One-day winter tour of St. Petersburg
|
PRICE
UPON
REQUEST
|
By the middle of autumn, many of the most popular sightseeing activities in St. Petersburg such as boat trips along the downtown canals or exploring the parks at Peterhof and Tsarskoye Selo are no longer feasible. Nonetheless, the city has plenty to offer even in the depths of winter, and this one-day tour is designed to help you get the most out of St. Petersburg whatever the weather.
As well as ticking the boxes for the city's most famous visitor attractions, this tour aims to give visitors a comprehensive overview of St. Petersburg's rich history and culture. It packs into a single day not only the State Hermitage Museum and the recently opened Fabergé Museum, but also St. Petersburg's two most magnificent (and remarkably different) churches, a bus tour of the historic centre, and a visit to the Peter and Paul Fortress, where building of the city began.
Itinerary
9:00am – 1:30am |
City bus tour with Peter and Paul Fortress
This introductory guided tour takes in the main landmarks of St. Petersburg's historic center, including the Winter Palace, the Spit of Vasilevskiy Island, Nevsky Prospekt and St. Isaac's Cathedral. During the tour, your guide will provide an overview of St. Petersburg's three-century history, including its political, cultural and architectural development. The tour ends with an inside visit to the Peter and Paul Fortress, the highlight of which is the magnificent Ss. Peter and Paul Cathedral, the final resting place of nearly all the Romanov rulers and their families.
|
---|---|
11:30am – 1:30pm |
Visit to the State Hermitage Museum
Two hours is only enough to scrape the surface of the vast collections at the Hermitage, one of the world's great repositories of art and cultural artifacts. In this tour, we choose to concentrate only on the Winter Palace, touring the spectacularly ornate state rooms of the Winter Palace and viewing the highlights of the collection of pre-19th century Western European art, including masterpieces by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Rubens, Rembrandt, Caravaggio and Poussin, to name but a few.
|
1:30pm – 2:30pm |
Lunch
Your guide will provide with recommendations for nearby cafes and restaurants depending on your preferences.
|
2:30pm – 3:30pm |
St. Isaac's Cathedral
The life's work of French architect Auguste de Montferrand, St. Isaac's Cathedral is St. Petersburg's largest and most important church. Its monumental red granite Empire-style exteriors are matched by the rich decorations inside, the works of some of the most prominent Russian artists and craftsmen of the day.
|
3:40pm – 5:00pm |
Church of Our Saviour on the Spilled Blood
Built only a few decades after St. Isaac's, the Church of the Resurrection of Christ (popularly known as the "Saviour on the Spilled Blood") demonstrates a completely different type of church architecture. Inspired by St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow, its riotously colorful Russian Revival facades belie its purpose as a memorial to Alexander II, built on the very spot where he was assassinated, but also make it one of St. Petersburg's most popular and instantly recognizable landmarks.
|
5:00pm – 6:00pm |
Fabergé Museum
The final item on the day's itinerary is this recently opened museum, housed in a historic palace by the Fontanka River, that displays billionaire Viktor Vekselberg's unique collection of Russian decorative and applied art, including nine of the renowned Imperial easter eggs by court jeweler Carl Fabergé, the largest number in any single collection.
|
NB This itinerary is designed for summer visits (May to October) and may not be available on every day of the week, depending on visitor attraction opening schedules.
Itinerary and route details
9:00am – 11:30am | City bus tour with Peter and Paul Fortress |
---|---|
11:30am – 1:30pm | Visit to the State Hermitage Museum |
1:30pm – 2:30pm | Lunch |
2:30pm – 3:30pm | St. Isaac's Cathedral |
3:40pm – 5:00pm | Church of Our Saviour on the Spilled Blood |
5:00pm – 6:00pm | Fabergé Museum |
- Peter and Paul Fortress
- State Hermitage Museum
- St. Isaac's Cathedral
- Church of Our Saviour on the Spilled Blood
- Fabergé Museum
Travelers
Payment
- Admissions tickets
- Guide services
- Lunch