Private Shore Day Trip: City Tour, Cruise to Peterhof, Classical Ballet & lunch

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Stop At: Peter and Paul Fortress, Petropavlovskaya Fortress, 3, St. Petersburg 197022 Russia

08:00 - Meet our guide at the sea-port terminal with a sign with your name. At the time specified, please get through the customer control.

After you get through the immigration post, you will get to the central hall. Our driver will be at the centre of the terminal.

08-30 - 10-30 - Get your private air-conditioned vehicle and start your excursion around Saint-Petersburg. Admire the golden spire of Peter-and-Paul Fortress.

Located on the banks of the beautiful Neva River, the towering Peter and Paul Fortress dominates the skyline of St Petersburg. Built in 18th century, this amazing fortress is a must-see attraction for anyone interested in the city's rich history. The oldest building in St Petersburg, the grandiose Peter and Paul Fortress is the perfect destination for culture seekers and history buffs. Planned by Peter the Great as a defense against possible attacks from the Swedes, the fortress never served its original purpose as they were defeated before its completion, and the six bastions at its corners were turned into high security political prison cells. The notorious dungeons held many famous people, including Alexei, the son of Peter the Great, Trotsky and Gorky, and it is now a museum. Other buildings in the fortress house the City History Museum and the Mint. The midday gun is fired every day from the roof, echoing around the city from across the water. Also enclosed within the imposing walls is the Cathedral of St Peter and St Paul, its distinctive golden needle-like spire visible throughout the city. The first church in the city to be built from stone, it has a richly decorated interior containing the tombs of every Russian Emperor since Peter the Great.

Duration: 20 minutes

Stop At: Palace Square, St. Petersburg 198324 Russia

Admire beautiful Dvortsovaya Square.

Palace Square - the central square of St. Petersburg, completely surrounded by historic buildings, most of which are considered important cultural and historical monuments. The square itself is also listed as a World Cultural Heritage, UNESCO is organizing.

Palace Square was formed in the early eighteenth century. At first it was called the Admiralty meadow, but in 1766 the area was renamed the Palace - in honor of the famous Winter Palace, whose southern facade looks directly over the square.

In addition to the Winter Palace, the architectural ensemble of the Palace Square are such architectural monuments as the headquarters building Guards Corps, General Staff and the Arc de Triomphe. And in the center of the square stands a monument to the War of 1812 - Alexander Column.

Duration: 20 minutes

Stop At: Neva Embankments, St. Petersburg Russia

Admire Neva river granite embankments.

St. Petersburg's famous granite embankments began to appear at the end of the 18th century, and have long been an integral feature of the city's architecture, encasing all the waterways running through the city centre. Their distinctive red-gray coloring provides a harmonious backdrop to the many magnificent palaces and other grand historical buildings with waterfront facades.

Duration: 20 minutes

Stop At: Nevsky Prospekt, St. Petersburg Russia

Admire Nevsky prospect.

Almost three miles (five km) long, Nevsky Prospekt is one of the best-known streets in Russia and is the main thoroughfare of St Petersburg, starting at the Admiralty whose gilded spire is a famous city landmark, to the Moscow Railway Station and then to the Alexandr Nevsky Monastery where some of the country's most celebrated artistic figures are buried. It has been the hub of the city for centuries, cutting through the most historical part, and home to the most important sights in the city. As well as many churches the street boasts St Petersburg's finest shops and restaurants, old manors and impressive buildings, and a beautiful mixture of architectural styles from the different periods of its history.

Duration: 20 minutes

Stop At: The Museum Complex The State Museum St. Isaac’s Cathedral, Isaakiyevskaya Sq., 4 Nevskiy Prospekt metro station, St. Petersburg 190000 Russia

Admire greatness and power of St. Isaac’s Cathedral.

