Back to USSR

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Stop At: The State Museum of the Political History of Russia, Kuibysheva st., 2/4 Metro: Gorkovskaya, St. Petersburg 198218 Russia

See all of Saint Petersburg's top attractions typical for communist times on this 7-hours tour with your knowledgeable guide. Admire the unique atmosphere of historical Saint-Petersburg, amazing city which is worth visiting!

Visit the famous Museum of Political History, an attractive art nouveau mansion, originally built for Mathilda Kshesinskaya, the prima ballerina at the Mariinskiy before the Revolution, and Nicholas II's mistress before he became Emperor. This museum's remit is to trace the political history of the country right up to the present, and its collection is always kept up to date and relevant.

The museum reveals much of the secret history of the Soviet Union, with a new ethos aimed at dispassionately telling the truth about even the most recent history. The museum's collection embraces a broad time spectrum, from the reign of Catherine the Great (the second half of the 18th century) to the political climate in contemporary Russia. Among nearly 500,000 exhibits on display here, there is a rich collection of original documents including a signed decree from Napoleon and the correspondence of Mikhail Gorbachev.

Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Cruiser Aurora, Petrovskaya / Petrogradskaya Emb. Gorkovskaya Metro, St. Petersburg 197046 Russia

Travel back in time by stepping on board the memorial cruiser Aurora, which played an important role in the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. This legendary ship gave the signal (by firing a blank shot) to storm of the Winter Palace, which was being used as a residence by the Provisional Government.

Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Historical and Memorial Museum Smolny, Smolnogo, 1, St. Petersburg 191060 Russia

Admire the Smolny ensemble, a number of fabulous structures put up at different times. The oldest are amazing buildings of the Novodevichiy Convent and the Alexandrovsky Boarding School for Girls for educating girls from middle-class families. In 1917 the Smolny Broading School became the revolutionary headquarters. It was here that Lenin resided during the upheaval.

Enjoy a delicious lunch in the restaurant, designed in USSR style with heavy furniture and homemade lampshades. The wallpapers are full of Soviet ideological sign, old pictures.

Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: State Memorial Museum of Leningrad Defense and Blockade, Solyanoi Lane, 9 Metro: Chernyshevskaya, St. Petersburg 191028 Russia

On this tour you will have the opportunity to visit the museum covering the years of siege of Leningrad at the time of the Second World War and hear narrative descriptions about fateful battle and the aftermath of the war.

In 1943, in a surrounded city, it was decided to preserve memorial weapons and military equipment and to organize the first exhibition, “The Heroic Defense of Leningrad”, which opened in 1944. In 1945, Marshal G.K. Zhukov and the Allied General D. Eisenhower visited the exhibition. And soon the opening of the museum took place - January 27, 1946. The State Museum of Defense and Blockade of Leningrad is the only cultural and educational institution, whose activities are entirely devoted to the history of the Leningrad battle during the Second World War. The museum exhibits documents and personal belongings of World War II. Also here is the music stand of the conductor, who played the Seventh (Leningrad) symphony of Shostakovich in the Philharmonic in the days of the Blockade, the microphone with which Olga Bergholz talked to the people on the Leningrad radio, stale bread that was given out to the residents of Leningrad, and many other authentic exhibits.

Duration: 2 hours