►Tours  ►St Petersburg and Moscow tours ►3-day St Petersburg excursion package

 DAY1 | INTRODUCTION TO ST PETERSBURG

  Walking excursion around the main sights of St Petersburg. On this excursion you will see:

• Peter and Paul Fortress – the oldest architectural monument in the city. The date of the foundation of this foundation is considered the date of the foundation of St Petersburg itself. From its establishment the history of the city begins. In the fortress’s Ss Peter and Paul’s Cathedral almost all emperors and empresses of Russia are buried, including Peter the Great, Catherine the Great and Nicholas II and his family.
• Nevsky Prospekt – the main thoroughfare in the city; it is lined with grand buildings and is made up of several famous bridges. Practically every building on Nevsky has some interesting story or fact connected to it.
• Field of Mars – this is where victims of the Russian Revolution of 1917 were buried.
• Bronze Horseman – this is a symbol of the city; an equestrian statue of Peter the Great which was given to the city by Catherine the Great.
• Strelka of Vasilievsky Island - the strelka is the very tip of the island and many old and interesting museums are found here. Also here are two old lighthouses featuring statues of personifications of Russian rivers.
• Our Lady of Kazan Cathedral – this is one of the largest working Orthodox cathedrals in St Petersburg. It was Emperor Paul who desired the cathedral to resemble St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. Work only began in 1801, after Paul's assassination, and was completed in 1811. It subsequently became a monument to the Russian victory over Napoleon in 1812.
• Peter the Great’s Cabin – this is one of the few buildings to survive from the era of the city’s famous founder.
• Avrora Cruiser – another symbol of the city; it took part in military action in the Far East, but more famously played a role in the Russian Revolution as it fired a shot to begin the storming of the Winter Palace.

  Guided tour of the Saviour on Spilled Blood Cathedral -– this is perhaps the most striking cathedral in St Petersburg. The Russian revival style building is brightly coloured and reminiscent of Moscow’s St Basil's Cathedral. It was founded in 1883 on the spot where Emperor Alexander II was fatally wounded by a terrorist’s bomb. Around the building there are 20 granite boards detailing the achievements of the reign of Alexander II. You will also go inside the cathedral and see its stunning interior which is made up of mosaics depicting bible scenes and the lives of Russian saints.

 Duration: 6 hours |  Transportation: by a private car and on foot

 DAY2 | CATHERINE PALACE

  Grand Catherine Palace – this amazing palace is an example of the work of master architect Rastrelli, who made an enormous contribution in making St Petersburg the beautiful city it is today. The palace is magnificent both inside and out.You will see the halls which are luxuriously decorated and incrusted with jewels and the apartments were the imperial family lived and received guests.

 Amber Room – the most famous apartment in the Grand Catherine Palace is the Amber Room, which as its name suggests is completely decorated with amber. Part of the amber mosaics were prepared in the beginning in the 18th century in Prussia and given to Emperor Peter the Great. In 1755 they were installed in at the palace. During the Second World War all the decorations from the Amber Room were dismantled by the Nazis and taken back to Germany, where they were subsequently lost. Even today their whereabouts are a mystery. The room was restored using the original designs and it was reopened to the public to mark the 300th anniversary of St Petersburg in 2003. Everything was recreated from scratch. Six tonnes of amber were used to create the masterpiece.

 Yekaterininsky Park – the grand palace is surrounded by a beautiful park, consisting of the Old Garden and the picturesque English Park.

 Duration: 6 hours |  Transportation: by a private car

 DAY3 | HERMITAGE AND ST ISAAC CATHEDRAL

  Hermitage (Winter Palace) – the Winter Palace is the main sight in St Petersburg. From 1762 to 1904 the palace served as the official winter residence of the Russian emperors. Its rich and varied architecture and sculptured décor have no match in St Petersburg. The Italian architect Rastrelli began building the palace in 1754 in the exuberant baroque style during the reign of Empress Elizabeth and so the style became known as Elizabethan baroque. The palace only took its final form during the reign of Empress Catherine the Great. It has over 1000 rooms, 117 staircases and around 2000 windows and doors. Today it holds the Hermitage – one of the world’s largest art galleries.

   St Isaac’s Cathedral – this masterpiece of 19th-century architecture took almost 40 years to complete. The cathedral is decorated with 50 works of art and 300 monuments and bas-reliefs and is a unique example of Russian church architecture. More than 100kg of precious metals were used gilding its dome, which involved mercury and subsequently led to the death of several of the masters.

 Duration: 6 hours |  Transportation: on foot and by metro

• The tour is available the whole year round starting on any day, but please take into account that the museum’s working hours and days-off vary so we reserve the right to change the itinerary while trying to save the excursion programme.
• Tickets to museums cannot be sold without an excursion with a guide.
• All excursions/guided tours included in the itinerary are private which means private guides - unless otherwise stated.
• Best time to travel on this route: from the end of April to mid-October and from December to mid-March.

• CANCELLATION POLICY •

​• IN THE CITY  •

Boat cruise around St Petersburg canals (from May till October)
St Petersburg is a city of canals and bridges which has earned it the name of the Venice of the North. A boat trip allows you to see the city’s main sights from a whole new angle.  Duration: 1½ h.        PRICE PER GROUP 1-2 PAX 3-4 PAX 5-6 PAX 7-8 PAX USD 94 124 158 196 EUR 81 107 137 170 GBP 68 90 114 142

​• OUTSIDE ST PETERSBURG  •

Guided Tour of the Pavlovsk Palace.

