DAY1 | ARRIVAL IN ST PETERSBURG - CITY TOUR - THE HERMITAGE
Arrival in St Petersburg and transfer to the hotel to leave your luggage. A guide will wait for you in the arrival area of the airport or next to the custom exit in the sea port with a sign saying 
.
A city tour around St Petersburg by car. The highlights of the tour are:
- Nevsky Prospekt – St Petersburg’s main thoroughfare.
- Our Lady of Kazan Cathedral – Russia’s equivalent of St Peter’s Basilica in Rome, complete with a large colonnade.
- The Field of Mars – a memorial established after the Russian Revolution.
- Saviour on the Spilled Blood Cathedral (exterior) – a beautiful cathedral somewhat reminiscent of Moscow’s St Basil’s Cathedral, built on the site of the assassination of Emperor Alexander II.
- St Michael’s Castle (exterior) – a residence built for Emperor Paul, where he was subsequently assassinated.
- Anichkov Bridge – one of St Petersburg’s most beautiful bridges decorated with four statues of youths taming wild horses.
- Bronze Horseman – an equestrian statue of Peter the Great which has become a symbol of the city.
- St Isaac’s Cathedral – the largest cathedral in St Petersburg, the current version dates from 1818 and features a huge dome.
The city tour also includes:
- Guilded tour of the Peter and Paul Fortress – the original point of foundation of St Petersburg which later served as a prison for political prisoners. Its cathedral is the resting place for almost all Russian monarchs after Peter the Great.
- Guided tour of the State Hermitage - one of the most famous art galleries in the world which receives over 3.5 million visitors a year. It is located inside the Winter Palace which was once the official residence of the Russian emperors and empresses. Many of the palace's 365 rooms are filled with sculptures and paintings of world-renowned artists of all ages, although quite often the interiors of the palace outshine even these masterpieces. It is said that if you stand next to each of the exhibits or pictures for a minute, it will take eight years of your life to see everything. Our guide though knows shortcuts and will take you to the must-see exhibitions and rooms, so you won’t need to stay there that long!
NOTE: You will pass the hotel while on the excursion to drop off your luggage. Car rental is only included for the city tour part so as not to pay for a car while at the Hermitage, however if you would like to go by car it is possible to add an extra three-four hours of car rental.
Duration: about 7-8 hours | 
Transportation: by a car and by metro
• OPTIONAL EXTRA • ST PETERSBURG •
DAY2 | PUSHKIN - CATHERIN PALACE
Breakfast in the hotel.
Excursion to the Catherine Palace in Pushkin – one of the most striking examples of palace architecture in St Petersburg and a must see for those interested in imperial Russian history. The palace’s Amber Room was dismantled and removed by the Nazis during the Second World War and subsequently lost, however it has since been carefully recreated and is now once again one of the most beautiful palace rooms in the world.
Duration: 6 hours | Transportation: by a private car
• OPTIONAL EXTRA • ST PETERSBURG •
DAY3 | YUSUPOV PALACE
Breakfast in the hotel.
Excursion to the Yusupov Palace - the palace of the richest family in Imperial Russia, where the mad monk Grigory Rasputin was infamously murdered. Today this scene has been recreated in the palace’s basement.
Duration: 3 hours | 
Transportation: by a metro
Transfer to the airport or to the Sea Port.
Intro
Itinerary
Cost
Notes
3 Days
2 Nights
Sightseeing
All year
This tour includes several of St Petersburg’s main museums and sights such as the State Hermitage which is located in the Winter Palace – the former residence of the Russian emperors, the Peter and Paul Fortress where most of the Russian emperors and empress are buried, the Catherine Palace in Pushkin which is home to the famous Amber Room, and the Yusupov Palace in St Petersburg.
