Your holiday summary
| Holiday type |
Tours |
|---|---|
| Country |
Russian Federation |
| Travel type |
Fly |
| Price range | From £959 |
| Travel partner | Riviera Travel |
| Duration | 4 nights |
|
Need help with your booking? 0330 333 6751 |
St Petersburg - The Imperial Capital
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St Petersburg has always been high on the traveller’s wish list of ‘must see’ destinations. Plus, it is wonderfully stimulating to extend your horizons sometimes beyond the familiar facades of our neighbouring European capitals, taking a mesmerising journey to one of the world’s most beautiful, yet least known, great cities. The Imperial capital of the Tsars was founded in 1703 by Peter the Great, and is truly worthy of an Emperor! The majestic boulevards and splendid baroque buildings, threaded by winding canals and set amongst great parks, are redolent of the classical Italian cities that so inspired Peter as he set about fulfilling his great vision.
Today, St Petersburg is a magnificent monument to him and the Russia of old, with a wealth of things to experience. Firstly you have one of the greatest museums in the world; the Hermitage, crammed with fine art, the magnificence of one of the world’s largest Cathedrals; St Isaac’s and the immense scale of the waterfront that has to be seen to be believed. On Vasilievsky Island, the original city, there is the Peter and Paul Fortress and its ornate cathedral with marbled columns and glittering chandeliers. So aptly, it was the final resting place of the Romanovs and so close to the cruiser Aurora, whose firing of guns signalled the start of the Russian Revolution in 1917. St Petersburg though has another face too: lose yourself in the parks, take a stroll along the canals criss-crossing the city or window shop in the city’s department stores and markets. Then there is the superb Mariinsky Theatre, home to the Kirov, one of the world’s most famous ballet companies with whom the artists Nureyev, Nijinsky and Anna Pavlova gained worldwide recognition. Other famous St Petersburgers have included Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich, Stravinsky and Pushkin whose cultural legacies are alive and well in a lively arts scene.
Wherever you go in the city though, you cannot help feeling that St Petersburg was, and still is pivotal in world events and has changed more radically in its mere 300 years of history than probably anywhere else in the world. The city was founded by an Emperor and was home to Catherine the Great, ‘Bloody Sunday’ and the Romanovs. The Russian Revolution in 1917 led to the foundation of the world’s first communist state, radically changing the course of 20th century world history, ultimately affecting such far-flung countries as Cuba and Vietnam. Then came a change of name to Leningrad, Stalin, the three year long siege during the Second World War, and following on, the ‘Cold War’. In recent times it has been time for two more St Petersburgers to take centre stage: Boris Yeltsin and Vladimir Putin, with yet more events following in their wake. Today though, St Petersburg has emerged from its more turbulent past, reclaiming its rightful place amongst the world’s most beautiful and fascinating cities as somewhere you really must experience for yourself.
Today, St Petersburg is a magnificent monument to him and the Russia of old, with a wealth of things to experience. Firstly you have one of the greatest museums in the world; the Hermitage, crammed with fine art, the magnificence of one of the world’s largest Cathedrals; St Isaac’s and the immense scale of the waterfront that has to be seen to be believed. On Vasilievsky Island, the original city, there is the Peter and Paul Fortress and its ornate cathedral with marbled columns and glittering chandeliers. So aptly, it was the final resting place of the Romanovs and so close to the cruiser Aurora, whose firing of guns signalled the start of the Russian Revolution in 1917. St Petersburg though has another face too: lose yourself in the parks, take a stroll along the canals criss-crossing the city or window shop in the city’s department stores and markets. Then there is the superb Mariinsky Theatre, home to the Kirov, one of the world’s most famous ballet companies with whom the artists Nureyev, Nijinsky and Anna Pavlova gained worldwide recognition. Other famous St Petersburgers have included Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich, Stravinsky and Pushkin whose cultural legacies are alive and well in a lively arts scene.
Wherever you go in the city though, you cannot help feeling that St Petersburg was, and still is pivotal in world events and has changed more radically in its mere 300 years of history than probably anywhere else in the world. The city was founded by an Emperor and was home to Catherine the Great, ‘Bloody Sunday’ and the Romanovs. The Russian Revolution in 1917 led to the foundation of the world’s first communist state, radically changing the course of 20th century world history, ultimately affecting such far-flung countries as Cuba and Vietnam. Then came a change of name to Leningrad, Stalin, the three year long siege during the Second World War, and following on, the ‘Cold War’. In recent times it has been time for two more St Petersburgers to take centre stage: Boris Yeltsin and Vladimir Putin, with yet more events following in their wake. Today though, St Petersburg has emerged from its more turbulent past, reclaiming its rightful place amongst the world’s most beautiful and fascinating cities as somewhere you really must experience for yourself.
