SAMPLE ITINERARIES  |  EXCURSIONS IN ST. PETERSBURG  |  EXCURSIONS IN MOSCOW

St. Petersburg Sightseeing Tour:
During St. Petersburg Sightseeing Tour you will get acquainted with the architecture, history, and modern day life of the former capital of the Russian Empire, and with the history of the Romanovs Dynasty. The places of interest that the city will please you with are the Palace Square with the Winter Palace, the Arts Square with the Russian Museum, the Smolny Monastery, the famous Nevsky Prospect, the Summer Garden, and the Field of Mars. You will see the classic ensemble of the Senate Square with the world-known “Bronze Horseman”, the Basil Island, and many other landmarks, magnificent palaces, bridges, and picturesque embankments.

Excursion to the Peter-and-Paul Fortress:
The Peter-and-Paul Fortress is the first building of St. Petersburg. It was built here under the order of Peter the Great to protect these lands form Sweden during the war that lasted for 21 years and became known as the Northern War. The foundation day of the fortress, which is May 27, 1703, became the Birthday of the whole city. The architect of the fortress was Domenico Trezini who was the first architect of the city. For a long time the fortress was used as a political prison. The architectural centre of the ensemble of the Fortress is the Peter-and-Paul Cathedral. This Cathedral is the place of burial of Russian Emperors from the times of Peter the Great. In 1998, remains of the last Russian Emperor, Nicolas II, and his family were buried in the Cathedral.

Excursion to St. Isaac’s Cathedral:
St. Isaac’s Cathedral is the largest cathedral in the city. It is also one of the largest one-dome cathedrals of the world after St. Peter Cathedral, in Rome, and St. Paul Cathedral, in London. It was designed by French architect A. Monferan. The construction of the cathedral took 40 years. It is decorated with picturesque mosaics, amazing wall-paintings, and gilded statues. The cathedral is surrounded by 112 monolith granite columns brought here from the suburbs of St. Petersburg. Since the second half of the XIX century St. Isaac’s Cathedral was the main cathedral church of the city. Now it is just a museum, but the main religious holidays are celebrated here.

St. Petersburg at Night:
The best way to feel the unique spirit of St. Petersburg is to look at the city at night. St. Petersburg is a flourishing modern city that stays awake 24 hours round. A comfortable bus will take you through the centre of the city which is remarkably attractive at night and is especially romantic in the period of White Nights, and during Winter when seen in the electric lights. St. Petersburg is also known as “the City of Bridges”. All bridges over the Neva River are drawbridges. This means that at night they are being drawn to allow large passenger and cargo vessels to go up the river to the Ladoga Lake. This is a magnificent scene especially in the period of White Nights lasting from May till July, when nights become as bright as day.

Excursion to Alexander Nevsky Lavra:
The Alexander Nevsky Lavra is a place of attraction in St. Petersburg. Established by the order of the Peter the Great, in 1710, the monastery became one of the first buildings of the Russian Northern capital together with Peter-and-Paul Fortress. Russian and foreign architects participated in creating the ensemble of Alexander Nevsky Lavra. Among those who took part in designing and constructing its churches were such eminent architects as Domenico Trezini, Peter Eropkin, Michael Zemtsov, and sculptor F. Shubin, and many others. There are three cemeteries in the Lavra named after the churches situated on its territory: Lazarevskoye, Tihvinskoye, and Nikolskoye cemeteries. Suvorov, Lomonosov, Dostoevsky, and Tchaikovsky are buried here.

Excursion to the Hermitage:
Hermitage is one of the largest museums in the world after the Louvre, in Paris, and National Gallery, in London. The Hermitage collection includes over 3 million exponents from prehistoric times to modern days. It was established in 1764 by Russian Empires Catherin the Great. She gave an order to build a palace to accommodate her collection of western European art. Now the permanent exposition is set in five buildings (the Winter Palace, the Small Hermitage, the Old Hermitage, and the Hermitage Theatre) that form an amazing architectural ensemble. The interiors of the museum were decorated by outstanding architects and sculptors of the XVIII and XIX centuries. Many rooms where magnificent ceremonies were held are preserved in its initial state. The Hermitage collection includes real masterpieces of greatest artists and sculptors of the world, such as Leonardo da Vinci, Rafael, Rembrandt, Monet, and Paulo Picasso

Excursion to the State Russian Museum:
The State Russian museum The State Russian Museum is called the home of treasures of Russian art. It is the first museum that exhibits a collection of pieces of Russian art and culture that includes over 4 thousand exponents. It was opened in 1898. The museum is located in one of the most beautiful squares of St. Petersburg, the Arts Square, in the building of the Mikhailovsky Palace. The building was constructed in the beginning of the XIX century for Grand Duke Michael, son of Russian Emperor Paul I. This is where the name is derived from. The museum possesses a unique collection of paintings from avantgardism to realism. Here you can enjoy the works of artists, sculptors of the XVII – XX centuries, and pieces of folk art.

