Sightseeings

TOUR 1: CITY SIGHTSEEING WITH CATHEDRAL ON THE SPILLED BLOOD & SOUVENIR MARKET (3 HOURS)

An introduction tour of the city with its five and a half million people and the main attractions in the center along the impressive Boulevard "Nevsky Prospect" with buildings, palaces, Churches, Cathedrals, shopping areas. You will pass the many Canals and as well the view of the many beautiful palaces facing the Neva River. Since the creation in 1703 as a small fortification at the present Peter & Paul Fortress the city of myths and mystery was build on a flat march land by architects and prisoners of wars. The whole sophisticated development of St. Petersburg is materialized in its palaces and temples, park ensembles, street labyrinths and multistoried houses and as a master plan of Venice of the North and Amsterdam. Like any other large city (St. Petersburg is the fourth largest city in Europe) still looks like an old city in spite of according to European measurements it's a rather young city. During the tour we will get acquainted with the rather small and concentrated city center around the Nevsky Prospect, Neva River, St. Isaacs Square and peter & Paul Fortress with its many canals and bridges and land marks such as St. Isaacs Cathedral, The Church on Spilled Blood, the Kazan Cathedral, the Zinger Sewing machine Head Quarters – today the House of books – Dom Knigi, the Neva River, The Hermitage and the Winter Palace to mentioned a few of the possible spots that you will be surrounded of. The tour includes a visit to the Church of Our Savior on The Blood that was commissioned by Alexander III to commemorate the death of his father, Alexander II, and is built on the exact spot where Alexander II was assassinated on March 1, 1881. The facades of the church are lined with ceramic tiles, and colored glazed bricks; in the interior decoration the Italian marbles and different sorts of semi precious Russian stones were used. Outstanding and breath taking mosaic exterior and interior! Day off is Wednesday. The tour ends up in the outdoor flea market where there are nice handicrafts & souvenirs for your friends. During the tour several picture stops are done as well as an eventual opportunity to stop for souvenirs if time allows. Opened: 16 SEP – 30 APR: 11 am – 7 pm 1 MAY – 15 SEP: 10 am – 7 pm Day off of Cathedral is Wednesday.

Price: EUR 30 or RUB 1 200

Package price incl. entrance fee, transport & guide at requested language.

Website: eng.cathedral.ru/spasa_na_krovi Locate on the map

TOUR 2: CITY SIGHTSEEING WITH PETER & PAULS FORTRESS (3 HOURS)

An introduction tour of the city with its five and a half million people and the main attractions in the center along the impressive Boulevard "Nevsky Prospect" with buildings, palaces, Churches, Cathedrals, shopping areas. You will pass the many Canals and as well the view of the many beautiful palaces facing the Neva River. Since the creation in 1703 as a small fortification at the present Peter & Paul Fortress the city of myths and mystery was build on a flat march land by architects and prisoners of wars. The whole sophisticated development of St. Petersburg is materialized in its palaces and temples, park ensembles, street labyrinths and multistoried houses and as a master plan of Venice of the North and Amsterdam. Like any other large city (St. Petersburg is the fourth largest city in Europe) still looks like an old city in spite of according to European measurements it's a rather young city. During the tour we will get acquainted with the rather small and concentrated city center around the Nevsky Prospect, Neva River, St. Isaacs Square and peter & Paul Fortress with its many canals and bridges and land marks such as St. Isaacs Cathedral, The Church on Spilled Blood, the Kazan Cathedral, the Singer Sewing machine Head Quarters – today the House of books – Dom Knigi, the Neva River, The Hermitage and the Winter Palace to mentioned a few of the possible spots that you will be surrounded of. The tour includes a visit to Peter & Paul Fortress is considered to be the birthplace of St Petersburg, since it was founded in 1703 by Peter the Grate as the beginning of the city. The Cathedral of St. Peter & Paul is the main part of the fortress complex. It took 21 years to build it and is the burial place of the Czars beginning from Peter the Great. The remains of Nicholas II and his family where buried here on the 17th of July 1998. It is also possible to walk up to the Fortress Murals, from where a wonderful panoramic view of the city opens up. In 1999 parts of the walls of Peter & Paul Fortress has been reconstructed as a walking path with one of the best views of the River Neva and its spectacular view along the embankments. The impressive facades of numerous Palaces include the Hermitage complex, the Marble Palace and many other former palaces of Russian Nobility. The view creates a strict skyline, since the palaces were not allowed to be built higher the Palace of the Russian Czars (Winter Palace). Opened: 11 am – 6 pm On Tuesdays till 5 pm Closed on Wednesdays. Actual visit 1 hr. During the tour several picture stops are done as well as an eventual opportunity to stop for souvenirs if time allows.

