cruise the picturesque canals A 60-minute journey by small open-air boats travels the Fontanka River, the Kryukov Canal, the Moika River and the Neva River. Peter the Great conceived the Neva as the main thoroughfare of the city and from the beginning the river was included in the whole architectural ensemble. During your journey pass under numerous picturesque bridges and admire the exteriors of the many beautiful buildings in St Petersburg. Your guide will provide a map so you can follow your route as you motor along. Approx. 1 hour cruise