Included
The price per person includes return flights, four nights bed and breakfast, based on two people sharring a twin room. Single rooms are subject to availability at the relevant supplement of £199 to £299 per person, return transfers, all tours and entrance fees as mentioned, and the services of a Riviera tour manager.
Scheduled British Airways flights direct to St Petersburg from Heathrow
Excellent four-star centrally located hotel within walking distance of many of the sights, including the Hermitage
Guided sightseeing tour of one of the world’s most beautiful but least known great cities
Guided tour of the Hermitage – the Tsars’ Winter Palace - one of the greatest single museum collections on earth
Visit to Vasilevsky Island, renowned for its remarkable collection of museums, the cruiser Aurora, Peter & Paul Fortress and its stunning cathedral - final resting place of the Romanovs
Guided visit to the Peterhof, stunning estate of the Tsars, with its magnificent palaces, glorious gardens and fabulous fountains
Services of an experienced tour manager
Not included
Russian Visa. All Russia Visa Application forms must be completed electronically and be signed by the applicants. The granting of a visa is at the discretion of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in London and its Consulates. All payments made towards visa fees and service charges are non-refundable and do not guarantee the issuance of a visa should your application be declined. Please ensure you have at least two empty pages in your passport, and that it is valid for a minimum of six months after the visa's expiration. You will also need one recent passport photo, a 'Tourist Voucher' which can be obtained from the hotel via us - no charge applies for this however a fee of approximately £40 is charges by the hotel should the reservation be cancelled. Applications can be made by post or in person at the embassy however the initial application must always be completed on line at http://ru.vfsglobal.co.uk. Alternatively should you require additional help please contact us for a recommendation of agencies who can help with your application. Please apply for you tourist voucher and visa no more than six weeks prior to travel.
Day 1
You should arrive at the airport to take your direct flight to St Petersburg and on arrival you will be taken to the excellent purpose built four-star Novotel Centre staying four nights bed and breakfast. Situated adjacent to Nevsky Prospekt, St Petersburg’s most famous and renowned shopping street since the 18th century, it enjoys a prime position within walking distance of most of the leading sights including the Hermitage. Its chic and excellent quality restaurant is very good value and there is a convivial bar where you can share your experiences with your fellow travellers after the day’s sightseeing.
Day 2
After breakfast we have a sightseeing tour ensuring that you enjoy your stay to the full. Highlights include the grandeur of imperial buildings like the Hermitage, and the Peter and Paul Fortress; religious icons such as the golden dome of St Isaac’s Cathedral, Alexander Nevsky Monastery and the onion shaped towers of the Church on the Spilled Blood. You see grand boulevards like Nevsky Prospekt, teeming with locals; the rippling canals and arched bridges that give the city its sobriquet of ‘The Venice of the North’; the River Neva, Palace Square and the Admiralty, where the Russian Revolution began. There is a huge array of monuments and parks befitting such a historically significant city.
Next we have a tour of the Hermitage, a vast and truly remarkable complex of buildings in pastel, marble, fine glassware and gilt, including the Tsar’s Winter Palace, stormed at the start of the Bolshevik revolution, and now housing one of the world’s finest museum collections. The statistics are ‘mind boggling’ – over three million cultural artefacts and the collection of European paintings alone occupies 120 rooms and includes masterpieces by most of the greats including Da Vinci, Raphael, Rembrandt, Monet and Michelangelo. This really is a world-class institution! Entrance to the State Hermitage Museum is included, together with a guided tour to enhance your visit and you are free to appreciate the art collection as you wish before returning along Nevsky Prospekt to your hotel.
Day 3
This morning we drive through the fascinating suburbs of St Petersburg for a tour of Peterhof; the extraordinary collection of palaces, gardens and fountains conceived by Peter the Great and brought to a magnificent conclusion by Catherine the Great.
This was the Grand Palace, baroque in style and sumptuously decorated, crammed with antiques and works of art, cumulating in the Throne Room; its highly polished parquet flooring admirably reflecting the surrounding opulence. The Palace itself is set in 1,500 acres of exquisitely landscaped formal parkland: both English and French in style with geometrically arranged flowerbeds, a host of bronze sculptures and summerhouses designed in complete harmony with their surroundings. Throughout the park, beautifully planted with trees and shrubs from all over the world, are a series of smaller palaces which are well worth a visit too. One was created for the wife of Nicolas I as a ‘cottage’ – with its superb collection of Dutch and Flemish art, and a 5,200 piece dinner service! With amazing views out to the Baltic, this outstanding spectacle has to be seen to be believed. Finally, flowing towards the Gulf of Finland from the Grand Palace is the splendid Grand Cascade linking the upper park and lower garden, incorporating a spectacular ‘gravity driven’ system of 176 amazing fountains utilising a staggering 30,000 litres of water per second! Not for nothing is Peterhof known as the ‘Russian Versailles’.
