Highlights of St.Petersburg: 5-Days & 4-Nights with Accommodation

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival in St. Petersburg

Stop At: St. Petersburg Metro, St. Petersburg Russia
On arrival in St. Petersburg you will be met by our friendly representative who will escort you by car or mini bus to your hotel. Your Russian tour begins right away as on the way to the hotel, you will have the opportunity to get your first glimpse of this truly unique and beautiful city. After settling in at the hotel, you can sit down to a short lunch (optional), to prepare you for the city tour.

Panoramic City Tour.

This tour is a great start to your trip and the best way to get acquainted with all of the city's major highlights. Our professional guide will take you down Nevsky Prospect, St. Petersburg's most famous and vibrant thoroughfare. There you will see some of the city's most interesting architectural monuments including the Kazan Cathedral and the Winter Palace. You will then proceed to Vasilevsky Island - the area of the city that Peter the Great originally planned to be the city center. This island juts out into the Gulf of Finland - reminding you of St. Petersburg's close proximity to the sea and maritime history. The tour will include a visit to the Peter and Paul Fortress - a symbol of St. Petersburg and also the oldest building in the city. While there, you will visit Peter and Paul Cathedral, the burial place of the Russian Tsars from Peter the Great onward. You will then be taken back to your hotel to relax.

In the evening you will have free time to stroll along the city streets and to dine at a restaurant of your choice. If you would like recommendations on good places to eat, just ask us.

Welcome to St. Petersburg, the former capital of Imperial Russia, home of the Tsars and one of the world's most beautiful and romantic cities. St. Petersburg was founded by Tsar Peter the Great in 1703 on the banks of the Neva River and the Gulf of Finland. The city has seen its share of historical events including the Decembrist revolt, the palace coup and murder of Tsar Pavel, the intrigues of Catherine the Great, the assassination Tsar Alexander II, the influence of Rasputin on the Russian royal family, the Revolution of 1905 and the October Revolution of 1917 which brought the communists to power. During WWII, the city then known as Leningrad, went through a harrowing two and a half year blockade and siege by the Nazi invaders resulting in the deaths of over 1 million of its citizens. Today, St. Petersburg is Russia's second largest city with a population of over 5 million. It is also known as the center of Russian art, culture and literature - former citizens included Pushkin and Dostoevsky just to name a few. The entire city center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is full of beautiful palaces and monuments including the Winter Palace. The city is also known as the Venice of the North because of its location on various islands in the Neva River and its many canals and bridges. St. Petersburg is home to the world famous Hermitage Museum which contains one of the world's largest collections of art including works by Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Titian, Rembrandt, Matisse, Picasso as well as many other old masters and impressionists. We are sure that you will find St. Petersburg one of the most if not the most fascinating places you have ever visited. Welcome to this most beautiful and mysterious of cities.
Duration: 8 hours

No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: All the 3 stars hotels are located in city centre, close to sightseeing, shopping and dining areas.

Day 2: Hermitage Museum Guided Tour

Stop At: The State Hermitage Museum, Palace Square, 2, St. Petersburg 191055 Russia
After breakfast we will head to one of the greatest and largest art museums in the world - the Hermitage. The museum consists of five historical buildings including the Winter Palace - the residence of the Russian Tsars. The museum contains over 3 million pieces of art with dates ranging from high antiquity to the present day. Among the Hermitage's treasures are artworks by Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Titian, Rembrandt, and Rubens, as well as many others. We will spend 3 hours at the museum, however, to view the collection in its entirety would take almost 15 years, spending 8 hours a day in the museum and taking one minute to examine each exhibit.
Duration: 5 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: All the 3 stars hotels are located in city centre, close to sightseeing, shopping and dining areas.

Day 3: Catherine Palace and Park (Amber Room)

Stop At: Catherine Palace and Park, Sadovaya St., 7 Tsarskoye Selo, Pushkin, St. Petersburg 196601 Russia
After a good breakfast at the hotel, you will be escorted to the town of Pushkin (formerly Tsarskoye Selo). The Palace and Park of Tsarskoye Selo is a former country residence of the Russian emperors. It is a fascinating monument of the world´s architectural and gardening arts of the XVIII-XIX centuries. Its 3 parks occupy an area of 600 hectares on which are located over 100 architectural monuments: from magnificent palaces and grand monuments to intimate pavilions and park sculptures designed by masters of the Venetian school such as P. Baratta, A. Tarsia and D. Bonazza. The center of Tsarskoye Selo is Catherine Palace, containing exquisite decorative objects, furniture, Russian and Western-European paintings, unique collections of porcelain, amber, arms and decorative bronze sculptures. The Palace also contains the Amber Room - a truly unique work of craftsmanship – a room made entirely of amber. The room was looted by the Nazi’s during WWII but luckily most of its pieces were recovered. The room was fully rebuilt in 2003. Tsarskoye Selo was also the main residence of the last Tsar Nicolas II and his family.
Duration: 5 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: All the 3 stars hotels are located in city centre, close to sightseeing, shopping and dining areas.

Day 4: Peterhof Grand Palace

Stop At: Peterhof Grand Palace, Razvodnaya St., 2, Peterhof, St. Petersburg 198516 Russia
Visit to Peterhof. Peterhof (Petrodvorets) is a jewel of Russian art - a town of parks, palaces and fountains. In the past, it was used as an exquisite summer residence by the Russian Tsars. You will visit the Grand Palace - the largest and the most famous palace of the residence which was often used for gala receptions. After this you will proceed to the Lower Park (Nizhny Park) which is a genuine masterpiece of landscape design. The park is adorned with more than 150 fountains and 4 monumental cascades. There are several small palaces and pavilions on the park territory, such as the Monplaisir, Catherine's Block, Marli, Hermitage, the Bath Block and many more. If you are ready to walk a lot you will also enjoy a magnificent view of the Gulf of Finland.
Duration: 5 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: All the 3 stars hotels are located in city centre, close to sightseeing, shopping and dining areas.

Day 5: Hotel check out

Stop At: St. Petersburg Metro, St. Petersburg Russia
Breakfast at the hotel Hotel check out Transfer to airport Say goodbye to St. Petersburg, the Venice of the North and one of the most interesting and colorful cities in the world. We hope to welcome you back to Russia sometime in the future. Do Svidaniya or until we meet again!
Duration: 2 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
No accommodation included on this day.