Sightseeing

        MIR Travel Company offers you a variety of excursions in Saint Petersburg and its suburbs.

All rates for the excursions in Saint-Petersburg are given in EURO per person. The rates include commission for Travel Agents and Tour Operators.
Excursion rates in Saint-Petersburg include
· transport
· guide service (English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian)*
· entrance fees
* Rates for guide service with other languages upon request

City tour in Saint-Petersburg

During the city tour in Saint-Petersburg you will become acquainted with architecture, history and present day life of the former capital of Imperial Russia, the history of the Romanov dynasty. Among the rich parade of sights to be enjoyed will be Palace Square with the Winter Palace, the Square of Arts with the Russian Museum, the Smolny Convent, the famous Nevsky Avenue, the Summer Garden and the Field of Mars. You will enjoy the classical ensemble of the Senate Square with its famous “Bronze Horseman”, the spit of Basil island, many other architectural monuments, gorgeous palaces, marvellous bridges and picturesque embankments.

	hours
City tour	3
City tour + Peter–and–Paul’s Fortress	4
City tour + St. Isaac’s Cathedral	4
City tour + Peter–and–Paul’s Fortress + St. Isaac’s Cathedral	5

Excursion to Peter and Paul’s Fortress

Peter and Paul Fortress is the first construction of Saint–Petersburg. By the order of Peter the Great it was built here to defend these lands from Sweden, during the war, which lasted 21 years and came down into the history as the Northern War. The first day of the fortress’s construction – 27th of May 1703 – became the Birthday of the whole city. The architect of the fortress was Domenico Trezini, the first architect of the city. For a long period of time the fortress was used as a political prison. The architectural centre of the ensemble of the Fortress is the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul. The Cathedral is a burial place of Russian Emperors from the time of Peter I. In 1998 the remains of the last Russian Emperor Nicholas II and his family were buried in the Cathedral.

	hours
Peter–and–Paul’s Fortress + St. Isaac’s Cathedral	3
Peter–and–Paul’s Fortress*	1

* As a continuation of the previous tour.

Excursion to St Isaac’s Cathedral 

St. Isaac’s Cathedral is the largest cathedral of the city. It is also one of the biggest one–dome cathedrals in the world after St. Peter in Rome and St. Paul in London. It was designed by the French architect A. Montferrand. It took 40 years to construct it. The cathedral is decorated with mosaics, painted ceiling murals, bronze gilt statues. The cathedral is surrounded by 112 monolith granite columns, which were transported from one of the suburbs of the city. St. Isaac’s Cathedral was the main cathedral of the city from the second half of the 19th century. Now the cathedral houses the museum, but for the Major Orthodox holidays Religious services are held here.

	hours
St. Isaac’s Cathedral*	1
The Ring of 3 Cathedrals (St. Isaac’s Cathedral – Church of Resurrection – St. Sampson Cathedral)	4,5

* As a continuation of the previous tour.

St. Petersburg at Night

To feel the unique spirit of St. Petersburg one have to look at it at night. Far from being a dusty museum piece St Petersburg is a thriving modern city that really knows how to enjoy itself, and there’s nowhere better to take St Petersburg’s pulse than along Nevskiy Prospect. It is busy round the clock everyday. This handsome boulevard doubles as the city’s commercial aorta. A comfortable couch will drive you around the downtown, which is extremely charming at night both in romantic twilights of the Wight Nights and electric lights in winter. Saint Petersburg is also known as the City of Bridges. There is no wonder, because the city is situated on more then 45 islands. Saint–Petersburg wins the leading position in Russia in the quantity of bridges. Of course the most amazing fact about the St.Petersburg bridges is that all the bridges across the Neva river are drawbridges. It means that at night they are lifted to let the big steamers and ships pass through the the river into Ladoga Lake. That is the picture of majestic beauty, especially during the famous period of Wight Nights from May till July, when nights are as light as daytime and there is a wonderful feeling of magic all around the city.