Excursion to the Yusupovsky Palace:
The Yusupovsky Palace is one of the most magnificent palaces of St. Petersburg. It is a unique architectural monument that is historically closely connected to aristocracy, eminent architects, and artists of the XIX and XX centuries. It used to belong to the famous Yusupovs family. The palace is also known as the place of Rasputin’s assassination, in December 1916.

Excursion to the Church of Our Saviour on Spilt Blood:
Temple on the Spilt Blood The building of the Church of Our Saviour on Spilt Blood is constructed in the style of the XVI century Moscow architecture. It was build in the end of the XIX century on the very place where Russian Emperor Alexander II was deadly wounded by members of the revolutionary movement, on March1, 1881. The church is known all around the world for its internal and external artwork. The walls of the church are decorated with 7 thousand square meters of mosaics. The church was severely damaged during the Second World War. It was under reconstruction for a very long period of time, and only in 1997 it was opened for visitors again.

Excursion to the Dostoyevsky Museum:
The Dostoyevsky Museum is a memorial museum of the famous Russian writer F. Dostoyevsky. It was opened in 1971. This is the building were Dostoyevsky’s last apartment was situated. Here he wrote his famous book “The Karamazov Brothers”. The interiors of the apartment were reconstructed based on archive documents. The collection of the museum includes unique, genuine items that used to belong to the writer himself.

Pushkin (Tsarkoye Selo):
Pushkin is a unique architectural landmark. The Amber Room given to Peter the Great by Prussian king, in 1716, known as the Eighth Wonder of the World is located in this Palace. The amber decorations of the room missing since 1945 are now reconstructed by Russian gem stone cutters. The Tsarskoye Selo Park was the favourite place of Russian Tzars, where they were spending their leisure time. Paths around the Catherine Palace invite for a walk to see the pavilions of the Park built by famous Russian architects and sculptors. To the North from the Catherine Palace is the amazing Alexander Palace built by the Catherine’s order for her grand-son Alexander, the future Russian Emperor Alexander II.

Pavlovsk:
Pavlovsk is a superb park ensemble of the end of the XVII—beginning of the XX centuries, which was a Summer residence of the Russian Emperor Paul I and his family. The picturesque park with various pavilions occupies the territory of 600 hectares. The items in the collection of the Pavlovsky Palace are closely related to its owners’ travelling around the world. Paul I and his wife visited famous artists, ordered and purchased paintings, pieces of furniture, bronze statues, silk fabrics, sets of china, etc. They added ancient Italian sculptures to the great Russian collection. And now all these pieces of art are exhibited in the rooms of the Palace.

Peterhof:
Peterhof is the gem of Russian art, city of parks, palaces and fountains. It was built under the order of Peter the Great to commemorate Russian victory over Sweden in the Northern War. The architectural ensemble of Peterhof may be compared to that of Versailles, Summer residence of French kings. Previously Peterhof used to be a fashionable Summer residence of Russian emperors. The centre of the ensemble is the Great Palace. Three monumental cascades lead from the Great Palace to the Lower Park, which is a real masterpiece with 173 fountains located on its territory.

St. Petersburg Imperial Porcelain Manufactory:
The Imperial Porcelain Manufactory (also known as Lomonosov Manufactory) is the first Russian manufactory that was established in St. Petersburg under the order of Empires Elizabeth, in 1744. This manufactory is the only one in Russia producing thin English porcelain. The museum, established in 1844, exhibits remarkable samples of the XVII century porcelain.

Boat Trip “Riding Rivers and Canals”:
Boat trip The “Riding Rivers and Canals” Boat Trip is a sort of a cruise over the Neva River and canals of the city of which there are 66 in total. It is not a coincidence that St. Petersburg is called “Northern Venice”. It is one of the most interesting ways of going through the city. The magnificent architectural ensembles, churches, cathedrals, and memorials seem to exist in an amazing harmony with water. All St. Petersburg embankments are made of granite, and they all have their unique features.

Kronshtadt:
It is located on the small Kotlin island in the Gulf of Finland. Kronshtadt is one of the main marine bases of the Baltic fleet. It was founded in 1704 by Peter the Great as a port and a fortress, it was also a commercial harbour of St. Petersburg until 1880-s. During the Second World War Kronshtad played a major part in protecting St. Petersburg (then Leningrad) from fascists.