Two Day Tour of St Petersburg City and Local Culture Shore Excursion

Itinerary

Day 1: Tour of St. Petersburg City and Local Culture Shore Excursion Day 1

Stop At: The State Hermitage Museum, Palace Square, 2, St. Petersburg 191055 Russia
The Hermitage has more than 3 million exhibits; among them two paintings by Leonardo da Vinci, paintings by Rafael, Caravaggio, Rubens. You will see the most famous paintings by Rembrandt – «The Return of the Prodigal Son», «Danaë». Statues by Michelangelo, Canova; lots of historical interiors. You will enjoy the most famous halls, for example, the Pavilion Hall with the famous Peacock clock, the Jordan Staircase and many others. You will view with different collections located in the buildings of the Small, Big and New Hermitage.

The main building of the Hermitage complex – Winter Palace was official residence of Romanov dynasty. You will see the Grand Church of the Winter Palace where the wedding of Nicholas II to Alexandra Feodorovna (Alix of Hesse) occurred.
***Please, be informed, if you want to visit the Treasure Gallery (Diamond or Gold Room), please note that you must book tickets one month before visiting. The tour will take an hour.
Duration: 3 hours

Stop At: The General Staff Building, Dvortsovaya Sq., 6-10 Metro Kanal Griboyedova, Nevskiy Prospekt, Gostiny Dvor, St. Petersburg 191186 Russia
Impressionist exhibition in Main Headquarters of the Hermitage. The General Staff Building, one of the most famous architectural monuments in Saint Petersburg. The project revolved around the architect’s idea to unite two separate buildings with a triumphal arch, a monument to Russia’s victory in the war of 1812. This majestic arch is a symbol Russia’s glory and military triumph; it forms a symmetrical axe with the central part of the Winter Palace. The collections of Russian and European decorative art, paintings and sculptures from the 19th and 20th centuries (including Impressionist and Postimpressionist paintings, Matisse, and Picasso), as well as contemporary art are displayed in the building.
Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Catherine Palace and Park, Sadovaya St., 7 Tsarskoye Selo, Pushkin, St. Petersburg 196601 Russia
Tsars Village. Tsarskoye Selo has amassed the best specimens of the Baroque and Neoclassicism architecture. It was a summer ceremonial imperial residence whose construction was of national importance. Catherine Palace and surrounding parks were created by three Russian Empresses, that’s why Pushkin is formerly known as «The Tsar’s Village» (Tsarskoe Selo). Upon arrival to the palace, you will see the Golden Enfilade of staterooms, where Russian Tsars and Tsarinas received their guests and organized dances in gilded halls. You will visit famous Amber Room, which is also recognized as the eighth wonder of the world. It was created by German craftsmen and gifted to Peter I, and subsequently it was enhanced under the direction of Rastrelli. Along with the palace complex, parks are an integral part of the Tsarskoye Selo, the main of them – Ekaterininsky and Aleksandrovsky parks.
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Neva Embankments, St. Petersburg Russia
Boat ride along rivers and canals. St. Petersburg is surrounded by water and interlaced with a complex web of rivers and canals. If you want to see great vistas of the city, classical architecture of cathedrals, museums and palaces from the water, you can explore it from the boat and cruise the rivers and canals of St. Petersburg.
Duration: 1 hour

No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.

Day 2: Tour of St. Petersburg City and Local Culture Shore Excursion Day 2

Stop At: Peterhof Grand Palace, Razvodnaya St., 2, Peterhof, St. Petersburg 198516 Russia
Peterhof. Grand Palace and Lower Park with Fountains. Peterhof was founded by Peter I as a suburban imperial residence after the victory over the Swedes at Poltava. The official opening of the new residence took place in 1723. The Grand Palace is the focal point at Peterhof, standing in the center of the gardens on a natural terrace, with a spectacular view down the Sea Chanel to the Gulf of Finland. The most spectacular constructions are the Great Cascade, with its impressive fountains and golden statue of Samson Rending Open the Jaws of the Lion, shooting a powerful jet of water 20 meters into the sky. All the fountains are supplied with water naturally by gravity without any pumps, which makes the garden unique considering everything you see there was designed in the 18th century.
Duration: 4 hours

Stop At: Peter and Paul Fortress, Petropavlovskaya Fortress, 3, St. Petersburg 197022 Russia
St Peter and Paul Fortress and St Peter and Paul Cathedral. Peter and Paul Fortress and Peter and Paul Cathedral – a spot, from which the construction of Saint Petersburg began in 1703, also as known as the «Cradle» of St. Petersburg. Then it became the burial place of Russian Emperors and Empresses, including tombs of the Romanov family. Here you will find out why there’s a city legend that the Holy Grail is in the tomb of Peter the Great. You will see the Prison where the first well-known prisoner was Tsarevich Alexei, the son of Peter the Great by his first marriage.
Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Yusupov Palace on Moika River, Emb. Reki Moiki, 94 Entrance for individual visitors and small groups from Dekabristov Street, 21, St. Petersburg 190000 Russia
Visiting Yusupov Palace it’s a great choice if you would like to see something more off-the-beaten path, for example, you can see a huge marble staircase, a private theater, and a stunning enfilade of sitting rooms. One of the most interesting and historical fact of Yusupov Palace – here Gregory Rasputin was murdered under equally mysterious and grisly circumstances. You will visit exposition «Rasputin’s Murder». You will visit the palace and learn its history in more detail.
Duration: 2 hours

No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.