Suggested 3 days 2 itinerary for cruise clients
Day 1.
9:00 meet the guide at the port terminal beyond the passport control. 1 hour city overview with multiple photo stops.
10:00 – 11:30 . Hermitage tour with special early admission to avoid crowds.
Hermitage is of the largest museums in the world founded in 1764 by Catherine the Great and open to the public since 1852. It’s collections, of which only a small part is on permanent display, comprise nearly 3 million items, including the large collection of Western European paintings, the Antique world, Primitive culture, Oriental culture and art, the history of Russian Culture and coin and currency collections. The museum occupies the complex of five buildings connected to each other with the roofed passages – the Winter Palace – a former residence of Russian emperors, the Small Hermitage, the Old Hermitage and the New Hermitage.
12:00 – 12:45 Lunch at local restaurant
14:00 – 15:00 Guided tour of Catherine’s palace
The official summer residence of the Russian Tzars – Catherine’s palace is the pearl of Russian baroque architecture famous for the succession of golden reception rooms and of course the Eighth Wonder of the World – the legendary Amber Room. After the tour in the palace we will have a peaceful walk through the exquisite French-style park to take some extraordinary pictures of its lovely views.
15:00 – 16:00 transfer back to the ship with a stop at the Synagogue.
Free time onboard
19:20 pick up from the ship, transfer to the theater (time will be adjusted once the venue is confirmed. Pick up time depends on the location and start time)
20.00 – 23.00 Ballet performance in Mariinsky (Kirov) theater . Or Folklore show – depends on client.
23.00 – 23.30 return back to the ship
Day 2.
09:00 meet your guide and driver by the ship. meet
the guide at the port terminal beyond the passport control.
Continue panoramic sightseeing
10.00 – 11.00 Guided tour of Peter and Paul Fortress with Cathedral
St. Peter’s and St. Paul’s Fortress is the original citadel of St. Petersburg. Walk around the territory of the Fortress, enter to Peter and Paul Cathedral, the burial place of The Romanov family, and visit the former political prison of Tsarist Russia used for high ranking and political prisoners. One of the world famous prisoners was Rebbe Schneur Zalman of Liadi the founder and the first Rebbe of Chabad.
11.30 – 13.00 Private guided tour of Faberge Museum (normally closed on Fri, but we are have arranged a special opening).
St. Petersburg’s first Fabergé Museum has opened in 2014. This private museum houses the celebrated Fabergé collection of the Link of Times Foundation owned by Russian Entrepreneur Viktor Vekselberg, which, with its over 1500 choice pieces, now easily outranks the comparatively small collection of the Kremlin Armoury Museum.
Mr. Vekselberg has assembled the most formidable collection in the world of works by this great Russian master craftsman, best known for his celebrated million dollar Imperial Easter Eggs.
The elegant Neo-classical palace on the Fontanka Embankment, built in the late 18th century by Giacomo Quarenghi stood empty after the 1917 Russian Revolution. It was in a very dilapidated state when its lease was acquired from the City by the Link of Times Foundation seven years ago. Now the painstakingly restored building features a spectacular marble staircase, as well as the main exhibition area with 130 showcases brimming with over 3,000 18th, 19th and early 20th century objects of vertu, porcelain and silver, including approximately 1,500 works of art by Fabergé, and other competing masters. The collection includes over 200 objects formerly owned by the Forbes family in New York, in particular their nine Imperial and half a dozen non-Imperial eggs, all acquired by Mr. Vekselberg in 2004 for over $100 million.
13.00 – 14.00 Time for Lunch (not included)
14.00 – 15.30 Yusupov palace tour wih Rasputin Basement visit.
On a quiet stretch of the Moika River stands a long yellow building, which was once the residence of the wealthy and respected Yusupov family and which saw one of the most dramatic episodes in Russia’s history – the murder of Grigory Rasputin.
In 1916 a group of the city’s noble elite, including one of the Grand Dukes and led by the prominent anglophile Prince Felix Yusupov, conspired to kill the one man who they felt threatened the stability of an already war-torn Russian Empire. Grigory Rasputin, a peasant and self-proclaimed holy man, had gradually won favor with the Tsar’s family through his alleged supernatural powers. His control over the decisions of the family and the Russian ruler himself, put him in a potentially manipulative position and posed a very real threat to their power. Consequently, Rasputin was murdered at the Yusupov Palace on the night of December 16-17 1916, and his death proved to be an almost greater mystery than his life had been.
Your tour guide will lead you through the beautiful interiors of the palace, the full story of the murder of Rasputin will unfold before you.
16.00 – 17.00 Private Canal Boat ride
18.00 back to the ship
Day 3.
10:00 – 11:30 Tour of Peterhof Great Palace with early admission to avoid crowds.
Visit the most magnificent residence of the imperial family – Peterhof – the jewel of Russian art, a kingdom of parks, palaces and fountains often called as ‘Russian Versailles’. Enjoy the magical play of water, the French style flower beds, golden sculptures reflecting the sun, picturesque panoramic views along the alleys.
11.30 – 12.30 Tour of Peterhof gardens with fountains. light lunch in the park (not included)
13:00-13:30 return to the city by Hydrofoil
(please note that in case of weather conditions not permitting the hydrofoil ride, there is no refund for unused hydrofoil trip. We will use minivan instead)
13:30 – 15:30 – lunch at local restaurant (not included in the price, guide will recommend)
14.45 – 17.30 Panoramic driving around St.Petersburg with guided tours of Peter and Paul Fortress,
Panoramic driving around St.Petersburg with guided tours of Church on the Spilled Blood and St.Isaac’s Cathedral. NO time to include Peter and Paul Fortress (drive by only)
St. Isaac’s Cathedral was originally the city’s main church and the largest cathedral in Russia. It was built between 1818 and 1858, by the French-born architect Auguste Montferrand, to be one of the most impressive landmarks of the Russian Imperial capital. One hundred and eighty years later the gilded dome of St. Isaac’s still dominates the skyline of St. Petersburg. Although the cathedral is considerably smaller than the newly rebuilt Church of Christ the Savior in Moscow, it boasts much more impressive fades and interiors.
St. Peter’s and St. Paul’s Fortress is the original citadel of St. Petersburg. It was built in 1703 on an island in the Neva by Peter the Great. It was intended as a fort to defend the city against the Swedes, but was never used for that purpose. It served instead as a prison (housing, among others, Dostoyevsky, who underwent a “mock execution” there), a garrison, and it houses the famous Peter and Paul cathedral, the burial place of all the tsars from Peter the Great to Nicholas II. Nicholas was the last tsar, who was executed (along with his entire family) by the Bolsheviks in 1918.
Magnificent, unforgettable Church of Our Savior-On-The-Spilled Blood dedicated to the assassination of the Tsar Alexander II. You may not remember all the details of his reign and death but you won’t forget the 7.000 m2 of colorful mosaic decorating the interior of the church.
16:00 Return back to the ship.
END OF SERVICES
Timing is approximate. Sequence of visits and timing can be re-arranged due to traffic and other conditions.
This is a sample itinerary customized for each client. Special experiences are available. Contact us.