A Russian Experience & History in St Petersburg (Visa Included)

This tour will cover a lot of ground over the two days . The itinerary is taylored to Cruise ship passengers to see as much as possible during your stay.You will be picked up at the ship and returned at the end of the day.

Starting at the port your tour takes a route that orients first time visitors to the general relationship between the natural features of the Neva River delta and the city's different districts. Visits include Labor Square, Mariinsky Theater(of such world famous ballet dancers like Vaslav Nijinski, Rudolf Nurejev, Mikhail Barishnikov), the St Petersburg Conservatory, Monuments to famous Russian composers Glinka and Rimsky-Korsakov, St. Nicholas Cathedral, including a photo stop, Grand Choral Synagogue with a photo stop, the Neva and Moika Rivers, Yusupov Palace, St Isaac Square with photo stop, restroom stop at Pushkin souvenir store prior to departing on a 60 minute ride to Peterhof. On the way to Peterhof, you will pass through residential suburban districts.

Peterhof Fountains & Grounds – You will be exceptionally lucky since our tour enters the estate through the unbelievable Upper Park, which is very seldom visited. 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” some of the Peters surprise creations among the many decorative fountains. Just think all of these fountians are operated with no pumps.

Lunch in Peterhof park in the Restaurant Great Orangery an architectural monument of the 18-th century. From the windows of the restaurant one can enjoy the beauty of the park and the Grand Palace.

On our return to the city we'll 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. Since the entire St. Petersburg was built on marsh land, the tunnels had to be dug deep, deep until solid soil was found, and you shall descend to the platforms using fast efficient escalators. All the stations are unique in design and theme. Some are luxurious with art work, statues, sculptures, mosaic walls, and chandeliers, some are simpler looking.

Driving along the city's and Russia's most famous street, Nevsky Prospect you will arrive at Art's Square and will include walking along Nevsky Prospect, visiting the beautiful Armenian Church, inside visit to the restored historic shopping center Passage, walk along Italian Street and the Griboedova Canal with photo opportunities of the unique architecture of the Singer Building and the Church on Spilled Blood, Russian Museum, the monument to Pushkin in Arts Square, the Philharmonic Hall, Grand Hotel Europe, and lovely park
Return to your ship by 5:30p.m.

On day two we will explore the towon a little further starting on the University Embankment, visiting the Spit of Basil Islandfor one of the most spectacular vistas for photos in the city,Kronverk, Peter and Paul Fortress, Log cabin of Peter the Great, Souvenir store ""Basar", Trinity Bridge, Field of Mars, Photo stop at the stunning Church on Spilled Blood, open air Souvenir Fair, Palace Embankment, Admiralty Embankment, stop at St Isaac Cathedral, walk from St Isaac Cathedral to the Admiralty Pier through Alexander Park and the well known monument to the Bronze Horseman on Decembrists' Square and walk pass the Russian Supreme Court.

St. Isaac's Cathedral and St Isaac Square- St. Isaac's Square - St. Isaac's Square - In the center of St. Isaac's Square there is a monument to Nikolai I. Opposite the Cathedral, on the bank of the Moika River, stands the Mariinski Palace, the former residential palace, which was built for Princess Maria, the daughter of Nicholas I. Today, the palace is the seat of the St. Petersburg Council of City's Deputies. To the right of the Cathedral stand the historical Hotel Astoria, The most prominent site on the square is naturally the St. Isaac’s Cathedral, commissioned by Alexander I in 1818, and it took forty years to complete. The cathedral is surrounded on each side by huge red granite pillars, supporting the massive central dome, which is covered with 220 pounds of pure gold, and dominates the entire city skyline.

St. Petersburg is also called “the Venice of the North”, and that is why our tour also includes a cruise on the River Neva and along the picturesque downtown canals. A 60-minute journey by boat travels the Fontanka River, 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 considered a vital part of the whole architectural ensemble. During the journey you pass under numerous picturesque bridges, and admire the exteriors of the many old beautiful buildings in St Petersburg. This is a unique way to see the city.

Lunch at the Marriott Hotel, a short distance from the canal and river cruise pier.

We will spend the rest of the at the Hermitage Museum . 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, 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 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.

Shopping:
Browse for Russian souvenirs and gifts and bargain with local vendors at the various stops during your excursion. Your tour includes a stop at one of St. Petersburg's souvenir shops where you can barter for such traditional Russian goods as lacquered boxes, jewelry, pins, hand painted nesting dolls, usually called “Matryoshka dolls”, handicrafts, china and porcelain, Russian delicacies like Caviar, military memorabilia of the Soviet Union, beautiful coffee table books about Russian topics, and many others.

Please Note: Minimum age to participate in this tour is 12 years of age.