During the afternoon you are free to explore as you wish, so what is it to be? Perhaps take a boat trip to see the city’s stunning waterfront; over a mile of granite, dominated by the huge golden dome of St Isaac’s Cathedral where you can climb the dome for an equally amazing view. Perhaps stroll along the river and Griboedov canal lined by 19th century merchants’ houses and onto the Church on the Spilled Blood, built on the site of the assassination of Alexander II. It is at places such as this that you can really appreciate the history and splendid architecture of this wonderful city.
Day 4
Today you will probably find a thought-provoking day, experiencing a sense of history at its most acute! We take you to the fascinating original city on Vasilievsky Island and after an explanation, you are free to explore the collection of museums and sights as you wish.
Firstly we see one of the very first buildings in St Petersburg: Peter’s Cabin was the Emperor’s abode during the early days of construction. Nearby is the Aurora; the battle cruiser whose guns symbolically fired signalling the start of the Russian Revolution in 1917. Then there is the Peter and Paul Fortress; initially the base of imperial military power, renowned for its glittering golden spire and later it became a political prison housing Dostoevsky, Trotsky and Gorky. Its immense 12 metre walls must have been a soul-destroying feature for the inmates! Then there is the glittering cathedral with its marbled columns and glittering chandeliers: a fitting final resting place of Peter the Great himself and the Romanovs. On Vasilievsky Island you can see the Imperial Stock Exchange, St Petersburg University and its plethora of museums devoted to a host of subjects.
This afternoon you can explore more aspects of this fascinating city, for example the Russian museum, but for something quite different, why not try a ride on the city’s excellent metro system?
This may sound a little bland and as the signs are in the Cyrillic alphabet, we have carefully designed our tour so you need not use public transport at all during your stay. However, Stalin ordered the Soviet Union’s best architects to design the stations using thousands of tons of marble and granite, with talented artists creating the many sculptures, mosaics and chandeliers that jointly create a spectacular display of communist style and ideals. These ‘Palaces for the People’ offer a different flavour of Russia before perhaps this evening enjoying a final dinner or a performance at the Kirov.
Day 5
You will be taken to the airport at the appropriate time for your return flight.
You should arrive at the airport to take your direct flight to St Petersburg and on arrival you will be taken to the excellent purpose built four-star Novotel Centre staying four nights bed and breakfast. Situated adjacent to Nevsky Prospekt, St Petersburg’s most famous and renowned shopping street since the 18th century, it enjoys a prime position within walking distance of most of the leading sights including the Hermitage. Its chic and excellent quality restaurant is very good value and there is a convivial bar where you can share your experiences with your fellow travellers after the day’s sightseeing.
Day 2
After breakfast we have a sightseeing tour ensuring that you enjoy your stay to the full. Highlights include the grandeur of imperial buildings like the Hermitage, and the Peter and Paul Fortress; religious icons such as the golden dome of St Isaac’s Cathedral, Alexander Nevsky Monastery and the onion shaped towers of the Church on the Spilled Blood. You see grand boulevards like Nevsky Prospekt, teeming with locals; the rippling canals and arched bridges that give the city its sobriquet of ‘The Venice of the North’; the River Neva, Palace Square and the Admiralty, where the Russian Revolution began. There is a huge array of monuments and parks befitting such a historically significant city.
Next we have a tour of the Hermitage, a vast and truly remarkable complex of buildings in pastel, marble, fine glassware and gilt, including the Tsar’s Winter Palace, stormed at the start of the Bolshevik revolution, and now housing one of the world’s finest museum collections. The statistics are ‘mind boggling’ – over three million cultural artefacts and the collection of European paintings alone occupies 120 rooms and includes masterpieces by most of the greats including Da Vinci, Raphael, Rembrandt, Monet and Michelangelo. This really is a world-class institution! Entrance to the State Hermitage Museum is included, together with a guided tour to enhance your visit and you are free to appreciate the art collection as you wish before returning along Nevsky Prospekt to your hotel.
Day 3
This morning we drive through the fascinating suburbs of St Petersburg for a tour of Peterhof; the extraordinary collection of palaces, gardens and fountains conceived by Peter the Great and brought to a magnificent conclusion by Catherine the Great.