Price: EUR 30 or RUB 1 200

Package price incl. entrance fee, transport & guide at requested language.

Website: www.spbmuseum.ru/en Locate on the map

TOUR 3: CITY SIGHTSEEING WITH ST. ISAAC'S CATHEDRAL (3 HOURS)

An introduction tour of the city with its five and a half million people and the main attractions in the center along the impressive Boulevard "Nevsky Prospect" with buildings, palaces, Churches, Cathedrals, shopping areas. You will pass the many Canals and as well the view of the many beautiful palaces facing the Neva River. Since the creation in 1703 as a small fortification at the present Peter & Paul Fortress the city of myths and mystery was build on a flat march land by architects and prisoners of wars. The whole sophisticated development of St. Petersburg is materialized in its palaces and temples, park ensembles, street labyrinths and multistoried houses and as a master plan of Venice of the North and Amsterdam. Like any other large city (St. Petersburg is the fourth largest city in Europe) still looks like an old city in spite of according to European measurements it's a rather young city. During the tour we will get acquainted with the rather small and concentrated city centeraround the Nevsky Prospect, Neva River, St. Isaacs Square and peter & Paul Fortress with its many canals and bridges and land marks such as St. Isaacs Cathedral, The Church on Spilled Blood, the Kazan Cathedral, the Singer Sewing machine Head Quarters – today the House of books – Dom Knigi, the Neva River, The Hermitage and the Winter Palace to mentioned a few of the possible spots that you will be surrounded of. The tour includes a visit to St. Isaac which is the fourth highest domed constructions in the World (the diameter of the dome is 21.8 m). St. Isaac's Cathedral was once the main church of St. Petersburg and the largest church of Russia. A French-born architect Auguste de Montferrand built the Cathedral, a prime landmark of the Russian Imperial capital, in 1818–58. The facades are decorated with sculptures and massive granite columns (made of single pieces of red granite), while the interiors dazzle the eye with mosaic icons, paintings and columns made of malachite and lapis lazuli. The church, designed to accommodate 14 thousand standing worshipers, was closed in the early 1930s and reopened as a museum. Actual visit is approx. 45 min.; extra charge for tower entrance (additional 30 min.). Open: 16 SEP – 30 APR: 11 am – 7 pm 1 MAY – 15 SEP: 10 am – 7 pm Colonnade of St. Isaak Cathedral opened: 16 SEP – 30 APR: 11 am – 6 pm 1 MAY – 15 SEP: 10 am – 6 pm Closed: Wednesdays. During the tour several picture stops are done as well as an eventual opportunity to stop for souvenirs if time allows.

Price: EUR 30 or RUB 1 200

Package price incl. entrance fee, transport & guide at requested language.

