Here is an example Custom Tour we actually created for a group recently. We
selected it as an example because it includes many of the most popular destinations
for general tourism.
Day One
As soon as the ship is cleared - The city orientation drive (city highlights) starts.0900-1000 drive 30 km south of St Petersburg to the imperial summer residence – the Catherine Palace at Pushkin
1000-1050 a guided tour of the Palace
1100-1130 Walk through a marvelous park near the Palace.
11.30-12.30 Drive to the city,
12.40-13.40 Lunch time.
14.00 visit to Peter-and-Paul Fortress.
15.00-1730 inside visit to the Hermitage (a guided tour of the best collections).
1730 - 1800 drive back to the ship
About 1800 – return to ship
Day Two
0830 start of the tour. Drive South-West of St Petersburg to visit one of summer residences of Russian Tsars in Peterhof – the Russian Versailles.
0930-1020 a guided tour of the Grand Palace of Peterhof (Specially arranged Early Opening to avoid crowds).
1030-1100 walk round the world famous fountain park to enjoy fountains playing
1115-1200 return drive to the city
1200-1230 Metro ride to see the most beautiful stations.
1250-1350 Lunch time.
1415-1545 Inside visit to Spilled Blood Cathedral
1600-1630 Inside visit to the famous St Isaac’s cathedral
1700 – back to ship
The
city drive features a multitude of St Petersburg’s
famous landmarks. You’ll also have plenty of opportunities to capture
interesting and historical sites on film: your drive through the old and
modern sections of the city will also take you past the famous Bronze
Horseman, the Admiralty Building where
the city’s three main avenues meet, the impressive, broad Nevsky
prospect, Rostral Columns. You will have several
photo stops – St Isaac’s Cathedral, Palace
Square with the Alexander Column, Cruiser
Aurora and many others. You’ll be able to bargain with local
vendors near the various venues during your sightseeing and per your desire
the guide will take you to one of the gift shops.
Catherine Palace-
typical of Baroque style, was built for the wife of Peter The Great in the
village of Tsarskoye Selo, or today’s Pushkin, and it became known as
the Catherine Palace. Tsarskoye Selo (in English: “the Czar’s Village”)
is located about 27 kilometers (17 miles) south of St. Petersburg and it has
a long history connected with generations of Romanov Czars. Catherine Palace
exceeds all the other palaces with its gigantic size and unique decorations. The
stunning facade of the palace extends for almost 300 meters (1000 feet),
and gives the first impression what to expect inside. Our tour will visit all
the major halls and rooms, including the Great Hall, the Blue Room, the Picture
Gallery, many of the private studies and bed rooms. One of
the many highlights will be the Amber Room with its walls decorated with real
amber of different hues. The palace was practically destroyed during
the Second World War, and all the amber from the walls of the Amber Room was
taken away from the country by the invaders. After the tour you will also view
parts of the surrounding park’s and gardens consisting of almost 600
hectares (1.500 acres) and filled with marble statues
Peter-and-Paul
Fortress.You will enter the grounds of the fortress and also visit
the cathedral inside where the tombs of all the Romanov dynasty rulers and
their family members have been buried, starting from Peter the Great himself.
Hermitage Museum is
one of the world’s leading and most respected museums today and the real “must” place
for every visitor in St. Petersburg. The huge building complex housing
the Hermitage collections is not just a museum, it consists of a chain of several
buildings, the largest of which is the Winter Palace, the city residence of
the ruling royal Romanov family until 1917 when the Russian revolution took
place. Works of classical artists like Leonardo da Vinci & Michelangelo
and of the more recent painters names like Matisse & Picasso and many other
masters of the 19-20th century French art. It should also be mentioned that
the Hermitage displays one of the world’s largest and incomparable collection
of Rembrandt’s work. The Winter Palace section is of no lesser interest
than the rest of the Hermitage Museum. You will see the huge white marble ceremonial
entrance stairway, the Throne Room, where the Czar’s seat still stands
today, the Grand Throne Hall, the Malachite Room, the Armorial Hall which was
the center stage of fashionable state receptions and balls. From the windows
of the Winter Palace you will see the lonely angel of the
Alexander’s Column standing in the center of the immense historical Palace
Square.
Peterhof,
the Summer Palace of Peter the Great, also called the Grand Palace,
is located. The palace grounds consist of a main palace, about 20 smaller palaces
and pavilions and seven incredible, peaceful park areas. In addition to the
parks the real pride and highlight of Peterhof are the 140
different fountains and water cascades of which the gilded, terraced
fountains shooting water high up into the air, have gained worldwide fame and
have become the symbol of the city. The entire area is so huge that it took
a total of 150 years and several of Peter’s successors’ efforts
to complete the plan as it appears today. We will also visit the Grand Palace,
walk through its different rooms and ceremonial halls, marvel its beauty and
luxury, admire the centuries old china, dishes, art, textiles and furniture,
and wonder how luxuriously did the royal people live
Metro ride to see the most beautiful stations, which
sometimes look like the palaces, hidden in the deepest metro system in the
world. We will only visit a few of the 58 stations that make up the St Petersburg
metro system but they will be some of the most interesting and attractive. Each
station is in a different architectural style.
St.
Isaac’s Cathedral. The 3rd largest domed cathedral in the
world after St Peter’s in Rome and St Paul’s in London. The cathedral
can accommodate about 10.000 audience, it is graces with 112 solid granite
columns weighing up to 114 tons each.
The
Spilled Blood Cathedral. Built in 1907 as memorial church in honor
Russian Emperor Alexander II, just on the spot of crucial terrorist attempt
upon him. A sample of “Russian Style” architecture and decorative
art at the edge of XIX-XX centuries. Mosaic attire of the church (over 7.000
square meters cover the walls!) was created to the design of 30 artists,
among them the famous Russian painters.