St. Petersburg at Night	3

Excursion to Alexander Nevsky Laura

   The Alexander Nevsky Lavra is a true artistic landmark of St Petersburg. Founded by Peter the Great's decree in 1710, the monastery became one of the first building sites in the Northern Russian capital, parallel with the Peter and Paul Fortress. Russian and foreign architects worked on creation of the ensemble of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. Among those who took part in the designing and construction of its churches, towers and aisles were the outstanding architects Domenico Trezzini, Piotr Yeropkin, Mikhail Zemtsov and Ivan Starov, the sculptor F. Shubin and many other masters. The monastery was built during the eighteenth century. In the Lavra there are three cemeteries which were named after the churches erected there. These are the St Lazarus (Lazarevskoye) Cemetery, the Tikhvinskoye Cemetery and the St Nickolas (Nikolskoye) Cemetery. Suvorov, Lomonosov, Dostoyevsky, Chaykovsky are buried here.  

	hours
Alexander Nevsky Laura	2,5

 Excursion to The Hermitage  

Hermitage is one of the largest museums in the world after Louvre in Paris and the National Gallery in London. Hermitage collection numbers over 3 million exhibits from prehistoric to modern times. The Russian Empress Catherine II founded it in 1764, when she bought a large number of Western European paintings. To house the collection she ordered a new building to be constructed. Now the permanent museum display occupies five buildings (The Winter Palace, The Small Hermitage, The Old Hermitage, The New Hermitage and the Hermitage Theatre), which form a brilliant architectural ensemble. The remarkable architects and sculptors of 18th – 19th centuries decorated the museum’s interiors. A number of staterooms, where official ceremonies used to be held, preserve their sumptuous décor. The Hermitage acquires authentic masterpieces by the greatest painters and sculptors of the World, such as Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Titian, Rembrandt, Rubens, El Greco, Claude Monet, August Renoir, Paul Cezanne, Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, Pablo Picasso and Matisse. The Hermitage complex is a veritable spiritual universe created in the course of times and filled with the unique gifts of creativity.

	hours
Hermitage	3,5

Excursion to The State Russian museum

The State Russian Museum is called a treasure house of Russian art. This is the first state – owned collection of works of Russian art and culture which amount to over four thousand items. It was established in 1895 as the centre of art and history of Russia and was officially opened to the public in 1898. It is situated on one of the most beautiful squares of Saint–Petersburg – on the Square of Arts, at the Mikhailovsky (Michael’s) Palace. It was constructed at the beginning of the 19th century for the Grand Prince Michael, the son of Russian Emperor Paul I. Hence the name of the Palace. Museum contains unique collections from icon–paintings to Avant–Garde and social realism, one can enjoy the works of outstanding painters, sculptors and graphic artists of the 18th – 20th centuries and pieces of decorative, applied and folk arts.

	hours
Russian Museum	3

 Excursion to The Yussupov Palace

The Yussupov Palace I is one of the most sumptuous palaces in Saint–Petersburg. It’s one of the rare works of architecture whose history is closely associated with the names of the aristocracy, eminent architects, artists of the 19th and early 20th century. It belonged to the Yussupov family, the family of fabulous rich. The palace is also famed as the scene of Rasputin’s murder in December 1916. 

	hours
Yussupov Palace	2,5
Yussupov Palace + Exposition ”Rasputin”	2,5

Excursion to The Temple on the Spilt Blood (Church of Resurrection)

The artistic concept of the Church of Resurrection goes back to examples of Moscow architecture of the 16th century. The temple on the Spilled Blood was built at the end of the 19th century on the place where the Russian Emperor Alexander II was fatally wounded by the members of the revolutionary movement on March 1, 1881. The temple is known all over the world due to the interior and exterior decorations. The walls of the church are faced with 7 thousand square meters of mosaic panels. The mosaics were made after the design of many prominent Russian artists. The Cathedral was badly damaged during the second world War. It was under the restoration works for a long period of time and only in 1997 it was re–opened to the public.

	hours
Saviour–on–the–Spilt–Blood Church(Church of the Resurrection)*	1

* As a continuation of the previous tour.

 Excursion to The Dostoyevsky Museum

The Dostoyevsky Museum is the memorial museum of the famous Russian writer F. Dostoyesky. It was opened to 150– anniversary of F. Dostoyevsky in 1971. In this building there was Dostoyevsky’s last flat. Here he wrote his famous “Karamazovs Brothers”. The interiors of the flat are restored in accordance with archive documents. The collection of the museum has unique, authentic things which belonged to Dostoyevsky himself.

	hours
The Dostoyevsky Museum	2,5

 Pushkin (Tsar’s Village)

