Discover Highlights of Saint Petersburg City for 5 Nights
The sheer grandeur and history of Russia's imperial capital never fail to amaze, but this is also a city with a revolutionary spirit.
Saint Petersburg -
St Petersburg, Russia
Day1:Arrival to Saint Petersburg Airport
Meet and assist your hotel in Saint petersburg
Hotel check in / early check in subject to availability
Day2:Optional Tour
Discover St. Petersburg - Urban Adventures 80 EUR
Highlights
- Discover the beauty and grandeur of St Petersburg, from a local perspective
- Learn about the city's most famous architecture and history
- Be dazzled by panoramic St Petersburg views
- Tuck into an authentic Russian lunch and enjoy delicious local food
This St Petersburg tour of this grand imperial city will start from the Palace Square, which is dominated by the Winter Palace. After crossing the Neva River stop at the Spit of St Basil Island. From the Spit enjoy panoramic views of the Palace Embankment with its renowned Hermitage Museum, and many prominent St Petersburg landmarks including St Isaac’s Cathedral, the Admiralty, and the Chamber of Curiosities.
With your local St Petersburg guide, you will pay a visit to the Peter and Paul Fortress, the oldest structure in the city, and the site where the town of Peter started in 1703. The cathedral located here became the burial place of the Russian emperors, and members of their families, from Peter the Great onwards.(visit to the cathedral is optional) Pass the Summer Gardens and the Field of Mars on the way to the Church of The Savior on Spilled Blood. The church was built on the spot where the Russian emperor Alexander II was assassinated in 1881.
Continue along Nevsky Prospect, the city’s busiest street, and home to restaurants, theatres, museums and splendid palaces of the ex-Russian aristocracy. Learn more about the local perspective and more St Petersburg history along the way. Pass the Stroganoff Palace where the famous beef stroganoff dish was invented. We stop our St Petersburg tour as we break for lunch in a Russian fast food place. Why not try a traditional dish like borsch (soup), blinis (pancakes), or beef stroganoff?
After lunch, we continue our St Petersburg walking tour towards St Isaac’s Square to see its beautiful cathedral. St Isaac’s Cathedral is a great example of late period classical architecture, and is richly decorated with sculptures, high relieves, oil paintings and mosaics. The cathedral used to be the principal place of worship in St Petersburg before the October Revolution of 1917. Your St Petersburg tour ends at the cathedral. Be sure to stay on to take a look inside or perhaps to climb the spiral staircase to the top of St Isaac’s dome to enjoy a breathtaking view of the city.
Duration 3.5 hours
Day3:Optional Tour
St Petersburg Like a Local 80 EUR
Highlights
- Discover one of the deepest subway systems in the world with its many unique stations
- Visit the oldest and most beautiful railway station in St Petersburg
- Explore off the beaten track with a local by your side
- Enjoy a drink of traditional vodka (or a tea) with your guide
Get ready for a historical tour of glorious St Petersburg, with a twist! Instead of box-ticking a load of monuments surrounded by tourists, you'll go on a journey with new friends to discover the city's weird and wonderful sights, giving you a healthy dose of real local life. After all, how often do you visit the famous landmarks in your own city? Join a local guide to see what makes St. Petersburg tick for the people that live there.
We begin this St. Petersburg tour at the information booth on the Palace Square. This square is the heart of St. Petersburg local life and where the city’s most important celebrations always take place – making it the best point to start your “like a local” tour!
The first part of your tour is dedicated to our stunning metro system. We’ll go down into the metro where your guide will show you some of the system's secrets and explain why St. Petersburg’s metro is so much more than just public transport. You will also have the chance to see the oldest railway station, one of the most beautiful stations in Russia.
To get to know the city even more (and of course, feel like a local) we will visit a local café that is unknown to most tourists where we will have a drink. This is a comfortable, friendly tour that will help you see the city from a local perspective and learn interesting aspects of St. Petersburg's history. We'll get to know each other over a glass of Russia's most beloved tipple, giving you the chance to chat with a local and get social with your group.