Guided tour of the Pavlovsk Palace - the Pavlovsk Palace is closely connected with Emperor Paul and his family and was one of the last imperial palaces to be built. Its interiors are decorated with white marble, French tapestries, valuable paintings, antique sculptures and a sea of gilding. The palace is surrounded by one of the most picturesque landscaped gardens in Russia.​  Duration: 2h |  Transportation: by private car        PRICE PER GROUP 1-2 PAX 3-4 PAX 5-6 PAX 7-8 PAX USD 128 172 232 290 EUR 111 149 201 251 GBP 92 124 168 209

Day tour to Veliky Novgorod

Novgorod Veliky is one of the oldest cities in Russia. It is located in the north-west of the country on River Volkhov and Lake Ilmen. The city’s history is inseparably linked with major events over the course of the Russian nation-state. It was once centre of the important Novgorod Republic, whose prince was elected by local nobles. The Republic became a prize fought over by neighbouring principalities and was very unruly and independent at times. It was also an importance religious and trade centre, acting as a connection between Rus and the West via the Hanseatic League. Over the centuries the city has been protected by a large and sturdy kremlin, which in turn proved a stronghold in the defence of the country as a whole. The kremlin is now protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Duration: 12 hours |  Transportation: by train        PRICE PER GROUP 1-2 PAX 3-4 PAX 5-6 PAX 7-8 PAX USD 257 391 468 622 EUR 222 339 405 539 GBP 185 283 338 450

Oreshek Fotress (only from May to October)

This monument of mediaeval Russian defensive architecture is located on the source of the Neva. It was founded by Novgorodians in 1323 but from 1612 it was held by the Swedish until it was recaptured by Peter the Great in 1702. Having lost its strategic significance, it later became a prison for high profile prisoners. Imprisoned here were Yevdokia Lopukhina (Peter the Great's first wife), Emperor Ivan VI, several Decembrists, members of the People’s Will organisation (including Lenin’s brother who was executed here) and Polish nationals who fought for Polish liberation. Between 1941 and 1943 a small garrison at the fortress were able to hold out here and protect the Road of Life from the Nazis for over 500 days. Therefore many famous events in Russian history have a connection with this fascinating fortress.  Duration: about 6 hours |  Transportation: by private car and by boat      PRICE PER GROUP 1-2 PAX 3-4 PAX 5-6 PAX 7-8 PAX USD 286 330 416 486 EUR 248 286 361 421 GBP 207 238 300 351

​• THEMED TOURS  •

Red Tour

This tour is dedicated to the Russian revolution and the figures who played a part in it. The tour includes a visit to the Museum of Political History where you will learn the details of one of the critical moments in Russian history. You will also visit the Alliluev Memorial Apartment where Lenin sought refuge and where Stalin also lived at the beginning of his political career. The apartment also serves as an example of typical housing for a qualified Petrograd worker in the beginning of the 20th century. In addition you will visit the Sergey Kirov Memorial Apartment, Kirov was a close associate of Stalin whose murder marked the beginning of the Red Terror – mass repression which resulted in the death of around 1 million people. This apartment gives you an impression of how the Soviet elite lived just after the revolution.  Tour availability: from Friday to Sunday  Duration: about 7 hours |  Transportation: by a private car        PRICE PER GROUP 1-2 PAX 3-4 PAX 5-6 PAX 7-8 PAX USD 324 406 516 596 EUR 281 352 447 517 GBP 234 293 373 430

Best Cathedrals of St Petersburg tour

This tour includes visits to the most striking and beautiful cathedrals of St Petersburg - St Issac's Cathedral, Our Lady of Kazan Cathedral, Chesme Church, Cathedral of the Ioannovsky Convent and the Cathedral of the Smolny Convent. These cathedrals represent different architectural styles and historical eras, but all are unique, grand and beautiful.  Duration: 6 hours |  Transportation: by a private car              PRICE PER GROUP 1-2 PAX 3-4 PAX 5-6 PAX 7-8 PAX USD 236 302 364 442 EUR 205 262 315 383 GBP 170 218 263 319

Guided tour of Zoological museum and Kunskamera

This guided tour will show you the most interesting natural history museums in St Petersburg: the Zoological Museum and the Kunstkamera. The Zoological Museum is the oldest zoological museum in Russia and has over 30,000 exhibits on display ranging from the smallest mollusc up to an enormous blue whale. When not on loan to other museums, the museum is home to Dima and Masha the baby mammoths which were discovered relatively well preserved after millennia spent in the permafrost of Siberia. The Kunstkamera was the first museum to be opened in Russia. It has a unique collection of artefacts which tell the history and everyday life of various peoples of the world. There is also a section on rare birth defects and anomalies, with the unfortunate babies and animals preserved in jars (it was hoped that people would become less superstitious if they became more aware of birth defects). In addition the early-18th century building in which the Kunstkamera is located is a monument in itself and has become the symbol of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Tour availability: daily except Mondays  Duration: 4 h |  Transportation: walking      PRICE PER GROUP 1-2 PAX 3-4 PAX 5-6 PAX 7-8 PAX USD 190 200 318 328 EUR 165 173 276 284 GBP 137 144 230 237