Pushkin is a fascinating example of the world’s architecture and gardening. Peter the Great ordered to construct the small palace for his wife, future empress Catherine I. In the middle of the 18th century the palace was rebuilt and became the purl of that period architecture. The grandeur of the artistic decor of the facades, the moulded decorations, the gilding of architectural and sculptural details, all echoes the majesty and elegance of the interior decoration of the Catherine Palace. The Amber Room, which was presented to Peter I by the Prussian King in 1716, known as the Eighth Wonder of the World, used to be in this Palace. The amber ornamentation of this room, missing since 1945, is now reconstructed by Russian gem carvers. The park of Tsarskoye Selo (Tsar’s Village) was the favourite recreation place of the Russian Tsars. The paths around the Catherine Palace invite for a walk to see park pavilions built by the famous architects and sculptors of Russia. To the North of the Catherine Palace there is marvellous Alexander Palace which was build by the Catherine’s order for her favourite grandson Alexander, the future Russian Emperor Alexander I.

	hours
Pushkin (Catherine Palace and park)	5
Pushkin(Alexander palace + park)	5
Pushkin + Pavlovsk (palaces and parks)	7

Pavlovsk 

Pavlovsk is a superb park ensemble of the late XVIII – beginning of the XX centuries, which was, used as a summer residence of the Russian emperor Paul I and his family. The landscape park with different pavilions covers the area of 600 ha. The formation of the Pavlovsky Palace collections was closely connected with the trip of its owners around Europe. Paul I and his wife visited workshops of well–known artists, ordering and acquiring paintings, furniture, bronze articles, silk fabrics, china sets, etc. They brought to Russia large number of antique sculptures from Italy, as well as gifts from European royal courts. And now all these items are exhibited in the halls of the Palace.

	hours
Pavlovsk (Pavlovsk Palace and park)	5

Peterhof

Peterhof is a jewel of the Russian art, a town of parks, palaces and fountains. It was built by the order of Peter the Great to commemorate the victory of Russia over Sweden in the Northern War. The architectural ensemble of Peterhof is rivalling the summer residence of the French kings – Versailles. In the past Peterhof used to be an exquisite summer residence of the Russian tsars. The centre of the ensemble is the Grand Palace with the brilliant interiors, which were badly damaged during the time of the Second World War. The restoration works were made after the photos and descriptions of the palace of the beginning of the XX century. Three monumental cascading fountains lead from the Grand Palace to the Low Park, which is the real masterpiece in itself, 173 fountains of different kinds are on its grounds.

	hours
Peterhof (Grand Palace and park)	5
Peterhof: Park and 2 small palaces.	5

The Lomonosov Porcelain Factory in Saint-Petersburg

The Lomonosov Porcelain Factory is the first Russian manufacture, which was established in St. Petersburg by the order of Empress Elizabeth in 1744. Till the 1917 the factory was the property of the Romanov dynasty hence was the name The Imperial manufactury. The name of Lomonosov was given to the factory only in 1925. This factory is the only one in Russian which manufactures thin–walled bone china.Within the walls of the museum established in 1844 you will see wonderful displays of Lomonosov porcelain dating back to the 18th century.

	hours
The Lomonosov Porcelain Factory	3

Boat trip “Along The Rivers and Canals” in Saint-Petersburg 

Boat trip “Along The Rivers and Canals” is a relaxing cruise by boat along the Neva River and some other waterways out of the 66 rivers and canals of “Northern Venice”(as St. Petersburg used to be called). It is one of the unique ways to discover the city. The main river of the city is the Neva, which is one of the youngest rivers in Europe. The magnificent architectural ensembles, churches, cathedrals and monuments seem to exist in astonishing harmony with the watery element. All the St. Petersburg embankments are faced with granite and each has its own distinctive character.

	hours
Boat trip “Along rivers and canals” with fourchetee	1,5
Boat trip “Along rivers and canals” with fourchetee *	1,5
Boat trip “Along rivers and canals” with champagne	1,5

Gatchina

The palace and park complex of Gatchina, a town located 45 km to the South–west of St. Petersburg, is an outstanding example of eighteenth–century landscape architecture. The palace was built in the Early Classical Style by Antonio Rinaldi between 1766 and 1781, later enlarged by Vincenzo Brenna in 1796 – 1798, and reconstructed by Roman Kuzmin between 1845 and 1860. The calm waters of picturesque lakes, ponds, and canals enliven the landscape parks, occupying an area of 700 hectare. The arbitrarily scattered bridges, terraces, obelisks, piers, and gates made of local limestone add to the romantic beautiful of the scenery. During Word War II, both the palace and parks of Gatchina were severely damaged. In the post–war years, many of the destroyed parks structures have been restored; the state rooms of the palace are still under restoration.