Website: eng.cathedral.ru/isakievskii_sobor Locate on the map

TOUR 4: HERMITAGE STATE MUSEUM (3 HOURS)

The State Hermitage occupies six magnificent buildings situated along the embankment of the River Neva, right in the heart of St Petersburg. The leading role in this unique architectural ensemble is played by the Winter Palace, the residence of the Russian tsars that was built to the design of Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli. The Winter Palace was built between 1754 and 1762 for Empress Elizabeth, the daughter of Peter the Great. Unfortunately, Elizabeth died before the palace's completion and only Catherine the Great and her successors were able to enjoy the sumptuous interiors of Elizabeth's home. Many of the palace's impressive interiors have been remodeled since then, particularly after 1837, when a huge fire destroyed most of the building. Today the Winter Palace, together with four more buildings arranged side by side along the river embankment, houses the extensive collections of the Hermitage. The Hermitage Museum is the largest art gallery in Russia and is among the largest and most respected art museums in the world. The basic display areas of the State Hermitage occupy 365 rooms in the Main Museum Complex. The Winter Palace, the Small Hermitage, the Old Hermitage and the New Hermitage display the collections of monuments of culture and art of the ancient world, Western Europe, Russia and the countries of the Orient, as well as archeological and numismatic collections. The Hermitage Theatre and the Reserve House also form part of the Main Museum Complex. The museum was founded in 1764 when Catherine the Great purchased a collection of 255 paintings from the German city of Berlin. Put together throughout two centuries and a half, the Hermitage collections of works of art (over 3,000,000 items) present the development of the world culture and art from the Stone Age to the 20th century. The Hermitage's collections include works by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael and Titian, a unique collection of Rembrandts and Rubens, many French Impressionist works by Renoir, Cezanne, Manet, Monet and Pissarro, numerous canvasses by Van Gogh, Matisse, Gaugin and several sculptures by Rodin. The collection is both enormous and diverse and is an essential stop for all those interested in art and history. The experts say that if you were to spend a minute looking at each exhibit on display in the Hermitage, you would need 11 years before you'd seen them all. Open: 10:30 am – 6 pm, on Sundays 10:30 am – 5 pm Closed: Mondays.

Price: EUR 39 or RUB 1 560

Package price incl. entrance fee, transport & guide at requested language.

Website: www.hermitagemuseum.org

TOUR 5: PETERHOFF PALACE & PARK (PETRODVORETZ) (4 HOURS)

One of the most beautiful Palaces and Palace Parks in the world! The world-famous palace, fountain and park ensemble of Peterhoff is an outstanding landmark of Russian artistic culture of the 18–19th centuries. Founded in the very beginning of the eighteenth century by Emperor Peter the Great not far from his new northern capital St Petersburg, Peterhoff was intended to become the most splendid official royal summer residence. Credit for its creation should go to a great number of eminent architects, artists, and anonymous folk craftsmen. Its wonderful parks, 176 fountains of various forms and styles and four cascades, majestic palaces, numerous gilded statues of ancient gods and heroes, remarkable collections of sculpture, painting and works of the minor arts make Peterhoff a veritable gem of art, often called "Capital of Fountains", unique in the world. The focal centre of the ensemble is the Great Palace which towers above the edge of the 16-metre-high terrace. The elegant three-storey building provided with galleries and flanking blocks, the Court Church and the Coat-of-Arms Pavilion, shining with their gilded cupolas, make up the facade extending for about 300 meters along the terrace. The Great Cascade serves as a magnificent pedestal for the palace. The wealth of gold, the vivid expressiveness of the architecture, the powerful motion and roar of falling water, all here creates the atmosphere of exultation, majesty and life-asserting festivity. If time allows you can visit one of small palaces: Monplaisir, Catherine's Palace, Marli, Hermitage, the Benois museum, Cottage and the Bath building and others. The area is reachable by hydrofoils, which depart from the city center and it is 30 min one way. Visit duration is approx. 2,0 hour. Shoe covers will be provided to protect the floors and are required. Photo permissions & video permissions are prohibited. Max capacity of Grand Palace and Small Palaces: Grand Palace (30 pax), Hermitage (15 pax), Museum of Benois family (30 pax), Museum of playing-cards (18 pax), Museum of collectors (25 pax), Museum of imperial bicycles (20 pax), Grottes (15 pax), Imperial Yachts (15 pax). Opened: Tuesdays – Sundays 10:30 am – 6 pm Last entrance to Grand Palace is at 4:30 pm The day before holidays: till 5 pm Closed: Monday & last Tuesday of each month.