This was the Grand Palace, baroque in style and sumptuously decorated, crammed with antiques and works of art, cumulating in the Throne Room; its highly polished parquet flooring admirably reflecting the surrounding opulence. The Palace itself is set in 1,500 acres of exquisitely landscaped formal parkland: both English and French in style with geometrically arranged flowerbeds, a host of bronze sculptures and summerhouses designed in complete harmony with their surroundings. Throughout the park, beautifully planted with trees and shrubs from all over the world, are a series of smaller palaces which are well worth a visit too. One was created for the wife of Nicolas I as a ‘cottage’ – with its superb collection of Dutch and Flemish art, and a 5,200 piece dinner service! With amazing views out to the Baltic, this outstanding spectacle has to be seen to be believed. Finally, flowing towards the Gulf of Finland from the Grand Palace is the splendid Grand Cascade linking the upper park and lower garden, incorporating a spectacular ‘gravity driven’ system of 176 amazing fountains utilising a staggering 30,000 litres of water per second! Not for nothing is Peterhof known as the ‘Russian Versailles’.
During the afternoon you are free to explore as you wish, so what is it to be? Perhaps take a boat trip to see the city’s stunning waterfront; over a mile of granite, dominated by the huge golden dome of St Isaac’s Cathedral where you can climb the dome for an equally amazing view. Perhaps stroll along the river and Griboedov canal lined by 19th century merchants’ houses and onto the Church on the Spilled Blood, built on the site of the assassination of Alexander II. It is at places such as this that you can really appreciate the history and splendid architecture of this wonderful city.
Day 4
Today you will probably find a thought-provoking day, experiencing a sense of history at its most acute! We take you to the fascinating original city on Vasilievsky Island and after an explanation, you are free to explore the collection of museums and sights as you wish.
Firstly we see one of the very first buildings in St Petersburg: Peter’s Cabin was the Emperor’s abode during the early days of construction. Nearby is the Aurora; the battle cruiser whose guns symbolically fired signalling the start of the Russian Revolution in 1917. Then there is the Peter and Paul Fortress; initially the base of imperial military power, renowned for its glittering golden spire and later it became a political prison housing Dostoevsky, Trotsky and Gorky. Its immense 12 metre walls must have been a soul-destroying feature for the inmates! Then there is the glittering cathedral with its marbled columns and glittering chandeliers: a fitting final resting place of Peter the Great himself and the Romanovs. On Vasilievsky Island you can see the Imperial Stock Exchange, St Petersburg University and its plethora of museums devoted to a host of subjects.
This afternoon you can explore more aspects of this fascinating city, for example the Russian museum, but for something quite different, why not try a ride on the city’s excellent metro system?
This may sound a little bland and as the signs are in the Cyrillic alphabet, we have carefully designed our tour so you need not use public transport at all during your stay. However, Stalin ordered the Soviet Union’s best architects to design the stations using thousands of tons of marble and granite, with talented artists creating the many sculptures, mosaics and chandeliers that jointly create a spectacular display of communist style and ideals. These ‘Palaces for the People’ offer a different flavour of Russia before perhaps this evening enjoying a final dinner or a performance at the Kirov.
Day 5
You will be taken to the airport at the appropriate time for your return flight.
Four-star Novotel (http://www.novotel.com), situated adjacent to Nevsky Prospekt, St Petersburg most famous and renowned shopping centre. Its in a prime position within walking distance of most of the leading sights including Hermitage. Its chic and excellent quality restaurant is very good value and there is a convivial bar.
10 results
| Departure date | Departing point | Departure UK | Arrive at Destination | Nights | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16-Aug-2013 | Heathrow Airport | 09:20 | 15:35 | 4 | 1019.00 | book |
| 12-Sep-2013 | Heathrow Airport | 09:20 | 15:35 | 4 | 959.00 | please call |
| 20-Sep-2013 | Heathrow Airport | 09:20 | 15:35 | 4 | 969.00 | book |
| 30-Sep-2013 | Heathrow Airport | 09:20 | 15:35 | 4 | 999.00 | book |
| 15-May-2014 | Heathrow Airport | 09:20 | 15:35 | 4 | 1049.00 | book |
| 05-Jun-2014 | Heathrow Airport | 09:20 | 15:35 | 4 | 1069.00 | book |
| 17-Jul-2014 | Heathrow Airport | 09:20 | 15:35 | 4 | 1049.00 | book |
| 14-Aug-2014 | Heathrow Airport | 09:20 | 15:35 | 4 | 1039.00 | book |
| 04-Sep-2014 | Heathrow Airport | 09:20 | 15:35 | 4 | 1039.00 | book |
| 18-Sep-2014 | Heathrow Airport | 09:20 | 15:35 | 4 | 999.00 | book |
10 results
Just returned from St Petersburg. Would like to say we found the tour manager (Bernie) and the guide (Anya) superb in every way. Well informed but also such helpful and pleasant people. They worked very hard to make the tour so worthwhile.
Aug 2011
Mr & Mrs Swanwick
Mr & Mrs Swanwick