	hours
Gatchina (Palace and park)	5

Kronshtadt

It is also spelled Cronstadt. Situated on the small island of Kotlin in the Gulf of Finland, Kronshtadt is one of the chief naval bases for the Russian Baltic fleet. It was founded in 1703 by Peter I as a port and a fortress to protect the site of St. Petersburg, and it was the commercial harbor of St. Petersburg until the 1880s. The harbor is icebound for several months each year. The port lost its commercial value after the development of St. Petersburg. The visit of a French naval squadron to Kronshtadt in 1891 was followed by a Franco–Russian military agreement heralding the formation of the Triple Entente of France, England, and Russia. Mutinies of the naval garrison took place here in 1825 and 1882 and played significant part in the revolutions of 1905 and 1917. The general unrest among peasants and workers in March 1921 touched off the mutiny of the naval garrison that had been loyal to the Bolsheviks during the revolution. This was the culmination of the anti–Bolshevik unrest in the country. In World War II, Kronshtadt played a major role in the defense of St. Petersburg (then Leningrad) against the Germans.

	hours
Kronshtadt	6

Lomonosov/Oranienbaum

The palace and park complex of Oranienbaum is located 39 kilometers to the South of St. Petersburg on the southern coast of the Finnish Gulf near Kronshtadt. In 1707 Peter the Great presented the grounds near the seaside to Duke Menshikov. The architects D.Fontana and G.Shedel built in 1710–1727 the Grand (Menshikov) Palace that was connected by the channel with the Finnish Gulf. Simultaneously the regular Lower Garden decorated with fountains and sculptures and the Upper Garden were laid out. From 1743 Oranienbaum became the summer residence of Grand Duke Peter Fedorovitch, the heir of Empress Elizabeth (future Emperor Peter III). During the ten–year period B.F. Rastrelli reconstructed the Grand Palace adding beauty to its decor. In 1756 –1762 the Petrstadt Fortress ensemble was constructed on the bank of the Karost River for Grand Duke Peter Fedorovitch where a tiny palace and the Gates of Honor with the tower crowned by a spire were erected by A. Rinaldi. In 1762 Catherine II ordered to establish the suburban residence called "My Own Countryside House". For that purpose Rinaldi created the Chinese Palace and the Katalnaya Gorka Pavilion (roller coaster) with a cupola pavilion in 1762–1774.

	hours
Lomonosov/Oranienbaum (Chinese Palace and park)	5

Saint-Petersburg museums working schedule 

Museum	Working hours	Days off
Peter and Paul Fortress	11.00 – 17.00 (Tuesday – till 16.00)	Wednesday, the last Tuesday of the month
St. Isaac’s Cathedral	11.00 – 18.00	Wednesday
St. Sampson Cathedral	11.00 – 18.00	Wednesday
The State Hermitage	10.30 – 18.00 (Sunday – till 17.00)	Monday
The State Russian Museum	10.00 – 18.00 (Monday – till 17.00)	Tuesday
Yussupov Palace	12.00 –16.30
Temple on the Spilt Blood	11.00 – 18.00	Wednesday
Alexander Nevsky Laura	10.00 – 18.00	Thursday
The Dostoyevsky Museum	11.00 – 17.30	Monday and the last Wednesday of the month
Cruiser Aurora	10.30 – 16.00	Monday, Friday
Palace of Peter I (Summer Garden)	10.30 – 16.30	Tuesday, the last Monday of the month
The Cottage of Peter I	10.00 – 17.00	Tuesday, the last Monday of the month
The Lomonosov Porcelain Factory	10.30 – 18.00	Monday
Peterhof	10.30 – 17.00	Monday, the last Tuesday of the month
Pushkin (Tsar’s Village)	10.00 – 17.00	Tuesday, the last Monday of the month
Pavlovsk	10.00 – 17.00	Friday, the first Monday of the month
Gatchina	10.00 – 17.00	Monday, the first Tuesday of the month
Oranienbaum (Lomonosov)	11.00 – 17.00 (Monday – 16.00)	Tuesday, the last Monday of the month