St.Isaac's Cathedral, formerly main and largest Russian Orthodox cathedral built in St. Petersburg in 1858 by the architect Montferrand, is the fourth highest among the world's cathedrals under the single cupolas. It follows St Peter's in Rome, St. Paul's in London and Santa Maria del Fiorre in Florence. The richly-adorned interior, lined with marble, and with malachite and lazurite columns, was intended for up to 10 000 worshippers. Standing on the broad Isaac`s Square, its golden dome can be seen all over the city. On a clear day, the observation platform at the foot of the dome commands a fine view over St. Petersburg and its surroundings.

Duration: 20 minutes

Stop At: Kazan Cathedral, Kazanskaya Sq 2 Metro Nevskiy Prospect, St. Petersburg 191186 Russia

Admire greatness and power of Kazan Cathedral.

Kazan Cathedral is one of the largest cathedrals in Saint Petersburg. It was built in 1801-1811 by the architect Andrey Voronikhin by order of Emperor Paul I who wanted the cathedral to resemble St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. The cathedral is the monument to glory of Russian arms. The famous Russian Field Marshal Mikhail Kutuzov, who won the most important campaign of 1812, was buried inside the Kazan Cathedral. In 1932-1991 it housed the Museum of the History of Religion and Atheism. The sacred thing of the cathedral is a copy of an icon of Our Lady of Kazan.

Kazan Cathedral is remarkable for its plan. Half-round colonnade decorates the side façade of the cathedral, not the main one. According to church canons the altar was to face eastwards, the main entrance - westwards.

Duration: 20 minutes

Stop At: Peterhof Grand Palace, Razvodnaya St., 2, Peterhof, St. Petersburg 198516 Russia

11-00 - 11-45 Make a stop near the Hermitage to get the speed-ship hydrofoil "Meteor" and start your journey to the Peterhof, named as "Russian Versailles". 45 minutes of beautiful views is for you to make perfect photos!

11-45 - 14-00 Get your personal well-learned guide and start your private excursion around St Petersburg's most famous and spectacular Imperial estate and a UNESCO World Heritage Site - Peterhof. A professional guide has a degree in art history, will tell you what you will never read in the guidebooks, share details with you that you never know during the regular "overview" Peterhof excursion.

14-00 - 14-45 It's time to come back to Saint-Petersburg. Take your speed-ship hydrofoil "Meteor" to get back to the city.

Duration: 4 hours

Stop At: The State Hermitage Museum, Palace Square, 2, St. Petersburg 191055 Russia

15-00 - 16-40 - Get your special fast-pass to the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg during a 1h 40 min. private excursion with an art-expert guide. Walk few minutes and now you are here. During the small tour you will see state palace interiors of the Winter Palace, the most glorious tsar residence in Russia, started by Empress Elizabeth I and finished under Catherine the Great's rule. View Renaissance masterpieces by Da Vinci and Michelangelo; wonder at works by Rubens and Goya; and admire paintings by Matisse, Picasso and more as your guide explains their meaning and history.

Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: U Visit Russia, St. Petersburg Russia

17-00 - 18-20 - After the excursion along the Hermitage galleries you are enough tired and hungry to have some rest for the meal. Be accompanied by your guide to the nearby restaurant and have a 4-course Traditional Russian Dinner with Vodka there. Say goodbye to your guide here and plunge to the comfortable soft couches and enjoy your meal, feel yourself renewed and ready for the new step of your trip.

Duration: 1 hour 20 minutes

Stop At: Hermitage Theater, Dvortsovaya Emb., 34, St. Petersburg 191186 Russia

18-20 - Driver is waiting for you to get you to one of the best Russian Ballet and Opera theatres. Evening performance starts at 19-00. Best Russian ballet companies of Mariinsky Theatre, Alexandrinsky Theatre, Hermitage Theatre performing Swan Lake, Cinderella, The Nutcracker, The Sleeping Beauty, Romeo and Juliet to the music of Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky, Prokofiev and other Russian composers. Estimate brilliant performance of Russian Classical Ballet School and relax listening magic entrancing music.

At about 22-45 - get your driver to come back to the ship.

Duration: 4 hours