Russian Versailles

  Day 1. St. Petersburg

Arrival in St Petersburg. Meeting with a guide at the airport.

Transfer to the hotel located in the city center. Accommodation with breakfasts.

St Petersburg city tour – all major city attractions (3 hours) with visit to Peter and Paul Fortress. You will see the magnificent St.Isaac’s cathedral, Vasilyevsky island, The University, The Winter Palace, the Palace square, Church of the Savior on the Blood, the square of Arts and other famous places and monuments. Excursion to Peter& Paul Fortress includes a visit to the Cathedral, which serves a Burial place of Romanov Dynasty of Russian Tsars.

Optional dinner.

  Day 2. St. Petersburg

8.30 - 9.30 - Breakfast at the hotel. Meeting with a guide at the hotel lobby.

Excursion to the Peterhof: You will see the palace and park complex of Peterhof. You will see the Monplaisir complex, Peter the Great’s favourite recreation place, and walk though the Lower Park, which is distinguished by its unusual fountains, that are truly unique. The gem of Peterhof is Peter’s favourite Monplaisir and its garden with fountains including two trick fountains. Then you will explore the Hermitage pavilion (very rare monument of architecture) and the large-scale Great Palace. Finally you will find yourself at the so-called Alexandria area, the seaside residence of Nikolas 1. Transfer to St.Petersburg.

Optional folk show at the Nikolaevsky palace.

  Day 3. St. Petersburg

Breakfast at the hotel. Meeting with a guide at the hotel lobby.

Excursion to Tsarskoye Selo (Pushkin) Tsarskoe Selo – the very name of this palace-and-park ensemble provokes a number of happy recollections. In addition to its beautiful parks and architecture, it is also associated with the great age of Russian poetry and ceremonial glamour of the past autocratic life.  It is the Catherine palace, however, the fronts of which extend for 740 meters that dominates the entire complex of Tsarskoye Selo. Its powerful decorative forms determine the plastic expressiveness of the palace endowing it with truly legal majesty. You will walk through the Great Hall (or the ball room), the Picture hall (18 century decor), the Blue Drawing room, the Chinese Blue Drawing room, the bedroom of Maria Fiodorovna and the Green Dining room. (Decorated after the drawings of Cameron). The landscaped section of the Catherine’s park is situated around great Pond. You will visit a number of unique park pavilions connected with it.Transfer to St.Petersburg.

  Day 4. St. Petersburg

Breakfast at the hotel. Meeting with a guide at the hotel lobby.

Pavlovsk, one of the most perfect works of architecture and art of landscape gardening, occupies a special place among royal residences in the environs of St.Petersburg. The Palace is the predominant structure of the Pavlovsk ensemble. The private rooms have now their original interior and all the furniture and the Emperor’s and his wife’s belongings remain untouched. The Pavlovsky Palace rooms are full of pieces of art, which make up a fine collection of paintings, furniture, sculptures, bronze articles and china sets. The artworks were bought by the Emperor and his wife themselves when travelling to Europe. You will walk through the Pavlovsk great park. The marble statues look particularly attractive against the greenery of the park.  Bridges of different shapes can be seen in the park of Pavlovsk: embellished with exquisite wrought-iron railings and decorative vases and sculptures. Transfer to St.Petersburg.

  Day 5. St. Petersburg

Breakfast at the hotel. Meeting with a guide at the hotel lobby.
Departure for excursion:

Excursion to Oranienbaum. The palace-and-park ensemble is situated on the southern shore of the Gulf of Finland opposite Kronshtadt (architects D. Fontana and I. Schedel). In 1743 Oranienbaum became the summer residence of the Emperor Paul III. The Fortress Petershtadt with a petite palace was constructed for him by A. Rinaldi. Later he built the Chinese Palace and the Katalnaya Gorka by the order of Catherine the Great. All these buildings combine exquisite style rococo with traces of classicism. Today the following palace-museums are available to visit: the Chinese palace, the palace of Peter III, the Sliding Hill pavilion, the Japanese pavilion of the Bolshoy (Menshikov) palace, exhibition halls in the Kavalersky block and the Chinese Kitchen pavilion, an exhibition in the central building of the Bolshoy (Menshikov) palace. Return to St.Petersburg. Free time.

Optional performance at the Mariinsky theatre.

  Day 6. St. Petersburg

Breakfast at the hotel. Meeting with the guide at the hotel lobby.

Departure for excursion:

Gatchina, the name of both the town and the palace-and-park ensemble, dates back to distant times. During the subsequent time Gatchina had different owners. The Gatchina Palace originally was a hunting lodge of Grigory Orlov, a favourite of Catherine the Great. Later it became the residence of the Russian emperors Paul I, Nickolas I, Alexander II and Alexander III. It is remarkable not only as a work of art but also as a witness to many most important historical events, political and intimate secrets of the royal family. Transfer to St.Petersburg. Free time for shopping, picture taking.

  Day 7. St. Petersburg

Breakfast at the hotel.

Check-out from the hotel. Transfer to the airport. Departure. 

Prices staring from $ 840.

Included
-accommodation in St. Petersburg
- breakfasts
-all transfers according to the program with arrival/departure transfers
-all excursions due to the program with entrance fees, air-conditioned private car and individual English speaking guide
-visa support documents