Day4:Optional Tour
Alexander Nevski Monastery – Private 108 EUR
Discover the stunning Alexander Nevsky Monastery housing some of St Petersburg’s oldest and most important religious buildings.
The monastery was founded by Peter the Great in 1710 on the spot of one of Russia’s most glorious victories over the Swedes. Here they stopped the Swedish invasion of Russian territory in the 13th century. It seems Peter the Great was slightly wrong about the location but nevertheless the legend remains. As one of only four Lavras in Russia, the highest denomination of orthodox monastery, the Alexander Nevsky Monastery is an incredibly devout place, attracting believers from all over the country.
The complex of buildings includes two fabulous baroque churches designed by the Italian Domenico Trezzini and the majestic Holy Trinity Cathedral as well as a couple of other churches. Of note is the fact that the holy remains of Alexander Nevsky were brought here from Vladimir and were housed in a silver shrine made from an astounding one and a half tons of pure silver.
The monastery of St. Alexander Nevsky is considered one of the oldest museums in Russia, boasting a collection of objects of religious worship: ancient manuscripts, crucifixes, incorrupt bodies of saints and icons with frames covered in precious stones and metals. Also of particular interest is the Tikhvin Cemetery where some of Russia's most famous people are buried. Members of the royal family, warriors, composers and writers can all be found within the peaceful cemetery walls. Look out for the tombs of greats such as Dostoevsky and Tchaikovsky.
Duration 2.5 hours
Day5:Optional Tour
Hermitage Museum – Private 125 EUR
Admire some of the world's greatest masterpieces in an unforgettable setting as you pass through the grand doors to the second largest museum in the world, The Hermitage.
Highlights
- Contemplate works of art by Da Vinci, Raphael, Picasso, and many more
- Admire the sheer opulence of the magnificent Winter Palace
- Learn about the history of the Palace on from your expert guide
There are few museums that can rival The Hermitage in terms of the sheer volume and quality of the art work on display and no visitor can leave without being utterly beguiled by the surroundings let alone the art. Encompassing numerous buildings including the iconic Winter Palace, The Hermitage is said to have so many pieces of art that it would take years to view them all. With around three millions exhibits it is easy to see why! Join the tour as a great way to get a thorough overview taking in some of the finest works of art on offer.
The original museum, now called the ‘Small Hermitage’, was founded in 1764 by Catherine the Great. Her collection and the museum swelled over the years to its present size and as we amble around the fabulous interior you get the opportunity to see some of the exhibits.
See fascinating examples of prehistoric art and works from ancient Egypt and Greece. Be dazzled by the greats of the Italian Renaissance such as Raphael and Da Vinci and be bewitched by the classical beauty of Spanish masters like Velazquez and El Greco. Dutch and Flemish Baroque art along with fine art from France, Britain, Switzerland, Germany and Russia complement the classics. And for those preferring more modern art the likes of Renoir, Degas, Picasso and Kandinsky will not disappoint.
Day6:Departure
Check out your hotel in Saint Petersburg
Hotel check out / late check out subject to availability
Russia Airport
Russia Airport
5 Nights Accommodation at one of selected hotel in saint Petersburg Hotel Selection in Saint Petersburg or similar Category Grand Catherine Palace Hotel OR Park Inn By Radisson Pulkovo Airport St Petersburg OR Park Inn Pulkovskaya
Daily Buffet Breakfast at the hotel
transfers from airport to hotel and vice versa by private transfer
Optional Tour Discover St. Petersburg - Urban Adventures
Optional Tour St Petersburg Like a Local
Optional Tour Hermitage Museum – Private
Optional Tour Alexander Nevski Monastery – Private
Cancelation 48 hours prior to the tour date (Free Cancelation)
Cancelation within 48 hours prior to the tour date (Full Charge / No Refund)
No Show or early release (Full Charge / No Refund)
Time based on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)