Price: EUR 65 or RUB 2 600

Package price incl. entrance fee, transport & guide at requested language.

Supplement – 2011 Hydrofoil Transfer 1 way (to Petergoff): EUR 17.50 or RUB 700

Website: www.peterhofmuseum.ru Locate on the map

TOUR 6: YUSUPOV PALACE (3 HOURS)

The Yusupov Palace acquired its present appearance in the course of palace's constructions from 1760 till 1850 done by the famous architects of the time. The building belonged to the Yusupov family. The staterooms in neoclassical style are remarkable for their rich and elegant decoration. The unique West European works of art as well as musical instruments of the 19th century adorn the palace interior. The germ of the palace is the unique Domestic Theatre built in the Rococo style as a miniature of the world-known Marinsky Theatre. The palace has a historical meaning since the night of 16–17 December 1916, when Grigory Rasputin, who was very close to the family of Emperor Nicholas II, was murdered here by a group of monarchists, including Prince Felix Yusupov. The exhibition dedicated to Grigory Rasputin is set up in the original rooms where the tragedy took place. Open: 10:30 am – 5 pm Visit can be organized upon request only.

Price: EUR 39 or RUB 1 560

Package price incl. entrance fee, transport & guide at requested language.

Website: www.yusupov-palace.ru Locate on the map

TOUR 7: CATHERINE'S PALACE & PARK – TSARSKOE SELO (PUSHKIN) (4 HOURS)

Departure for Pushkin (Tsarskoe Selo / Tzars Village) 28 kilometers away from St. Petersburg and approximate 1 hour depending on traffic where the Catherine the Great Summer Palace is located. The palace-and-park ensemble of Tsarskoye Selo – former country residence of Russian emperors – is a fascinating monument of the world's architectural and gardening arts of the XVIII–XIX centuries. Its three parks occupy the area of 600 ha, on which over 100 architectural constructions rise: from magnificent palaces and grand monuments to intimate pavilions and park sculptures. Its three parks occupy the area of 600 ha, on which over 100 architectural constructions rise: from magnificent palaces and grand monuments to intimate pavilions and park sculptures. In the seventeenth century there was a Finnish farm here at Dudorovsky eminence called "Saari mois" in Finnish language. In 1708 it became a possession of the Russian Tsar, and the Finnish toponymy word "Saari mois" was transformed into "Tsarskaya Mysa" that sounded more Russian. In 1708–1724 Tsarskaya Mysa was the residence of Peter the Great’s wife, the Empress Catherine I. From 1741 Tsarskoye Selo became the residence of the Empress Elizabeth and during her reign the architect Rastrelli created a magnificent Emperial Palace, a brilliant masterpiece of Russian baroque. Bolshoy Catherine Palace is a remarkable example of Russian baroque architecture. The existing palace was built between 1744 and 1756 by architects Zemtsov, Kvasov, Chevakinskiy, Rastrelli, Cameron, Quarenghi, Monighetti, Stasov. In the years 1811–1843 the Tsarskoselsky Lyceum was established there, an elite school for noble families offsprings, where the great Russian poet A. S. Pushkin was educated. After revolution of 1917 the palace-and-park ensemble was made the museum, and best buildings were given to educational and health-care establishments. Because of it in 1918 the town was renamed to Detskoye Selo (Children's Village). One can enjoy the magnificent view of the 300-meter facade of the palace. Reconstructed Amber Room in Catherine Palace of the State museum – "Tsarskoe Selo" was officially opened for the visitors on May, 31 2003 course of the meeting of the chapters and the governments of 8 conducting industrial countries of the world in St. Petersburg. A flee market is located near the Palace. Open: 10 am – 5 pm Closed Tuesday's & last Monday/month. The day before holidays open till 4 pm.

Price: EUR 39 or RUB 1 560

Package price incl. entrance fee, transport & guide at requested language.

Website: www.pushkin-town.net Locate on the map