Tour to Saint Petersburg "Cultural Capital" - 6 days

Arrival at St Petersburg airport, where our representative will meet you. Transfer to your hotel.

St. Petersburg is a city of Russian emperors. As the nation’s cultural capital, it boasts more than 200 magnificent museums. There are whole countries which probably can't boast as many great sights as this one city. St. Petersburg offers an incredible amount of world heritage collections in its museums and galleries, from the priceless treasures of the world-famous Hermitage to the palaces and art of the Russian Museum.

This morning, you will see the most interesting places in St Petersburg, soaking up the mysterious history of the city, which is also known as the “Venice of the North”.  During the city tour, you will visit Kazan Cathedral, the Stroganov Palace, the Peter and Paul Fortress, the monument to Peter the Great (the Bronze Horseman), the Mariinsky Palace, the Palace Embankment, Nevsky Prospect and, of course, religious icons such as the golden-domed St Isaac's Cathedral and distinctive Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood. You will also see the famous Aurora warship, the legendary ship whose canon-fire gave the signal, on the order of Lenin, for the beginning of the Great Socialist Revolution more than 90 years ago. You will fall in love with St Petersburg, you will 

After breakfast, we head off to one of the most beautiful art museums in the world - the Hermitage State Museum, exhibiting close to 3 million items and visited by several million people annually. The main architectural ensemble of the Hermitage (which is one of the world’s oldest and largest museums) stands in the centre of St Petersburg and consists of the Winter Palace (once the state residence of Russian emperors), the buildings of the Small, Old (Great) and New Hermitages, the Hermitage Theatre and the Auxiliary House. The museum complex also includes the Menshikov

Today you will find out more about Russian culture and art. You will visit the world's largest museum of Russian art – the Russian State Museum. A guided tour will take you through the world of Russian fine art. Over 400,000 exhibits reflect the history of Russian fine art, from its ancient icons to the 20th century avant-garde. The exhibitions of the Russian State Museum represent all the stages, schools and genres of the works of Russian and Soviet artists, covering the period from the 11th century to today. Along with its paintings, the museum boasts unique collections of works of folk art, decorative and applied art, as well as numismaticsPalace and the Eastern Wing of the General Staff building, the Staraya Derevnya Restoration and Storage Centre and the Museum of the Imperial Porcelain Factory.

Today you can explore  this magnificent city on your own or you can go for an optional excursion to Tsarskoe Selo.    

If any proof is needed for the extravagance of Russia's Imperial rulers, then it can be found in the fact that, in less than two centuries, the Romanov Tsars established not one but two suburban estates - at Tsarskoe Selo and pushkin - that, in terms of grandeur and excess, outstrip even Versailles. What is more, at Tsarskoe Selo, the 18^th century saw the construction of two vast and truly exceptional palaces, both surrounded by extensive landscaped gardens with diverse and fascinating decorative architecture. Built for Empress Elizabeth by Bartolomeo Rastrelli, the architect of St. Petersburg's Winter Palace, the Catherine Palace is undoubtedly Tsarskoe Selo's top attraction, particularly renowned for the extraordinary Amber Room.  The Palace is an astonishing example of baroque architecture with its striking interiors which are simply spectacular. Amber Room, was looted during World War II and completely and painstakingly recreated as recently as 2003, a process that took over 20 years and cost more than 12 million. 

The interiors of the Catherine Palace are no less spectacular. The so-called Golden Enfilade of state rooms, designed by Rastrelli, is particularly renowned and forms the focus of the palace tour. Guests enter via the State Staircase which, although it blends effortlessly with the rococo grandeur of Rastrelli's interiors, in fact dates from the 1860s. With its ornate banisters and reclining marble cupids, it gives a taste of what is to come. The Great Hall, also known as the Hall of Light, measures nearly 1,000 square meters, and occupies the full width of the palace so that there are superb views on either side. The large arched windows provide enough light to relieve the vast quantity of gilded stucco decorating the walls, and the entire ceiling is covered by a monumental fresco entitled The Triumph of Russia. 

Our driver will meet you in your hotel lobby and you will be taken to the airport for your return flight.

St Petersburg is often referred to as an open-air museum; it boasts more than 200 magnificent museums, fascinating rivers, charming canals, impressive architecture, and vibrant cultural life. St Petersburg is a city of canals and rivers, built on 101 islands and linked by 350 graceful bridges. As such, it’s often called "The Venice of the North". During the six days of your visit, you will see majestic palaces, extravagant mansions and richly decorated cathedrals which create a regal ambience throughout St Petersburg. You will see the world-famous State Hermitage Museum, which houses one of the largest and most exquisite art collections in the world. Known as the cultural capital of Russia, St Petersburg never ceases to amaze you and will make you want to come back again and again.